Cuisine: The Polish Palate
Course: Preserves, Beverages
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Low-Fat, Pescatarian
Occasion: Batch Cooking, Winter Preserves, Pantry Stock, Culinary Heritage, Summer Harvest

Kompot Truskawkowy (Traditional Polish Strawberry Kompot Preserves)

Summer in a jar—sweet, vibrant strawberry kompot sealed and pasteurised to get you through the bitter winter months.
Prep time 30m
Cook time 1h
Total 1h 30m
Yield
10
By Adam Dworak
Published: 26 July 2026
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Last Updated: 09 September 2026

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Ingredients

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Kitchen Kit

  • 1 Litre Preserving Jars (Sterilised)
  • Massive Stockpot
  • Wide Boiling Pot
  • Jar Lifter
  • Tea Towels
  • Paring knife
  • Ladle
  • Chopping Board
A clear glass mason jar filled with red strawberries sits on a rustic wooden table in a kitchen setting, with a metal ladle pouring hot water into the jar. Fresh strawberries are scattered around the jar, and shelves with jars and kitchen items are blurred in the background. | Cook & Keeper - kompot truskawkowy

Method

  1. Scrub 10 large preserving jars (approx 1-litre capacity) and their lids in hot soapy water. Sterilise them in a low oven at 110°C for 15 minutes, or run them through a hot dishwasher cycle.
  2. Wash the strawberries gently in cold water, then hull them. Divide the firm, hulled strawberries evenly across the 10 sterilised jars, filling them roughly a third of the way up.
  3. Pour the water into a massive, heavy-bottomed stockpot. Tip in the white sugar. Stick the pot over a high heat and bring it to a rolling boil, stirring just until the sugar dissolves completely into a clear syrup. (Keep in mind, boiling 7 litres of water will take a good 30 minutes on a standard hob).
  4. Ladle the boiling syrup directly over the strawberries in the jars, leaving a 2cm gap at the top to allow for expansion.
  5. Wipe the rims of the jars completely clean with a damp cloth to ensure nothing interrupts the seal, then screw the lids on tight.
  6. Line the bottom of a large, wide boiling pot with a folded tea towel (this stops the jars from rattling and smashing). Stand the sealed jars in the pot, making sure they don't touch each other.
  7. Fill the pot with hot tap water until it reaches three-quarters of the way up the sides of the jars. Stick the pot on the hob, bring the water bath to a simmer, and pasteurise for 15 minutes.
  8. Carefully lift the jars out using a jar lifter or thick towels. Tighten the lids one last time if needed, and turn them upside down on a wooden board or folded towel. Leave them to cool completely overnight to ensure a perfect vacuum seal.
Chef's Note & Storage
Dark, cool pantry for up to 12 months. Once opened, keep in the fridge and consume within 3 days.
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Eight glass mason jars filled with red strawberry preserves or iced tea, arranged on a rustic wooden table with a white cloth and fresh strawberries in the foreground. A blurred kitchen background with shelves and jars is visible. | Cook & Keeper - kompot truskawkowy

A Taste of the Polish Summer

Opening a jar of this kompot in the dead of winter is like uncorking July. Traditional Polish preserving (wekowanie) is all about capturing the peak of the season so you don't have to rely on sad, imported supermarket fruit when the frost hits. It's a brilliantly simple, deeply nostalgic drink that requires only a bit of patience and a massive stockpot. We make a light syrup rather than just chucking dry sugar into the jars, guaranteeing a perfectly balanced, vibrant liquid without any gritty residue at the bottom.

CHEF'S SECRET: Don't use massive, over-ripe or bruised strawberries. You want the smaller, firmer ones. They hold their shape during the hot water bath pasteurisation and won't disintegrate into a sludgy mush, keeping your kompot crystal clear.

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The Art of Wekowanie

The secret to a kompot that lasts a year in the pantry comes down to absolute hygiene and a proper seal. By lining your boiling pot with a tea towel, you prevent the glass jars from rattling against the metal and smashing. Letting them cool upside down overnight is the old-school Polish failsafe—it forces the heat to create an airtight vacuum seal that locks in that bright, summery flavour.

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