Canning allows you to preserve fruit and snack on fruit from the garden throughout the winter months. Homemade compote is also sustainable: once you have purchased the environmentally friendly mason jars, you can use them again and again and save a lot of packaging waste. Plus, canning is a lot of fun and easy with our detailed instructions.
How can you make compote?
To cook compote, fill fresh, cleaned fruits into sterile jars, pour sugar syrup over them, close the jars and heat them in the preserving pot or in the oven. This creates a vacuum that preserves the compote. Store in a cool, dark place.
Preserving is a tradition
The terms “boil down” and “preserve” are often used interchangeably, which is incorrect. When preserving, the food, such as jam, is first boiled and then filled hot into airtight, sterile jars.
Wicking goes back to the technique invented by Johann Weck over a hundred years ago. The fresh fruit is placed in sterilized jars sealed with a lid, rubber ring and metal clip and heated. As the fruit turns into a delicious compote, the air in the glass expands and escapes. When it cools down, a vacuum is created so that no more germs can penetrate the food.
What is needed for preserving?
For this type of preservation you don't need much besides fresh fruit:
- If you make frequently, it is worth purchasing jars with a glass lid, rubber ring and clamp. You can use these to preserve the fruit in the preserving pot or oven.
- Alternatively, you can use jars with screw lids. These must be heat-resistant and have an undamaged seal.
Sterilize the containers in hot water for ten minutes. This is important because there should be no microorganisms left in it as soon as you pour in the fruit.
Basic recipe for boiled compote
For 2 liters of preserves, which corresponds to the capacity of four jars of 500 ml each, you need:
- 1 kg fresh, cleaned fruits. Damaged areas must be generously cut out. Cut fruit such as pears into bite-sized pieces.
- 1 l water
- 125 – 400 g sugar. Adjust the sugar content to the natural sweetness of the fruit and your personal taste.
Cooking compote in the pot
- Pour the fruit into the glasses. There should be a three centimeter wide border at the top.
- Pour the water into a saucepan and add the sugar.
- Bring to the boil once while stirring.
- Pour the syrup over the fruit so that it is completely covered.
- Place the rack in the cooking pot and place the food in it so that it does not touch each other.
- Pour water, the glasses must be three-quarters in the water bath.
- Close the pot, bring to the boil and heat the compote according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Take out the glasses and let them cool down.
- Check that all lids are closed,
- Store in a cool, dark place.
Cooking compote in the oven
- Fill jars as described and close tightly.
- Place in a drip pan, the containers must not touch each other, and pour two centimeters of water.
- Place the baking tray on the lowest rail of the tube.
- Depending on the type of fruit, heat to 150 to 175 degrees until bubbles appear.
- Turn off the oven and leave the glasses in the oven for another 30 minutes.
- Remove and check whether a vacuum has formed.
- Let it cool down.
- Store in a cool, dark place.
Tip
The most important thing when preserving compote, in addition to working cleanly, is the quality of the fruit. These should be as fresh, untreated and undamaged as possible.
