Jeannie’s Strawberry Sunrise Preserves

Jay’s mom had a love for everything strawberry, which included everything in her kitchen—she had strawberry-decorated things everywhere. He created this recipe in her honor. She loved it and everyone else he shares it with does too—it has become his most popular preserve. Jay always keeps a few jars on hand to open for friends, which gives him an opportunity to share a story about his best friend, his mom, Jeannie.

MAKES: six to seven 8-ounce jars

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 pounds whole small strawberries
• 1 vanilla bean
• 21⁄2 pounds granulated sugar (about 6 cups)
• 2 navel oranges

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In an 8-quart stainless steel stockpot, combine the strawberries and vanilla bean. Pour the sugar over top of the berries. Cover, set aside, and let macerate for 24 hours at room temperature.
2. Bring the strawberry mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat and boil, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, cool, cover, and let rest for 24 hours at room temperature.
3. Using a soft scrub brush, thoroughly scrub the oranges, then rinse well and dry. Finely grate the zest from 1 orange and set aside. Peel and section both oranges. Discard the peel, membrane, and seeds and roughly chop the orange segments, reserving the juice.
4. Add the orange segments and juice to the strawberry mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes, or until the preserves reach the desired consistency. Stir in the orange zest.
5. Remove the pot from the heat and skim off any foam. Remove and discard the vanilla bean and let the preserves cool in the pot for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Ladle the preserves into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles. Wipe the jar rims and threads with a clean, damp paper towel. Apply hot lids and screw bands.
7. Process 4-ounce, 8-ounce, and pint jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. Remove from the water bath canner and let cool for 12 to 24 hours. Check the seals and remove the screw bands. Store jars in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year.