Stardew Valley: Everything You Need To Know About Preserves Jars

Transforming your humble crops into lucrative artisan goods is a key money-making strategy in Stardew Valley. While large-scale Jelly and Wine production comes later, Preserves Jars offer an early-game advantage, significantly boosting profits from your harvests. These versatile containers unlock a world of crafting possibilities, enhancing your income and maximizing the value of your Fish Ponds. This guide details everything you need to know about mastering this essential farming tool.

Updated January 11, 2025, to include the exciting additions from Stardew Valley's 1.6 update! Now, a wider array of foraged items, from common Dandelions to rare Purple Mushrooms, can be pickled, adding even more depth to your crafting endeavors.

Where to Get Preserves Jars in Stardew Valley

Unlock the Preserves Jar recipe at Farming Level 4. You'll need these materials:

• 50 Wood
• 40 Stone
• 8 Coal

These resources are readily available, making large-scale artisan production achievable early on. Chop trees for wood, break rocks for stone and coal (though mining dust sprites is more efficient for coal). You also receive a Preserves Jar 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 in Stardew Valley

Preserves Jars transform various ingredients into profitable artisan goods. The Artisan profession (Farming Level 10) provides a 40% price boost.

Item	Product	Sell Price	Health/Energy	Processing Time
Fruit	Jelly	2x (base fruit value) + 50	Edible: 2x base fruit energy & health; Inedible: 0.5x base fruit value (health), 0.225x base fruit value (energy)	2-3 days
Vegetable, Mushroom, or Forage	Pickles	2x (base item value) + 50	Edible: 1.75x base item energy & health; Inedible: 0.625x base item value (energy), 0.28125x base item value (health)	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-positive 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 and Kegs are often compared. Preserves Jars are more profitable for fruits under 50g and vegetables/forage under 160g and process items much faster. High-yield, low-value crops like eggplants, wild berries, corn, and tomatoes are ideal. They're also essential for processing fish roe and are the only way to increase the value of mushrooms.