Pickled Strawberries
Pickled strawberries are a unique way to preserve strawberries in season, and their sweet-tart flavor is incredible on top of a bowl of vanilla ice cream!
Ingredients
- 12 cups hulled strawberries 3 L
- 3 cups granulated sugar 750 mL
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar 500 mL
- 1 tsp pickling or canning salt 5 mL
Optional Spices
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon 2 mL
- ¼ tsp ground cloves 1 mL
- Pinch of ground allspice
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients and equipment. You'll need fresh strawberries, sugar, salt, cloves, cinnamon, vinegar, and allspice, as well as a wide pot, canner, jars, and lids.
- Prick the strawberries with a toothpick and cut the larger ones in half, then set them aside while you prepare the pickling liquid.
- Combine the sugar, salt, cloves, cinnamon, vinegar, and allspice in your pot and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.
- When the sugar and salt have dissolved, and the liquid has cooled, add the strawberries and toss gently to coat.
- Cover the pot and let the berries stand at a cool room temperature for six to eighteen hours, swirling often to coat them evenly.
- When the time is up, warm the strawberries over medium-low heat, taking care not to overcook them.
- Prepare your jars by washing and sterilizing them and heating your canner and lids.
- Ladle the strawberries and pickling liquid into the jars, leaving a half-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles and adjust the headspace as needed.
- Wipe the rims, apply the lids, and screw on the bands until they're fingertip-tight.
- Process your jars in the water bath canner for 10 minutes (for pints and half pints), adjusting for altitude (see notes).
- When the time is over, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid, then let the jars sit in the water for another five minutes. Carefully transfer them to a towel and let them cool for at least 24 hours.
- Check the seals, and refrigerate any jars that didn't seal properly.
Notes
This is a safe, tested canning recipe adapted from The Complete Book of Pickling by Jennifer MacKenzie. She actually has several recipes for pickled strawberries, and in other versions, she substitutes white balsamic vinegar for cider vinegar and adds pink peppercorns for a bit of spice. You can adapt this recipe to use those ingredients if you please or go with a simpler cider vinegar variation.
The spices are optional, and you can use any dry spices you like to flavor your pickled strawberries (or none at all). The salt is also optional but really adds depth to these fruit pickles.
Altitude Adjustments
- For 0 to 1,000 Feet in Elevation - Process pint jars for 10 minutes, and quart jars for 15 minutes.
- For 1,001 to 6,000 Feet in Elevation - Process pint jars for 15 minutes, and quart jars for 20 minutes.
- Above 6,001 Feet in Elevation - Process pint jars for 20 minutes, and quart jars for 25 minutes.