...Here in Frogville.

This is way too long but worth it if you like strawberries.

I bought a small flat of strawberries 3 or 4 years ago. I planted them in a dampish spot at the edge of a wall that was supposed to be my kitchen garden outside my back door. I say dampish because it's slightly downhill and the stone wall that holds it doesn't have a lot of weep holes for drainage. It gets great morning sun and doesn't become shaded until the heat of the afternoon.

I say "supposed to be my kitchen garden" because the strawberries have taken over. They are even coming up in the backyard gravel parking lot.

Last year they got ahead of me and so many spoiled that I decided to be prepared and head them off at the pass this year. We had to go on a trip over the weekend but we've been picking like crazy Wednesday and today.

The great thing about my strawberries is that they are totally organic. Commercial strawberries have had a LOT of things done to them in the way of fertilizers, pesticides and engineering. The downside of my organic strawberries is that when they come in, you gotta act fast. They are also a lot tarter than sto-bought ones...Not bitter, just "tart." When cooked their flavor just blossoms.

Since I got back from Maryland, I've been making strawberry jam. I never expected such wonderful results from so little effort. (Okay, the Lt. helps) I researched sugar-free recipes with little satisfaction. I will freeze some with Splenda but give the canned ones as gifts because the Lt. and I don't do much sugar.

It's very simple...First sterilize your jars and lids in a waterbath canner (get at target or the hardware store). Use either 8 or 12 ounce jars.

Use a large heavy saucepan. Mine is pretty big and has a long handle. It's a professional one I got at a thrift shop. I use it for making candy at Christmas.

Make in small batches so you won't have to cook it so long. (Alton Brown sez that alters the color). I make 4 cups of whole strawberries at a time. That yields about 40 ounces of jam....considering the amount of sugar used...a lot gets cooked away.

Wash thoroughly and hull. Mash in a large bowl with a potato masher. The mashing is important because it releases pectin and strawberries don't have much. Put the mashed mess in the saucepan with 4 cups of sugar and 1/4 cup lemon juice (about one large lemon). Stir under medium heat just until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high and bring to a full rolling boil, stirring often until the mixture reaches 220 degrees. (This is the tricky part because the damn thing stays at 215 forever)...it takes about ten minutes.

You have already sterilized your jars and lids in your water bath canner. Okay. Now remove jam from heat and skim foam. Using a wide-mouth funnel, fill the jars leaving 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch headspace. Seal with the lids you have also sterilized. Process in a water bath for 5 to 10 minutes (depending upon your altitude). If you are going to eat it right away you can eliminate that process. *add rings when jars are cool.

* TIP:
To test for jelling...put a teaspoon from the hot mixture on a small saucer from the freezer. Put back in the freezer for one minute. Then run you finger through the jam on the plate. If you can make a line through it with your finger and doesn't run back together on the plate, it's ready to be jarred and processed.

We just sampled the first batch and it is fabulous texture and bursting with flavor. YUM! That's when I decided to post it for you.

I'm going to try a batch with half the sugar and see what happens. With very sweet berries you may not need much at all. I'm thinking adding pectin might reduce the need for sugar because without other means of thickening, you gotta depend on sugar.

Next I'm just gonna make some runny stuff to keep in the freezer and mix with yogurt.

I've been asking around about how to grow my berries sweeter but then they might not be organic....

Peachy

 
Peachy...

I want ya' to know... IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!



I picked up a 12-pack of sourdough English muffins this week... to enjoy lightly toasted, with too much butter and a tablespoon of my most favorite red pepper jelly.

It isn't on par, I'm sure, with your homemade strawberry jam, but it is good.

Thanks,
  *CJ

 
I scrounged around on the Internet and found some suggestions for growing sweeter strawberries without the use of nasty chemicals... here're the ones I found the most often:

• Picking strawberries when they're bright red seems like the natural thing to do, but mine always seemed to be too tart. What mine need to do is to turn a red that is deep burgundy and be tender around the shoulders near the stem. Let yours stay on the plant another day or two when you're first tempted to pick them. They may then develop the sugar you're craving to taste. Or it could just be that you accidentally picked a tart variety. Look for the word "sugar" when you pick plants next time.
  
  
• A good soak of water every 2-3 days in the morning (about 1"/week, total) and a good long soak in southern sun every day is what turns berries sweeter. Don't water at night as berries don't like to stand around with wet feet; they show they're displeased with mushy fruit.
  
  
• Sweeter berries come about by amending your soil with potassium and calcium; you can use wood ashes as an organic potassium supplement and bone meal as a calcium supplement.

Hope some/all of these point ya' in the right direction.

*CJ

Thank you so much for all of those hints! Very helpful indeed.

Our place was built in 37 and has a big fireplace...a couple of them actually and the ash dumps are full and really need to be cleaned out! What a great use for them.

I made a cold "strawberry soup" with one part plain greek yogurt, one part carnation milk, (you could use the skim but don't substitute the canned)....and one part strawberries. Blend and sweeten slightly to taste depending upon the sweetness of the berries.

My BIL was visiting and lapped it up like dessert then all the leftovers. Now our peaches are in and they are wonderful this year! I'm thinking of making peach soup the same way.

