Access all year round: you’re not limited by the seasons and can have any fruit and veg at any time of year.

It’s the time of year when I look at the bags of berries in the big freezer in my garage and say, “Yikes! I need to get busy!” Some of you may be familiar with my yearly quest to make good use of our previous year’s berry supply before the current year’s harvest. I call it “Avoiding Berry Buildup”, and it helps me keep the freezer from becoming a disaster zone. There are many reasons why I am so fond of this recipe for raspberry syrup. It’s delicious, it uses a large quantity of berries, and it goes well with a variety of foods. Also, the ingredients are very simple. This recipe only calls for four of them. Are you suffering from Berry Buildup? Easy canned raspberry syrup to the rescue! Pressure canners function similarly to water-bath canners, but there are noticeable differences when using them. PreparationAlso, you can use other sweeteners, like stevia or honey, but make sure you use a different canning recipe that accounts for that to make sure you’re processing the berries safely. If you happen to have a countertop juicer, you could use that, but I don’t think they extract quite as much depth of flavor as when you use the stovetop (or a steam juicer). The main benefit to that type of juicer is that it keeps the juice raw, but we’re canning here…so it’s not necessary. So there you have it! Now that you know how to can raspberries whole, get started on your canning project and enjoy these delicious berries all year long. As a general rule, it takes about 2 to 4 cups of most berries (plus 1/2 cup water) to make a cup of juice extracted on the stovetop using the method outlined above. You can get a slightly better yield, and with less mess, if you use a steam juicer. Select a syrup to suit the sweetness of the fruits to be canned - and the sweetness level you prefer. Measure the desired amount of sugar and water into a saucepan. Bring to a boil,then keepwarm.

Raspberries can also be stored in the refrigerator, but they should be used within two weeks of opening the can. Before doing anything, ensure that the canner is working properly. Clean the canner according to the instructions that came with the canner. There should be no trapped materials in the canner, vent, sealing rings, or pipes. It can take up to ten minutes for the canner to pressurize once we take our body weight off. Step 4 – Time for canning When it comes to canning raspberries, there are several benefits. For one, canned raspberries have a longer shelf life than frozen raspberries. They can be stored for up to a year without losing their flavor or quality. In addition, canned raspberries are easier to use in recipes because they’re already cooked and softened.

Use in baking– you can use these raspberries and/or their juice in any baked recipe that calls for berries. One thing to take into consideration is that you might want to adjust the amount of sugar in the recipe if the berries are very sweet (since we used sugar to preserve them). You might want to give this strawberry bread a try (substitute strawberries for raspberries). Although you may prefer the sweetness of very light syrup, keep in mind that fruits canned in light syrups are sometimes less firm than fruits canned in heavy syrups. There’s no set time limit for canned foods – according to the US Department of Agriculture, canned foods (in actual cans) last for years if the can itself isn’t rusting or swelling. However, home-canned goods (in jars) are generally recommended to be eaten within about 2 years. Key Takeaways and Next Steps

Altitude Adjustments - Canning times are 15 minutes for pints and half-pints and 20 minutes for quarts below 1,000 feet in elevation. Freezing tends to bring out their tart size in my opinion, and somehow they seem to lose their sweetness. I don’t like to use frozen raspberries in muffins largely because it results in a sour patch right in the middle of an otherwise tasty muffin. It’s just too much. Lastly, it’s best to avoid dry canning as canning food without the liquid covering the cans will end up with under-processed foods (especially common with vegetables). This increases the risk of botulism. Storing Canned Berries For every four cups of raspberries, add five cups of water into a pot. Step 3: Bring Water To A Boil We might also wonder about the use of canning powders. In theory, we can use these powders as preservatives and eliminate the need for the actual canning process. In practice, this is completely false, and canning powders are useless – they don’t prevent food spoilage.During the entire process, there has to be at least an inch of overhead water. If it boils away, add more water. If the temperature drops and the water stops boiling, turn the heat until it starts boiling again. Let the syrup continue dripping into the saucepan while you get the hot jars in place. When the dripping has stopped, set the mushy seed mixture aside. Note: This seed separation works even if you are just trying to extract juice from raspberries for raspberry juice. Can I juice raspberries? Yes. The key is heating the berries to separate the seeds, whether you add sugar or not. Filling the Jars Ultimately, there are many different ways to enjoy canned raspberries, so get creative and experiment until you find your favorite. Preserving Alternatives to Canning Raspberries If they do hold together though, they look lovely in the jar, and I get compliments on these beauties when I give them out as gifts.)