Recipes for making strawberries in syrup for the winter
A tasty and healthy summer berry ripens one of the first. It is very juicy, bright and fragrant, but its fruiting period is fleeting. It is for this reason that I want to prepare as many strawberries as possible for the winter in order to prolong the pleasure. The berry contains many vitamins and minerals, improves overall health, helps strengthen the immune system and has a beneficial effect on the nervous system. All these properties are so necessary for us during the winter.
How to choose a good berry?
Early berries can contain a large amount of nitrates, which literally poison our body. In order for strawberries in syrup to be beneficial, you should choose the right berries for the preparation of preservation.
- Carefully inspect the berry: it should not have pigmented spots, the color should be uniform. Black dots on strawberries indicate the presence of saltpeter in the composition.
- Fresh natural strawberries exude abundant juice, while those grown on chemistry do not have this property. Cut the berry in half and attach to a paper towel. There should be a bright wet trail.
- A good way to make sure that the berry is natural is to moisten it with water. High-quality strawberries, after a few minutes, will begin to secrete juice, and nitrate will remain solid.
- Natural berry has a pronounced aroma. Be sure to check this option before purchasing. It is worth refusing to purchase strawberries if they have a citrus smell.
- Some growers spray strawberries with biphenyl to keep them safe during transport. In order to check if your berries have this drug, simply place them in a bowl of warm water. If suddenly you notice some oily spots on the water surface, then it is dangerous to eat such strawberries. Remember that diphenyl provokes the development of cancer.
- In quality strawberries, the grains protrude slightly, the nitrate berry is usually perfectly smooth.
- Pay attention to the leaves. Fresh strawberries have bright leaves of a uniform color. Brownish leaves with a putrid tinge signal that the berry is long overdue.
General cooking rules
The most important ingredients for preservation are strawberries and sugar. Berries need to be sorted out and only the freshest ones should be left. Be sure to rinse them and dry them in a colander. After that, it is necessary to remove all the tails, and only then the strawberries are ready for further cooking.
There are 2 main ways to prepare berries for preservation: one of them involves the use of water, and the other does not. The first is faster, in the second you have to wait until the berry releases juice. You can also preserve the berries in syrup or put fresh strawberries in a jar and pour over the syrup. You can cook the workpiece or just insist.
For canning berries, it is better to use small jars, a maximum of 700 ml. The contents of the container must be eaten within 2-3 days from the moment it is opened. You can store jars of strawberries in syrup in the refrigerator, freezer or in any cold place (pantry, basement, cellar).
Recipes
The great advantage of this method of harvesting strawberries for the winter is that the berry retains its wonderful aroma and color, remains whole and healthy. In winter, such a dish can be eaten on its own or used for baking, desserts. Often syrup with berries is added to ice cream or milk porridge. You can cook the workpiece without cooking and even without water.
with gelatin
This method of preparation is special, because preservation can be used as an independent dessert. You can simply transfer the dish to a bowl and garnish with whipped cream. It is necessary to take 800 g of sugar and 0.5 cups of water per 1 kg of strawberries. The main ingredient is 2 tbsp. l. instant gelatin.
First, spread the berries in a wide, large container. In a saucepan or ladle, combine water with sugar, heat and wait until the crystals are completely dissolved. It is necessary to boil the syrup for about 5 minutes, constantly removing the film that seizes from above. Pour hot liquid into a container for strawberries and leave for 2 hours at room temperature. Wait until cool and take out all the berries, it is convenient to use a slotted spoon for this.
Put the syrup on the fire, wait for it to boil and cook for 5 minutes, put the berries back in and cool. Wait 2 hours, remove the berries, boil the syrup for 5 minutes and put the strawberries back. Remove the berries from the pan again, but this time arrange them in glass jars so that they are 2/3 full. Prepare instant gelatin - mix it with boiling water and boil to completely dissolve the granules. Pour the mixture into the syrup and heat, do not boil.
