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Whole Strawberries in Vanilla Syrup

Source of Recipe

From "Preserving by the Pint" by Marisa McClellan


Recipe Introduction

"These preserved strawberries are a bit fussier than my normal slapdash approach to fruit, but they are well worth the effort. It's particularly important that you give them time to rest after cooking, as this leads to the best finished texture. Spoon these strawberries into plain yogurt or eat them with pound cake. I have the classic canning bible, 'So Easy to Preserve,' to thank for this preserving technique."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 dry quart small, ripe strawberries (about 1 ½ pounds)
â—¦ 3 ½ cups granulated sugar
â—¦ 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
â—¦ ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice


Recipe

Wash the berries and remove the stems and leaves. Place the berries in a medium bowl and cover them with the sugar. Add the vanilla seeds and bean and stir gently to combine. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it for 2 to 3 hours.

When the time is up, carefully pour the strawberries, vanilla bean, juices, and any remaining sugar into a shallow, wide pan. Add the lemon juice and slowly bring to a boil. Cook the berries at a boil for 10 to 12 minutes, until they go a bit translucent and their syrup is thick.

Pour the berries and syrup into a shallow bowl, cool, and refrigerate, uncovered, for a day, jiggling the bowl occasionally to help distribute the strawberries in the syrup.

When you're ready to can, prepare a boiling water bath and three half-pint jars. Place three lids in a small saucepan of water and bring to a gentle simmer.

Scrape the strawberry mixture into a medium pan and heat to a simmer. Ladle the berries into the prepared jars and cover with the syrup, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Tap the jars gently to remove any air bubbles. Add more liquid to return the headspace to ½ inch, if necessary. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Makes 3 half-pint jars



• Note:
Because these berries need to sit uncovered in your fridge for a day, make sure nothing with a particularly strong smell is sharing your refrigerator during the same 24-hour time period.