Strawberry sauce

I have 12 cups (3 qts) of crushed strawberries in the kitchen. I want to make a strawberry sauce, that I can put on sponge cakes, etc. Do you have a recipe for that? Then, I want to can it…can you help?

Beverly L. Giroux
Oxford, Maine

I just made strawberry sauce yesterday for just that reason, as well as for putting on pancakes and cheesecake, too. What I did, which worked very well, was to measure 4 cups of sliced, crushed strawberries into a large kettle, mash them with a potato masher, then add 5 cups of sugar. Bring to a rolling boil for about 3 minutes or until just starting to thicken. Then pour hot into hot jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace, then process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Mine is just thick enough to be nice, but still able to pour well. Shake before using as the strawberries will “float” to the top. — Jackie

Canning summer squash

I have been told that you cannot can summer squash; if not why not?

Les Carroll
Merryville, Louisiana

You can home can summer squash. It’s just that the resulting food is too soft for most people’s taste. If you use nice small, seedless squash that doesn’t need the peel removed, you can slice it and raw pack it, processing it in a pressure canner for 25 minutes (pints) or 30 minutes (quarts) at 10 pounds pressure. If you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet, consult your canning book for directions on increasing your pressure to suit your elevation, if necessary. I use plenty of these, plus I use summer squash in my mixed vegetables, and they aren’t too soft. — Jackie

1 COMMENT

  1. I guess what I do is pickle squash. I am not sure if this would meet todays standards or if this is an old timey recipe but. I mix 1 gallon of water, 1/4 cup salt and 1 cup of white vinegar to boiling and add sliced squash. Boil for 8 min. and pack in hot jars and seal. Place on a towel and cover for 24 hours. (no hot water bath, no pressure cooker. You can use this recipe for okra, and green tomatoes also. You will need to rinse well to get the vinegar taste out, but this is wonderful in a squash casserole. the okra taste like it comes fresh from the garden.
    Editors note: No, this doesn’t meet today’s safety guidelines.

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