Canned Chokeberry Compote for Winter

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather everything you'll need. For compote, larger jars work best — 1.5-, 2-, or 3-quart. Smaller jars aren't recommended: they don't hold heat long enough, so you'd have to process them in a water bath.

2. Step 2:

   

   The first job is sterilizing the jars — everything after that is quick and easy. Wash the jars with baking soda and rinse them well under running water. While still wet, set them neck-down in a cold oven and lay the lids out too. Turn the oven to 300°F (150°C); once it's up to temperature, sterilize the jars — 15 minutes for quart jars, 20 for 2-quart, 25 for 3-quart. This is my favorite method; I've used it for years and it's never let me down.

3. Step 3:

   

   Pick over the berries and rinse them well in cool water. Let them drain.

4. Step 4:

   

   Fill each sterilized jar about a quarter full with berries and add a few lemon slices for flavor. To figure out how much water you'll need for the syrup, fill the jar with plain water, then pour it off and measure it. To save myself from re-calculating water and sugar every time, here's what I do — I make a SYRUP.

5. Step 5:

   

   In a large pot I measure out the most water I'll need, rounded to whole quarts, bring it to a boil, and stir in sugar at about 1 cup per quart of water (200 g per liter), letting it boil a couple of minutes. (If there's leftover syrup, I just make an everyday compote with it.)

6. Step 6:

   

   Pour the boiling syrup over the filled jars right away, letting it overflow, and seal with sterile lids. Roll each jar gently across the counter to check the seal, then wipe it clean.

7. Step 7:

   

   Turn the jars upside down onto their lids and leave them wrapped in a towel or blanket until they cool. Store in a cool, dark place. This is the "hot-fill" method — fast, with no water-bath processing. It's a real time-saver, and the jars keep well.

8. Step 8:

   

   Red rowan-berry compote is just as easy. Syrup: 1¼–1½ cups sugar per quart of water (250–300 g per liter). Drop clean rowan berries into boiling, lightly salted water for 4–5 minutes, then cool them right away in cold water. Drain and pack the berries into sterile jars. Pour boiling syrup over the rowan and let it cool, then drain the syrup off, bring it back to a boil, and pour it over the jars again until it overflows — and seal. I've tried both versions, and they're delicious!