Basic Strawberry Jam with Pectin and Southern Strawberry Cake

Basic strawberry jam is one our family's favorite things to can every year. Strawberry jam is staple for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that Little BBQ adores for his lunches. Every year we head out to a you pick orchard where we spend about an hour and half in the morning picking beautiful red strawberries. Then, we come home for a relaxing brunch and head out to the city pool for a refreshing dip in the pool. Finally, we come home and start processing strawberries. On top of making jam, we freezer several gallon bags full of strawberries for smoothies later in the year. We also dehydrate several pounds of strawberries for strawberry pancakes and muffins. This combination of canning, freezing, and dehydrating allows us to enjoy strawberries all year long.

After making strawberry jam this year, the family begged me to make a strawberry cake. The family has been craving a fruity dessert, so I decided to make a southern strawberry cake. After living down south for several years I learned that the secret to a very flavorful cake is buttermilk. Buttermilk imparts a complex flavor in the cake that is unmatched any other way. Combine buttermilk with strawberries for a delicious combination. The cake came out very moist, slightly pink, and delicious. The 3 layers of the cake encased the basic strawberry jam that really popped beside the cake. The frosting was a delicious strawberry cream cheese frosting. I generally frost my cakes minimally to cut back on the amount of sugar that the kids are eating. I am not a fan of super thick coats of frosting on top of cakes and cupcakes. For me frosting should compliment a good cake but not overwhelm the cake. If you like more frosting on your cake, then double the frosting recipe below for a more generously frosted cake.

Ingredients for Basic Strawberry Jam (about 8 half pints) from Ball

5 cups crushed strawberries (about 5 lbs)
1/4 cup lemon juice
6 tbsp powdered pectin
7 cups granulated sugar
8 half pint jars with lids and bands

Directions

1. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and pectin to a large pot on high heat. Bring the strawberry mixture to a boil, about 3 minutes, while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
2. Add the sugar to the strawberry mixture, and stir. Boil the mixture hard for 1 minute while stirring constantly.
3. Remove the jam from the heat, and skim off the foam.
4. Allow the jam to rest for 5 minutes before ladling the jam into hot sterile jars leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe the rim, place a hot lid on top, and adjust the band until finger tip tight.
5. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.
6. Remove the jars from the boiling water canner and allow to cool for 24 hours. Check the seal of the lids by pushing down on the center of the lid (the lid should not move up or down when being pushed) before storing in a cool, dry, dark place.

Ingredients for Southern Strawberry Cake (makes 1 8 inch cake) modified from I made that

2 1/2 cups cake flour (a substitute can be found here)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract (I used tahitian vanilla)
8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature, beaten
1 cup strawberry puree
1/2 pint basic strawberry jam
1/2 cup strawberries, sliced in half

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 inch cake pan. Set the pan aside.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium size bowl.
3. Combine buttermilk, applesauce, and almond extract in a medium size bowl.
4. Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl until a thick paste forms. Slowly add the eggs while continuing to beat the mixture. Add the buttermilk mixture while continuing to beat the mixture. Beat for about 1 minute.
5. Add the flour mixture to the buttermilk mixture and mix until just combined.
6. Stir in the strawberry puree.
7. Add the batter to the prepared cake pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
8. Allow the cake to cook for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
9. Allow the cake to fully cool before slicing into 3 layers.
10. Spread the jam in between the layers of the cake.
11. Frost the outside of the cake (recipe below.)
12. Garnish with strawberries.

Ingredients for strawberry cream cheese frosting modified from I made that

1/2 pound cream cheese, room temperature
6 tbps unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powder sugar
3 tbsp basic strawberry jam
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1. Beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth in a medium size bowl.
2. Mix in the powdered sugar until incorporated.
3. Mix in the strawberry jam, vanilla, and salt until well incorporated
4. Frost the cake.

