Slice strawberries and set aside.  I got really lucky this time!  I had a friend to call me and ask if I could use some strawberries.  She’d worked herself sick of strawberries that week!  She had some that she was ready to throw out; not because they were bad, but because she was sick of strawberries!   The berries were already capped and ready to go!  I felt like I had won the lottery!  Thank you my dear friend!!!

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees to get the jars hot, start a water bath canner with water and start a pot of boiling water for your lids.  Once you get started, this is going to go quick.

In a large pot, combine sugar, Clear Jel, water, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.   This stuff will stick and scorch in a second with no notice, so stir, stir, stir!

Within 5-7 minutes it will begin thickening, gel, and begin looking like this:

Stir or fold in the strawberries once the mixture is thickened. This stuff will thicken even more the cooler it gets.  (Yes, I really did put all 40 cups of strawberries in the pot!)

Spoon the hot mixture into sterile mason jars leaving 1 & 1/2 inch headspace.  This headspace is important!  If you don’t leave the full 1 & 1/2 inch headspace it will bubble out and make a mess while in the water bath canner.  I even had one to blow the lid!  Thank goodness, I had my canner lid on, or else that would have been one big mess!