Strawberry preserve

Hardly another week, the school will close the door for summer holidays. But, summer is nowhere near in sight for at least the next ten days. Still, we haven't folded yet the umbrella and stored boots away. The only positive thing, my plants get some water. The cold weather has slowed the blooming season and my plants struggle to thrive. I have a strawberry plants,it runs everywhere, multiplied in three years. But the berries are really small this year like a raspberry, time to get rid of them. It is not fun to have berries at home, you really need to save those fruits from the earth bugs which is a pain. Literally, I use to check everyday those berries. But still , my son enjoys plucking them! I have collected only very few last years, probably a dozen :) 



 As berries are invading the farmers market right now. I came back with a crate of strawberries. The strawberries cannot be kept for long in refrigerate, it spoils easily in matter of two to three days. I had no idea what to do other than freezing and eating alone loads of berries. Preserve was the only option to save those fruits.
For years, I had no idea of preserve is different than jam/jelly. Though they sound alike : made with fruits, sugar and pectin.
Jam has a smooth consistency made with ground fruit and little stiff when scooped.
Jelly made from fruit juice and firm consistency too.
Preserve has a coarse consistency with chunk of fruits and thinner texture. Though I never eat jam/preserve , my son loves PB & J once in a while for his lunch box! So it was my first try in preserve and even found not bad the PB & J. This homemade preserve has only two ingredients: strawberry and sugar , lemon (optional but I didn't use it) but need a patience and precaution to store properly. 






  Print 

Ingredients

Strawberry: 6 cups -cleaned and hulled
Sugar: 1+ 1/4 cup (can be increased by 1/2-depend of sweetness of fruit)


Method:
Pulse the strawberries or coarsely mashed them.
Take a large pot, add the berries and sugar and cook in medium heat.
It took 40  minutes- my berries were extremely juicy.
Test the consistency. When it is done, pour the hot preserve in glass jar and store in refrigerator.
I kept in counter top a small amount. It stays well (it is almost 10 days I made it)

Test:
Chill a plate in freezer for 30 minutes.
Take a spoonful of preserve and drop in plate.
Now tilt the plate slightly and run your finger in middle. If the preserve don't run back. It is ready!
For the glass jars:
I boiled the jars in hot water and dried it. Before pouring the preserve , popped in microwave for few seconds.

Never touch the inside of jar. Be cautious handling hot preserve.

Comments

Priya Suresh said…
Even i never tried preserves yet with strawberries, sounds quick and simple..cant wait to try..
jayasree said…
My favorite jam...Perfect on a toast.
Unknown said…
i made it once and it was so good..I did not grind the strawberries..will do it next time I make it..for that smooth consistency..looks yumm
Reva said…
This is one of the best ways to enjoy the flavour for a long time..:)
Reva
AJ said…
Very nice preserve!!
lata raja said…
The same here with jams. Neither of us have it with bread as we prefer a spiced side for the bread. However, sometimes I pick a small jar of jam or preserve just to have it in the fridge to be used sometime. This preserve sounds simple though time consuming. More than the recipe, I am bookmarking your tip on the consistency test and the bottling!
Laavanya said…
I love how pretty strawberry jam/preserve looks... I've made 2 batches already this season :)
Bong Mom said…
Your strawberry preserve looks extremely good. We are just eating all our strawberries now, have to wait till we have enough
Usha said…
Looks fabulous, great way to use up the fresh strawberries that are available in the market these days!
Looks fantastic, what a beautiful capture.
Unknown said…
mouthwatering pics of the jam - Love to have it on hot toast, right this very moment :)
Joyti said…
Delicious! I am also planning on making jam myself soon :)
Joyti said…
Delicious! I am also planning on making jam myself soon :)
Anonymous said…
wow.. I love gardening and try to grow stuff. This time I have planted Tomato! :) Great going dear :)
loestrin said…
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recepe.Read first time about preserving strawberry and it seem quick and easy.
purabi naha said…
Hi, loved your blog and this recipe, in particular. You have a good collection of recipes. Shall visit here again very soon. Do visit my blog when your time permits.
Finla said…
Love love home made jams and this looks absloutley super.
CurryLeaf said…
Yummy Preserve. Never tried this with strawberries. But have made ur microwave version with cherries. Looks hearty and inviting
Cefzil said…
My kids will love it,its also full of vitamins.I will tell my wife to prepare it.

Thanks
________
Roger
Chitra said…
wow, tat looks awesome. nice spread on bread :)lovely color :)
hemalata said…
Perfect jam,very nice preserve.Nice preparation.
Sum Raj said…
loved ur presentation cham....berries looks soo juicy too...
hemalata said…
Wonderful preparation,looks amazing and perfect strawberry jam.
Charishma said…
nice,i have put up strawberry jam recipe on my blog too
http://cheriesstolenrecipes.blogspot.com/
Unknown said…
I have tried making strawberry sauce, but this preserve sounds delicious, how long will it stay good? I was thinking to make it soon..
Recipeswap said…
Great looking preserve,consistency is just perfect!
Wow looks delicious..Never tried making preserves at home..Will follow your recipe and try sometime soon :)
Anne said…
Hi Cham,
The preserve looks absolutely luscious!I have made plum preserve but haven't tried with strawberry yet-should give it a go!I think that preserves are a healthier option when compared to jams & jellies. Plus it is always a great idea to consume whatever fruits/veggies are in season to get the maximum benefit from them.

At Women’s Web, this month we have the “Cooking Is Child’s Play” contest going on. We are inviting all the talented cooks in the food blogging community out here to share with us kid-friendly recipes that can be prepared with the help of children. I’m sure you must have many interesting ideas! There are several exciting prizes to be won so check out our website for further details and do send in your entry! Contest closes Aug 1st. We hope to hear from you soon.Please share your experience & expertise with us. All the best Cham!

Contest Link: http://www.womensweb.in/item/food-blog-contest-kids-recipes.html
Sushma said…
that looks so tempting love that dark red color
vandana rajesh said…
This looks fabulous Cham...made strawberry sauce the other day by diluting with a little water and goes gr8 with vanilla ice cream as a dessert. This is simply wonderful..loved the colour and texture.
Rinku Naveen said…
Looks so delicious! Have never tried it before. Would love to now..