Bear Cuisine

Strawberry Jam

Canning season is well underway. This year I decided to make some strawberry jam. Even though I can never find strawberries at the local markets here, there are the usual imports from California. This recipe makes a lovely jam  which retains its color and flavor.Made with berries grown where you live I think it would be outstanding.

STRAWBERRY JAM

(2 1/2 cups)

• 4 cups quartered strawberries
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice

Mix berries and sugar and let stand for 8 hours, stirring occasionally.

Place berry mixture in a medium stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add lemon juice, return to a boil and boil rapidly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 24 hours.

 

Bring berries to a full boil over high heat and boil rapidly for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

 

Ladle into hot jars and process for 10 minutes. If you are above 6000 feet, add an additional 15 minutes to the processing time.

Cherry Preserves

At the end of cherry season this summer there were some beautiful Rainier cherries at the Farmers' Market. I have never used them to make preserves before, but I thought they would look beautiful. I am always gratified when I'm right and this particular self-satisfaction is pretty harmless and tastes great.

I added 3 chopped jalapenos to the basic recipe and the combination is perfect for those of us who like a bit of heat in our preserves.

CHERRY PRESERVES

(4 half-pints)

• 2 pounds pitted cherries
  
• 4 cups sugar
  
• 3 large chopped jalapenos  
  

Drain the juice from the cherries and set the cherries aside. Add sugar to juice; cook until sugar dissolves, stirring from time to time. (If there is not enough juice to dissolve sugar, add a little water.)

Add cherries; cook rapidly until cherries become glossy. Cover and let stand 12 to 18 hours in a cool place. Bring to a boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if needed.

Ladle hot preserves into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a boil-water canner.

 

Apriocot Jam

We don't always get apricots. For the past several years, late spring freezes have obliterated the crop, but this year there were apricots galore and I really enjoyed making jam with them. I made two different batches--one with small Blenheim fruits and the other with larger fruits. The smaller variety, although a bit more trouble, definitely had more flavor and made a better jam.

Apricots as they started to cook

APRIC0T JAM

(makes about five 8 ounce jars)

• 2 1/3 pounds jut-ripe apricots
• Freshly squeezed juice of 3 lemons
• 1 1/4 pounds granulated sugar

Peel the apricots, cut into halves and remove the pits. Put the fruit, 1 3/4 cups water and lemon juice in a heavy nonreactive pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes until the fruit is very soft.

Add the sugar, allowing it to dissolve into the fruit.

Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil for 15 minutes until the jam reaches a soft gel.

Remove from the heat and test for a set. Ladle into hot jars, cap and place in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. (Add 5 minutes to the time for every 1000 feet over 3000 feet.)

I added three chopped jalapenos to the second batch to make jalapeno-apricot jam. The bit of heat made for delicious combination of sweet and hot. Would you like some on your biscuits this morning?

Strawberry and Fig Jam

I still remember the first time I tasted a fresh fig. I was absolutely transported to a heavenly place where life was luscious and ripe. I was 12 and had, perhaps for the first time, fallen in love ;I still adore these globes of decadent fruit. Here is a recipe that combines two bits of summer goodness so that you can enjoy them until their next blossoming season.

FRESH FIG AND STRAWBERRY JAM

(makes about 4 half pints)

• 1 pound fresh green figs, stemmed and cut into small pieces
• 2 cups quartered strawberries
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Place the figs, strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium enameled pan. Cover and let stand for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium and boil rapidly, uncovered until mixture will form a gel. ( I found that took about a half hour, but this can vary enormously. Keep an eye and the mixture and stir frequently.

When finished cooking ladle into hot, sterilized jars and process in a water bath for 10 minutes.

(adapted from The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving)

No painter could have a more brilliant palette

Award Winning Food

Every year during the State Fair we pay a visit to the Creative Arts Building which houses peoples' efforts in woodworking, quilting, sewing, ... the list goes on. Among the entries are those in canning and other ways of preserving food. Each year I have admired the beauty of peoples 'efforts. This year I decided to throw my hat in the ring and I am pleased to announce that I am the proud recipient of two first place winners and one third place. I can't believe how tickled I am by this modest achievement. 

BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES

CORN RELISH

PEACH MARMALADE

Kudos to John Martin Taylor whose recipe I used for the Corn Relish. (see post "Corn Relish," August 5)

PEACH MARMALADE

• 1 quart ripe peaches, peeled and cut into pieces
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Cook all ingredients together for about 1 hour, stirring constantly. Seal in jelly glasses. Makes 1 1/2 pints.

If peaches are juicy, reserve the juice and combine water to make 1/4 cup.

(Marion Brown: Pickles and Preserves)

BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES

(Yield: about 7 pints)

• 4 pounds 4-to 6-inch cumbers, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 2 pounds onions, thinly sliced (about 8 small)
• 1/2 cup canning salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons mustard seed
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 teaspoons celery seed
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon peppercorns
• 3 cups vinegar

Combine cucumber and onion slices in  large bowl, layering with salt; cover with ice cubes. Let stand 1 1/2 hours. Drain; rinse; drain again. Combine remaining ingredients in a large saucepot; bring to a boil. Add drained cucumbers and onions and return to a boil. Pact ho pickles and liquid into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

(Ball Blue Book of Preserving)