Water Bath Canning Fresh Strawberries in a Light Syrup
Capture the taste of summer with fresh-picked, organic strawberries packed raw in a light honey syrup. This simple method preserves their vibrant flavour and firm texture—perfect for spooning over pancakes or adding to a bowl of yogurt. And don’t toss the syrup! Once the berries are gone, the rich strawberry-infused liquid makes a refreshing drink when diluted with water or a decadent drizzle over ice cream. A must-can staple for your summer pantry.
Yield: 4 quart jars
Materials
- 1 flat fresh picked strawberries 6 quarts
- 4 cups distilled water only use filtered water for consistent results
- 2 cups raw local honey can substitute for 3 cups of white sugar
Instructions
- Prepare canner, jars and lids ( see Preparing to Water Bath for more information)
- In a large heavy-bottom pot, add the water and honey ( or sugar if substituting). Heat over medium-low heat, watching closely. You want to just bring this to a boil and turn it off. Overheating your raw honey will pasteurize it, and you don't want that.
- Once the syrup is hot, ladle 1/2 a cup into each jar
- Pack each jar tightly with berries, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Gently shake the jar to pack without crushing the berries too much.
- Fill each jar with the hot syrup, leaving a 1/2 inch of headspace.
- Remove air bubbles and adjust the headspace as needed.
- Wipe the rim of your jar, center on the snaps and screw on the ring's finger-tip tight.
- Place jars in the prepared water bath canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Remember hot jars should go into hot water.
- Bring to a roaring boil and cover
- Process pint (500mL) jars for 10 minutes and quart (1L) jars for 15 minutes.
- After processing, turn off the heat and remove the lid. Let it sit for 5 minutes before removing from the jars from the canner.
- Let the jars cool completely before you remove the rings and inspect the seal. Generally, 24 hours.
- Label and store jars in a cool location
