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Homemade Strawberry Juice is made with only 3 ingredients, including fresh strawberries! This is the most delicious and flavorful fruit juice you will ever have!
Homemade Strawberry Juice
When I was single, wild and completely carefree, I would take off and go to Macedonia on a 2-month vacation every year. Best summers, ever! I’d stay with my Baba (grandmother) and in the mornings wake up to farm fresh eggs, homemade feta cheese, homemade yogurt, homemade Ajvar, homemade sausages… you get the idea.
Baba (Grandma) never took a break and was constantly making something – all with one thing in mind; do not waste food. NO food should ever end up in the trash. All her food was steps away from their front door, too.
The garden had every vegetable you can possibly think of. Their fruit trees? Oh Lord! Cherries, apples, pears, plums, apricots… I will run out of room trying to list all of ’em. Their dinner?!? Also in their yard! (Vegetarians & Vegans, close your eyes!) Chickens, cows, pigs, goats, sheep, etc…
One of Baba’s specialties? This simple recipe for strawberry syrup, which she’d use to make strawberry juice. She would strap two huge woven baskets on the sides of her donkey – yes, donkey 🙂 – and we’d be off to pick wild strawberries in the mountains.
On the way home I used to eat the UNWASHED berries and drink water from the natural springs. NO FILTER! I’m still ALIVE! Imagine that…
And then, the next day, we’d make the best strawberry juice on the planet. I’m sharing that old fashioned recipe with you today!
What is Strawberry Juice?
Strawberry juice is a refreshing and naturally sweet drink made from fresh strawberries. First we make a syrup by combining strawberries with sugar, then cooking them down and straining the pulp to get a smooth syrupy liquid you can combine with your carrier liquid of choice (water, seltzer, you can even use the liquid in cocktails).
If you have a large amount of berries sitting around and aren’t sure what to do with all of ’em before they go bad, make strawberry syrup. Then add a cup of water, or even some soda water, and sip awaaaaaay!
How to Make Strawberry Juice
- Prepare the strawberries. Mix fresh strawberries with sugar and let them sit in the fridge for 24 hours.
- Cook the berries. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Strain the juice. Remove from heat and strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl.
- Store in fridge. Sterilize your bottle and the cap, then store the liquid in the fridge after it has cooled.
- Make strawberry juice. Measure 1/4 cup of the strawberry syrup and pour it into a drinking glass. Stir in 1 cup of water (I like to use soda water) and enjoy!
Which reminds me – do not get rid of the berries after you make the juice because next week I am going to show you how to make Strawberry Jam.
ENJOY!
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Homemade Strawberry Juice
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries, , cleaned and halved
- 2 cups sugar
- glass bottle
- water or soda water
Instructions
- Place half of the strawberries in a large bowl; cover with 1-cup of sugar.
- Add the remaining strawberries and sprinkle with the rest of the sugar.
- Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for 24 hours.
- Transfer the berries and the juice into a large saucepan.
- Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil; turn the heat down and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove from heat and strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl.
- Using a spatula, press the strawberries to release all the juices.
- In the meantime, preheat oven to 170F.
- Wash the glass bottle; place it on a baking sheet and put it in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Sterilize the cap of the bottle by placing it in a bowl and pour boiling water right over it.
- Remove glass bottle from the oven.
- Pour the juice into the bottle.
- Seal with the cap and let completely cool.
- Store in refrigerator.
- When ready to serve, measure 1/4 cup of the strawberry syrup and pour it into a drinking glass.
- Stir in 1 cup of water (I like to use soda water) and enjoy!
- If you like a sweeter juice, add more syrup.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Such beautiful memories! And this drink sounds glorious! I wishing had a big glass to enjoy right now!
I’ve never tried strawberry juice and I’m not sure why because I love strawberries! Thanks for the recipe and the gorgeous photos!
This looks fabulous, your photos are awesome and wouldn’t a little champagne be good with the syrup! Pinned
Absolutely beautiful, Katerina!
Lovely trip down memory lane. 🙂
This sounds amazing and the color of the juice is gorgeous! I bet a little champagne would make a great strawberry mimosa!!!
Looks amazing!! So delicious and yet beautiful!! What a great story! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Kate,
The visuals evoked by your writing are as terrific as your photos–I can just see the donkey and it makes my heart happy.
How gorgeous, I’m in love with this family recipe!
Okay, Kate, this post makes me want to cry whilst feeling nostalgic! The photos are breathtaking, the memories are precious and the emotions are high. I think I am going to wake up tomorrow morning and make something deliciously Russian, something baba used to make. I don’t know what but it will be glorious! Thank you for the inspiration. 🙂
Hi Julia!! I knew you’d appreciate this one! 😀 Thank you!! xoxo
Girl, you and your gorgeous photos of drinks!! Love this post! Your story and the syrup – swoon!