Strawberry Vinaigrette

This strawberry vinaigrette dressing comes from Ball’s web site.

We evaluated the recipe out of curiosity, as it is a “home-canned salad dressing”, which is rare.

There are two issues that people might have with it.

• It’s extremely high in sugar. It’s not so much a salad vinaigrette, as a strawberry-flavoured candy syrup;
• You discard the actual strawberries, so it does seem like quite a waste. We’re not sure off the top of our heads what else to do with the discarded 3.5 kg / 7 lbs of pickled strawberries, and the recipe author doesn’t give any suggestions.

While the recipe concept was interesting, we’re not sure we’d be in a hurry to make it again. We’d love it if a reputable source came up with a version that made better use of the berries (perhaps by mashing then straining them) so that fewer are required and there’s less food wastage, and that allowed for drastically reduced or no sugar, perhaps swapping in some pectin or Splenda to provide the slight thickening and mouth-feel that the sugar syrup does.

You, however, may like the recipe as it is!

At any rate, here’s the recipe.

The recipe

Jar size choices: Quarter-litre (half-pint / 8 oz / 250 ml) jars

Processing method: Water bath or steam canning

Yield: 6 x 250 ml / half-pint jars (can vary)

Headspace: 1 cm (1/4 inch)

Processing time: 10 minutes

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Strawberry Vinaigrette

Course Salads

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Yield 6 x 250 ml / half-pint jars

Ingredients

• 3.5 kg strawberries (fresh, whole, hulled strawberries. 7 lbs / 25 cups)
• 1 litre white vinegar (plain distilled. 5% or higher. 4 cups / 32 oz)
• sugar

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

1. Wash and hull the strawberries. Wash again.
2. Put strawberries in a large non-reactive container: large ceramic or plastic bowl or container, large stainless steel pot, etc.
3. Pour the vinegar over them. Cover tightly with plastic wrap.
4. Put in a somewhat cool place, approximately 20 to 24 C (70 to 75 F). Let stand overnight.
5. Strain liquid off.
6. Discard berries (sic). You want just clear liquid free of impurities. (Strain through a cheesecloth if needed.)
7. Measure the volume of the liquid you got.
8. Put that liquid into a stainless steel pot.
9. Measure out a *volume* of white sugar equal to the *volume* of liquid you got.
10. Stir that into the liquid in the pot.
11. Bring to a boil, then remove immediately from heat.
12. If any scum formed, skim it off and discard.
13. Ladle liquid into heated jars.
14. Leave 1 cm (1/4 inch) headspace.
15. Wipe jar rims.
16. Put lids on.
17. Process in a water bath or steam canner.
18. Process jars 10 minutes. Increase time as needed for your altitude.

Recipe notes

It might also be an idea to process this in 125 ml (4 oz) size jars, as that size might be more likely to be what you could use up at once. The same processing time of 10 minutes would apply.

Reference information

How to water bath process.

How to steam can.

When water-bath canning or steam canning, you must adjust the processing time for your altitude.

Australia and New Zealand vinegar strength special notes.

Alternative idea

This idea involves less waste of strawberries.

Make a strawberry salad dressing in the following way. Can plain strawberries in quarter-litre / half-pint / 8 oz jars. To make salad dressing, open, use some or all of the liquid along with the berries, mash, strain (or not). Add good quality wine or other vinegar to taste, along with salt, sweetener and herbs if desired, and perhaps a tablespoon or two of good quality oil. Whatever is not used should last, when stored covered in refrigerator, for up to 5 days, or freeze.

Recipe source

Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing. Ball Fresh Preserving web site (attributed to DeeDee Grooms of Plant City, FL). Accessed January 2018.