Makes 3 x 350ml jars compote, plus approx 175ml strawberry syrup
1.5Kg strawberries
175g sugar (or adjust to your taste)
1 vanilla pod
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Remove the stalks and halve the largest berries then place in a large glass or ceramic bowl, sprinkling the sugar in layers between the fruit as you go. Split the vanilla pod and scrape out the sticky seeds then push the pod in amongst the berries and stir in the seeds. Cover the bowl with cling film or a plate and leave in a cool place or the fridge overnight.
Pour the contents of the bowl into a preserving pan. Warm it through stirring until all the sugar is dissolved. Add the balsamic vinegar then bring all to a simmer and cook through for 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or a sieve separate the berries and vanilla pod from the syrup and set aside.
Cut the vanilla pod into 3 then, using a jam funnel, pack the strawberries into warm jars, filling up to 20mm from the top. Push a piece of vanilla pod down the side of each jar so it shows against the glass. Top up with hot syrup so the berries are completely covered, wipe the rims and seal.
To hot water process, lower the jars into a large pan of simmering water which has a trivet on the base or a folded tea towel will do instead. The jars mustn't touch the bottom of the pan directly and the water should cover the jar tops by at least 2 cm (special jar lifting tongs are useful here). Bring the water up to a boil, start to time and keep at boiling point for 10 minutes then remove jars from the water bath and leave till completely cold. Check the seals and label your jars ready to store. If any of your seals fail treat as if fresh.
For any remaining syrup in the pan, bring to a brisk boil for 5 minutes till the syrup is slightly thickened or to your liking. The syrup can be bottled in the same way or just keep in the fridge and enjoy it within a week or so. Use the syrup added to your spirit of choice perhaps topped up with sparkling white wine to make a long summer drink.
Went to the allotment the other day to check how the strawberries were coping with all this rain. The plants are heavily laden with fruit and I did get to pick and eat a few that were showing signs of looking ripe. But strawberries need to be sunkissed, if only for a moment. Picking them on a hot day is the ideal, but if left in the sun after picking they quickly lose their sheen and cook in their own warmth, so need chilling fast.
Once the harvest is finished I will need to have a big sort out as I've been distracted this year and the strawberry beds are due serious thinning out with establishing of newer plants for future harvests. Every three years or so it is good to start a new bed in fresh ground anyway.
Last year I discovered container-growing which is well worth copying to make use of a relatively small space for a high yield. This system can produce enough fruit to eat plenty fresh and still have some left over for preserving, so suits me just fine. You can choose a perpetual fruiting strawberry variety but I'm using my prized early season Gariguette variety alongside a classic Cambridge Favourite, that is particularly good for jam.
Any containers will do but a couple of rows of bog-standard black florists buckets are ideal. Make holes in the bottom before filling with compost and planting one plant in each. The containers need to be positioned somewhere sunny and a layer of permeable weed suppressing matting underneath will save on maintenance later. Posts knocked in place at either end of the rows with washing line strung across means they are set for netting. Keeping fruit off the ground means less chance of slug damage. You might like to feed with comfrey tea now and again when the fruit begins to set. As well as making classic strawberry and vanilla jam every summer I like to preserve strawberry compote to eat with cream or yogurt. I hot-water process or bottle the compote, in preserving jars with seals, so it will keep for a year, not that it ever has a chance to store that long, doubling up the recipe that follows to preserve larger batches. If bottling seems a step too far, the compote will refrigerate for 7-10 days.
1.5Kg strawberries
175g sugar (or adjust to your taste)
1 vanilla pod
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Remove the stalks and halve the largest berries then place in a large glass or ceramic bowl, sprinkling the sugar in layers between the fruit as you go. Split the vanilla pod and scrape out the sticky seeds then push the pod in amongst the berries and stir in the seeds. Cover the bowl with cling film or a plate and leave in a cool place or the fridge overnight.
Pour the contents of the bowl into a preserving pan. Warm it through stirring until all the sugar is dissolved. Add the balsamic vinegar then bring all to a simmer and cook through for 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or a sieve separate the berries and vanilla pod from the syrup and set aside.
Cut the vanilla pod into 3 then, using a jam funnel, pack the strawberries into warm jars, filling up to 20mm from the top. Push a piece of vanilla pod down the side of each jar so it shows against the glass. Top up with hot syrup so the berries are completely covered, wipe the rims and seal.
To hot water process, lower the jars into a large pan of simmering water which has a trivet on the base or a folded tea towel will do instead. The jars mustn't touch the bottom of the pan directly and the water should cover the jar tops by at least 2 cm (special jar lifting tongs are useful here). Bring the water up to a boil, start to time and keep at boiling point for 10 minutes then remove jars from the water bath and leave till completely cold. Check the seals and label your jars ready to store. If any of your seals fail treat as if fresh.
For any remaining syrup in the pan, bring to a brisk boil for 5 minutes till the syrup is slightly thickened or to your liking. The syrup can be bottled in the same way or just keep in the fridge and enjoy it within a week or so. Use the syrup added to your spirit of choice perhaps topped up with sparkling white wine to make a long summer drink.
Went to the allotment the other day to check how the strawberries were coping with all this rain. The plants are heavily laden with fruit and I did get to pick and eat a few that were showing signs of looking ripe. But strawberries need to be sunkissed, if only for a moment. Picking them on a hot day is the ideal, but if left in the sun after picking they quickly lose their sheen and cook in their own warmth, so need chilling fast.
Once the harvest is finished I will need to have a big sort out as I've been distracted this year and the strawberry beds are due serious thinning out with establishing of newer plants for future harvests. Every three years or so it is good to start a new bed in fresh ground anyway.
Last year I discovered container-growing which is well worth copying to make use of a relatively small space for a high yield. This system can produce enough fruit to eat plenty fresh and still have some left over for preserving, so suits me just fine. You can choose a perpetual fruiting strawberry variety but I'm using my prized early season Gariguette variety alongside a classic Cambridge Favourite, that is particularly good for jam.
Any containers will do but a couple of rows of bog-standard black florists buckets are ideal. Make holes in the bottom before filling with compost and planting one plant in each. The containers need to be positioned somewhere sunny and a layer of permeable weed suppressing matting underneath will save on maintenance later. Posts knocked in place at either end of the rows with washing line strung across means they are set for netting. Keeping fruit off the ground means less chance of slug damage. You might like to feed with comfrey tea now and again when the fruit begins to set. As well as making classic strawberry and vanilla jam every summer I like to preserve strawberry compote to eat with cream or yogurt. I hot-water process or bottle the compote, in preserving jars with seals, so it will keep for a year, not that it ever has a chance to store that long, doubling up the recipe that follows to preserve larger batches. If bottling seems a step too far, the compote will refrigerate for 7-10 days.
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