Alas, they are gone now but I've got strawberry fields forever.

Peachy

 
The strawberry soup sounds wonderful, Peachy. But I don't understand... Carnation milk that isn't canned? Huh?

I've already made two batches of my vichyssoise (it's been over 90 degrees for the better part of three weeks now... crap) and the GG thinks I'm the best Mom on the planet every time I do. BIM, this was the kid who, starting around 4-yo, routinely ordered "Bwue Cheese, pweese" for his salad when we went out. Damn near blew his Dad away the first time the GG did it when he took him out to dinner one night.

*CJ

quote:

Originally posted by *CJ:
 
The strawberry soup sounds wonderful, Peachy. But I don't understand... Carnation milk that isn't canned? Huh?

I've already made two batches of my vichyssoise (it's been over 90 degrees for the better part of three weeks now... crap) and the GG thinks I'm the best Mom on the planet every time I do. BIM, this was the kid who, starting around 4-yo, routinely ordered "Bwue Cheese, pweese" for his salad when we went out. Damn near blew his Dad away the first time the GG did it when he took him out to dinner one night.

*CJ

Oh that's soooooo cute. Your son has a sophisticated palate! As a child I always ordered the "shrimp cocktail" for dinner. I think I thought it was neat ordering a cocktail. Plus I liked dipping my shrimp in stuff that looked like catsup.

I wasn't clear. I meant to be sure and use canned milk and not substitute whole milk...preferablly Carnation or Pet.

Today I got more fresh peaches to make the peach soup and I'm going to splash it with amaretto.

While I was at the vegetable stand the farmers brought in the first pallet of Silver Queen corn. I grabbed the first four ears of the season. Always the best. Obviously we are going to gorge this week.

Peachy

quote:

Originally posted by Avenging Peach:
Oh that's soooooo cute. Your son has a sophisticated palate!

Well, yes & no. I'm mostly a bleu cheese kinda salad dressing gal, so growing up that's the only thing he knew. When the GG was a wee widget, I'd make myself a salad and give him like three grown-up bites on the side of his plate 'cause he thought it was a treat. So he didn't know there were other kinds of salad dressings. But he impressed every grown-up he ever encountered over dinner by asking for his mama's dressing...

The reason I loved the GG ordering it in the ex-s presence was I remember -very- clearly how the ex- had bought every one of those "kid salad dressings" that came out about 15 years ago to induce -his- kid (my stepkid) to eat salad (she was borderline obese at age 7, poor thing) and I went ballistic 'cause all they were were regular salad dressings (like 1000 island and ranch) with a scat-load of sugar in 'em.

quote:

As a child I always ordered the "shrimp cocktail" for dinner. I think I thought it was neat ordering a cocktail. Plus I liked dipping my shrimp in stuff that looked like catsup.

Oh tres chic! I remember once a big ol' family dinner where three generations took over a side room in a place called Pal's Cabin in north Jersey. I was young enough to be allowed to wander around the table, sampling this and that off've relatives plates... my grandmother, at the head of the table, was eating lobster and she put a piece on her fork dipped it in butter and offered it to me when all of a sudden from the other side of the table my Mom yells out "Don't you dare feed her THAT!" Scared the scat outta my grandmother -and- me. Turned out my Mom didn't want me eating it 'cause she knew she couldn't afford lobster and she didn't want me to be disappointed I couldn't have it every time we went out to dinner.

Mebbe that explains my obsession w/ Maine lobster as an adult?

quote:

I wasn't clear. I meant to be sure and use canned milk and not substitute whole milk...preferablly Carnation or Pet.

Eeeeeew. Sorry, I'm terribly prejudiced against canned milk of any kid/brand.

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Today I got more fresh peaches to make the peach soup and I'm going to splash it with amaretto.

Oh, that sounds REALLY good... save some (peaches -and- amaretto) to be drizzled over really good french vanilla ice cream.

quote:

While I was at the vegetable stand the farmers brought in the first pallet of Silver Queen corn. I grabbed the first four ears of the season. Always the best. Obviously we are going to gorge this week.

Strawberry soup, peach soup, corn... good gawd woman, toss a cheeseburger in there somewhere!

*CJ

Sometimes canned milk is specific to a recipe. It's great in desserts mixed with Jell-O and chilled because it tastes rich like something you shouldn't have. Mixed with yogurt it cuts the edge and makes a creamy fruit soup. I sometimes use canned milk instead of cream for whipping cream(use cold bowl and beaters to whip) on strawberry shortcake...just because my grandmother did and it's a lot less calories.

Just don't use it in cooked dishes....ugh.

I share your love for lobstah. I was at Acadia/Bar Harbor for four days and had lobster 5 times. In Boston one winter brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, I ate 2 lobstah every night, with my coat on, lol. (I never took the coat off, lol, not for nuthin')

Peachy

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Strawberry soup, peach soup, corn... good gawd woman, toss a cheeseburger in there somewhere!

*CJ

Actually I got two fresh (not wrapped and processed) turkey tenderloins at the grocery store all for $4.50. Hubby smoked them on the grill with applewood chips. At least two more meals from those and maybe even a sandwich.....Ever tried them? They are wonderful!