Lessons you learn in life, or perhaps more like lessons you already knew in life, but decided to completely ignore. I picked up some fresh local strawberries for a friend last week at the farmer’s market; I also bought some for myself, because Strawberry Shortbread Gelato was on the menu for later this week. I arrived home and left the strawberries out on the counter so that they would not mold in the refrigerator. I did everything right. Even Brenna somehow miraculously left the strawberries alone, when left with them for two straight days, taunting her from the counter. There is nothing that little brat likes to do more than get up on the forbidden countertop and knock everything off onto the floor. Anyway, after two days of sitting on the counter, the strawberries were starting to look a little needy. I rinsed mine, sliced them, and stored them in the fridge for later ice cream use. The others I left on the counter, because I figured my friend actually wanted to eat them as is.
The next day, the strawberries still sat there dejected, looking haggard and in need of some attention. At this point, they might have looked better if Brenna had just knocked them off onto the floor. I finally gave in to the cries of the helpless rapidly deteriorating strawberries. I rummaged through them, picking out the ones that were still edible, and cut out any bad spots on those that I thought I could salvage. Out of a quart of strawberries, I ended up with 1 1/2-cups that were usable. Sigh. Many sad little dejected strawberries met their death in my garbage disposal.
There is a happy ending to this story however. Those strawberries that survived three days on our countertop, and the possibility of a Brenna attack, ended up as preserves. Dear friend who did not pick up your strawberries in time, there is now a small jar of strawberry preserves waiting for you. I know it’s not the same, but that’s how life works. One of this world’s greatest lessons is that fresh strawberries do not last long; the deaths of many tiny garden fresh strawberries are on your hands. Strawberry ghosts are vicious, so beware; you never know when they will show up to attack.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 Cups Fresh Strawberries, Sliced
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 Pinch of Sea Salt
Directions:
- Place all ingredients in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, over high heat.
- When the mixture comes to a rolling boil, decrease the temperature to medium-high.
- Cook for an additional 8 minutes.
- Pour the liquid preserves into a small clean glass canning jar.
- Allow to come to room temperature before sealing and storing in a refrigerator.
Suggestions:
- Get ready to stir. What do I mean by this? I mean you shouldn’t even attempt to make this when you have anything else going on in the kitchen. You do not want to burn your preserves. Don’t burn yourself either. Hot preserves are pretty much like liquid lava. Make sure no pets are in the danger zone.
- You can store this in the refrigerator for at least a week, maybe a little longer. This recipe doesn’t make a massive amount though, and I don’t think you should have any problems using it before it goes bad.
- Soak your cooking pan in hot water immediately.
- A quick way to measure 1 1/2-cups of strawberries is to fill a Pyrex 1-cup measuring cup to the brim with sliced strawberries. This is a common household measuring cup that can be found in most kitchens, or purchased at almost any grocery or retail store.
Improvements:
- Add a 1/2-teaspoon of vanilla extract at the end of the cooking time.
- Use these preserves on these biscuits, because it’s holy schnitzel yummy.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 Cups Fresh Strawberries, Sliced
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 Pinch of Sea Salt
Directions:
- Place all ingredients in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, over high heat.
- When the mixture comes to a rolling boil, decrease the temperature to medium-high.
- Cook for an additional 8 minutes.
- Pour the liquid preserves into a small clean glass canning jar.
- Allow to come to room temperature before sealing and storing in a refrigerator.
