BIG DISCLAIMER: I do not follow the strict rules of Ball Canning Recipes. Using my mom’s well-trusted methods, I have canned thousands of jars of food and never once gotten sick (from spoiled canned food, anyway). If my methods scare you, by all means look somewhere else for your instructions and recipes. Here is a good one.
Disclaimer finished.
Canned strawberry juice makes the BEST strawberry sauce in the middle of February. I’m not joking. Grab yourself a jar of these, drain the berries for a while, throw the berries out (their flavor is gone), thicken the juice with cornstarch, and add some frozen, sliced berries. You’ll be glad you took the time to run a few quarts of these through the canner. Delicious.
Now hopefully you still have some strawberries to can!
1. Wash the berries.
2. Remove the tops. (Note: I don’t know why I said, “Do you know how to properly slice a strawberry?” when in reality I’m showing you how to take the tops off! I think I get nervous and pathetically serious in front of the LifeCam.)
3. Pack the whole berries into quart jars. It’s okay to squeeze them a bit but don’t completely smash them. Fill the jars to the level of the bottom ring.
4. Mix up your sugar/water solution and divide it equally among the jars.
5. Fill the jars the remaining way with water, up to about 1/4 inch from the top of the jar. If you see air bubbles in the jars, try to tip the jars a bit to dislodge them.
6. Place your lids in a pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and promptly remove from the heat.
7. Wipe the rim of each jar with a clean, damp cloth to remove any bits of fruit or sugar.
8. Place a sterilized lid on each jar.
9. Screw on the rings. Don’t turn them too hard or you’ll never be able to remove them but you do want them to be nice and snug.
10. Put the jars in the canner and fill with water so the jars are covered by a half inch or so. Kind of hard to see in the picture. Sorry.
11. Bring the canner to a boil. Once boiling, set the timer for 7 minutes. Keep the canner at a steady boil during that time.
12. When the timer beeps, turn off the heat. Let the canner sit there untouched for 5 minutes. Helps to keep all the juice from bubbling out of the jars when you bring them out of the hot water.
13. When ready to remove them, prepare a place to set the hot jars. I like to set them on newspaper inside of a rimmed baking sheet. Catches any juice that may leak out.
14. Let the jars cool completely before removing the rings and washing everything in soapy water.
15. Store the canned berries in a cool, dry, dark place, like this.
strawberries
1/2 cup sugar/quart of berries
water
Stem the strawberries. Pack them in clean jars. Place your sugar in a large measuring cup. I then add water to the measuring cup to an amount that is easily divisible by the amount of jars. Ex: for 5 quarts, put 2 1/2 cups sugar in a measuring cup. Add enough water to come to the 2 1/2 cup mark so there is 1/2 cup of sugar water per jar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and then divide the sugar water among the jars. Top them off with plain water, bringing the water level to 1/4 inch below the very top of the jar. Place a sterilized lid on each jar and screw on the rings. Place the jars in the canner and fill with water to cover them by 1/2 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 7 minutes. Turn off the heat but let the jars sit in the canner for 5 minutes before removing them to a newspaper lined baking sheet. Let cool completely before removing the rings and washing the jars in soapy water. Store in a cool, dark, dry place until ready to use.
Wait–where’s the strawberry sauce recipe?
Um. Yeah. I know. I’ve never actually made it but my mom has, many times. Just put the juice in a pan, add a bit of cornstarch (2 T?) and maybe more sugar if you feel like it. Cook til thick, remove from heat, and stir in a quart of frozen berries. I’ll get more scientific this winter when I actually open those jars.
[…] you some step-by-step instructions on freezing broccoli. At least, this is how I do it. As with canning, I don’t always follow what’s “proper”. I do like my mom and it works just […]
[…] *Once again, I do not necessarily follow the tested methods of canning. But this way works for me. […]
[…] A How-To: Canning Strawberries #header {text-align:left } #description { clear:left;float: left; } .recentcomments a{display:inline !important;padding:0 !important;margin:0 !important;} […]
This can also be used as a juice to drink not just to be thickened, right? Do I need to add lemon juice?
Oh sure, you could certainly drink it. It might be a little concentrated, though. I’d water it down a little. I’ve never added lemon juice to it but I’ve never had it straight, only thickened over fruit. If you think it could use a little acidity, go ahead and add some lemon. I don’t think it would hurt it!
Can you use something other than sugar ?
Probably but I have never tried.
can I fill in with some apple or white grape juice..instead of water?
I have never tried it but I would think that would be fine!
I always use apple and white grape juice. Also, this year I have been adding pomegranate juice, POM for a little flavor. Can’t use in place of lemon for acid tho, it is not enough acidity in POM.
sorry…I ask about the strawberries ones. Thank you so much for the recipe you make so simple!
instead of lemon juice for acidic needs you can add citric acid so you don’t get a flavor from it… and please don’t can using corn starch very unsafe.. you can add thickeners to the sauce once you open the jars… better safe than sick….
