Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate (water-bath canning or freezer recipe)
This strawberry lemonade concentrate recipe is a refreshing summer beverage that's one of the easiest things to can! It's a great way to preserve the taste of the season, and you can use this strawberry lemonade concentrate to make your own flavored iced teas, sangria, fruit punch, cocktails, frozen blended drinks, or of course, a frosty pitcher of fruity berry lemonade to share with your guests!
Equipment
- 1 blender or food processor
- glass pint canning jars, rings, and new lids
- heavy-bottomed jam or sauce pot
- kitchen thermometer (you can use a glass candy thermometer, calibrated dial-type, or digital)
- jar lifters or tongs or jar rack with handles
Ingredients
- 6 cups hulled strawberries
- 4 cups bottled lemon juice
- 6 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- Fill boiling water bath canner or large stockpot with water. Wash and preheat jars in the canner. You can use pint, half-pint, or 4 oz jars to can this fruit concentrate. Do not use quart or larger jars.
- Wash, hull, and puree the strawberries, using a blender, food processor, or immersion blender. You may need to process them in batches if you have a smaller blender. Add about a cup of the lemon juice to the blender along with the strawberries so there is enough liquid to blend them smoothly.
- Add the strawberry puree to a large pot with a heavy bottom, along with the bottled lemon juice and sugar. Tip: Use the measured lemon juice to rinse any remaining strawberry puree from the blender. Stir to mix well.
- Heat to 190℉ over medium-high heat (88 ℃). You don't want the mixture to boil and develop pectin, which could cloud or overly thicken your syrup, but need to get it hot enough to be safe. Use a candy, dairy, or digital food thermometer to check!
- Remove the pot from the heat, skimming any foam if necessary (this is mostly cosmetic, not for food safety but if you don't some of the jars may have a thick foamy layer at the top).
- Fill your jars, using a jar funnel and ladle for best results. Leave 1/4" headspace at the top.
- Wipe down jar rims before adding new canning lids, then tightening the bands fingertip-tight. Place jars in the canner as they are filled to keep them hot.
- Make sure you have enough water in your canner to cover all the jars by at least one inch. Top up with more boiling water if needed. Cover the canner and bring up to a rolling boil before starting your processing timer for the water bath.
- Process pint jars (or smaller) for 15 minutes (adjust for altitudes above 1000 ft). Turn off heat and let jars rest in the canner for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack or towel-lined countertop to cool.
- Leave jars undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Check the lids for seals, remove bands, and wash the jars if they are sticky. Any jars that didn't seal can be reprocessed with new lids within 24 hours of processing, or put in the fridge or freezer to be used first.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
