Features of harvesting strawberries for the winter. TOP 8 best recipes that act like a real aphrodisiac. Video recipes.
Strawberries for the winter are not just a preparation, but a real storehouse of vitamins. From juicy summer berries, you can make not only jam or jam, but also aromatic compotes, jelly, confiture and even an exotic mojito drink. If you don't have time to think about what to cook from strawberries for the winter, you can always just freeze them. With the onset of winter cold, such a blank can be taken for preparing fruit drinks, as a filling for baking. In this article, we will look at different recipes for strawberries for the winter, which describe different harvesting methods and, in addition to berries, various additional ingredients are used. Each of these recipes has been tried and tested and is suitable for home use.
Features of harvesting strawberries for the winter
Strawberry is a juicy fragrant berry that is loved not only by children, but also by adults. Its regular use improves memory, vision, it is rich in antioxidants and ellagic acid, which stops the development of cancer cells. Its only drawback is its short shelf life. Without heat treatment, it spoils very quickly and loses its useful and taste qualities.
To enjoy this berry longer, the hostesses have come up with many recipes for strawberries for the winter. Of course, the berries are given the maximum benefit fresh, but they will definitely not be saved in this state until winter, therefore, the following methods of harvesting it are used:
- Drying;
- Freezing;
- Jam (jam);
- Marmalade;
- Paste;
- Compote;
- Juice.
Harvested fruits, although they lose some of their useful properties, preserve their taste. They can be used to make desserts, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
Store-bought berries are not suitable for cooking strawberries for the winter. She grew up in a greenhouse under artificial lighting. More nutrients are found in fruits that grew in the sun. The ideal option is to use berries grown in your own backyard. To make them as clean as possible, you need to spread agrofibre or oilcloth between the bushes. Green food advocates recommend mulching the gaps with plant waste.
The strawberry is very tender and soft, it does not tolerate too frequent washing. After harvesting, it must be carefully washed by dipping it into a deep basin of water, but in no case under the pressure of water. To harvest strawberries for the winter, you need to take ripe, but not overripe or green, as they will lose their shape during heat treatment and turn into porridge.
The easiest and quickest way to freeze the berries. Initially, they are washed and dried. Dry fruits are placed in a bag, tied and immediately sent to the freezer. In order for the berry to be stored longer, no air should remain in the bag. It is better to use ziplock bags for freezing. You can spread the berries on a tray, place it in the freezer for 2-3 hours. After that, move the individually frozen fruits into bags and put them back in the freezer. Also, before freezing, the berries can be mashed, poured into tight bags and frozen. Freezing is convenient because strawberries are harvested for the winter without sugar and at the same time retains the maximum amount of useful elements.
To preserve the healing properties of the berries, you can also dry them. Dried strawberries produce very aromatic compotes, and can also be added to muesli and oatmeal in the morning. The fruits can be dried in several ways:
- In the oven. Cut clean and dry berries into slices, place on a baking sheet and dry for 40 minutes at 60 ° C. Next, put the tray on the windowsill from the sunny side so that the strawberry slices are completely dry.
- In the airfryer. Place the fruits on a steamer or a large wire rack, dry them for 2 hours at 65-70 ° C. From 1 kg of fresh berries, 300 g of dry ones are obtained.
- In the dryer. Cut the fruits into slices. Their thickness should not exceed 0.5 cm. Place the slices in trays. Up to 500 g of berries can be placed on 1 tray; in total, you install 5-9 trays, depending on the model of the dryer. Drying takes about 14 hours. From 1 kg of fresh strawberries, 0.1 kg of dried strawberries are obtained.
To prepare strawberries for the winter without cooking, you need to take 500 g of sugar and the juice of 1 large lemon for 1 kg of berries. Grind clean, dry berries with a blender, pour lemon juice into them and sprinkle with mashed potatoes with sugar. Mix everything thoroughly and let it brew for 2 hours until all the sugar dissolves. Such a workpiece is perfectly stored in a sterile container in the refrigerator.
Strawberry blanks should be stored for no more than a year. If the berries are thawed, they cannot be re-frozen. Dried fruits should be stored in fabric bags in the dark. The bags should be suspended for regular ventilation.
So that moths do not start up in the dryer, in the room where it is stored, it is imperative to decompose the means for harmful insects. Containers with mashed strawberries can be stored in the freezer for up to six months, and an already open container should be kept in the refrigerator and used as soon as possible.
TOP 8 strawberry recipes for the winter
Freezing, drying, and sugaring are great methods of harvesting delicious strawberries for the winter, but they need special storage conditions, that is, free space in the refrigerator or freezer. Dried fruits have a limited scope of use in the winter and, although they are distinguished by increased benefits, not everyone likes them. Next, we will tell you how to close strawberries for the winter so that all members of your family will like them. To store such blanks, there is no need to empty the shelf in the refrigerator or freezer. They can simply be placed in a pantry or basement.
