The middle of July finds one half-pint of raspberry jam, one half-pint of blueberry jam, 5 pints of apple sauce and 1 pint of spiced pears are all that is left in the jam cupboard. Sad.
So, what’s a boy trying to live the good life supposed to do??? I have long found it ironic that the hottest time of the year is also the best time of the year to preserve all those great tastes of summer. Standing over a boiling pot of fruit and sugar when it is 94 degrees in oppressive New England humidity is less than Ideal, but in the middle of winter when I crack open a fresh bottle of jam, I will be most thankful and pleased for the efforts this week!
At a recent craft fair, I met a fellow jam maker, blogger and all-around craft/DIY’er extraordinaire, AJ, selling his wares. I am not sure what I most enjoyed; his homemade marshmallows rolled in toasted coconut, the 1950’s Sweet Corn Relish or Strawberry-Rosemary drinks syrup. All were wonderfully tasty, attractively packaged and completely enjoyed. Check out his blog at Handjobs (For the Home) for some fun tips and terrific recipes.
I have only restarted putting up preserves/jams for the last year. I learned how to make jam and marmalade from my grandmother when I was younger, but for a long period, I stopped. I tried to be modern and tell myself that the hassle was just too much, when there was perfectly good jam in the market. Well, I guess I am modern in the old-fashioned sense — I want to know what is in my food and where it came from. Jarring is an easy way to store the freshest of summer produce with a minimum of chemicals and additives.
Last summer, I made 10 half-pints of blueberry jam when a family afternoon of pick-your-own berry picking afternoon turned to excess, followed by a similar event of excess during apple season, leading to 12 pints of chunky applesauce. An attempt at apple jelly was met with far less fantastic results and most of that went into the ashcan. But hope does spring eternal. Besides, I like jam over jelly.
My first effort this year was to try a lime marmalade. I adore lime in most forms and a recent trip to the local green grocer found limes to be abundant and inexpensive!
The process to make the marmalade took close to three hours, necessitated by first zesting and candying 30 limes, followed by supreming and juicing the remains of those 30 limes, then cooked and bottled into 6 half pint jars and 2 quarter-pints. I was pleased with the flavor, but might try to julienne the peels before candying next batch, rather than zesting. I am not sure of the flavor effect of larger pieces, but I am a fan of chunkier/heartier jams, so I suspect it would be both aesthetically and gastronomically to my liking.
My second find at the market were the lovely local strawberries and the remainder of the spring rhubarb crop. Inspired by memories of a recently created and spectacular strawberry-rhubarb crisp as well as a recipe for strawberry rhubarb jam from Handjobs (For the Home).
A few bowls of strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and lemons turned into a wonderfully sweet and sour jam that I suspect will quickly become a favorite of mine.
The jam cupboard is already looking better, don’t you agree?
What will YOU be putting in your jam cupboard next?
From the Manor 