Ingredients:

4-5 cups frozen sliced strawberries (frozen from fresh, sliced berries)

2 scant cups sugar

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1-2 tsp. butter (to prevent foaming)

Directions:

1. Thaw frozen, sliced strawberries and process in a blender until smooth (if using fresh strawberries, add 1 tbls. water to blender).

2. Place blended strawberries in a large stock pot and add butter, lemon juice, vanilla and nutmeg. Cook over low heat, stirring from time to time to prevent sticking.

3. After mixture is bubbling, slowly add 2 scant cups sugar and continue stirring until sugar is blended in and melted.

4. Cook on low heat approx. 2 hours or until mixture has thickened to your liking (it should be thick enough to scoop up with a teaspoon and not run off the spoon - much like a thick sauce).

5. During the cooking time, the strawberry mixture will reduce by approx. half. Ladle hot strawberry butter into half-pint canning jars leaving 1/4-inch head-space and process in a boiling water bath or steam canner 10 minutes. Remove jars and allow to cool, undisturbed on your kitchen counter 24 hours. Jars are sealed when the button on the top of the lid is fully depressed and won't flex up or down. Store jars in pantry. Opened jars must be stored in the refrigerator. Yield: 2 half-pint jars

6. A scant cup is a cup minus 1 to 2 tablespoons. A scant cup is meant to signify just a little bit less than a standard cup measurement of something. By contrast, a heaping a cup is a standard cup measurement with an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons. Besides being a delicious addition to toast it tastes wonderful over ice cream, oatmeal, pancakes, or french toast.

Bon Appetit!