Wait until air bubbles appear on the surface of the syrup and remove it from the stove. Pour the hot liquid over the strawberry jars.Roll up containers and store refrigerated. Remember that at room temperature, gelatin simply does not harden.
Classical
The syrup according to this recipe has a bright, rich color. To prepare the dish, take 2 kg of berries, 2 liters of liquid and about 1.2 kg of sugar. Be sure to prepare 1 teaspoon of citric acid. Before starting cooking, be sure to sterilize glass containers by any convenient method.
Wash the berries under cold running water (when using warm berries, they will lose their original elasticity and shape). In a separate saucepan, mix all dry ingredients and cover with water. Bring the mixture to a slow boil. Place the prepared berry compactly in glass jars. Pour syrup over jars while still hot and cover with lids.
Take a large saucepan, cover the bottom with a towel and pour water so that it does not reach the edges a little. Inside, carefully place the jars with blanks and wait for the boil over medium heat. Sterilize glass containers for 10 minutes and roll up the jars.
Without water
This method may take a little longer, but the syrup will be completely natural, because the strawberries will release the juice. In order to preserve 2 kg of strawberries, you need only 1 kg of sugar. From this number of berries, you can prepare 4 jars of 700 ml.
Put the berries in a basin or wide saucepan in layers, sprinkle each with sugar. Leave the strawberries for 2-3 hours until they release their juice. If you see that the sugar crystals have not yet dissolved, then gently mix the contents of the container. Leave alone for 1-2 hours until the sugar dissolves. Arrange the berries in glass containers and pour sugar syrup over.
Try to pour strawberry juice into jars so that there is no air layer between it and the lid.So you will significantly extend the shelf life of the workpiece. Be sure to sterilize glass containers in any convenient way. Feel free to roll up the cans, wait for cooling and hide in a cold place.
with vanilla
In order to weld such a blank, you will need about 2 hours of free time. In order to prepare 1 kg of strawberries, you need to take 1.2 kg of granulated sugar, 200 ml of water, gelfix (1 tablespoon) and vanilla sugar or vanilla extract to your taste.
Such a vanilla dessert for the winter turns out to be jelly-like, so it can be consumed as a full-fledged dish. Prepare strawberries and lay them in layers with 1 kg of sugar, leave for 1.5 hours. Put the container on the fire, fill it with water and wait for it to boil. Do not forget to stir the contents of the container so that nothing burns to the walls and bottom.
Combine gelfix with vanilla sugar or vanilla extract and add to the berries. Pour the remaining sugar into the cooking container and boil for 10 minutes. Do not forget to remove the film from the surface of the liquid. Arrange the berries in glass jars, pour in the syrup and roll up.
Tips
Experienced housewives know exactly how to make a healthy dessert for the winter so so that he leaves only pleasant impressions.
- In order to independently calculate the amount of necessary ingredients, it will take only a couple of minutes. Place the fruits compactly in a container in which you will preserve. Pour a little more than half a can of water, measure its volume. Take sugar at the rate of 1 kg per 1 liter of water, add 0.5 tsp. citric acid.
- Always pack berries tightly in jars. The fact is that strawberries decrease in volume after sterilization.
- It is important to correctly calculate the time for sterilizing jars in a pot of water.So, for small jars (up to 700 ml), just 10 minutes is enough, but keep 1-1.5 liter containers in boiling liquid for about 15 minutes.
- During sterilization, it is imperative to lay a cloth napkin or a wooden stand on the bottom. If you do not, then there is a high risk that the banks will simply crack.
- It is important not only to freeze the workpiece correctly, but also to properly defrost. First, move the jars from the freezer to the refrigerator. When you see that the syrup has become liquid, you can take out the strawberries. Only with such defrosting will you be able to preserve all the properties and appearance of the berries.
- Based on the preparation for the winter, you can cook homemade yogurt, desserts, cottage cheese mousses and your favorite pastries. You can use the contents of the jars as toppings for cupcakes and pies.
See the recipe for strawberries in syrup below.