The other day I was able to get my hands on about 16 pounds of strawberries. I decided to get busy in my kitchen and see what all I could do with them.
First, I washed them all up (it's suggested to wash them just before using them to help them stay fresh longer). I added a few drops of lemon essential oil (food safe) to some water, soaked them for 2ish min (be sure you don't soak them too long or they will get mushy). Then I put a paper towel in the bottom of a few half-gallon jars to store the strawberries in the fridge. The remaining berries went into a lined drawer in the fridge (because I ran out of my large jars). This helped to preserve them for use the next day.
When I was ready to use the strawberries, I cut the tops off, but I DIDN'T THROW THEM AWAY. My rabbits nibbled on a few of them (but just as a special treat), the rest I put aside in an airy container. I'll come back to what I did with the tops later.
I measured out the strawberries I needed to make some jam, I used about 16 cups chopped and mashed. 
The rest went either in the freezer or back into the fridge.
The rest went either in the freezer or back into the fridge.I used this recipe for the jam. It uses the pectin from the fruit, so it has very minimal ingredients. I'll admit, this was a day-long event for me...not the hour and a half it claims. There's a few reasons for that. One being that I'm super slow in the kitchen. I don't know why, but it always takes me at least twice as long as a recipe says. But also, I don't make a lot of jam. My family tries to stay away from foods high in sugar. But we do use jam from time to time (like when I make my sourdough discard poptarts), so I wanted to make my own...with minimal ingredients! I also had to take a break after I cooked my jam to make a store run and be a mom taxi, this ended up being about a 3 hour break.
But, before that break, I really should have had my jars in the canner already. However, like I said above, I don't make a lot of jam. So it was a bit of a learning experience and my jam wasn't setting up quite right. So after I got back home and did some trouble-shooting, bam! My jam was ready to can!! (NOTE: make sure your fruit is either blended or in super small pieces to help extract the pectin).
When it was all said and done, I had about 16 1/2 half-pint jars of jam. Yummy!
BUT, that's NOT ALL I got from these strawberries. Remember those tops I didn't throw away? 
Well, the next day I took the tops from the remaining strawberries, made sure everything was nice and clean, then I made some strawberry syrup. Who knew?! I used this recipe. I had about 12 cups of tops, which gave me about 8 cups of liquid to use for the syrup. Once I cooked and reduced it, I had 11 1/2 half-pint jars of syrup to use. This had a mild flavor, but since it was part of my waste-not, want-not kitchen, I was pleased with the flavor. Next time I may throw in a few actual chunks of the strawberries, but overall I'm pleased with the results.
Well, the next day I took the tops from the remaining strawberries, made sure everything was nice and clean, then I made some strawberry syrup. Who knew?! I used this recipe. I had about 12 cups of tops, which gave me about 8 cups of liquid to use for the syrup. Once I cooked and reduced it, I had 11 1/2 half-pint jars of syrup to use. This had a mild flavor, but since it was part of my waste-not, want-not kitchen, I was pleased with the flavor. Next time I may throw in a few actual chunks of the strawberries, but overall I'm pleased with the results.But, that's STILL NOT ALL I did with these amazing strawberries.
I happened to have one from the bunch that had a chunk taken out of it. Instead of tossing it, I used a peeler and peeled off the skin with the seeds. I then dried the skins. What will I do with them? I'll plant the seed and attempt to grow my own strawberries. The results of this is yet to be seen. So stay tuned!
I happened to have one from the bunch that had a chunk taken out of it. Instead of tossing it, I used a peeler and peeled off the skin with the seeds. I then dried the skins. What will I do with them? I'll plant the seed and attempt to grow my own strawberries. The results of this is yet to be seen. So stay tuned!🌸 From my homestead heart to yours —
If you’re walking this same journey of homemaking, decluttering, and creating a peaceful, faith-filled home, you’re not alone.
I’d love to share encouragement, simple living inspiration, and homestead wisdom with you — right to your inbox.
If you’re walking this same journey of homemaking, decluttering, and creating a peaceful, faith-filled home, you’re not alone.
I’d love to share encouragement, simple living inspiration, and homestead wisdom with you — right to your inbox.
– Amanda | The HomeGrown Mom 🌾
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