Boil Compote: Preserve Your Own Harvest

You can preserve fruit by preserving it and snacking on fruit from the garden throughout the winter months. In addition, homemade compote is sustainable: once you get the environmentally friendly jars, you can use them again and again and save a lot of packaging waste. Plus, preserving is a lot of fun and easy with our detailed instructions.

Cooking has a tradition

The terms “boiling down” and “soaking up” are often used synonymously, which is not correct. When preserving, the food, such as jam, is first boiled and then filled hot into airtight, sterile jars.

Heineken 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 jar expands and escapes. When it cools down, a vacuum is created so that no more germs can get into the food.

What is needed for cooking?

For this type of preservation you do not need much besides fresh fruit:

• If you wake up frequently, it is worth buying glasses with a glass lid, rubber ring, and clip. You can use these to preserve the fruit in a wake-up pot or in the oven.
• Alternatively, you can use jars with screw caps. These must be heat-resistant and have an undamaged seal.

Sterilize the vessels in hot water for ten minutes. This is important because there must be no more microorganisms in it once you put the fruit in.

The basic recipe for boiled compote

For 2 liters of preserves, which corresponds to the filling quantity of four jars of 500 ml each, you need:

• 1 kg fresh, clean fruit. Damaged areas must be generously cut out. Chop up fruit, such as pears, into bite-sized pieces.
• 1 liter of water
• 125-400g of sugar. Adjust the sugar content to the natural sweetness of the fruit and your personal taste.

Boiling compote in the wake-up pot

1. Pour the fruit into the glasses. There should be a 3cm border at the top.
2. Put the water in a saucepan and sprinkle in the sugar.
3. Boil once while stirring.
4. Pour the syrup over the fruit to completely cover it.
5. Place the grid in the wake-up pot and place the preserving food in such a way that it does not touch.
6. Pour on the water, the glasses must be three-quarters in the water bath.
7. Close the pot, bring it to a boil, and heat the compote according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
8. Take out the glasses and let them cool down.
9. Check that all lids are closed
10. Store in a cool and dark area.

Boil the compote in the oven

1. Fill jars as described and seal tightly.
2. Place in a fat pan, the vessels must not touch each other and pour in two centimeters of water.
3. Place the baking sheet on the lowest rail of the tube.
4. Depending on the type of fruit, heat to 150 to 175 degrees until bubbles appear.
5. Turn off the oven and leave the jars in the oven for another 30 minutes.
6. Remove and check if a vacuum has formed.
7. Let cool down.
8. Store in a cool and dark area.