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Usually you pull out the slow cooker to make a savory dish. But have you ever thought of the possibilities when it comes to slow cooking with fruit? There are all kinds of sweet sauces, compotes, jellies, and preserves that you can easily make in your crockpot. With the spring and summer fruit season just around the corner, I highly suggest taking the time to visit the local farmstand or pick your own berry patch and then see what different varieties of slow cooked fruit delights you can come up with.
There is a huge difference from the flavor of the berries you will find locally in season to the overgrown, less than fully ripened ones that are shipped to the supermarket from all parts of the world throughout the year. When fresh, locally grown fruit is available, it is almost always a better option, even if it costs a bit more at the checkout.
Given the time, I would happily spend hours picking berries along a wooded trail or at a local orchard. Tiny strawberries are always the hallmark of early summer, and I remember going to pick them in early May every year, at the local apple orchard and farmstand. When we got home, our hands would be stained a juicy red color, and by the time we got done eating our fill, there would still be pints and pints of strawberries left to make pies and preserves.
The raspberry is another fruit that rewards you handsomely for a couple of hour’s worth of picking labor. Prior to an influx of berry eating deer, we used to go to the raspberry patch at the end of my mother’s road. There were two seasons for this crop in July and August and we always went by the rule, pick two, eat one. We still had more than enough fresh raspberries to come home and make a delicious topping to be served over ice cream.
My latest berry picking expeditions have involved the blueberries that you can find along various hiking paths and trails in the northeast. These are nothing like the kind you find in the grocery store. Much smaller in size, they make a luscious and juicy sauce to serve with pancakes.
There is a little bit of art and a little science to the process of making homemade preserves, but it will boil down to your personal preference of sweetness versus tartness so feel free to adjust the quantity of sugar and acid in the recipe. In some recipes, you will find the addition of pectin, but for strawberry preserves, this is optional as the strawberries will produce enough pectin on their own while they cook. You can mix it up, and combine different fruits such as strawberry and mango or rhubarb.
So next time you have a bumper crop of berries, you can take a few minutes to clean and trim them, and then slow cook them for hours into your own fruit preserves. The steady low heat of the crockpot will make the process almost effortless. Once they are finished you can store them according to your preference. If you have made a huge batch, you can process them according to your favorite canning recipe. Otherwise, you can store a couple jars or containers in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. A homemade jar of preserves would also make a perfect gift than any mother would appreciate!
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/501-crockpot-fruit-preserves/
The Fruits of Your Slow Cooker's Labor
Usually you pull out the slow cooker to make a savory dish. But have you ever thought of the possibilities when it comes to slow cooking with fruit? There are all kinds of sweet sauces, compotes, jellies, and preserves that you can easily make in your crockpot. With the spring and summer fruit season just around the corner, I highly suggest taking the time to visit the local farmstand or pick your own berry patch and then see what different varieties of slow cooked fruit delights you can come up with.
There is a huge difference from the flavor of the berries you will find locally in season to the overgrown, less than fully ripened ones that are shipped to the supermarket from all parts of the world throughout the year. When fresh, locally grown fruit is available, it is almost always a better option, even if it costs a bit more at the checkout.
Given the time, I would happily spend hours picking berries along a wooded trail or at a local orchard. Tiny strawberries are always the hallmark of early summer, and I remember going to pick them in early May every year, at the local apple orchard and farmstand. When we got home, our hands would be stained a juicy red color, and by the time we got done eating our fill, there would still be pints and pints of strawberries left to make pies and preserves.
The raspberry is another fruit that rewards you handsomely for a couple of hour’s worth of picking labor. Prior to an influx of berry eating deer, we used to go to the raspberry patch at the end of my mother’s road. There were two seasons for this crop in July and August and we always went by the rule, pick two, eat one. We still had more than enough fresh raspberries to come home and make a delicious topping to be served over ice cream.
My latest berry picking expeditions have involved the blueberries that you can find along various hiking paths and trails in the northeast. These are nothing like the kind you find in the grocery store. Much smaller in size, they make a luscious and juicy sauce to serve with pancakes.
There is a little bit of art and a little science to the process of making homemade preserves, but it will boil down to your personal preference of sweetness versus tartness so feel free to adjust the quantity of sugar and acid in the recipe. In some recipes, you will find the addition of pectin, but for strawberry preserves, this is optional as the strawberries will produce enough pectin on their own while they cook. You can mix it up, and combine different fruits such as strawberry and mango or rhubarb.
So next time you have a bumper crop of berries, you can take a few minutes to clean and trim them, and then slow cook them for hours into your own fruit preserves. The steady low heat of the crockpot will make the process almost effortless. Once they are finished you can store them according to your preference. If you have made a huge batch, you can process them according to your favorite canning recipe. Otherwise, you can store a couple jars or containers in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. A homemade jar of preserves would also make a perfect gift than any mother would appreciate!
Serves/Makes: 9 half-pints
- 1 1/2 quart red, ripe strawberries
- 5 cups sugar
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
Wash and hull strawberries. Transfer to a 3 1/2 quart slow cooker. Stir in sugar and lemon juice.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 hours, stirring twice. Uncover and continue cooking 2 hours longer or until preserves have thickened, stirring occasionally.
Ladle into hot, sterilized half-pint jelly jars, sealing and processing according to the manufacturer's directions, or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. May be frozen for up to 2 months.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/501-crockpot-fruit-preserves/