Jam + Pickles

Pickling and jam season is upon us and last week I made blueberry jam and a dill pickle called Dutch Lunch Spears. It was a great week to spend in the kitchen since the weather finally gave us a break. I used pickling cucumbers from Endeavor Farm and I went and picked blueberries from Blue Jay Orchard, who also sell at the Geauga Fresh market. I have had some requests for not only pictures of my canning projects but also the recipes. So below are the recipes I used and I have done them a few times now and they have proven to be winners. The blueberry jam doesn't have pectin in it which I much prefer so it's a bit of a trickier process to know when the jam is done, but it's really not that complicated. 

Blueberry Jam

Yield: 7 - 8oz jars 

2 lbs 10 oz blueberries

1 lb 10 oz white cane sugar

6 oz strained freshly squeezed lemon juice

Place 5 metal teaspoons flat in the freezer. 

Combine blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice in an 11 or 12 quart copper preserving pan or wide nonreactive kettle. Place the pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the juice begins to run from the berries. When the juice starts flowing freely, increase the heat to high. Continue to cook, stirring very frequently, until the mixture boils. Once it reaches a boil, cook it for 10 or 15 minutes more, stirring frequently, and decreasing the heat slightly if the jam starts to stick. Begin testing for doneness after 10 minutes.

To test the jam for doneness, carefully transfer a small representative half-spoonful of jam to one of the frozen spoons. Replace the spoon in the freezer for 3-4 minutes, then remove and carefully feel the underside of the spoon. It should be neither warm nor cold; if still warm, return it to the freezer for a moment. Tilt the spoon vertically to see whether the jam runs; if it does not, it is ready. If it does, cook the jam for another few minutes, stirring, and test again as needed.

Turn off the heat but do not stir. Using a stainless stell spoon, skim off any foam from the surface of the jam. Pour jam into sterilized jars. (I hot water processed my 8 oz jars for 6 minutes)

The stages of cooking the blueberries.

The final product!

Dutch Lunch Spears by the Quart

1 1/4 lbs of 4”-5” pickling cucumbers, blossom ends removed

3 tbsp plus 2 tsp pickling salt

1 quart plus 3/4 cup water

1 garlic clove

1 small onion

1 dill head

2 grape leaves

3/4 cup cider vinegar (I used 1/2 cider, 1/2 white)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp Mixed Pickling Spices (see below)

Quarter the cucumbers lengthwise and put them in a bowl or crock. Dissolve 3 tbsp salt in 1 quart water, and pour the brine over the cucumbers. Top the cucumbers with a heavy plate that fits just inside the crock or bowl. Let the cucumbers stand at room temperature for 8-12 hours.

Drain the cucumbers, rinse them, and drain them again. Pack them into a quart jar with the garlic, onion, and dill. Add the grape leaves.

In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the remaining 3/4 cup water and 2 tsp salt with the vinegar, sugar, and spices. Bring the mixture to a boil. Pour the hot liquid over the cucumbers and seal the jar. Hot water process for 10 minutes in boiling water. 

Mixed Pickling Spices

Makes about 1/2 cup

1 4” cinnamon stick, broken into small pieces

6 Mediterranean bay leaves, torn into small pieces

6 small dried hot peppers, such as japonés or de árbol, cut into small pieces

1 tbsp whole black peppercorns

1 tbsp whole yellow mustard seeds

1 tsp whole fennel seads

2 tsp whole allspice berries

1 tsp whole cloves

2 tsp whole coriander seeds

1/2 tsp blade (unground) mace

1 tbsp dill seeds

Combine all ingredients into a small jar. Mix thoroughly before measuring. If the spices are fresh to start, and you keep the jar tightly capped in a cool, dark place, the mixture should keep well for at least 1 year. 

Dutch Lunch Spears

In market news, last week we had a rainy start to the market and only about 1/2 of the vendors showed up. Luckily, half way through the market the skies cleared and customers showed up. We actually had one of our best-selling days and hope the rain holds out for us tomorrow.

Empty market last weekend

Tomorrow, Saturday, July 27th, we will be selling:

- beets: red & golden

- carrots

- green beans

- cucumbers: slicing & pickling

- swiss chard

- basil

- kale: tuscan & curly

- green peppers

- parsley

- red cabbage

- dill

- red lettuce

- arugula

- flower arrangements

- grape jelly

- red currant jelly

- black currant jam

Guest Blogger...Mom!

To give you all some insight on the process of making jelly, my mom wanted to contribute her insight and descriptions on making the delicious and precious currant jelly. It is very labor intensive and it is definitely something we all covet. So here is Bev!

