Fresh Strawberry Jelly

For the strawberry juice:

1. Combine sliced strawberries, sugar, apple juice and the apple in a medium-large pot over medium heat. Stir until berries begin to release their juice. Bring mixture to a boil and boil for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Drain the berry mixture through a fine strainer for 30-45 minutes until you have 3 cups of berry juice. For super clear jelly, line the strainer with several layers of wet cheesecloth. If you don’t have 3 cups of juice, add a bit of extra juice to equal exactly 3 cups.

For the jelly:

1. Combine exactly 3 cups of strawberry juice, the pectin and the butter in a large saucepan (at least 6-quart size). Stir and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, watching carefully to keep the mixture from boiling up over the top of the pot and stirring occasionally. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a full, rolling boil (that can’t be stirred down.) Boil for exactly one more minute, stirring constantly.
2. Remove from heat and skim off any foam with a metal teaspoon. Ladle into clean jars, leaving ½ inch headspace at the top (if you’re planning to freeze the jelly as it will expand a bit in the freezer). Cover jars and allow the jars to sit at room temperature for 24 hours then refrigerate for up to 3 weeks or store in the freezer for up to 9 months.
3. Jelly can also be processed with a hot water bath at this point, using these directions.