ginger and strawberry jam

A chilly, damp day today.  When I opened the fridge, I could smell those Florida strawberries, fragrant and sweet.  So, of course , I made a fresh little pot of jam.  And just for fun, I added a spicy slice of fresh ginger root -  mmmmm, smells wonderful!

The directions are here:  http://shesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2015/01/winter-strawberry-jam.html

Have a wonderful weekend!

one jar of strawberry jam (recipe)

Oh, my, it is hot today - temperature heading to the 90's - not exactly jam-making weather, but when you're out of fresh jam, nothing gets in your way, right?  This is my quick recipe for a small amount of strawberry jam, which is pretty much the only jam I eat.  It takes maybe half an hour, start to finish.


Choose either a jam or jelly jar or glass that is somewhat heat proof (the jam will be poured into the jar/glass while still very hot), wash it well, dry, then pour hot water in halfway up the jar.  This is to temper the jar a little before you fill it with hot jam.  Set aside.

You will need:

1 heaping cup hulled and sliced strawberries
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar




Cut up clean strawberries into a one cup measure, then place berries in a saucepan on medium heat.  Cook them for 10 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon all the while, then add the lemon juice and the sugar. If you want a little zing, you can add a few slices of ginger root, which I remove just before putting the jam in the jar.

Continue to stir for another 15 minutes or so, checking to see if the mixture is jelling.  You can use a candy thermometer , but it's such a small amount it's not always accurate.  I just stir, lift the spoon up sideways, and check the dripping jam - which coats the spoon and thickens very quickly.  If it seems watery, cook a little longer, but keep stirring and checking.

Pour the hot water out of the jar, and place a metal spoon in the jar or glass - an old wives tale is that it has to be silver, so who am I to challenge that?  

Scrape the jam into the glass or jar and set aside to cool.  Once cooled, you can either screw on a lid or cover with plastic wrap, if it's a glass.  Place in fridge and you're done!

Four days later - time to make another jar!

In the past, I've added cinnamon sticks, orange peel, slivers of ginger root, herbs from the garden (lemon balm and lemon verbena) - and sometimes just a handful or raspberries found on a walk.  Just don't add too much liquid/juice to the mixture or it won't jell.

Enjoy - and stay cool!

PS/  I'm a grandmother again!  A big welcome to Madelyn Skye, born 20 July in New Hampshire!  



One year ago :  Jamie's red pepper pasta sauce with lemon, parsley, and ham
Two years ago:  Fresh lemon scones with drizzle frosting

winter strawberry jam

I think it was 12 degrees this morning, but these January mornings blur together unless it's below zero.  Then we stand around at the post office and talk about who got the lowest reading, whose pipes burst, who is forwarding their mail to....Florida.

Wasn't that a sneaky way to slide to Plant City, Florida strawberries?  I am always overjoyed when the first Florida strawberries show up at the market in the dead of winter because Spring doesn't seem too, too far away.  And I have loved strawberries my whole life - once insisting on buying a dress when I was four years old that was printed with strawberries and strawberry leaves.  I was desolate when I outgrew that dress.  Throughout the year, I make my own strawberry jam, which takes all of half an hour for one winter jar, more if you're canning a big batch in the summer.

The easiest way to find the most fragrant berries is to turn the plastic cases over and sniff the bottom of the package .  It may sound (and look) odd, but it's the fastest way to pick out the best of the lot.  If I'm making jam that day, I leave the berries out on the counter so they can warm to room temperature.

This fills one large canning jar - I use the wide mouth ones.  Since you're only making one jar, just make sure the jar is clean, but no need to sterilize, since it lives in the fridge.


Winter Strawberry Jam

2 cups hulled and sliced strawberries
juice from two fresh lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar, warmed in a low oven or 1 minute in a microwave
a candy thermometer 

Place the berries in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, mash briefly, then add the lemon juice.  Simmer for about 15 minutes, making sure you keep stirring so it doesn't scorch.

Add the sugar and stir well, increase the heat a little bit and continue to cook until the candy thermometer registers  soft ball stage: around 240 degrees.  Take off heat and dip a spoon into the jam - it should coat the spoon well.

Pour the jam into your prepared jam jar, reserving a tablespoon of warm jam for that piece of buttered bread you have waiting.  Cap the jar and let sit at room temperature for half an hour, then place in fridge.  




Someone gave me a cutting from their enormous bay tree a few months ago which I keep beside the stove for inspiration, and that dream of a walk-in greenhouse:)

Savory cherry and cranberry jelly with basil

I made up a jelly last night thinking to use up the frozen cranberries I'd stashed in the freezer last fall.  I added a handful of frozen, unsweetened dark cherries, and a few sprigs of basil.  Instead of reviewing my 20 minute jam recipe, I plunged ahead and added equal parts water and sugar, plus lemon juice.  I simmered for maybe 20 minutes, took a quick reading with the candy thermometer, and took it off heat before it reached 240 degrees.