Strawberry jam
This is a classic recipe for winter harvesting. Ready-made jam can be used as a filling for baking, for making fruit drinks and compotes, or just have a bite to eat with tea. So that the berries do not stick to the bottom, and the workpiece does not burn, it is best to cook it in an enamel pan, and stir only with a wooden spatula or spoon. To make the jam perfect, each portion must be cooked separately, that is, from 1 kg of strawberries. Lemon juice or lemon wedges can be used instead of citric acid.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 285 kcal.
- Servings - 1.5 L
- Cooking time - 2 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- Strawberry - 1 kg
- Sugar - 1.5 kg
- Citric acid - 0.5-1 tsp
Step-by-step preparation of strawberry jam:
- Wash the berries, remove the leaves, stalks and dry.
- Sprinkle dried fruits with sugar and leave to infuse for 5 hours until they let the juice out.
- Move the saucepan with the berries to the hotplate, bring to a boil and stir gently so as not to crush the fruits.
- Remove the pot from the stove, wait half an hour for the mixture to cool slightly, and boil it again. So repeat 3-4 times.
- So that the strawberries with sugar harvested for the winter are not sugared, add lemon to it.
- Pour the finished jam into a sterile container and store in the pantry.
Strawberry jam
This is a kind of strawberry jam, but if after cooking the berries should remain intact, then they are boiled as much as possible in the jam. Because of this feature, strawberry jam takes longer to cook for the winter. The classic recipe uses only strawberries, sugar and citric acid, but we suggest experimenting slightly and adopting the original recipe with the addition of vanilla and lemon seeds, which replace pectin.
Ingredients:
- Fresh strawberries - 1 kg
- Water - 1 tablespoon
- Vanilla (pod, cut in half) - 1 pc.
- Sugar - 1 kg
- Lemon juice - 1/2 tbsp
- Lemon seeds - 2 tsp
Step by step preparation of strawberry jam:
- Wash and dry the fruits on a paper towel.
- Place the berries in a deep enamel bowl and cover with water. Cook them over moderate heat for 15-20 minutes with occasional stirring.
- Throw the vanilla pod, sugar and lemon juice into the berry mass. Wrap the lemon seeds in a small piece of cotton cloth, tie the fabric with threads, and wrap the ends around the handle of the pan so that the bag of seeds can be easily removed. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Reduce heat under the saucepan and simmer the jam for 10-15 minutes. If you have a food thermometer, place it in a saucepan and cook the berry mixture until it rises to 105 ° C.
- After boiling the jam with a slotted spoon, remove the foam from its surface.
- Remove the seed bag and vanilla pod from the saucepan. Pour jam into a clean glass container, close tight lids and refrigerate at room temperature.
- Store strawberry jam in a cool place.
Strawberry jam
This is one of the varieties of jam, to which gelling components are necessarily added. This recipe for strawberry confiture uses pectin for the winter, but you can optionally replace it with agar-agar or zhelfix.
Ingredients:
- Strawberry - 1 kg
- Powdered sugar - 500 g
- Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
- Pectin (in a bag) - 20 g
Step by step preparation of strawberry jam:
- Wash the berries, remove the tails and dry.
- Grind clean, dry berries in a blender.
- Pour the berry puree into a saucepan.
- Mix pectin with powdered sugar. Add the dry mixture to a saucepan.
- Put the strawberry mass on the stove, bring to a boil and cook for another 5 minutes with constant stirring.
- Pour lemon juice into the mass and bring it to a boil again.
- Pour the finished jam hot into a sterile container and roll up.
- Turn the jars upside down, wait until they cool completely, and store in a pantry out of direct sunlight.
Strawberry compote
In summer this soft drink will not surprise anyone, but on cold winter evenings it will certainly make you remember the warm summer days. To make the strawberry compote transparent for the winter, it is important to use whole, dense and not overripe fruits.
Ingredients:
- Strawberry - 5 kg
- Sugar - 2 kg
- Water - 1 l
Step by step preparation of strawberry compote:
- Wash and dry the berries.
- Cover the peeled, dry fruits with sugar and leave for 5-6 hours until they let out the juice.
- Pour juice and water into a saucepan.
- Place the berries in three-liter jars.
- Bring the juice and water to a boil, pour the berries over them, roll up the jars.
- From the specified volume of ingredients, you should get 2 three-liter cans of a fragrant and tasty compote.
Strawberry mojito
This is a refreshing and vitaminizing drink made from strawberries with mint for the winter. The blank will pleasantly surprise you with the delicate scent of strawberries and pleasant lemon sourness, and the mint note will add piquancy and make you remember the summer. You will spend only 45 minutes making a mojito.
Ingredients:
- Water - 2.5 l
- Strawberry - 500 g
- Sugar - 300 g
- Lemons - 0.33 pcs.
- Mint - to taste
Step by step preparation of strawberry mojito:
- Boil water in a saucepan, add 300 g of sugar to it. Boil the syrup with constant stirring until all the sugar is dissolved.
- Wash the berries, peel off the tails and dry. Pour the lemon over with boiling water and cut into slices.
