This is the first time I’m making crush from scratch and the experience was totally exhilarating. The kiddo who came along with the guests simply loved the Lemonade and shakes that I made of strawberries and I knew that they will not be getting that fruit in their town and also after that I could not find the fruit in the market too. So I decided to make a crush of strawberry when H got me 3 boxes of it after I mentioned it to him. I have watched my Mom making lemon crush when Grandma used to bring loads of them from her backyard. So just recollected and went by my instincts and oh my I made my first homemade crush.
I did not use any preservatives while making this as I did not have any at hand and did not want to use as well. I believe you have to use Sodium Benzoate for the preservative if you want to store for a longer period. I made it 3 weeks ago and it is still keeping good despite not using the preservative. I’m waiting for the kids to make their appearance and try out the Lemonade that I had posted earlier as they had been demanding it ever since they accessed the blog from my SIL’s place. Seems there is no escaping them.
Unfortunately, I could not take step wise pictures but I have tried not to miss any points. Do not miss the citric acid in the recipe. It not only acts as a preservative in itself but also prevents the contents from crystallization.
Homemade Strawberry Crush
You’ll need:
- Strawberries – 600 gms ( I used 3 (200gms) boxes)
- Sugar – 1200 gms / 6 cups
- Citric Acid – 1 + 1/2 tbsp
- Water – 3 cups / 600 ml
- Red Food Color – 3/4 tsp ( I used Raspberry Red)
Method:
Before you begin make sure that you have sun dried, clean, food grade storage bottles ready at hand.
Wash and hull the strawberries and keep aside. Place them in a mixer and pulse at regular intervals. It should be pulpy in consistency and not become a paste. After 4-5 times at the mixer I transferred to this Chatti you see below which made the job just perfect for me. Keep aside.
Heat water in a deep pan. when it hot add the sugar and keep stirring with a ladle till it dissolves completely. Pass the solution through a fine sieve to remove scum floating on top.
Heat the clean sugar syrup again till it reaches sticky consistency like you would do for Gulab Jamoon. No need for any string consistency. Take off stove and let it cool completely.
Once cool add the strawberry pulp, red food color and citric acid and mix well. Let the crush come to room temperature. Transfer to bottles and store in the fridge. Use as required to make Strawberry Lemonade or Milkshakes.
Here is the Lemonade that I made using the crush. I just added 3 tbsp of strawberry crush in place of the fruit and it turned out so yummy. I could not tell the difference at all. It tasted the same as though I had used fresh fruit instead of crush.
Notes:
- In case you are using citric acid in crystal form, dissolve them in some warm water before adding to the pulp.
- Shake the bottle well before each use as the pulp may have settled at the bottom.
- Use clean bottles for storage.
- Store the bottles in the refrigerator shelf and do not freeze them.
u r expert radhika i get to learn so much from all the food blogs i visit. and this home made crush looks so lovely.
wow…
nice refreshing drink , perfect for this climate 🙂
such a lovely colour of the crush..
nice pics.
soo refreshing. a wonderful treat for a hot sunny weather over here.
Wow, I was waiting of this after getting an update on the FB page 🙂
wow.. color is a plus point..
Looks so refreshing…perfect for summer!
Woww looks super delicious, lovely color too!
nice recipe. I would love to make lemonade using this strawberry crush
pass me the bowl please…i need such summer chillers all the time.
I loved ur clicks.Will try it soon
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Wow looks so nice .
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That must be so refreshing! especially in this heat!
thats such an awesome color.. n fantastic preparation..
radhi i like that pot that you have very cute.. and the crush looks all gorgeous
Trust me or not,i prepared some peach crush at home saturday, yours looks fabulous.
Yay for strawberry lemonade!
Feel like preparing it and having it right now…At least for the time being these wonderful pictures are giving some relief from this crazy heat outside :)!
Looks awesome, very refreshing..
Tempting and refreshing drinks. Cool pics too.
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Lovely looking preserve!
A perfect summer drink!
a perfect summer drink..!lovely color
That’s what we need for summer.. Very much refreshing and colorful.. Tempting…
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loved this crush recipe..lovely colour.thanks for sharing this:)
lovely thnx
lovely
Aparna
What if I don’t want to use the citric acid? Will it cum out as nice?
Citric acid is a preservative and prevents the sugar from crystallizing and the crush also lasts longer. If you do not wish to use citric acid by all means use lemon juice but keep the crush refrigerated.
Neeru
How much time we can store this crush
Hi there! I wanted to know if I can substitute fresh strawberries for strawberry crush. I came across a layered dessert recipe which calls for a strawberry mousse topping. How much of strawberry crush will be required to substitute 300g fresh strawberries?