Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate - Water Bath Canning

During the hot summer months there is nothing like ice cold juice or lemonade to make the day better.  Of course, we don't always have lemons or other fruits available to us year round to make fresh juice.

But this year, we had a great strawberry crop and were able to make and can strawberry lemonade concentrate to add to our pantry.  Now we can enjoy lemonade all summer long and into next year.

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The best part about canning strawberry lemonade is that it is super quick and easy.  In under an hour, you can have several pints of juice you can enjoy for months to come.

Now let's answer some of your most pressing questions on how to make strawberry lemonade.

What do I need for strawberry lemonade?

Typically for a strawberry lemonade you will need several cups of washed strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice, fresh or bottled work.  

Other items you'll need would be glass mason jars and jar lids and rings.  

What kind of jars do you use for canned lemonade?

I personally like to use half-pint to pint sized glass canning jars for my lemonade concentrate.  Because it is concentrate, you'll add about 1 pint of juice to 3 pints of water which makes pint jars the perfect size.

You can buy jars brand new or look for them in second hand stores or garage sales.  

Tips for Making Strawberry Lemonade

Make sure to use fresh, clean strawberries.  Mushy or moldy strawberries will make the juice taste moldy.

Strain out the seeds using a mesh strainer.  This will help keep seeds from getting stuck in your teeth and keep the juice fresher, longer.

If you don't have fresh lemon juice available, you can use bottled lemon juice.  Just know the flavor may vary.

Now don't forget to log how many jars you canned in your canning journal.  That way you always know how much you have and when you need more.

How to make strawberry lemonade concentrate

Ingredients

• 6 C. Strawberries, pureed
• 4 C. Lemon juice 
• 6 c. sugar
• 6-7 Pint Canning Jars

1. Wash and sanitize jars for juice.
2. Wash strawberries and place in a food processor until the strawberries are pureed. 
3. Strain out seeds from the strawberries using a mesh strainer.
4. Juice lemons to get the 4 cups of juice.  You can also used bottled juice if you wish.
5. Place strawberry juice, lemon juice and sugar in a large stockpot.  
6. Heat ingredients to 190° and remove from heat.
7. Remove any foam from the top of the juice.
8. Fill jars up to 1" from the top of the jar and add lids and rings.
9. Place in water bath canner for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow jars to sit in water for 5 minutes.
10. Remove jars from canner and place on a towel on the countertop at room temperature for 24 hours.
11. Label jars and store until ready to use.
12. Reconstitute juice with 1 pint of juice to 3 pints of water.

It really is that simple.  You can pick and preserve your strawberries in just a few hours and have them ready for the next year to enjoy.

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