Using one’s crops to craft artisan goods is one of the best ways to earn money in Stardew Valley. Though it’s often at higher levels that players create massive setups for churning out 
Jelly
and 
Wine
, 
Preserves Jars
become available quite early on in the game, and low-level players can use them to great advantage.
There’s plenty that players can do with Preserves Jars, and a variety of different artisan goods that they can produce. Crafting Preserves Jars can help players increase their profits from fruits and vegetables, and are important to making Fish Ponds worthwhile. Here’s everything Stardew Valley players need to know about how they work.
Related
Stardew Valley: How to Use Kegs
Kegs in Stardew Valley are one of many items that refine one good into another and can be used to significantly increase the value of some items.
Updated January 11, 2025, by Demaris Oxman: Stardew Valley‘s 1.6 update brought an exciting new feature for farmers: many new items can be pickled! The majority of foraged items, from the humble 
Dandelion
to the rare and valuable 
Purple Mushroom
, can be placed in a Preserves Jar to increase their value. For avid foragers and crafters of artisan goods, this guide has been updated to include everything you need to know about the new ways to use this staple item on the farm.
Where To Get Preserves Jars In Stardew Valley
The recipe for Preserves Jar is received at Farming Level 4, and requires the following materials:
All of these materials are relatively easy to find, which is one reason that the Preserves Jar is a great choice for players looking to make a large amount of artisan goods in a short time. Wood is found by chopping down trees; Stone is found by breaking rocks with the pickaxe. Coal can also be found by this latter method, but is best farmed by killing dust sprites in the Mines.
In addition to crafting them, players will receive one Preserves Jar as a reward for completing the Quality Crops Bundle (or Rare Crops Bundle if they are remixed) in the Community Center. They may also be available from the Prize Machine in Mayor Lewis’ house.
What Are Preserves Jars Used For In Stardew Valley?
The following items can be placed in a Preserves Jar, each of which results in a different type of artisan good. If the player chooses the Artisan profession at Farming Level 10, the sale price of each item listed below increases by 40%.
|
Item |
Product |
Sell Price |
Health/Energy |
Processing Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fruit |
2x (base fruit value) + 50 |
For edible fruit:
For inedible fruit (e.g. Coconut):
|
2-3 in-game days |
|
|
Vegetable, Mushroom, or Forage |
2 x (base item value) + 50 |
For edible items:
For inedible items (e.g. Pumpkin):
|
2-3 in-game days |
|
|
Sturgeon Roe |
500g |
4 in-game days |
||
|
Any Other Fish Roe |
60 + (base fish price) |
2-3 in-game days |
Pickles
Caviar
Aged RoeThe only Mushrooms and Forage items that can be placed in a Preserves Jar are those that provide a positive energy value when eaten; for example, Chanterelle or Winter Root. Items like Red Mushroom and Holly, which are poisonous and subtract energy when eaten, cannot be pickled.
The prices are calculated from the base value of the item placed in the jar; this equation does not consider item quality. That is, a Jelly produced from a gold-quality Apricot will have the same value as one produced from a normal-quality Apricot. As such, it is advised that players use their lowest-quality produce in their Preserves Jars to ensure maximum profit increase.
Preserves Jars or Kegs?
Preserves Jars are often compared to Kegs, as both can be used to make artisan goods out of fruits and vegetables. Because of the formulas used to calculate sell prices, Preserves Jars are most profitable when using fruits whose base value is under 50g, and vegetables/forage items whose base value is under 160g. It is also worth noting that Preserves Jars process artisan goods much faster than Kegs. The best crops to make into Jelly and Pickles are usually high-yield items with low base value, such as Eggplants, wild foraged berries, Corn, and Tomatoes.
Preserves Jars are also the only way of making artisan goods (and therefore increasing the value) of Fish Roe. As such, it’s essential to any Fish Pond setup, and is a great way to make the player’s fishing skill pay off. Similarly, Mushrooms cannot be placed in Kegs. The Preserves Jar and Dehydrator are the only ways to increase their value, and between them, the Preserves Jar typically offers a greater profit margin.
- Released
-
February 26, 2016
- Developer(s)
-
ConcernedApe
- Publisher(s)
-
ConcernedApe
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty