Spiced Strawberry Butter

We've eaten so much of this strawberry butter that there isn't a bagel or decent piece of bread in the house.  Only this gross "wonder-esque" stuff my little one like.  :)

I don't want anyone to confuse today's Spiced Strawberry Butter with yesterday's Strawberry Honey Butter.  Today's recipe has no butter anywhere to be found.  Instead, it's similar to the apple, pumpkin or pear butter that most people are familiar with.  But in this case, its strawberries spiced with cinnamon, cloves and ginger.  Not necessarily spices I'd associate with strawberries, but oh my goodness, it's good!  CRAZY GOOD!

I made it in some cute little, tiny jars with plans to give as gifts to the neighbors, but I don't think that's going to happen.  My oldest son has already eaten nearly half of them.  I guess I really can't blame him, he's 6 foot 4 inches tall, and 140 pounds soaking wet.  He needs the calories.  And what kind of mother would I be if I didn't let him enjoy such a simple treat.  That being said, I have hidden several jars in the pantry just for me.  I'm not as saintly as I'd like to seem.  :)

One of the best things about this recipe it that once it's canned and processed, it is completely shelf stable until you open the jar.  After that, it won't take up space in the fridge for very long.  Since this is a home canned recipe, remember all your canning safety and storage rules.  If you need a refresher, you can find all the canning information you need here, or through your state's Cooperative Extension Service.

**Be sure to save the strawberry juice from this recipe.  I'll be telling you how to make home canned strawberry syrup tomorrow!**

Spiced Strawberry Butter
About 7 half pint jars 

For the strawberry pulp: 

16 cups Strawberries, Hulled 

For the butter: 

1 whole Batch Of Strawberry Pulp (can be leftover from making strawberry syrup of any kind )
1-½ cup Sugar
4 Tablespoons Strained, Fresh, Lemon Juice 
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon 
1 teaspoon Ground Ginger 
1 teaspoon Ground Cloves

Put hulled strawberries into a non reactive pan over medium to high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Once simmering, continue to cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and gently pour into a very fine mesh sieve or jelly bag (these can be bought at most grocery or canning supply stores) and let the juice drain out into a bowl. Once the juice has stopped dripping you have your strawberry pulp left in the bag or sieve. You want to remove as much of the liquid as you can.  This helps reduce the cooking time.  The juice can be used in other recipes for syrups or jellies if you wish.

Puree the strawberry pulp in a food processor or blender.

Put the pulp and all remaining butter ingredients in a wide, nonreactive preserving pan (or stock pot).

Cook over medium or medium-low heat, stirring constantly to keep it from sticking, until the mixture is very thick and a couple of shades darker, around 15 minutes.  If your strawberry pulp still has a lot of juice in it your cooking time will be longer.  One batch of mine took close to an hour.

Ladle the mixture into half pint jars, assemble lids and rings and process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.  Be sure to check the processing time for your altitude according to the chart below.

able 3. Adjustments for increased altitudes.
Altitude (feet)	Increased processing time (minutes)
1,001-3,000	5
3,001-6,000	10
6,001-8,000	15
8,001-10,000	20

Source:  Tasty Kitchen