Strawberry Sauce

My husband received a gift of a fruit basket that looks like a flower arrangement, you know the ones I am talking about.  The next day he left on a business trip.  So I was left home alone with more fruit than I could possibly eat.  So after a few days of trying, I decided I had to make something with the fruit before it went bad.  I took all of the strawberries out of the arrangement and decided to make a sauce for ice cream or cake topping.  This goes really well on top of Angel Food cake or homemade vanilla ice cream.   This can also be added to plain no-fat or low fat yogurt to make homemade strawberry yogurt.  It can be used inside a trifle or as a cake filling.  There are thousands of uses.  It freezes well.

Ingredients:

5 cups strawberries, sliced, tops removed
2 cups sugar, organic preferred
2 inch piece of a vanilla pod, sliced length wise

Here's how:

Add the strawberries and sugar to a medium sized pot.  Cook on low until the berries start to let out some juice.  Stir during this time to encourage the break down of the berries.

Strawberries and organic sugar in the pot

After 5 minutes, turn it up to medium to medium high heat.                                                                         

This is what it looks like after 5 minutes.

Continue letting the mixture cook for 15 minutes.  Stir occasionally and use the spoon to crush the berries.  Add the vanilla bean.  Cook for another 20 minutes, stirring more as you go.  Skim off any foam.  It should be smooth and thickened up. 

Done

 Serve over Angel food Cake http://homemadeonli.blogspot.com/2011/03/organic-angel-food-cake.html or ice cream, in yogurt or however you like.  Store in the fridge or freezer.  It will thicken up like a jam and can be eaten on toast as well.