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- Preparing and using syrups for preserving fruits
Liquids used to can fruit
Fruits may be canned in water, juiceor a sweet syrup. The sweet syrup doesn't preserve the fruit but helps the fruit maintain its shape, colorand flavor. Commercial unsweetened apple juice, pineapple juiceor white grape juice make good canning liquids. These may be used directly or diluted with water. Juice can also be extracted from some of the fruit that is being canned or from fresh apples, pineappleor white grapes. To extract the juicecrush ripe, unbruised fruit. Heat to simmering over low heat. Strain through cheesecloth or a jelly bag.
Preparing and using syrups
The following guidelines for preparing and using syrups offer a new “very light” syrup, which approximates the natural sugar content of many fruits. The sugar content in each of the five syrups is increased by about 10 percent. The lighter the syrup, the fewer the calories it contains. Quantities of water and sugar make enough syrup for a canner load of pints or quarts. They are included for each syrup type.
Many fruits that are typically packed in heavy syrup are excellent and tasteful products when packed in lighter syrups. It'srecommended that lighter syrups be tried, since they contain fewer calories from added sugar.
Procedure
- Heat water and sugar together.
- Bring to a boil and pour over raw fruits in jars.
- For hot packs:Bring water and sugar to boil, add fruit, reheat to boiland fill into jars immediately.
- Seecanning quick reference chartfor processing times.
Other sweeteners
Light corn syrups or mild-flavored honey may be used to replace up to half the table sugar called for in syrups. Artificial sweeteners should be added just before serving the fruit. Saccharin-based sweeteners can become bitter and aspartame-based sweeteners may lose their sweetening power during processing.
Guidelines for making different types of syrups for canning
Syrup type | % sugar (approx.) | Cups water (for 9 pt. or 4 qt. load) | Cups sugar (for 9 pt. or 4 qt. load) | Cups water (for 7 qt. load) | Cups sugar (for 7 qt. load) | Fruits commonly packing in syrup |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Very light | 10 | 6 1/2 | 3/4 | 10 1/2 | 1 1/4 | Very sweet fruits |
Light | 20 | 5 3/4 | 1 1/2 | 9 | 2 1/4 | Sweet fruits |
Medium | 30 | 5 1/4 | 2 1/4 | 8 1/4 | 3 3/4 | Sweet apples, sweet cherries, berries |
Heavy | 40 | 5 | 3 1/4 | 7 3/4 | 5 1/4 | Tart apples, apricots, sour cherries, gooseberries, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums |
Very heavy | 50 | 4 1/4 | 4 1/4 | 6 1/2 | 6 3/4 | Very sour fruits |
- National Center for Home Food Preservation. 2018. Selecting, Preparing and Canning Fruit. Syrups for Canning Fruit.
William Schafer, emeritus Extension specialist and Suzanne Driessen, Extension educator
Reviewed in 2021
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