Strawberry Saft

Your fist questions is probably, what the heck is saft? Saft is concentrated juice made by cooking berries with sugar. It is an everyday drink in Norway. You would have a hard time finding a single household in Norway that does not have some kind of saft (it comes in different flavors) and children often have a glass of saft with dinner. In fact, it is so loved that it is often enjoyed along side Christmas porridge (julegrøt).

NOTE: Saft should be diluted with water. For this recipe use 1 part saft : 5 parts water. You can use cold water, sparkling water or warm water.

Makes: about 4 cups

Preparation time: 45m
Cooking time: 45m
Total time: 1h

Ingredients:

  • 1000 gram ripe strawberries (you can use different berries, or a mixture of berries but you may need to add more water and more or less sugar accordingly)
  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

Equipment: large saucepan, milk straining bag or cheese cloth, funnel, heat tempered glass jar(s)

Instructions:

  1. Wash strawberries, remove the greens and slice in half.
  2. Bring the strawberries and water to a boil in a large saucepan. Boil for 10 minutes.
  3. Hang the straining bag or cheese cloth over a bowl or pitcher and pour in all the berries and liquid. Let it strain for about 30 minutes then squeeze the rest of the juice out. Discard the pulp.
  4. While the juice is straining you should sterilize the glass jars you plan to store the saft in. Do this by pouring boiling liquid into the jars or placing them into a large saucepan with boiling water and boil for at least 10 minutes.
  5. Return the juice to the saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring in the sugar. Boil for about 5 minutes until it is completely dissolved. Turn off the heat and let the foam settle, if it does not settle then skim the foam off the top and pour the liquid into hot jars. (If the jars are not hot then the hot liquid might crack them).
  6. Let the liquid cool then refrigerate for up to 3 months. Remember this juice will be diluted with water and a 1:5 ratio. You can use cold still water, sparkling water or to add a little hygge to your life try it with warm water.