Strawberry Preserves

After July 4th we had a RIDICULOUS amount of strawberries left over, so I had the brilliant idea to make strawberry preserves. Have I ever canned anything in my life? No. Have I always had aspirations to be Ma from Little House on the Prairie, canning and pickling her way through the wilds of the American frontier? Yes (minus the whole Oregon Trail video game afflictions of typhoid and yellow fever and "the ague").

Here are the innocent strawberries, looking all healthy and whatnot.


Here are the strawberries after a ridiculous amount of sugar (I won't tell you exactly how much I used, but it was somewhere between 6 and 8 cups and the number rhymes with "heaven").


Help us, we're drowning...in sugar...

Through the magic of osmosis, you get this...

My first ever attempt at sterilizing mason jars...


The finished product...

This is the perfect activity for anyone who actually enjoyed chemistry lab in high school. Also, if you read in 6 months that I died from botulism, this is why (not the rogue Botox that I got in the back alley near my office). Just in case.

ETA: It tastes good. Like "When Harry Met Sally" diner table scene good.