Cook-Strawberry Freezer Jam

I've been learning lately that there are many things in our daily lives that we use or consume that we don't realize how simple it is to make it ourselves!

One of these things is strawberry jam (or any jam, really). Yes, jam! It only requires 3 ingredients and takes maybe 15 minutes to make a 6-8 cup batch that will last you months!

Why haven't I been doing this for years?!

Oh and for anyone wondering, jam is made with the FRUIT, jelly is made with the JUICE! I learned that maybe a year ago and it blew my mind. It's the little things, right?

Moving on.

Brian and I went strawberry picking this past weekend and had over 10 quarts (about 15lbs) of strawberries to eat and use!

We've been eating strawberries since we headed home from the strawberry farm! We also prepared and froze a gallon and a half of them, made smoothies and now, freezer jam!

I always thought if you made things like jam you had to can them but that's not true! This recipe is so simple and easy and after the jam sets, you can pop it into the freezer until you need it!

Ingredients:

• Pectin (I used Sure-Jell but there are other brands that are good)
• 4 cups of sugar (raw, unbleached, organic is best!)
• 2 cups of mashed strawberries (over 4 cups whole)
• 1/4 cup of water

Directions:

Gather and prepare your ingredients. Sure-Jell has a great insert in the box with directions for many kinds of jams and jellies. Sure-Jell has one packet in the box and you use the entire thing. 

Wash your strawberries. 

Hull them. 

Mash them! The fun part! I used my potato masher but I'm sure something like an immersion blender would work as well. Mash them but don't puree them because jam is best with chunks of fruit!

Mine measured at a little over 2 cups. 

 Pour your sugar into another bowl. I know, 4 cups of sugar is A LOT of sugar. I read from many sources that you can't use any more or less because the pectin won't set correctly. Sure-Jell also makes a low-sugar/no-sugar pectin as well which I plan to try soon!

Pour the strawberries into the sugar and mix well.

Mix the water and pectin together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil for about a minute, stirring constantly. Don't let it get away from you!

When it's done boiling, pour the pectin/water mixture into the strawberry/sugar mixture and stir constantly until the sugar is well dissolved.

Now pour it into cups, bowls, jars, Pyrex or whatever you want to store it in. Be sure they have been washed thoroughly to keep any bacteria out. This is especially crucial if you are canning this recipe. Leave about an inch or more of space between the jam and the top of the jars to allow for expansion. 

I used two 2-cup size plastic containers (Ziploc brand?) and two small jars that previously had jam in them. I estimate they hold about a cup each.

Be sure to leave the lids off or just resting on top for 24 hours to let the jam set properly. 

If you're putting them in the freezer right away, leave the lids off until they're fully frozen, ESPECIALLY if you're using glass! 

Once it's fully set, spread on some toast, have a PB&J or just eat it by the spoonful! This stuff is awesome! 

Best PB&J on the block! On homemade bread, of course! 

Have you ever made your own homemade jam or jelly? What's your favorite combo of fruit? I want to try triple berry!

Till next time,

Catherine

Freezing Strawberries

After strawberry picking last weekend, I knew we couldn't possibly use and eat all 15lbs of strawberries before they went bad. Freezer is definitely the best option since I don't have canning supplies or a dehydrator. 

Here is the best way I've found to prepare and freeze strawberries. 

Wash and hull them then lay them on a towel to dry.

Let them sit for a while to air dry, or gentle pat them/roll them with another towel. 

The hardest part is trying not to eat them all when they look this good! 

Toss the hulls in your compost or worm bin instead of the trash!

Once they're dry, put them on a cookie sheet, making sure they're not touching too much. The whole point of this is so you don't have a frozen strawberry chunk you can't use! Then place the whole cookie sheet into the freezer until the strawberries freeze. Don't leave them too long or they may start to get freezer burn.

Once they're frozen, simply transfer them to a freezer bag and put back into the freezer! Remember to label the bag with the date as well. 

What would you make with frozen strawberries? Jam? Pie? Smoothies?

Till next time,

Catherine

Strawberry Picking 2013

Our beautiful bounty!

This past weekend, my husband and I went strawberry picking at a farm about 40 minutes away. I had been wanting to do this since last year but we missed the season when it was cut short by too much rain. 

