Tag Archives: preserves

chokecherry jelly

06 Sunday Jan 2013

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chokecherry jelly3

I was rummaging though the pantry this afternoon and realized that I never did share my chokecherry recipe last fall! My apologies!

I remember eating chokecherries as a child as we had a bush in the backyard of one of the houses that we lived in. I could barely stand the intense tart flavor but they were addictive and I liked the way they made the inside of my mouth feel.

Last summer, while restoring the Zen deck, I heavily pruned a large bush that grows through the center of it and was delighted to discover that it was a chokecherry bush! B spent hours picking these berries from the roof in the late afternoons and I made jelly from them. One batch was picked and made in early August and the other in late August. It is interesting to note the difference in color, with the earlier batch a cherry red and the later batch almost a deep purple.

Both batches did not set properly but that is fine with me as I will be using these taste syrups for pancakes, waffles and crepes. They will also be nice added to soda water for a fruity bubbly Italian Soda.

chokecherry jelly

chokecherries

Chokecherry Jelly

3 lbs chokecherries

3 cups water

3 cups prepared juice

6-½ cups sugar (or less if you like it less sweet)

6 ounces (170 grams) liquid pectin

Combine chokecherries and water in a large pot. Heat on medium-high until it comes to a boil/ Boil slowly for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour berries and juice into a jelly bag in a bowl. Tie the bag above bowl or place bag in food mill or large sieve so the juice will drain into the bowl.

Combine reserved juice and sugar in a large pot. Stir over fairlt high heat until it comes to a boil.

Stir in pectin, continuing to stir as it comes to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Skim off foam and pour quickly into hot sterilized jars to within ¼ inch of the top. Seal. Makes 6 half pints. Enjoy!

chokecherry syrup

Resource:

Pare, J. (1994). Company’s Coming: Preserves. Edmonton, AB: Company’s Coming Publishing Limited.

chokecherries1

and finally… apple jelly

09 Tuesday Oct 2012

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At last, here is the crabapple jelly recipe I’ve been using for over a decade. It’s from Jean Pare’s Company’s Coming series on Preserves. I’ve tried adding a single bird’s eye chili on each jar for color and a bit of heat but usually I stick to the classic recipe. Crabapple jelly is my absolute favorite along with raspberry jam.

 Crabapple Jelly

4 ½ lbs. crabapples, or tart apples, such as Granny Smith

7 cups water

5 cups of the prepared juice

3 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh or bottled

3 ¾ cups sugar

Remove stems and blossom ends from apples. Coarsely chop apples with peel and core included. Turn into large pot. Add water. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Cook for about 50 minutes until mushy-soft. Drain several hours or overnight in a jelly bag.

Combine prepared juice and lemon juice in a large pot. Add sugar. Stir on medium-high heat until it comes to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for about 40 minutes, stirring once or twice, testing for jelly stage near the end. Skim off foam if necessary. Pour into hot sterilized jars to within ¼ inch of top. Seal. Makes 3 half-pints.

Resource:

Pare, J. (1994). Company’s Coming: Preserves.  Edmonton, AB: Company’s Coming Publishing Limited.

apple butter

04 Thursday Oct 2012

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I used to have a crabapple tree in my backyard when I lived in St. Albert. Every autumn I would make crabapple jelly, crabapple butter and spiced apples for apple strudel. A few weeks ago, a dear friend and neighbor invited me up to her farm just up the hill to pick crabapples. B and I filled quite a few baskets full and I have been busy making the butter and jelly, as well as many batches of apple sauce (which I froze) and a large batch of dehydrated apples. After all of that, I still have a large bowl of crabapples sitting on my counter… Perhaps I can bake a pie tomorrow?

Apple Butter

4 lbs. tart apples, quartered

2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh or bottled

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Remove stems and blossom ends from apples before cutting into quarters. Place in a large pot, including seeds, core and peeling. Add sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Stir. Let stand until apples release some juice. Cover. Heat slowly. Bring to a boil. Cook gently, uncovered, stirring often, until apples are tender. Press through a food mill. Turn pulp into an enamel roaster. Bake, uncovered, in a 325 degrees (F) oven, stirring every 30 minutes, until thick, about 2 to 2 ½ hours. TO test for doneness, cool a teaspoonful on a chilled saucer. It should stay smooth. This may also be cooked in a large pot on top f the stove, stirring often. Pour into hot, sterilized jars to within ¼ inch (6 mm) of the top. Seal. Makes 4 half-pints.

Resource:

Pare, J. (1994). Company’s Coming: Preserves. Edmonton, AB: Company’s Coming Publishing Limited.

the season for jams and jellies…

01 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in appreciate the seasons, cook, preserve, wild berries

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Since early August I have been been busy picking berries as they ripen in the wild and preserving them in jams and jellies.  I love making preserves! I love the process of turning berries into little jars of sunshine, the satisfaction of a cupboard filled with preserves and the way the entire house smells like pie when the jams and jellies are cooking. I also love giving these jewels away as gifts as it is rare to enjoy wild berry preserves unless your lucky enough to find them at the farmers market or you pick and preserve them yourself.

Above is this year’s gooseberry jam. Click here for the recipe.

Here is this year’s rosehip jelly. One batch set beautifully and the other did not. I will simply label the watery one as ‘rosehip syrup’ and use it for pancakes and waffles. Click here for the recipe.

This raspberry jam is not from wild berries but from fruit from a dear friend’s backyard. Click here for the recipe.

Here is some high bush cranberry jelly in progress and below is the final jellies, just in time to serve with Thanksgiving turkey. Click here for the recipe.

I have also made apple butter, apple jelly and two batches of chokecherry jelly. I will post those soon with the recipes. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying this beautiful season!

Saskatoon jam

13 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by in cook, Pigeon Lake, preserve, wild berries

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This year the Saskatoon berries in my backyard are huge and plump! B and I got on ladders yesterday and picked three full basketfuls. I froze them for smoothies and pies and made a small batch of tarts for immediate enjoyment. I like to freeze the berries one layer at a time on cookie sheets and then place the frozen berries in large ziplock bags. This way they don’t stick together or freeze into one large lump and I can easily reach in for a handful of berries any time for smoothies. Last weekend I picked Saskatoon berries at one of our many beaches here on Pigeon Lake. There were many ripe berries and as these ones were a little smaller in size, I decided to make this jam with them.

Saskatoon Berry Jam

4 cups Saskatoon berries

3 cups raw cane sugar (less if, like me, you prefer the jam a little less sweet)

1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh or bottled

Place Saskatoon berries in a large pot, add the lemon juice and cover with the sugar. Heat on medium-high heat and stir until the mixture begins to bubble. Allow mixture to boil hard for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until it thickens. Pour into hot, sterilized jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Yield: 2 half pints and 1 small jar.

Serve on toast, pancakes, crepes and waffles. Enjoy!

wild strawberry jam

25 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by in cook, forage, preserve, wild berries

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I spent a blissful two hours picking wild strawberries on the trail last weekend. I had been picking small handfuls of them every morning and evening on our walks over the past two weeks and enjoying the sweet burst of flavor each little berry contains, but now it was time to do some serious picking. This time I brought along a large basket, dressed in rain pants (in order to crawl around on the ground) and wore mosquito netting. Lucy, as always, is a patient foraging companion. She just wanders around quietly nearby or curls up beside me in the tall grass and relaxes in the morning sunshine, eyes half closed.

I managed to pick enough berries for four medium jars of strawberry jam. As I didn’t have a lot of time for sterilizing jars, etc. I decided to try a freezer jam recipe from Jean Pare (Company’s Coming) which worked quite well. I am looking forward to opening these up on a cold winter’s morning and tasting sweet summer sunshine on my pancakes or toast or even served with chocolate or ice cream!

Strawberry Freezer Jam

4 cups sliced strawberries (or whole wild strawberries)

4 cups sugar (I use raw cane sugar)

2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh or bottled

Place strawberries in a large pot. Cover with 2 cups of the sugar. Heat and stir on high until it comes to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 3 minutes, stirring continually.

Add remaining sugar. Return to a boil, stirring continually. Boil hard for three more minutes while continuing to stir. Remove from heat.

Add lemon juice. Stir and skim off foam. Cool. Fill jars or plastic containers leaving at least one inch at the top for expansion. Let stand on counter for 24 hours to set. Freeze. Makes 4 half pints.

green tomato relish

06 Thursday Oct 2011

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Sweet, sour, tart and delicious. A great way to use up some of those green tomatoes from the garden. Note: the golden brown color comes from the brown sugar.

Green Tomato Relish

15 pounds green tomatoes
2 1/2 pounds onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup salt
6 cups brown sugar
4 green peppers, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup celery seed
1/3 cup mustard seed
1 tablespoon whole cloves
4 sticks cinnamon
2 tablespoons whole allspice
2 cups cider vinegar

Remove the stem end of the tomatoes. Cut tomatoes into fine dice. Alternate layers of tomatoes and onions in a large pot or bowl, sprinkling each layer with salt. Leave overnight.

The next day, drain off juices and place in a large preserving kettle. Add sugar, green peppers, celery seed and mustard seed. Tie the cloves, cinnamon and allspice in a cheesecloth bag and add to the pot. Pour in cider vinegar to cover and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from heat and discard cheesecloth bag. Pour relish into hot, sterilized jars, cover and seal.

This recipe comes from the Epicurious website.