Rhubarb Orange Jam

Yes, this is my jam.

I have some sort of debilitating, romanticized idea of rhubarb. No idea why, really. Maybe it's because my dad told me this story once about how rhubarb seemed to be growing every where in Logansport, IN, and that he'd pick it and just eat it like candy when he was a kid. I guess I developed a dream of doing the same and believing it would be easy to grow this supposedly ubiquitous plant. Unfortunately, I'm afraid the rhubarb I've been waiting two years to harvest is going to be a dud in it's third, harvest-able year. It's maybe had two sickly stalks over the past two years.

This summer during a trip to the infamous Kedzie house in the Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago, I noticed they had a rhubarb plant that likely had about 30 stalks on it. My spirits were crushed.

Oh well.

In a moment of weakness the other day, I impulsively bought 1 1/2 lbs of rhubarb at the store. It was just so red and stalky...I couldn't resist. As I cut it up for my recipe, I yearned for the day I would have my own absurdly-producing rhubarb plant. *sigh*

This is one of the easiest and quickest canning recipes I've ever made. A great endeavor for a beginning canner!

Rhubarb Orange Jam--makes 7 8 oz. jars (via Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)
5 c. rhubarb, finely chopped ( chopped mine in the food processor)
2 oranges
6 c. granulated sugar
1 package fruit pectin.
Prepare jars and lids (i.e. bring to 180 degrees in a water bath until ready to use).

With a vegetable peeler, peel half of one orange. Thinly slice the peels into 1 in.-long slivers. Set aside. Juice both oranges to produce 1 c juice. Add water if needed.




Combine rhubarb, orange slivers, and orange juice in a large stainless steel pot. Bring to a boil. Now, add sugar all at once.

While stirring frequently, return mixture to a boil. Once it is at a rolling boil, stir constantly for one minute and then remove from heat. Skim off foam with a spatula.

Ladle mixture into hot jars, leaving 1/4 in. headspace. Use spatula or plastic chopstick to remove air bubbles. Put lids on and screw until finger tight. Process cans for 10 min. Let sit in bath for 5 min. afterwards, then remove.





Adios mis amigos, hermanos y hermanas.

tommy pickle

I like pickles.

I've come to learn over the last several years that apparently a lot of people don't. Weird.

Last year was my first attempt at pickling cucumbers, which had mostly disastrous results. Overprocessing, using not-completely fresh cucumbers, and timid packing on my part are just a few of the reasons I think the pickles sat in the cabinet all year without being eaten.

This year, however, I am determined to win over the skeptics. We had just enough cucmbers on the vine yesterday (ok, i had to buy one from the store too) to make a first batch. I made a bread and butter pickle recipe in the hopes that at least our friend Tim would eat them. The recipe comes from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.

Here's our cucumber teepee...

And here's the cucumbers and onions in the pickling salt...

And here's the final product...yum!

Merry pickling! Adios mis amigos, hermanos, y hermanas.

Straws and berries

This year the Rose garden is producing strawberries out the wazoo, compared to last year's meager handful.

Other than just eatin' em whole and having them with yogurt at breakfast, here's what we've been doing with them...

Strawberry Pie (courtesy of the Mennonites and Simply In Season)

1 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch (or more)
Blend in a saucepan

1 c. strawberries (mashed)
1/2 c. orange juice or water (omit if you have an additional cup of strawberries)
Add and cook over med. heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils (Note: It's REALLY important to get this sauce nice and thick!). Boil and stir for at least 1 min. or longer. Remove from heat.

2 T. lemon juice.
Stir in and cool.

4-6 c. whole strawberries
9-in. baked pastry shell or graham cracker crust.
When cooked fruit is cool, gently fold in the rest of the berries and pour into crust. Chill for 3 hours.

Shortcake Biscuits Supreme (courtesy of Will's mom).

4 c. cut strawberries
1c. sugar
Stir together, cover, and let sit at room temp. for at least 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

2 c. flour
4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. cream of tartar
1/2 t. salt
2 t. sugar
Sift all ingredients together.

1/2 c. shortening
Cut into sifted ingredients with a knife or pastry blender until crumby.

2/3 c. milk
Add milk all at once and stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Loosely form small handfuls of dough into biscuit shapes and place in a greased baking pan. (dough should be moist and your hands should be messy!). Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes. Don't brown. Pour strawberries on top and enjoy!

Strawberry Jam (makes about 8 8-oz jars; water bath canning recipe)

8 c. crushed hulled strawberries
6 c. granulated sugar
1. Sterilize jars and lids
2. In a large, deep, stainless steel saucepan, combine berries and sugar. Bring to a boil over med. heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Boil, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and test gel to make sure it sticks on spoon. Skim off foam.
3. Ladle hot jam into jars with 1/4 in. headspace. Put on lid, but not too tight.
4. Process for 10 minutes in boiling water. Wait 5 min. before removing jar from pot.


Adios mis amigos, hermanos y hermanas.