While the jelly was tasty and tangy it was a little softer than usual - fine for poached chicken sandwiches, but not quite as firm as I expected.  It made a little over one jar of jelly, which I think I might try on roasted chicken, brushed on halfway between raw and sizzling.  And now I see what went wrong - adding water, though cranberries tend to the dry side.  Next time I'll try half cranberries, half cherries, with half the water and a little more sugar, and making sure the temperature reaches 240 degrees.  Here is the recipe I used, made up spur of the moment:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups frozen cranberries
1/2 cup frozen dark unsweetened cherries
3 T. fresh lemon juice
8 or so fresh basil leaves

Bring water, lemon juice, and sugar to a boil.  Stir in the cranberries and cherries and basil leaves.  Make sure you have a candy thermometer on hand and simmer/slow boil until it reaches 240 degrees.   Remove basil leaves if desired, strain into a pitcher (discard the solids) then pour immediately into a clean jar, let cool, then cap and keep in the fridge for instant appetizers (on Breton crackers), or as a glaze.  Equally good on chicken sandwiches or sweet butter and jelly sandwiches, or served up with goat cheese toasts  - such a pretty color!

Yesterday as I drove into the driveway, I caught a glimpse of a young deer just across the road, not 25 feet from me.  It didn't seem alarmed by the car, but I think I would have scared it off had I opened the door - so I sat in the car and watched it grazing on greenery.  The little yellow kindergarten bus went by, not ten feet away, and it didn't even blink.  Even though I now know who's been munching my little garden the last few years, I couldn't be cross with this reminder of wildness.  I only wish I could've gotten a picture of the deer, but it would've been long gone as I opened my door, but here is where it was grazing!

two handfuls of berries

The chicken I bought today has vanished - it never made it home from the supermarket.  I searched the car, the bags, and my all-purpose canvas bag:  not to be found.  While mourning over my loss of dinner ( poulet with tomatoes and olives) and sorting through the fridge just in case I had missed the package of chicken , I found the half-empty containers of strawberries and blackberries in the fridge .  Hmmm, I thought, two handfuls of berries?

Two handfuls of berries equals winter jam, perfect for breakfast on toast or stirred into yogurt.

And here it is, not dinner, but it will do,  scented with vanilla and fresh lemon juice.  It will have to do, I think, as I eat a sandwich for dinner :)

To make:

2 handfuls of berries ( about 1/1/2 - 2 cups berries)
1 drop of vanilla
1 cup warmed sugar ( the microwave is fine - 1 minute will do)
3 T. fresh lemon juice

Trim the strawberries and cut in half.  Place berries in a heavy bottomed saucepan, along with the lemon juice and vanilla.  Bring to a simmer, then add the warmed sugar.  Simmer for fifteen minutes or so, then pour into glasses or jars.  Let cool, then cover and place in fridge.


And now, back to another biography of  Winston Churchill, which doesn't look promising.

real quick strawberry jam

I used the last of the summer jam last week, always a sad moment. The next day I snipped all the tiny Calamondin oranges off of my very large indoor tree, intending to make marmalade. Somehow, I never did get around to it, but coming across the bag of washed oranges and the two boxes of strawberries I got on sale made me wonder. Could I? Should I? Oh, why not?

So I did .

This is a wonderful recipe for a few pots of jam that can be made quickly, without making a big all-day production of it. Because I make the jam for immediate use, I don't worry about the lids sealing ( though they did) - they go right in the fridge for my morning yogurt topping. And I still have enough oranges for a few jars of marmalade! It's easy to throw in a little fresh ginger, or rosemary, or a handful of some delicious fruits to make this your own really amazing and unique jam ( think cranberries or raspberries).

To make the jam:

I used one large mason jar and one very small, with proper rubber lined lids.

Simmer the jars and lids you're using in a pot of water for ten minutes, then, using clean tongs, turn them upside down on a clean dishtowel.

2 cups hulled strawberries ( 2 1/2 cups strawberries if you're not using the oranges)

1/2 cup finely sliced Calamondin oranges, or any other thin skinned orange

juice from two fresh lemons

1 3/4 cups sugar

Mash the berries and oranges briefly in the pot, add the lemon juice, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not let it burn.

Add the sugar and stir well, increase the heat a little bit, and continue to cook the jam, stirring constantly until a bit of jam tipped from the side of a wooden spoon thickens and is slow to drip. If you're using a candy/jam thermometer, this is the soft ball stage.

