Stardew Valley: Everything You Need To Know About Preserves Jars

Turning your harvest into artisan goods is a fantastic way to boost your income in Stardew Valley. While large-scale jelly and wine production comes later, preserves jars offer an early-game advantage for maximizing profits. They're surprisingly versatile, opening up a world of crafting possibilities and significantly increasing the value of your produce, making fish ponds even more lucrative.

This guide covers everything you need to know about using preserves jars effectively.

Updated January 11, 2025, to include the exciting new pickling options introduced in Stardew Valley's 1.6 update! Now, a wide array of foraged items, from common dandelions to rare purple mushrooms, can be preserved, significantly expanding your crafting potential.

Obtaining Preserves Jars

Unlock the preserves jar recipe at Farming Level 4. You'll need:

• 50 Wood
• 40 Stone
• 8 Coal

These materials are readily available: wood from trees, stone and coal from mining (though dust sprites in the mines are a more efficient coal source).

You also get a preserves jar as a reward for completing the Quality Crops Bundle (or Rare Crops Bundle in remixed games) in the Community Center, and they may occasionally appear in the Prize Machine.

Uses for Preserves Jars

Preserves jars transform various ingredients into valuable artisan goods. A 40% price boost applies to all items below if you choose the Artisan profession at Farming Level 10.

Item	Product	Sell Price	Health/Energy	Processing Time
Fruit	Jelly	2x (base fruit value) + 50 (Edible fruit: 2x base energy & health; Inedible fruit: 0.5x base value health, 0.225x base value energy)	See above	2-3 days
Vegetable, Mushroom, or Forage	Pickles	2x (base item value) + 50 (Edible items: 1.75x base energy & health; Inedible items: 0.625x base value energy, 0.28125x base value health)	See above	2-3 days
Sturgeon Roe	Caviar	500g	175 Energy, 78 Health	4 days
Other Fish Roe	Aged Roe	60 + (base fish price)	100 Energy, 45 Health	2-3 days

Only energy-boosting mushrooms and foraged items can be pickled. Prices are based on the base item value, regardless of quality. Use your lowest-quality produce for maximum profit.

Preserves Jars vs. Kegs

Preserves jars are most profitable for fruits under 50g and vegetables/forage under 160g base value. They also process much faster than kegs. High-yield, low-value crops like eggplants, wild berries, corn, and tomatoes are ideal. They're essential for processing fish roe and mushrooms, which can't be used in kegs.