Strawberry Jam with Grand Marnier and a GIVEAWAY!

Strawberry Preserves fresh out of the canning pot.

A couple of weeks ago, Ethan and I picked strawberries at a local farm, and I spent the week making preserves. It was nice to pull the jam pot out of the cupboard again. Our eighteen pounds of strawberries turned into the following in our kitchen: 1 quart strawberry vodka (currently infusing in our dining room closet), 3 ¼ pints Strawberry Jam with Grand Marnier, 3 ¾ pints Strawberry Balsamic Jam, 2 ¼ pints Strawberry Balsamic Glaze, 1 ½ pints Strawberry Jam with Mint. And we ate bunches of them fresh by the bowlful, of course.

Some of my favorite recipes from last year are Food in Jar’s Strawberry Vanilla Jam, Landry Etc’s Strawberry Preserves, and Strawberry Syrup (we use it to make soda and sweeten iced tea). This season I added some new flavors to the pantry and rotated out the Strawberry Vanilla Jam, but it will likely be back next season.

Strawberry Jam with Grand Marnier is my new favorite. I can’t taste the Grand Marnier specifically (there’s not a lot in the batch), but I can tell it’s there. It enhances the flavor of the strawberries like nothing else. The jam tastes like fresh, bright berries. I’m looking forward to eating it on toast, and layering it in oat bars.

I like to start batches of jam the day before I plan to can them by cutting the fruit and allowing it to macerate with some of the sugar overnight. The task seems more manageable when broken down, and I think the fruit cooks more quickly after the berries are allowed to sit around in some sugar for a day.

It’s been a couple of weeks since we picked berries and I’m ready for more. I didn’t make any syrup or whole preserved berries (we still have a few jars from last season, but I’m not sure they’ll be enough). This is a problem.

GIVEAWAY!

I hope you try this jam recipe, but if you’re not a jam maker or the kitchen is too hot for jam making, I’m giving away an 8oz jar. There are two ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post and tell me what you do with fresh-picked strawberries.
2. Follow a house on garland (there’s a button on the sidebar over there) and leave a comment letting me know that you’re following the blog.
3. Leave your comments by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, July 17. I will select the winner via random drawing and announce it on July 18.

Check the extended post for the recipe!

Picking Strawberries

Strawberries are ready at some of the farms on Green Bluff in Spokane (and hopefully where you are as well). Strawberry season is one of my favorite points of summer. There is nothing quite like the goodness that comes from fresh, fully ripe berries. Grocery store berries are simply not the same—all pale on the inside and tasteless all over. Blech.

Ethan and I picked berries at Siemers' Farm this Sunday morning, continuing our tradition of picking berries on an early summer morning with a cup of coffee. It's one of my favorite days of summer. 

My tips for picking berries:

1. Plan on picking after a couple of good sunny days. Sun is crucial for ripening and sweetening berries. If days have been gray during picking season, wait it out. Sunshine is necessary to develop the sugars in the berries.
2. Check with the farm. Call or check their website. You want to go on a day when berries are ready. I’ve found that Green Bluff farmers are very good about updating messages on the Fresh on the Bluff page so that you know what is ripe when. We’ve lucked out two years in a row, picking in a field on its first open day. Berries dripping off the plants make for quick work.
3. Get to the farm early. Strawberry season is a hot season, so picking in the cool of morning is MUCH more pleasant than a hot afternoon. Get yourself a coffee on the way if you need, bring water, and sunscreen for protection.
4. Bring cash. Many farms don’t take credit cards because the fees for a small business can be steep (this is one way they keep prices down). Prevent frustration by bringing cash with you.
5. Only pick the brightest, reddest, shiniest berries. Strawberries do not ripen any further after picking; so only choose those that look like storybook strawberries. (This is also crucial information for choosing berries in the store if you’re not picking them yourself). In the fields, farmers want you to pick only the ripe berries. They want you to get the best product, and they want the pickers who follow you to have ripe berries to add to their boxes later that week. If you pick under ripe berries, the ripe ones will likely rot on the plant and never be enjoyed—that’s not good for anyone.
6. Along with #5, also be careful not to pick bruised, damaged, or moldy berries. These ones will just leak all over your good berries and reduce the already limited shelf life of the whole box.
7. Move the plants around (gently) as you pick. There are often ripe, delicious berries toward the middle of the plant or hidden under leaves. You don’t want to miss them.
8. Don’t dismiss the small red berries. Small berries are often the most flavorful, in fact.
9. Plan your intake wisely. You want to only pick the berries you will use within two or three days of picking. If your berries are the ripest, red-through-the-middle berries, they won’t last much beyond three days after picking. (My 20 pounds this weekend was ambitious, but most of them have already been used or in the process of becoming jam—whew).
10. Bring a friend. The peace of the fields is wonderful in the morning, but it’s nice to have a friend in a nearby row.
11. Taste a berry or two in the field. Make sure they’re sweet and juicy. Don’t eat the farm out of business, but tasting is okay—and there’s nothing quite like tasting a couple of berries in the field on a dewy morning.

