Cinda Webb

I had some strawberries left from my presentation last week that should have been processed the next day, or at least over the weekend. But life, combined with a garage sale, prevented my from getting to them until today. I made five half-pints of low sugar jam and eight of Strawberry Jalapeno jam.
I used the recipe given to us in class by one of our leaders, Harriet Whelpley. Thanks, Harriet, it is great! I have served it as an appetizer over creamed cheese and it was a big hit.

Jalapeno Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:

4 cups crushed strawberries
1 cup minced jalapeno peppers
½ habanera pepper
¼ cup lemon juice
1 (2 ounce) package powdered fruit pectin
7 cups white sugar

8 half pint canning jars with lids and rings

Directions:
Place the crushed strawberries, minced jalapeno pepper, lemon juice, and pectin into a large saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once simmering, stir in sugar until dissolved, return to a boil, and cook for 1 minute.

Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack the jam into the hot, sterilize jars, filling the jars to within ¼ inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insiders of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles.  Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.

Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder.  Leave a 2 inch space between the jars.  Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars.  Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 minutes.

Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart.  Allow to cool overnight.  Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all) Store in a cool, dark area.

Note:
Wear gloves when chopping peppers and do not touch eyes or face.

 

The Food + Farm Lab at the Irvine Great Park has a series of classes about edible gardening. They wanted a talk on food preservation to be a part of the series. So they asked the Master Food Preservers if one of us would be willing to be the speaker. So, last Thursday evening I did my first big presentation as a Master Food Preserver.
I used strawberries as my topic and covered buying, storing, freezing, dehydrating, and jam making. Whew, it was a lot to cover in less than an hour. I had a great assistant who was also from my class. It was a lot of fun and the audience was really great. They seemed to really want to learn. Based on the questions after the presentation, dehydrating (especially fruit leathers) and jam making were the most interesting to the crowd.

 

Today I made Strawberry Jam with some heirloom berries that would never have made it to a supermarket. They are very soft and very flavorful.
I have been experimenting with Pomona’s Pectin and have tried making strawberry jam with grape juice concentrate as the sweetener. That one did not go over so well with sons. But my friend’s first graders told me it was great on their peanut butter sandwiches.
So today’s recipe:
8 cups of crushed berries to 2 cups of sugar, followed the package directions, and made nine half-pints of jam.