"When we bought this old farm house in 1973 it came with 3 red currant bushes. Even if I picked every other day until they were gone, I only had enough for half of a recipe of red currant jelly. 7 pounds of currants is a lot of picking time.  A couple of years ago a friend of Anne’s invited me to pick from her husband’s Grandmother’s garden on the west side of Cleveland. That was the first time in years that I had enough for a whole batch of currant jelly. The reds are usually made into jelly because the seeds are large in proportion to the berry. I just discovered black currants last year. They are a larger berry with much smaller seeds so they make a fabulous jam that includes the skins which are very high in pectin. This means you don’t have to add pectin to thicken the jam. The owner of the berry farm where we pick pointed out that black currants have four times the vitamin C as oranges, more anti-oxidants than blueberries or pomegranates and are rich in iron and potassium. 

red currant bush                                                         black currant bush

I was crazy about the sweet/tartness long before I knew they were actually good for you.  To make the grape jelly I use a juice extractor made in Finland which draws every bit of juice from the grapes using steam and a cone shaped pan. I don’t really understand how it works, but it is an amazing invention. Currants, on the other hand, require much more labor to get to the end product. Consider that each black current has a dried flower that has to be either snipped or removed with your thumb and forefinger before cooking. Let me just say that I spent 9 hours cleaning 16 pounds of black currants after spending 5 hours picking them. Then there is the time to sterilize the jars, mash, cook, test for doneness several times, ladle into jars, seal, and then process in a hot water bath. I love every minute of it.  

Harvested red and black currant berries

Currants are a beautiful red color when cooking!

The process of heating the berries to the right temperature and then straining the liquid.

This year at the market we are offering three jams and jellies for sale. The grape jelly is very good...but the red currant jelly and black currant jam will knock your socks off. They are just sweet enough to soften the tartness of the berries.  You taste the fruit, not the sugar. The red currant is a low sugar recipe which makes me feel better about consuming it. Even though the berries will be gone in a short while, we will be enjoying them all winter long."

The finished product ready to sell!

I hope that learning about the currant jelly is making your mouth water for that sweet and tart taste on your tongue. To be honest, I am surprised that my mom is willing to even sell the jelly because it is always something that is so cherished in our family that I didn't think she would want to part with it! So please, come to the market this weekend and see what it's all about! 

In addition to our jellies, this weekend on Saturday, July 20th, we will be selling:

- green beans

- carrots

- arugula

- swiss chard

- beets (red & golden)

- basil 

- dill stems with seeds

- cucumbers

- kale (tuscan & curly)

- parsley

- red cabbage 

- flower arrangements

Flowers Are Back!

The flowers are finally big enough to make our arrangements. Last week Bev made 13 arrangements and they all sold quickly. This year I really like the variety of texture and color in the blooms and the foliage. Every week the arrangements will look a little different and are great to bring as a hostess gift to a party or just to brighten up your own home.  Last year we had several people place orders for a wedding or larger party and we are happy to accommodate special orders if we have enough flowers. Just let us know ahead of time and we can help you out! 

In other news, Terry has planted a second batch of cilantro, starts for napa cabbage and red cabbage, and we continuously have new beets every week. We plant successively so that we always have new growth. It is almost time to harvest the garlic and will keep you updated on when that is ready. As we did last year, we will be able to ship garlic to you if you are not in the Cleveland area! Our garlic is a great hit and also makes for a wonderful gift. 

Tomorrow, Saturday, July 12th, we will be selling:

-dill plants with seed heads for pickling

-swiss chard

-beets (red and golden)

- lettuce (red and green)

-parsley

-carrots (first of the season!)

-salad mix

-arugula

-basil

-radishes

-kale (tuscan and curly)

-red cabbage

-flower arrangements

July Already?!

How is it already July? The garden is in full swing now and every week it looks so different from the week before. Flowers, which are a large part of our income at the market, are finally starting to bloom. That means more work for us on Friday nights and it also signifies how far we are into the season. It's so nice to see these pops of color in the garden!

My mouth waters as I walk through the garden smelling the dill and cilantro, and seeing the tomatoes begin to grow. I envision all of the meals that these vegetables will provide and all of the things I will process in mason jars. Dilly beans, sour pickles, tomato sandwiches, tomato jam, sauerkraut...the list goes on and on. I love basing my summer meals on what is ready to harvest that day and planning my evenings and weekends based on what I will process and pickle. These are the important things to me in life! Now that summer is here, I feel like I don't have to ration out my pickles and jams that I have from last year in the basement and I can eat as many as I want to free up the jars for this year. I am excited to try new things and restock on some of my favorites. 

Green beans

Sunflowers in the foreground

Red cabbage

Cucumbers climbing up the trellis

Dill

Happy 4th of July!!