strawberries x 4 : in syrup + jam + jelly + butter

base for all 4 recipes :

• wash, clean and hull strawberries and keep whole, combine with sugar and sliced lemon wedges and salt and let rest 18-21 hours in a cool place until they soften and release their juices to create the liquid marinade
• after the 18-21 hours, you should have almost equal weights of solids and liquid

note : the longer you let rest and marinate the strawberries, the closer they will get to equal weights of solids versus liquids (for example : after 3 hours, you will have 70% solids and 30% liquid; after 6 hours, you will have 60% solids and 40% liquid; after 12 hours, you will have 55% solids and 45% liquid; after 18 hours, you will have almost 50% solids and 50% liquids and after 21 hours, you will have exactly equal amounts of both solids and liquids …)

• if you wish to make all 4 versions the same day, separate the solids (marinated strawberries and sliced lemons) from the liquid or marinade and divide into 4 equal amounts of solids and 4 equal amounts of liquid (about 4 x 250 grams of solids + 4 x 250 ml of liquid)

whole strawberries in syrup :

• combine equal weights of the whole strawberries with some lemon wedges and the liquid, add some extra sugar (optional and only if you like it sweeter and thicker) equal to 5%-10% of the total weight of the liquid and solids

note : in my case, I used 250 grams strawberries (with some lemon wedges) and 250 ml liquid which equals 500 grams total with no extra sugar added (but you can add 25-50 grams extra sugar) ...

• bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer at medium heat (to slightly thicken the liquid but not to collapse the whole strawberries) for 3-5 minutes and remove from heat
• place whole strawberries in jars (discard lemon slices) and fill about 2/3 full, then pour in syrup, leave a 1-2 cm space from the top of the jars because the strawberries will expand again.
• let cool and refrigerate

note : try to consume the whole strawberries in syrup during the next 1-2 weeks because the strawberries are not fully cooked through and begin to ferment and slightly ‘alcoholize” after 1-2 weeks, and develop a slightly sparkling wine taste (which I really like) ...

strawberry jam :

• measure out an equal weight of strawberries with some lemon wedges and an equal weight of liquid
• cut the strawberries in half, combine with several lemon slices and add extra sugar equal to 25% of the total weight of both the strawberries and liquid

note : in my case, I used 250 grams of strawberries (with some lemon wedges) and 250 ml of liquid and 125 grams extra sugar ...

• combine in a casserole, bring to a boil and then lower heat to medium-high and simmer for 15 minutes while stirring and use a potato masher to slightly crush the fruits
• transfer to sterilized jars, leave some empty space from the top and refrigerate.

strawberry jelly :

• measure out and combine equal weights of strawberries with lemon wedges and liquid, bring to a boil in a casserole and cook at medium-high heat for 10 minutes until the fruits totally collapse and then let cool
• filter and strain and press the mixture (reserve the solids for another recipe) and recuperate the thicker transparent liquid and weigh, then add extra sugar equal to 50% of the total final weight of the juice/syrup, in a casserole

note : in my case, I used 250 grams strawberries and 250 ml liquid and after the first cooking and after pressing and straining, recuperated 350 ml of thicker juice/syrup (save the remaining 150 grams of solids for the next recipe) and I added 175 grams extra sugar (equal to 50% of the total final weight of the syrup) ...

• cook in a casserole at medium-heat for another 5-10 minutes until the mixture thickens and reduces by approximately 1/3 and coats the back of a wooden spoon (or place a spoonful of the jelly on a plate that was in the freezer and let it solidify, if not thick enough, reheat again and retest the thickness, using another frozen plate)
• transfer to sterilized jars, let cool and refrigerate.

strawberry butter :

• measure out a weight of 250 grams marinated strawberries and 125 ml (or half the weight) in liquid

note : in my case (and to use almost everything up) I used 400 grams strawberries (250 grams of unused marinated strawberries and 150 grams of the earlier pressed and discarded marinated strawberries used earlier for the strawberry jelly, without any lemon wedges) and 200 ml of marinating liquid (equal to 50% of the 400 grams) and 100 grams extra sugar and 200 grams cubed butter ...

• in a food-processor, reduce the strawberries into a purée and reserve
• in a casserole, heat the liquid at medium-high heat with 62,5 grams extra sugar until dissolved (about 5 minutes), then add the purée and whisk for 2 minutes until well combined and then remove from heat and add 125 grams of cubed butter and whisk until smooth
• transfer to sterilized jars, let cool and refrigerate.