Saturday was really rainy off and on so we waited and went on Sunday. Most farms don't have Sunday pick-your-own hours but this one does! We went to Scott's Strawberry Farm in Moneta, Virginia and it was wonderful! We did have to endure a little drizzle but it wasn't too bad. 

I would definitely recommend going before the season is over! It is $10 for a 5 quart bucket, they're open 7 days a week, and they're very friendly and helpful! They're also going to have raspberries and blueberries in the summer. I'll definitely be back for those!

They have a bunch of fields that are huge! 

Rows and rows of ripe, delicious strawberries!

I even found a short and squat one that looked like a pumpkin! He was de-lish!

We also bought 3 plants too. I told you my wee little strawberry plant needed friends! Now he has some. He? She? Oh who knows. 

My other strawberry plant is the all-star variety and the new ones are Chandler Berries. They're lower and fuller and seem to produce more too. Scott's Strawberry Farm recommends Earliglow for the flavor so I'll be keeping an eye out for those! 

The little blossoms are so pretty!

Can one really have "too many" strawberries? 

Nah...I didn't think so either.

What's your favorite place to go strawberry picking? What do you do with your bounty when you get home?

Till next time,

Catherine

My Wee Strawberry Plant

Around early April we bought 4 roma tomato plants and one strawberry plant from a local greenhouse. I picked the best strawberry plant I could find and it already had 3 little strawberries growing! 

This is what they looked like the week we bought the plant. 

And after maybe 5-6 weeks they were getting huge! 

Then after close to 7 weeks out, I managed to pluck this beauty at the perfect time! I was like a little kid I was so excited! Way too excited about one measly strawberry! 

 This little guy was delicious! I must have waited till the right time because it was so good!

But alas, just one strawberry at a time is not very filling. I've decided I need about 99 more strawberry plants.

Since that's not very practical, I'm thinking just 3-5 more plants would be a good deal. At least with that many we can have a handful now and then.

Looking at these pictures reminds me that there's one more that's just about ready to eat! Yum!

What fruit are you growing in your garden? What's your favorite fruit? 

Till next time,
Catherine

My Other Container Plants

I recently showed you all how to make an awesome (and cheap!) pallet garden, well, I've also got a few things in pots that are growing on our patio! I've also shown you my container potato plants as well. I've also got a small pallet garden going with herbs but I'll have to share that on another day. 

Apparently I'm just never satisfied! I still want more food to grow! I'm thinking another strawberry plant and a couple blueberry plants...what do you think?

Actually before we made the pallet garden, we went to a local greenhouse and picked up a few plants and some seeds. The soil is the cheap stuff from Ollie's at $2 a bag! What a deal! Even if the quality of the soil isn't too great, I've got my worm farm to supplement it! 

The bag of seeds are Improved Tendergreen Beans. I never knew there were so many types of beans! I just picked the one that looked the most like the classic green beans I used to snap with my grandma. 

I got four Roma Tomato plants. I personally don't like tomatoes (I know, I know!) but my husband does so since he'll be eating them the most, he picked them out. I'll cook with them though!

And my little Allstar Strawberry plant! I can't even tell you how excited I was to get a strawberry plant! It's little, though...definitely think I should get another one. Or two...

Wittle baby strawberries!! They've almost doubled in size in just a couple of weeks!

Ready to plant!

Senor Strawberry seems to be settling in ok!

I doubled up the tomato plants so I didn't have to buy 4 pots. If they grow really large I'll repot them, though.

My little garden in the making! 

What are you growing in your garden?

Till next time,

Catherine

Cook-Strawberry Yogurt Pops

I just KNEW I had to have this popsicle tray for a reason! Not to mention World Market had it on sale! It was only a few bucks and I just couldn't resist. Luckily Pinterest inspired me early on last summer to make my own version of THIS. 

My version was a bit simpler but just as tasty! 

Ingredients:

• Strawberries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries...whatever you prefer!)
• Vanilla yogurt
• I'd also recommend a sweetener like honey or agave, to taste

Directions:

Puree your fruit in a blender (after washing it, of course). 

Alternately spoon yogurt and the fruit puree into the popsicle mold. You can also swirl it around with a spoon if you want it more mixed. 

Freeze.

Enjoy!

Keep this in mind for the summer months when it's hot! It's going to be quite a lovely weekend and upcoming week with highs in the upper 50s and low 60s! Enjoy your weekend everyone! :)

Got any fun plans this weekend while the weather is nice? 

Till next time,

Catheirne