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
No comments:
Post a Comment