Use good quality, firm, ripe fruit (under ripe fruit has poor flavour, overripe fruit is too soft) to ensure good quality jars of preserved fruit. Wash fruit before use. Berries and other small fruits may be packed whole, whilst larger fruit is peeled, cored/pitted and sliced. To prevent browning during preparation, place sliced fruit into a bowl of water with lemon juice, draining well before packing.
The
healthiest option is to preserve fruit in water.
JUICE
Use 100%
fruit juice (no added sugar) for bottling fruit – try apple or white grape
juice (or pineapple, or orange juice for stronger flavoured fruits).
As most
types of fruit are naturally acidic enough for preserving, lemon juice (or lime
juice, or citric acid) will only need to be added to lower acid fruit to
prevent discolouration and/or spoilage during storage i.e. figs.
Sugar syrups
commonly use white sugar – but you can also use raw or brown sugar. Or avoid
the sugar and use a natural sweetener such as Stevia (fresh or dried) or honey.
Artificial sweeteners are not recommended.
Spices (ground or whole), citrus peel and liqueurs all add extra flavours to preserved fruit – infuse the syrup/juice then pack in with the fruit into the jars.