Maybe I’ve just been inundated by distraction lately, or perhaps the fairly recent cold weather (remember that?) had me confused, but I have to admit that summer snuck up on me this year. I think I still had out my sweatshirts when I started noticing cars parked around all the local swimming spots.
But it’s hard not to be in a summery state of mind when quarts of bright red strawberries start showing up at farm stands and farmers markets. There’s something particularly bucolic about eating fresh strawberries on a hot day.
Since local strawberries are with us for just a short time, it always seems worthwhile to me to break out the canning jars and make the harvest last a little longer. Remove the tops from your berries (poking a straw up through the bottom costs you less of your berry than cutting the top off with a paring knife) and cut them in half; combine with sugar (2 cups per quart of berries) and the zest of a lemon, and simmer on low heat for around 20 minutes. You can play around with the amount of sugar, or add some powdered pectin to thicken the end result.
— Brian Snell of CISA
(Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture)