Three Strawberry Preserves
When buying strawberries, it always comes down to the balance between price and quality: where can you find the sweetest berries for the best price per kilo? Some people swear by “that lady at the Central Market” or “the old man at Balti Jaam Market.” We all seem to have our own trusted strawberry seller somewhere. This year, 10 kilograms of strawberries arrived at our home from Raja Farm near Ääsmäe — for the second summer in a row. The price was reasonable, and the berries were wonderfully sweet and fresh. I loaded two big crates into the car and headed home for a preserving marathon.
Among the more classic options are strawberry jam and raw freezer jam, both of which can easily be made without regular sugar and with a lower glycemic index. I sweeten my jams with agave syrup and coconut palm sugar. I first experimented with agave-sweetened freezer jam last year, and it turned out beautifully. Last summer I tried making cooked jam with stevia, but I wouldn’t recommend it — stevia leaves a rather peculiar bitter aftertaste, and a proper jam should never taste bitter. This year I decided to experiment with palm sugar instead, and at least the first taste was exactly what a real jam should taste like. Time will tell how the palm sugar behaves during storage, but hopefully it treats me kindly.
Strawberries are also excellent for freezing for winter. Freezing preserves their vitamins, and it’s easy to grab a handful later for smoothies or pancakes. Grandmothers often freeze strawberries with sugar, but in reality the sugar is completely unnecessary. It doesn’t improve preservation in the freezer, and strawberries are already sweet enough on their own. And if you do want extra sweetness later, you can always add agave syrup or palm sugar after thawing.
More adventurous food lovers can also make delicious strawberry schnapps. Homemade berry liqueur always feels wonderfully impressive and inevitably sparks curiosity among guests. On top of that, my previous homemade liqueurs have turned out absolutely delicious, so why not stash a few bottles away again for dark winter evenings? Making homemade schnapps always carries a little excitement and risk, because you combine ingredients in a bottle but only discover the final result months later. It’s always fifty-fifty: will it turn out amazing or not? Still, I trust my great-grandmother’s wisdom — if you combine good things, how could the result possibly be bad?
Before preserving, prepare your containers and jars and wash them thoroughly. Jars should also be heated beforehand to prevent mold from developing later. I first wash both jars and lids carefully, and then either:
a) pour boiling water over them, or
b) place the jars in a 100°C oven for about 20 minutes.
The heat destroys bacteria on the jars and lids, making successful preservation much more likely.
To prepare the strawberries, remove the green tops and wash the berries thoroughly. Then choose your recipes and start preserving.
- 2 kg strawberries
- 600 g agave syrup
- 3 kg strawberries
- 600 g coconut palm sugar (or more, if desired)
- 400 ml strawberry syrup***
- 500 ml vodka
- 200 g chopped strawberries
- 1 Place the cleaned and washed strawberries into a large pot. Pour over the agave syrup and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Transfer the purée into containers and freeze.Low-GI Strawberry Jam:
- 2
Place the cleaned and washed strawberries into a large pot. Add the sugar and bring to a gentle boil over low heat. Stir frequently at first, until the strawberries begin releasing liquid. Once there’s enough liquid covering the bottom of the pot, let the berries simmer gently over low heat, stirring occasionally.- 3
As the jam cooks, skim off the foam from the surface with a slotted spoon.* Continue cooking until foam no longer forms. If you prefer a thicker jam, you can ladle some of the excess liquid into a separate bowl during cooking.- 4
Once the jam is ready, blend it into a smooth purée with an immersion blender. Carefully transfer the jam into sterilized jars**, seal tightly, and place the jars upside down on their lids to cool. Let the jars cool at room temperature before moving them to a cooler pantry.Strawberry Schnapps:- 5
Clean, wash, and chop the strawberries. Press them one by one into a bottle until the bottom is covered. Pour in the strawberry syrup and top with vodka. Seal the bottle carefully and shake well so the strawberries, syrup, and alcohol combine properly. Store in a pantry for approximately two months.Note* The foam is delicious eaten the same day with bread or pancakes.
** The jars should still be hot when filling them with jam. Pouring hot jam into cold jars may cause the glass to crack.
*** You can make strawberry syrup while cooking the strawberry jam above (strawberries + palm sugar). Ladle some of the syrup into a separate bowl and use it to sweeten the schnapps.
strawberry, strawberries, jam, preserves - 2
