Harvest Joy in a Jar: Preserving, Pickling and Fermenting Fruit and Berries, and More!
The Grow-your-own-food
When the days grow shorter and the nights cooler, the time of plenty begins in the garden: ripe plums almost fall from the tree by themselves, elderberries turn a deep violet and apples pile up in baskets. It is the loveliest time of year for self-sufficient growers and garden lovers alike, and exactly the right moment to preserve the fruits of your labour.
Sweet or savoury, raw or cooked, liquid or dry: in this post you will learn how to preserve fruit and berries by preserving, pickling, fermenting, making chutneys or drying and making fruit leather. That way you save not only flavours and vitamins, but also a little piece of late summer for the cold season.
Table of contents
- 1. Preserving: Summer flavours in a jar
- 2. Pickling: Spicy, sweet-and-sour and surprising
- 3. Fermenting: Wild, lively and healthy
- 4. Chutneys: Spice from the jar
- 5. Drying: Quiet enjoyment
- 6. Fruit leather: The sweet snack with no regrets
- 7. Pressing juice: Preserving sunshine flavours in liquid form
- 8. Preserving in alcohol: Fine drops from your own harvest
The Art of Preserving: From Jam to Rumtopf
1. Preserving: Summer flavours in a jar
Preserving is the classic among the methods of conservation. You can use it to make jams, compotes or jellies, entirely to your own taste.
Here's how:
- Wash ripe fruit, core or stone if necessary, and chop
- Bring to the boil with a little sugar and spices such as vanilla or cinnamon
- Fill into sterile jars and preserve in a water bath for 15 to 30 minutes
Tip: Less sugar = more fruit flavour! With apple pectin or lemon juice you will still get the right consistency.
2. Pickling: Spicy, sweet-and-sour and surprising
Pickled fruit is an insider tip for everyone who likes to play with flavours. Cherries in vinegar or pickled apple rings with chilli? Your imagination is the only limit!
Basic recipe for sweet-and-sour pickles:
- 500 ml water
- 250 ml apple cider vinegar
- 200 g sugar
- Spices of your choice (e.g. ginger, pepper, mustard seeds)
Put the fruit into sterile jars, pour the hot liquid over it, seal, and you're done!
3. Fermenting: Wild, lively and healthy
Fermented fruit sounds unusual? Give it a try! With a simple salt brine you can make fermented plums, apricots or berries, for example: probiotic, spicy, surprising.
Here's how it works:
- Put the fruit into a jar
- Pour over a 2 to 5 per cent salt brine
- Weigh it down and cover with a cloth
- Leave to ferment at room temperature for 5 to 10 days
Tip: Taste it daily: fermentation is complete when the flavour is "round".
4. Chutneys: Spice from the jar
When sweetness, acidity and spice come together, chutneys are born: aromatic all-rounders that go wonderfully with cheese, curry, rice dishes or on bread.
Plum chutney (basic recipe):
- 500 g plums (stoned, halved)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp grated ginger, cinnamon and chilli to taste
Simmer everything together for about 30 to 40 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Fill into clean jars while hot. After 1 to 2 weeks the chutney has matured and is full of flavour.
5. Drying: Quiet enjoyment
Drying is probably the oldest and at the same time most sustainable method of preserving fruit, completely without sugar, vinegar or salt.
Here's how to dry properly:
- Cut the fruit into thin slices
- Lay out on baking paper or a drying rack
- Leave to dry for several hours in a dehydrator or oven at about 50 to 60 °C (oven: with the door slightly open)
Tip: A hint of cinnamon or a little lemon juice before drying gives special flavours and prevents browning.
6. Fruit leather: The sweet snack with no regrets
Fruit leather, also known as fruit roll-ups, is a delicious way to turn fruit into a long-lasting, chewy treat.
Here's how to make fruit leather:
- Blend ripe fruit to a fine purée
- Optionally refine with lemon juice, spices or a little honey
- Spread the purée evenly (about 3 to 5 mm thick) on a baking tray lined with baking paper
- Leave to dry at 50 to 60 °C in the oven (with the door slightly open) or in a dehydrator for about 8 to 12 hours
Once the surface is no longer sticky, cut into strips and roll up.
Tip: Mixtures such as apple and strawberry or pear and cinnamon are especially delicious!
7. Pressing juice: Preserving sunshine flavours in liquid form
Home-pressed juice is pure fruit in bottles, ideal for preserving large quantities of harvest.
Here's how it works:
- Wash the fruit, remove the stalks and chop
- Extract the juice in a juicer or with a steam juicer
- Fill the fresh juice into clean bottles
- Optional: briefly heat to about 75 to 80 °C and bottle while hot (pasteurise)
Tip: Mixed juices such as apple and elderberry or pear and quince bring variety to the jar.
8. Preserving in alcohol: Fine drops from your own harvest
When fruit meets strong spirits, magic happens, and liqueur!
Making your own liqueur (basic recipe):
- 500 g fruit (e.g. berries, plums, cherries)
- 250 to 300 g sugar
- 700 ml Doppelkorn, vodka or rum
Put everything together in a large screw-top jar, store somewhere cool and dark and shake regularly. After 6 to 8 weeks, strain it, and your homemade liqueur is ready.
Rumtopf: In summer, layer fruit with sugar in a large jar and cover with dark rum, a liquid harvest treasure for the winter!
Tip: Certain fruits are also suitable for distilling schnapps, but in Germany this is only allowed with a permit. Perhaps you can find a distillery in your area that can do it for you.
Preserving naturally: With contentment in your heart
Whether you preserve, dry or ferment, you will quickly notice that preserving food is more than just a kitchen technique. It is a return to old wisdom, to handcraft and to a mindful approach to food.
At Magic Garden Seeds we believe in exactly these values. Our open-pollinated fruit and berry varieties, heirloom vegetable varieties and herb plants are ideal for everyone who wants to grow, harvest and enjoy their own again, at their own rhythm, with both hands in the soil and a heart full of harvest joy.
Find seeds for fruit, sweet fruits and nuts here
Fruit & Nut Seeds... and start your own orchard for the jar next year.
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