Turn the jam jars upright and ladle the jam into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headroom.

Screw the lids on tightly and let sit to cool. You'll hear the jar lids pop as they cool - that just means the seal is working. Since you"re using this right away, you don't have to worry about the seal - just cool and place in the fridge.

How I use this:

as a topping for Greek yogurt

on toast and muffins

stirred into warm oatmeal

a tablespoon goes into a coconut water or soymilk smoothie

a teaspoon swirled on top of an omelet, then quickly rolled up

as a crepe filling

breadstick dipping sauce

brushed on grilled chicken just before serving

as a filling for thumbprint cookies

How would you use it?

Enjoy!

winter jam

,

Wild weather here in New Hampshire lately - everything from over a foot of wet snow, to rain, to a wild windstorm that knocked out power. And is there anything better than whipping up some warm, fresh strawberry jam to spread on toast once the power comes back on? I'll certainly vote for it!

Winter strawberries may not be as fragrant as the early Florida berries, or the local June and July strawberries, but they still taste wonderfully better than store-bought jam. I like to put a drop of vanilla in winter jams; it captures some of the perfume of sun ripened berries. And it's quick to make (under a half hour), so you can have a bowl of warm jam on the table in time for breakfast.

To make:

******************************

2 cups sliced strawberries

1 drop good vanilla

1 1/2 cups warmed sugar

3 T. fresh lemon juice

Turn oven to 200F.

Measure out the sugar and place in a heat proof bowl. Set aside.

* * *

Place the berries, vanilla, and lemon juice in a heavy bottomed pot and turn to medium-high heat. When the berries start bubbling, mash them with a potato masher, and keep stirring.

Place the sugar in the oven for 5 minutes, then remove.

Add the warmed sugar to the berries and lemon juice and continue stirring on medium-high heat.

Cook for approximately 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until jam thickens and drops heavily from a wooden spoon.

Remove jam from heat and cool.

Scoop into jars or glasses and serve immediately. It will thicken even more as it cools.

*

Note: This jam is just wonderful on rosemary rolls!

twenty minute raspberry jam

Twenty minute jam? Absolutely. And by cooking it so briefly, the jam tastes as fresh and fruity in January as straight out of the preserving pot in July.

If you're canning the jam, you will need two very clean jam jars with clean, new lids. Otherwise, any heat-proof glass container will do.

(if you're planning to store these for winter, boil the jars and lids before filling with jam)

You will need:

2 cups black raspberries or red raspberries

2 cups sugar

1 T. fresh lemon juice

a heavy saucepan

Turn oven to 350.

Place the raspberries, lemon juice, and sugar into the heatproof saucepot and place in the oven for 10 minutes.

With a heavy oven mitt, remove saucepot to burner.

Boil raspberries and sugar for about 7 minutes, stirring constantly.

Ladle into jars and seal. This makes about 2+ jars.

That was easy!

making strawberry jam

For years, strawberry jam making was a huge undertaking - I'd go to a farm, pick flats of berries, and come home to process two dozen jars for the family's PB&J sandwiches for the year. Now, I might make a few jars a year.

It always starts when I come across a fruity waft of strawberry - this time at the Farmer's Market. I grabbed the quart box of tiny, almost-wild strawberries and spirited them home. Fresh strawberries are so perishable - in a matter of hours they can turn brown and mushy, so I hulled them and stuck them in the freezer. Long ago, I read this tip from a grower, because it makes a juicier jam. This morning, my schedule was clear, the storms were coming and going, and I had plenty of time to make the recipe carefully. Since I make a country jam with no pectin added, it's important not to rush.

First, prepare your jars and lids. You want to simmer them in hot water, then, using clean tongs, turn them upside down on a very clean cloth.

Prepare your heavy stockpot and wash very well.

To make:

1 pound hulled strawberries ( about 2 1/2 cups)

juice from two lemons

1 3/4 cup sugar, warmed in an oven briefly

Mash the berries and simmer in the pot, along with the lemon juice. Since this is a small amount of jam, you need to watch the jam carefully- it burns quickly, and then it's ruined.

Simmer berries and lemon juice about 15 minutes.

Add the sugar and stir constantly .

Using your wooden stirring spoon, lift up a few drips of jam and watch carefully. You'll be able to tell the jam is almost done when it thickens and is slow to drip. This took about 20 minutes today.

Ladle the jam into jars, screw on tops, and let cool on a thick towel. I was making just one pot of jam that I planned to use immediately, so I used plastic wrap, then a paper cap tied with twine.

I find this a really useful recipe, because you can use small amounts of just-picked berries through the summer for a few jars of jam. The jam is heavenly - soft to spread, just the way I like it.

Enjoy!

-Katrina Hall