The Full Strawberry Moon June 9, 2017

June is here at last!
And so are all the lovely strawberries!

The Full Strawberry Moon is called Tihaluhiyi, which in the Cherokee

language means, "Green Corn Moon".  In addition to being a time for harvesting

strawberries, both wild, and those cultivated in fields, this month's moon

marks the first appearance of "corn in tassel" and the growing of

other various crops of the field.  At this time of the year,
 the Cherokee began to prepare for the upcoming

 corn festivals held later in the summer, which

included the traditional Green Corn Dance.

Homemade Strawberry Preserves

I found this recipe in an old, batter-spattered,

 coverless cookbook that once

 belonged to my maternal grandmother.

4 pounds of berries

(about 3 quarts)

3 pounds of sugar

(6 cups)

Select firm, not overripe berries, wash if necessary, and hull.

Add the sugar to the strawberries and heat gently until the

sugar dissolves and the juice is extracted from the berries.

Then cook rapidly until the fruit is plump and transparent

and the syrup is thick, stirring to prevent burning.

Pour into clean, hot fruit jars and fully seal.

This method can be used for making preserves with

all berries except blackberries.

Here is another interesting old recipe from

the same cookbook:

Sun-Cooked Strawberry Preserves

Place in a large preserving kettle four cups of sugar in three-fourths cup of water.

Heat slowly, stirring; when dissolved add two pounds (about one and one-half quarts)

of strawberries which have been washed and hulled and cook for ten minutes.

Stir constantly to be sure that sugar is dissolved. Pour on to shallow

dishes or large platters. Place in the sun, being careful to protect

the strawberries from dust and insects, and allow the berries

to remain in the sun until the juice is thick and syrupy, which

will take two or three days. Pour into clean, hot, small glass

jars or jelly glasses. If jelly glasses are used, seal with paraffin.

Fill the jars full.

All berries may be sun-preserved in practically the same way

with the exception of blackberries, which contain hard cores

in the center, and gooseberries.