This is a wonderful Finnish recipe for storing lingonberries! We used to do this a lot when I was a kid. First to forest to pick berries up, then cleaning and washing them and last mashing all lingonberries and storing them in the jars.
Lingonberries are available in Austria. In the fall, you see them in the fresh markets. I get mine in the fall and freeze as a whole. Then later I do lingonberry mash to be used in different ways.
I prefer lingonberry mash from jam because it does not have sugar. You add the sugar in only when you use it. Lingonberries, cranberries, and cloudberries contain a lot of benzoic acid, so they can be stored in a pureed/mashed form in the cold without heating, sugar, or preservatives.
Lingonberry mash is a side dish for many Finnish foods like cabbage casserole or meatballs. You can use it to make whipper semolina poridge or in cakes. You find the recipe for whisked lingonberry porridge here:
Lingonberry puree can be stored in a cool place for several months, but sugar it just before use. To ensure long-term preservation, put the lingonberry mash in the freezer, which will last even longer until the next harvest season.
Ingredients:
- Lingonberries
- Sugar (just before use)
Instructions:
If you plan to store lingonberry mash in a cool place for several months, thoroughly clean the glass jars: soak them in water and then wash them in the dishwasher’s hottest cycle before use.
Clean the lingonberries as needed. Mash them with a potato masher or food mill. Place the mash in clean glass jars so that the lingonberries are entirely covered in their own juice. If you freeze lingonberry mash, use airtight plastic containers and leave about one-fifth of the container empty (the puree expands when frozen). Seal the jars. Store in a cool place, such as the refrigerator. My mom stored this in the fridge in a container covered with baking paper cut to fit on top of the mash. Ensure the lingonberry mash is covered with its own juice after taking it otherwise it will not hold. Lingonberry juice is the preservative!
Usage:
Always take the lingonberry mash with a clean spoon or ladle. Sugar the lingonberry mash just before use. Add sugar according to taste and intended use (about 1 dl of lingonberry mash + about 3 tbsp sugar).
Tips:
If you freeze the lingonberry mash (or store it in the refrigerator) , you can sugar it during the pureeing process. Sugared lingonberry mash can be stored in the fridge for several weeks before it begins to ferment. Sugar-free lingonberry mash stored in clean jars can last in the fridge for months.
frommygardenintomykitchen.com 