Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate Canning
Simmered strawberries, raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice strain into a ruby-red refrigerated concentrate for cold drinks or dessert toppings. Keep chilled rather than canning for shelf storage.
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Small jar
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
- 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ⅓ cup water
Instructions
- Place the strawberries, raspberries, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and water in a medium saucepan and stir them together. The water will moisten the sugar around the fruit before cooking begins.
- Set the burner to medium and stir continuously as the mixture reaches a simmer, cooking for about 3 to 5 minutes until juice flows from the berries. The mixture should become looser as the released juices surround the fruit.
- Turn the burner down to medium-low and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes, allowing the berries to soften and collapse. Look for broken-down fruit in a glossy, ruby-red liquid rather than intact, firm berries.
- Let the sauce lose some heat, strain it into a small jar, and refrigerate it until needed. The strained sauce should have a smoother texture without the berry seeds.
- For an optional thicker finish while the sauce is still in the saucepan, use low heat for up to 15 additional minutes. The liquid will become more concentrated and may coat the spoon more noticeably.
Notes
Cooking tip: Sweep the bottom and edges of the saucepan constantly during the initial simmer so the sugar does not catch and scorch.
Texture tip: Stir gently against a fine mesh strainer rather than pressing forcefully, which helps remove raspberry seeds without pushing cloudy pulp into the liquid.
Storage: This berry sauce is not a validated canning formula; keep the strained mixture covered in the refrigerator rather than processing it for pantry storage.
Serving tip: For cold drinks, start by testing 1 part chilled concentrate with 3 to 4 parts cold still or sparkling water, or leave it undiluted to spoon over vanilla ice cream or cheesecake.
Nutrition information is an estimate based on common ingredients and serving sizes. Values may vary depending on brands, portions, and substitutions.