Stardew Valley: Everything You Need To Know About Preserves Jars

Crafting artisan goods from your crops is a fantastic way to boost your income in Stardew Valley. While large-scale production of items like Jelly and Wine comes later, Preserves Jars are an early-game game-changer. They offer a simple yet effective method to significantly increase profits.

Preserves Jars provide versatility, allowing you to create a variety of artisan goods. This boosts your profits from fruits and vegetables and is crucial for maximizing the value of your Fish Ponds. This guide covers everything you need to know about using them effectively.

Updated January 11, 2025, by Demaris Oxman: Stardew Valley's 1.6 update added a thrilling new dimension to farming: pickling! Now, a huge range of foraged items, from common Dandelions to rare Purple Mushrooms, can be preserved, significantly increasing their value. This updated guide includes all the new uses for this essential farm item.

Where To Get Preserves Jars In Stardew Valley

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

• 50 Wood
• 40 Stone
• 8 Coal

These materials are readily available, making Preserves Jars a great option for quickly producing artisan goods. Wood comes from chopping trees, stone from breaking rocks (your pickaxe is your friend!), and coal is most efficiently obtained from dust sprites in the Mines.

Besides crafting, you receive a Preserves Jar for completing the Quality Crops Bundle (or Rare Crops Bundle in the remixed version) in the Community Center. They might also appear in the Prize Machine at Mayor Lewis's house.

What Are Preserves Jars Used For In Stardew Valley?

Preserves Jars transform various items into artisan goods:

Item	Product	Sell Price	Health/Energy	Processing Time
Fruit	Jelly	2x (base fruit value) + 50 (Edible fruit: 2x base fruit energy & 2x base fruit health) (Inedible fruit: 0.5x base fruit value health, 0.225x base fruit value energy)	Variable	2-3 days
Vegetable, Mushroom, or Forage	Pickles	2x (base item value) + 50 (Edible items: 1.75x base item energy & 1.75x base item health) (Inedible items: 0.625x base item value energy, 0.28125x base item value health)	Variable	2-3 days
Sturgeon Roe	Caviar	500g	175 Energy, 78 Health	4 days
Any 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. Poisonous items like Red Mushrooms are excluded. Prices are based on the base item value, regardless of quality. Use your lowest-quality produce for maximum profit. The Artisan profession (Farming Level 10) adds a 40% bonus to all prices.

Preserves Jars or Kegs?

Preserves Jars and Kegs are often compared. Preserves Jars are more profitable for fruits under 50g and vegetables/forage under 160g. They also process much faster. High-yield, low-value items like eggplants, wild berries, corn, and tomatoes are ideal.

Crucially, Preserves Jars are the only way to process Fish Roe, making them essential for Fish Ponds. Similarly, they're the best option for increasing the value of mushrooms (alongside the Dehydrator).