What fresh fruit are you picking this year? What do you plan on doing with it? These are things I need to know.

Coming soon: A post about what I did with 20 pounds of strawberries (other than grabbing handfuls from the boxes, rinsing them under the tap and eating them a la carte).

Rhubarb Syrup

This week Ethan and I are weeding and adding compost to our garden spaces, planning the garden, and enjoying the sunny, cool evenings. In the last two weeks our rhubarb plants have gone from barely poking out of the ground to being nearly two feet in diameter. Spring, she is here. 

Before I go on, I have a confession: I am not the greatest rhubarb lover the world has seen. I prefer rhubarb mixed with other flavors. My dad will cut a stalk of rhubarb from the plant and take bites. Raw. Without sugar. I’m did not inherit that gene. I have come to appreciate rhubarb more as an adult, but I still like rhubarb mixed with another fruit or vegetables. Strawberry-rhubarb anything? Yes, please. Rhubarb chutney? Indeed. Rhubarb Jelly Barbeque sauce? Sounds great. 

I canned a lot of fruit syrups last year. I’ve become a fan of making drinks at home with club soda and homemade fruit syrups. I don’t drink a lot of soda, but I do enjoy one occasionally (especially in the summer). Flavoring my own made sense. No artificial anything or extra preservatives, just fruit, sugar, and carbonated water. (We have a soda maker now; I highly recommend one if you’re inclined to purchase club soda often. There is less waste and you can make the soda water as you need it. We love ours). 

Rhubarb with citrus and vanilla was one of the syrups I canned last summer and am still using now. (I like to can syrups in Weck juice jars. They are easier to pour from and they’re pretty—I’m a sucker for pretty jars).

Making your own flavored syrups doesn’t require much effort, makes for a MUCH healthier drink, and opens up a world of creative flavors that are unmatched by processed canned sodas. Rhubarb syrup is delicious. Put this recipe on your rhubarb list when it’s ready for harvest. 

I based my recipe on several I researched, sticking to a simple ratio of rhubarb to sugar and adding my own supplementary flavors.

Rhubarb Syrup and a soda. Delicious.

Rhubarb Syrup with Citrus and Vanilla

makes approximately 4 cups

1 ½ pounds rhubarb, chopped
3 cups water
zest of 1 lemon
zest and juice of 1 orange
½ vanilla bean, scraped
2 ½ cups sugar

This recipe can easily be made and stored in the refrigerator for immediate use, but is also safe for canning, which is what I did. Refrigerator space is precious around here.

Combine the rhubarb, water, lemon zest, orange zest, and vanilla bean in a non-reactive pot and bring to a boil. 

Reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft and has given most of its color.

Place a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl and strain the rhubarb juice—this should take about 30 minutes. Pressing the rhubarb in the sieve will make for cloudy syrup, so just let gravity to the job for you and take a break or get your canning pot ready while the juice drips through the sieve.

To can, fill your canning pot with your jars and cold water and bring to a boil. When the pot has reached a boil, turn the temperature down and simmer for 10 minutes or until you’re ready to fill the jars. Place the lids in a small saucepan and bring to a low simmer to soften the seal.

When the juice has strained, compost or discard the rhubarb solids and zest and place the juice back in the pot along with the juice of the orange (strained to remove pulp) and the sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the syrup has thickened slightly.

Remove the jars from the canning pot. Fill with the syrup, leaving a full ½” headspace. Wipe rims, apply lids, and screw on bands. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes (15 minutes for Spokane due to elevation).

When the time is up, pull the canning pot off of the heat and let sit for 5 minutes, then remove the jars and allow them to cool on a towel-lined countertop. Check the seals and store in a cool, dark place.

To make soda:

Add approximately 2 tablespoons syrup to a glass of ice, top with club soda, stir, and drink. It really is surprising and refreshing. I’ve also combined the rhubarb with strawberry syrup or Satsuma syrup. The combinations are great. I don’t ever use much more than 2 tablespoons of syrup, but it is easy to adjust for taste.