- Place 500 g of strawberries and 2 lemon wedges at the bottom of a three-liter jar.
- Wash and dry the mint. Place a sprig of mint in each jar of strawberries and lemon.
- Fill the jars with boiled syrup to the very edge and cover with pre-boiled metal lids (do not roll up).
- After 30 minutes, drain the syrup from each jar back into the pot.
- Boil the syrup and cook for another 1 minute.
- Fill the jars with it again to the brim and roll up the lids.
- Put the workpiece upside down and wrap it in a warm blanket until it is completely cooled.
Store in a cool, dark place. Once you have prepared a strawberry mojito for the winter, you will always use this recipe. Serve in cocktail glasses with a couple of ice cubes.
Strawberry jelly
This is a versatile blank that can be simply spread over fresh bread and eaten with tea, or used as a baking filling and dessert filling. To thicken the strawberry jelly for the winter, gelatin is used.
Ingredients:
- Strawberry - 500 g
- Sugar - 300 g
- Gelatin - 10 g
- Water - 50 g
Step by step preparation of strawberry jelly:
- Wash, peel and dry the berries.
- Pour gelatin with water at room temperature and wait 10-15 minutes until it swells.
- Place clean, dry strawberries in a deep container and chop with a blender.
- Pour sugar into the berry puree. Place the container with mashed potatoes on the stove and simmer over low heat for 5-7 minutes after boiling.
- Remove the saucepan from the stove, wait for the berry mass to cool, and repeat the cooking-cooling process again.
- Boil the mashed potatoes for the third time. In the process of cooking, add the swollen gelatin, mix everything until it dissolves. When the mixture begins to boil slightly, remove the pan from the stove.
- To prepare strawberry jelly for the winter, pour it hot into sterile jars, leaving no more than 1 cm to the edge of the neck.
- Cover the cans with metal lids and roll up.
Store chilled jelly in your pantry or basement. From the specified amount of ingredients, 1 half-liter jar will be obtained.
Strawberry jam
The main feature of any jam is that it must have a very thick consistency, be homogeneous and not contain any seeds or large pieces of fruit or berry pulp. To make strawberry jam for the winter according to the classic recipe, only berries and sugar are needed from the products.
Ingredients:
- Strawberry - 1 kg
- Sugar - 0.5 kg
Step by step preparation of strawberry jam:
- Wash ripe berries, remove the tails, dry and place in a deep saucepan.
- When pouring into a saucepan, sprinkle each layer of fruit with sugar. Leave the candied berries for 12 hours to let them juice.
- In the morning, move the saucepan with berries to the stove and boil over low heat for 1 hour. Cool the mixture.
- Grind the cooled berry mass on a fine sieve. To prepare jam, it is not enough just to puree the fruits with a blender, since when rubbing through a sieve, in addition to chopping the berries, seeds are also removed from them.
- Put the berry puree on the stove and cook until the mixture thickens to the desired consistency.
During cooking, the jam must be constantly stirred so that it does not burn. For additional density, some housewives add potato starch to it at the rate of 1 tbsp. for 2 kg of strawberries. Put the finished jam in a sterile container and roll up the lids. Put the jars upside down, wrap them in a blanket until they cool completely. Store them in a cool and dark place.
Strawberries in syrup
Strawberries prepared according to this recipe are a wonderful independent dessert or ready-made filling for baking and dumplings. And the syrup from under it can be used as a sauce for pancakes, casseroles and ice cream. It can also be used to soak biscuit cakes and other homemade cakes. It will take you no more than half an hour to harvest strawberries in syrup for the winter. From the specified volume of ingredients, 2 jars of 0.5 liters each are obtained.
Ingredients:
- Small strawberries - 1 kg
- Sugar - 350 g
- Water - 250 ml
- Citric acid - on the tip of a knife
Step by step preparation of strawberries in syrup:
- Rinse the berries, discard in a colander to glass the water.
- Remove the leaves and stalks from the fruit, discard the crumpled and spoiled strawberries.
- Distribute clean, dry berries evenly over pre-sterilized 200, 500, 700 ml jars. The berries should fill the entire jar to the brim.
- Pour sugar into a separate container, fill it with water and place on the stove. Bring the syrup to a boil with constant stirring with a wooden spoon and cook for another 5 minutes over low heat. At the end of cooking, add lemon to the syrup.
- Fill all the jars with berries to the brim with the prepared syrup. If the syrup is not enough, you can add a little boiling water to them.
- Cover the filled containers with metal lids, but do not roll them up and immerse them in a large container with hot water. Sterilize the jars in water after boiling for 6-15 minutes, depending on the volume of the container. Sterilize a jar of 0.2 liters for 6 minutes, for 0.5 liters - 10, for 0.7-1 liters - 15.
- Remove sterilized strawberry jars from boiling water and roll up.
- Turn them upside down and wrap them up with a blanket until they are completely cooled. The workpiece is perfectly stored in the basement or in the pantry even until the next harvest.
