Strawberry Kiwi Lemonade Concentrate

A couple of weeks ago, I shared two recipes that I made during July 2015 for different strawberry lemonade concentrates. One just had strawberries as the main ingredient and the other had both strawberries and pineapple.

A third variation that I made last summer was Strawberry Kiwi Lemonade Concentrate (the recipe is from Canning Homemade). It makes about 6-8 pints or 3 quarts of canned concentrate. In comparison to the other flavors, the kiwi does not have a strong flavor. In fact, it can hardly (if at all) be detected by those who are drinking the concentrate when it is mixed with water, tonic water, or ginger ale.

Even though the kiwi may not lend itself to strongly-flavoring the concentrate, kiwi has its own health benefits which merit adding them to the concentrate.

According to the World's Healthiest Foods, "Kiwifruit is an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin K as well as a very good source of copper and dietary fiber. It is also a good source of vitamin E, potassium, folate, and manganese."

According to Medical News Today, "Kiwis are a nutrient dense food, meaning they are high in nutrients and low in calories."

Strawberry Kiwi Lemonade Concentrate

Some of the cans of concentrate that I made 

so we could enjoy it during the winter.

3 cups strawberries, cleaned and hulled
3 cups kiwi fruit, peeled and chopped
4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 cups sugar

In a food processor or blender,puree strawberries and kiwi in batches.

Transfer strawberry/kiwi puree to a stainless steel saucepan over medium-high heat. Do not boil. Add lemon juice and sugar and stir to combine.

Using a thermometer heat to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring occasionally. Because this recipe has sugar it will get to temperature rather quickly so pay close attention to the thermometer. Remove from the heat.

Ladle mixture into jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim, add hot lids and tighten rings just finger tight. Process in water bath canner at a boil for 15 minutes.

To reconstitute, mix one part concentrate with one part water, tonic water or ginger ale. Adjust the concentrate to suit your taste.

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For a little trivia from the World's Healthiest Foods, "Native to China, kiwifruits were originally known as Yang Tao. They were brought to New Zealand from China by missionaries in the early 20th century with the first commercial plantings occurring several decades later. In 1960, they were renamed Chinese Gooseberries.

"In 1961, Chinese Gooseberries made their first appearance at a restaurant in the United States and were subsequently 'discovered' by an American produce distributor who felt that the U.S. market would be very receptive to this uniquely exotic fruit.

"She initiated the import of these fruits into the United States in 1962, but to meet what was felt to be burgeoning demand, changed its name from Chinese Gooseberry to kiwifruit, in honor of the native bird of New Zealand, the kiwi, whose brown fuzzy coat resembled the skin of this unique fruit.

Currently, Italy, New Zealand, Chile, France, Japan, and the United States are among the leading commercial producers of kiwifruit."