“I asked my parents to bring me lots of lemons off their Meyer Lemon tree at home so that I could make lemonade throughout the summer. My mom told me about this recipe that would allow me to can some of the lemon juice and not take up as much room in my freezer. It was a great idea and this concentrate makes up a tasty lemonade. It isn’t as tart as my fresh Strawberry Lemonade, but it could be that Meyer lemon juice doesn’t hold up to heating as well as standard lemon juice. Either way though, this is a fantastic way to preserve a taste of summer year-round.” – April Ferre
Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate
Ingredients
- 6 Cups Strawberries Diced
- 4 Cups Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (Meyer Lemons, OK)
- 6 Cups Sugar
Instructions
- Working in batches, puree strawberries in a blender or food processor until smooth. Use a little of the lemon juice, if needed, to blend the strawberries.
- Combine strawberry puree, lemon juice and sugar in a large Dutch oven, stirring until well mixed.
- Heat the mixture to 190 degrees over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Do not boil. Remove from heat and skim off any foam.
- Ladle hot concentrate into hot, sterilized pint jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe rims and attach two-piece lids.
- Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Makes 5 to 6 pint jars.
- To Reconstitute: Mix one part concentrate with 3 parts water, seltzer or tonic water, or ginger ale.
2023 Recipe – Calla Ferre – From Ball Home Canning