In a Jam

There was a strawberry sitting on a kitchen counter crying his eyes out, two strawberries were walking by and asked him what was wrong.  That's when he told them, his parents had got into a jam!

Strawberry jam to be precise, from the Better Homes and Gardens "You Can Can - A Guide to Canning, Preserving, and Pickling.

Rather than having my jam on an English muffin or toast, I thought a late night snack on a cracker with gorgonzola cheese would be delicious ~ and it was!

You could also use the jam to baste a chicken, roast pork or maybe some ribs on the grill!  Mmm.

Ingredients

3 quarts fresh strawberries, hulled
1 1.75 ounce package powdered pectin
1/2 teaspoon margarine or butter
7 cups sugar

Directions
1. Crush 1 cup of berries in an 8-quart pot. Continue adding berries and crushing until you have 5 cups crushed berries. Stir in pectin and margarine. Heat on high, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Add sugar all at once. Return to boiling; boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; skim off foam.

2. Ladle immediately into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids. Process in a boiling-water canner 5 minutes. Remove jars; cool on wire racks.*

*Note:  As the jam cools, turn the jars occasionally, top to bottom, to help evenly distribute the fruit and prevent the fruit from floating to the top of the jars.  Store upright, however, to protect the seal.

Nutrition Information
Per 1 Tablespoon Serving:  51 calories, 0 g total fat, 0 mg chol., 1 mg sodium, 13 g carbo., 0 g fiber, 0 g protein

I Got Sauced!!!

Ready for the oven!

I bought 25+ lbs of tomatoes for $15.00 in Maine, aren't they beautiful!

No peeling!  I quartered them, tossed on some garlic cloves, drizzled some 

olive oil, and roasted them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes!

I was immersed in my job!

I used my immersion blender to make my sauce. 

Wow, 10 jars!

Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the bottom of each jar.

Wipe the rims, inside and outside.

Everyone in the pot!

Add the tops after you've softened them in warm water 

then secure with the band ~ hand tight.

Process for 45 minutes when the water returns to a boil.

Can't wait to do another 10 jars!

I'm sending a HUGE thank you to Susan at

  From Beyond My Kitchen Window for this recipe! 

It's a keeper, it's even easier than the one I used last year, 

which I thought was great!

Thank you for following my blog, I truly appreciate your friendship. 

Balsamic Red Pepper Jelly

That time of year is upon us.  It's time to start preserving the taste of the wonderful glorious summer season for the "unmentionable" time that lies ahead!  These Six easy little steps gave me the most delicious home-made Balsamic Red Pepper Jelly I have E-V-E-R tasted! I have been longing to make this jelly for weeks, but because of one reason or another I haven't been able to to make it until this afternoon!

I found the recipe in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.  If you don't have this book, it's worth buying.  In fact, it's being sold at Sam's Club and BJ's, I don't remember the cost, but it's worth the small investment.

Since I love red pepper jelly, and I love balsamic vinegar I thought this would be a winning combination ~ it is! You won't be disappointed - at all! 

This mouth watering jelly would be great served over cream cheese as an hors d'oeuvre served with crackers, or as a glaze on chicken, pork or fish!

 Balsamic Red Pepper Jelly

5 medium red bell peppers, stemmed and seeded

3 medium jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded and deveined

2 cloves of garlic

½ cup red wine vinegar (125 ml)

3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (45 ml)

2 tbsp. lemon juice (30 ml)

1 package regular powdered fruit pectin (1.75 oz /49=57 g)

3 ¼ cups granulated sugar ( 800 ml)

1.  Finely dice enough red pepper to measure ½ cup and set aside.  In a blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade, puree remaining red peppers, jalapeno peppers and garlic until smooth.

2.  Transfer puree to a dampened jelly bag or a strainer lined with several layers of dampened cheesecloth set over a deep bowl.  Let drip, undisturbed, for 30 minutes.  Measure 1 ½ cups pepper juice.  If you do not have the required amount, add ½ cup biling water to the remaining pulp in the jelly bag to extract additional juice.

3.  Meanwhile, prepare canner, jars and lids.  This recipe made 3 - 12 oz. jars.

4.  Transfer red pepper juice to a large, deep stainless steel saucepan.  Add reserved diced red pepper, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice.  Whisk in pectin until dissolved.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently.  Add sugar all at once stirring constantly, for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam.

5.  Quickly pour hot jelly into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch (0.5 cm) headspace.  Wipe rim.  Center lid on jar.  Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

6.  Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water.  Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes.  Remove canner lid.  Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store. 

Enjoy!

P.S.  Thank your for all your lovely comments over the past year.  I truly treasure each of you and I hope to spend more time with each of you over the next year.

Ready, Set, Can . . . or Dream

Not that I want to rush the summer season, but I was sitting on the porch in Maine and  began imagining all the summer bounty that I'd like to preserve.  

There will be certain things for sure, tomatoes and tomato sauce, and black bean corn salsa.Then there are the pickles, and sweet peppers.  

I was wondering about radishes, has anyone ever canned radishes?  I have a garden full of beets that will also get processed.  

Those are some of my summer dreams, what are yours? I'd love to hear them!  

It's almost time for my 1st year Blogversary giveaway!!!  Details to follow soon!

The Pickle Poem

The Pickle

I love those crunchy pickles

That grow from the pickle bean

They are the greenest pickles

That I have ever seen

I like them with my pancakes

I like them with my lunch

A party isn't proper

Without pickles in the punch

I like them sweet and tangy

Or puckerfied with dill

I dream of Summer barbecues

With pickles on the grill

I wear those gherkin fashions

I love that kosher style

I ride my motorpickle

Through the garden with a smile

When my life is over

And I cash the wooden nickel

I won't give up the ghost

Until I have just one more...pickle

I hope this "pickle poem" made you smile, it makes canning all those pickles worth it! Have a great day!

Found this great "Give Away" check it out and become a "Follower" - I'm sure you'll love it!
http://vintagedragonfly.blogspot.com/2010/09/feeling-little-witchy-wonderfully.html