Strawberry Compote for Winter

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Choose the prettiest, ripest, most fragrant berries for the winter strawberry compote. Unripe, spoiled, and bruised berries aren't suitable for canning. Wash the strawberries in a basin of water in small batches, gently stirring them with your hands a couple of times. Drain the water and add clean water. After washing them once more, carefully transfer them to a wide container so the water-laden berries don't get crushed. You can use any berries, but smaller ones are best.

2. Step 2:

   

   Measure out the right amount of sugar and citric acid. You can replace the citric acid with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Carefully remove the strawberries' stems — they pull off easily by hand.

3. Step 3:

   

   Prepare the jars for canning. You can use glass jars with screw-on lids of any size. I usually put up my compotes in three-liter jars. Be sure to wash the jars with baking soda. Then heat them either over steam or in the oven — 5–7 minutes is enough — and stand the jars neck-down. The lids also need to be boiled for 5 minutes and cooled.

4. Step 4:

   

   Put the prepared strawberries in a sterile jar so they take up about 1/4 of its volume. For a more intense compote, fill the jars by a third.

5. Step 5:

   

   Add the sugar and citric acid to the jar of berries as per the recipe.

6. Step 6:

   

   Boil clean water. Pour the boiling water into the jar with the strawberries, sugar, and citric acid. Work carefully so the glass doesn't crack from the temperature change. When the liquid reaches the shoulders of the jar, seal the jars with lids using a canning sealer. Then carefully turn the jar over several times to dissolve all the sugar. At the same time, check that the seal is airtight. You can see how, thanks to the citric acid, the strawberries start to tint the compote a bright color.

7. Step 7:

   

   Stand the jar of strawberry compote on its lid and wrap it in a blanket or throw. Leave it like that until it cools completely.