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Jams, jellies, fruit butter, and preserves are all delicious spreads made with fruit and sugar. Each one uses the fruit differently, but I feel that preserves are one of the quickest, easiest, and most delicious ways to use seasonal fruit. Preserves keep the texture of the fruit while natural pectin thickens the spread, leaving it slightly thinner and always spreadable. With a few simple ingredients and just a few minutes, you can choose to can it for long-term shelf life or keep it in the refrigerator and use it right away!
Honestly, preserves and canning are so easy. You will love this!
Food safety tip: This recipe may not be approved by the USDA. To prevent the risk of botulism, always check with the USDA Canning Guide.
Watch how to make these strawberry basil preserves:
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Strawberry Basil Preserves
Ingredients
- 8 cups strawberries stemmed, washed, and sliced if large
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 juiced lemons
- 1 lemon rind remove seeds of juiced lemon and quarter
- ¼ – ½ cup fresh basil minced
Instructions
- Place strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and rind in a heavy-bottomed 6-quart kettle. A heavy bottom is essential for high-sugar content foods to prevent scorching and burning.8 cups strawberries, 2 cups granulated sugar, 2 juiced lemons, 1 lemon rind
- Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat. Stir to ensure even cooking. If berries do not break down, use a mashing tool to break them into smaller pieces.
- To achieve the correct thickness, bring the preserves to 210°F. The thickness can alternatively be checked by placing a small amount on a dish and freezing for a few minutes. Run a finger through the chilled mixture to check thickness.
- Remove the lemon rinds and add in the minced basil. Stir in the basil and let it heat through slightly, 1-2 minutes.¼ – ½ cup fresh basil
- Once at temperature, remove from heat and, if canning, pour in readied jars.
- Top with lids and rings and place them in a boiling water bath for ten minutes.
- Remove from the water bath and let cool for 12 hours. Check lid to ensure jar has sealed. Any that did not seal can be placed in the refrigerator and enjoyed within one month.
- If not canning, place in jars or containers unsealed and keep in the refrigerator for one month or freeze for up to 6 months.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
Excellent! Cut the recipe in half, and left the Basil at 1/4 cup. The basil is there in the taste! But still Strawberry forward.
This sounds wonderful! But, and I may have missed it, but I can’t see in the directions when to add the basil. Will you please clarify? Thanks!
I made this recipe today. We had a little extra that didn’t fit into our jars, so we had it on our ice cream and it was soooo good. I can’t wait to bake some bread and try it on that. Once again, thanks so much for the recipe and the inspiration!
Have you ever tried this same recipe with blueberries?