Strawberry Preserves
We’ve been buying preserves from Harry’s Berries at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market for years, but my husband always complains that there’s too much sugar in them for him. Harry’s consistently has the most incredible strawberries I have ever tasted, hands down, so my husband can’t comprehend why they feel the need to use so much sugar in their preserves. I tasted several brands of strawberry jam and preserves from our local grocery and they too all had a really sugary aftertaste.
I love preserves that taste like pure strawberries with just a touch of added sweetness, so I decided to come up with my own recipe substituting agave for sugar. The real trick, though, to this recipe is using the best berries you can find, and no one beats Harry’s (I’ve made preserves using berries from the grocery and they’re also delicious. Just go with what you like)! Every morning we’ve been eating these vitamin C packed, gooey, chunky preserves. No matter whether you spread them on a rice cake with a little cream cheese, place a dollop on top of yogurt or a spoonful served on top of oatmeal or pancakes, it’s pure heaven in every bite.
Strawberry Preserves (makes 1 1/2 Cup)
2 Pints Strawberries (about 5 cups), stemmed and halved
Juice of 1 Lemon
1/4 Cup Honey or Agave Nectar
1. Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium/high and cook uncovered for 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has evaporated (you want the preserves to have little chunks of strawberries).
3. Cool and serve.
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Just made these. My stove’s “medium/hot” must be really high – the preserves started burning on the bottom after only 20 minutes
I saved the top part and they look pretty thick so I’m happy with the results and next time I’ll know better 
Every stove can be tricky, you to have to really play around with it to get the fire at a decent level. I’m glad you enjoyed it
First of all, I LOVE your website and you have amazing recipes!
About this one, can we substitute pure maple syrup for agave?
Thanks!
Yes you can substitute it for honey!
I have made this recipe with strawberries and they are DELICIOUS! I also just made them substituting fresh cherries and they are great this way too!
Can you freeze this recipe or can?
Does Trader’s sell agave? I have a whole foods, but it is a treck down to Irvine…..
Thanks,
Alyssa
Yes Trader Jo’s sells agave and you can freeze this too
You can also can it.
If you just freeze it in regular tupperware, how long will it last?
It would be good for up to 3 months in freezer
How long will it last canned and refridgerated?
Up to a month in the fridge or more but not sure about canned, I have not tested it that way.
might need to make this when strawberries are on sale! we are going to be eating lots of pb & j’s for lunch coming up! they are quick and yummy! what other kind of strawberry sandwiches could i make?
I just made my first batch using honey, but it seems a touch bitter.. is there a way to counter that? it’s still warm, so I’ll check again when it’s cooler. The strawberries I used were good.
No need for pectin of any sort for freezing or canning?
This looks so easy!! I hope it is! i can’t wait to try!!
I added the zest of the lemon and used local strawberries that I picked myself. I had rave reviews at a recent brunch. Great and easy recipe!
Could I substitute strawberries for Saskatoon berries?
Glad I came across this recipe. Do you have a video program for canning preserves or did I just miss the link? I’m a novice in the kitchen and my son is in a serious strawberry jam/preserve phase and would just like to make a big batch of this instead of buying ready made preserves.
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Just made these with the sweetest, tiny little locally grown strawberries and a cinnamon-infused honey from Temecula Valley Honey Company (both from the farmer’s market in Irvine today!) and it turned out AMAZING. The cinnamon honey makes for a great aroma. On a side note, I have a high output burner, so I had to turn mine down to about 3-4 for most of the 60 minutes, and stir frequently, scraping down the sides and bottom with a spoontula to prevent burning. Hope that helps anyone who has had problems with the burning!