Thank u for sharing this ‘u can like I do I also can like my mom did ,
been using cornstarch for years canning as an additive thickener you need to watch your ratios and acidity /time closely—I have never had any problems using as
thickener for salsas etc—and you can also purchase modified cornstarch for
this purpose (can get it on Amazon be sure to get the one special for canning)it’s also used commercially–and I do water bath canning usually-
my Mum she canned everything when I was young –that’s what we survived
on–pat
Are the strawberries supposed to slightly change colors? I used organic mega-giant strawberries and made 5 quarts. 1 jar turned slightly red-ish brown and the others stayed their normal color. Anyone else experience this?
Is the brown one sealed properly? Mine turn a slightly dark red. Brown sounds like maybe there isn’t a good seal.
The lid didn’t come off when I tried to take it off (if that’s what you mean) Not all of them were new jars but it was just that one that did that 😛
You don’t need new jars to get a good seal 🙂 I don’t have any other suggestions but if they smell good and aren’t moldy when you open them, they should be fine 🙂
[…] How to Can Strawberries […]
You don’t leave the part of the lid that screws down on the jar on?
Nope! It’s not necessary once the jar is sealed.
what is the water/sugar ratio
Hello Francine!
I don’t use a ratio for this recipe. I just out 1/2 cup sugar in the jar on top of the berries and then fill with water. It all depends how tightly you pack the berries as to how much water will fit in.
I use cold water but hot would be fine. The canner might come to a boil quicker if you use hot.
Hope this helps! Feel free to ask more questions if you need to 🙂
Hot water/sugar?…. sorry new to this.
if juice leaks out after they are processed, it is NOT SAFE to consume. refrigerate or re-process the jar for it to be safe to use.
[…] https://zoedawn.wordpress.com/2011/06/06/a-how-to-canning-strawberries/ […]
Why do u remove the rings
I reuse them to can other things. They are not necessary to keep the jar sealed. I can hundreds of jars and only have about 75 rings.
Thanks so much for the “reminding” info. As a child I helped pick, clean & can the strawberry (eating too I confess) Your jar with floating berry reminded me of some strawberry preserves we mom put up & did the same floating thing but we not to do so. We used them anyway & they were GREAT. From pancakes syrup to ice cream. Never could duplicate again. syrup/jam 2 for 1. Thanks again Gwen
What lovely memories!
How long’s the canned strawberry use?
I have already had them for two years and they were fine.
I haven’t done it for awhile, however, when I did, I found it wasn’t necessary to use the water bath canner. We just made a sugar syrup and when it boiled, added the prepared strawberries (or peaches, or spiced pears, or crab apples and even better: diced pumpkin) to the hot syrup; return it to the boil and allow it to boil for two minutes before putting into the prepared jars. Never had a problem. If the preserves are hot enough going into the jars, they will always seal. Store in a cool, dark place (in our wine cellar). I suspect they’d have lasted two or three years but they were gone long before the year was up. Mostly consumed over homemade Greek style yogurt. Yes, we even made that in the 70’s but we just called it “drained” yogurt.
Drained yogurt—but of course! 🙂
I call your method “open kettle canning”. I do it with some things (pickles, tomato sauce) but then others I find cold packing to be easier.
The pumpkin intrigues me! I’ve never had canned diced pumpkin, only the purée.
Hi, I would like to can strawberries without it becoming soggy and would like it to remain firm and keep its colour. The batches I made so far all lost their colour and float at the top of the containers. Is there something I can add for the colour to be preserved?
Hello! I do not know of anything that keeps them firm or colorful. I just use the berries in smoothies or something where the color doesn’t matter! And use the juice for a sauce that I make which is delicious since that’s where most of the flavor is.
Are the strawberries mushy upon opening?
Yes they are mushy. They have lovely flavor though. I use the juice to make a sauce and then the strawberries are delicious in smoothies.
I do not understand the shutter mixture for the canned strawberries. If you put 2 1/2 cups of sugar in a measuring cup then how do you fill it to 2 1/2 cups with water.? So do you mean add another 2 1/2 cups of h2o?
Sugar dissolves when water is added. I start adding water to the
measuring cup until the liquid level reaches the mark I want (In this case, 2.5 cups). I don’t know the exact amount of water that needs added so I just add slowly to the correct mark. Does that help at all?
Why do you remove the rings??? I’ve always left them on
They aren’t necessary for storage. I can hundreds of jars each summer and by removing the rings and reusing them, I only need a few dozen of them.
[…] Strawberries from Whole Eats & Whole Treats […]
[…] What if you want jelly, jam, pie filling, or a dessert topping? You can make whatever you feel like when you feel like it, if you can the fruit whole. So if you are feeling a little indecisive about your strawberries, canning is a good approach. […]
[…] Can them whole so that you can use them to make dessert topping, jelly, pie filling, or jam. Canning strawberries are a perfect way to preserve them for future […]