Homemade Strawberry Preserves made without pectin are a beautiful item to have in your long-term food storage pantry. Preserves are exactly that, a delicious way to preserve berries’ warm-weather flavor. They taste fabulous, are great for gifting, and are so pretty. This recipe is particularly grand because it is not dependent on the use of pectin. I use strawberry preserves as syrup because it is a nice smooth syrup with lovely whole berries. Strawberry Preserves is a great addition to pancakes, waffles, and as a topping for ice cream or even toast.
My strawberry patch is hard to get enough strawberries from because the kids eat them before I can use the crop, but luckily I live in a valley where fruit is plentiful and easy to get.
How to Can Strawberry Preserves
These directions and recipe make 8 half-pint jars.

Hulled Strawberries

hull strawberries
The first step is to wash and hull 3 pounds of strawberries with a strawberry huller or a paring knife.

mix in sugar and allow to rest
Next, I will place them in a large pot and mix the strawberries with 5 cups of sugar. Cover with a lid and set it in a cool place. Allow the fruit to sit with the sugar for 3-4 hours. Add 1/2 teaspoon of butter to reduce foaming. (Optional)

cook to gelling point
Place the pan on the stove and bring to a boil. Add 1/3 cup of lemon juice and cook it to the gelling point. (220 degrees Fahrenheit at sea level, subtract 2 degrees for every 1000 feet above sea level.)
Using a jar funnel, fill your hot jars leaving a 1/4 inch headspace.

Strawberry Preserves Canned
Place the lids on top of the jars and add the rings. Tighten the rings to fingertip tight and process in a boiling water bath canner for 20 minutes if at sea level. Remember to adjust the processing time for your elevation if higher than 1000 feet.

Altitude Chart – Water Bath Canning
If you have any questions about canning with the boiling water canner or how to adjust the pressure for altitude, take a look at our canning basics videos.