Canning Pineapple Rhubarb Sauce

Beautiful tart rhubarb is in season locally, and I am indulging in this special treat while it is in season. To make the treat last all year long, I made a small batch of pineapple rhubarb sauce. I did want to use tons of white granulated sugar to sweeten the rhubarb, so I used pineapple and honey. The rhubarb sauce came out very sweet for rhubarb which the kids loved. The sauce is slightly chunky with little bits of pineapple scattered through out the sauce. The color of the sauce is nothing exciting, but the taste makes up for the bland color. This pineapple rhubarb sauce is fantastic with plain yogurt.

Ingredients (makes approximately 2 half pints)

3 cups rhubarb, 1/4" pieces
1/2 cup honey
1 cup pineapple, chopped into tiny pieces

Directions

1. Pour the honey on top of the rhubarb and stir. Let the rhubarb sit for 3 hours. During this time, the rhubarb will release its juices.
2. Combine the rhubarb and pineapple in a small saucepot.
3. Simmer the rhubarb and pineapple mixture until thickened and the rhubarb falls apart, 20 about minutes.
4. Ladle the sauce into hot sterile jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Adjust two piece lids.
5. Process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes.

Canning Baked Beans

Baby #3 is here. I had a healthy baby girl! Our newly expanded family is adjusting to our new addition. I am getting used to sleeping in small chunks of time again. I hope to be blogging more frequently when canning season begins in a few short weeks. I wrote this post before baby girl arrived, but I never posted it, so here is a recipe for pressure canning baked beans:

My pre baby prep includes pressure canning some beans for easy meals later. I decided to make some baked beans because my kids really enjoy baked beans and they can be served with rice and a salad for a fast meal after the baby arrives. I modified Ball's recipe for baked beans because they make a sweeter baked bean than National Center for Home Preservation's recipe. I cut back on the onion in Ball's recipe because I did not want the onion flavor to be overwhelming. I was looking for a hint of onion flavor. I also changed the meat in the recipe from salt pork to bacon. I also cut back on the amount of meat in the recipe to keep the fat content of the baked beans down to make sealing the jars easier. Lastly, I added some apple cider vinegar to give the beans more of a BBQ flavor.

The beans came out delicious. The beans were sweet enough for the kids and had enough of a tang and onion flavor for me. Dr. Lazy Palate liked the bacon the best. He says he would like these beans with grilled sausage. Overall, this recipe is a winner. Plus this recipe will last 3 years on a shelf so there is no need to quickly eat the beans.

This recipe must be pressure canned.

Ingredients (about 7 quarts) modified from Blue Book Guide to Preserving p 66

5 pounds dried navy beans
7 slices 3/4" bacon, cut into pieces
1 large onion, diced
4 cups water
2/3 cup molasses
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp iodine free salt (canning salt or sea salt)
2 tsp dry mustard
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Directions

1. Soak beans over night in bowl filled with twice the amount of water compared to beans.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Drain the beans.
4. Add the beans, bacon, and onion to a large casserole dish.
5. Mix water, molasses, brown sugar, salt, mustard, and apple cider vinegar in a medium size bowl.
6. Pour the sauce over the beans.
7. Bake beans for 4 hours at 350 degrees F.
8. Fill hot jars with the hot bean mixture leaving 1" headspace.
9. Remove air bubbles in the jars.
10. Adjust lids.
11. Process quarts for 75 minutes at 11 lbs of pressure for a dial-gauge canner or 75 minutes at 10 lbs of pressure for a weighted gauge canner.

Irish Cauliflower Cheese

We were fortunate enough to be invited to a St. Patty's Day party with our homeschooling group this year. The party was pot luck, so our family wanted to make an Irish dish that was outside of the usual corned beef, Irish stews, or soda breads. We went to the library and picked out a few Irish cookbooks, but one cookbook, Real Irish Food by David Bowers, in particular stuck out being really put together and thoughtful. The cookbook did contain the expected soda breads, shepards pie, and other well known recipes, but the book also contained some little known recipes that I have not seen anywhere else. Combine the unusual recipes with beautiful photography and tidbits of the author's life and you have a really nice cook book. You actually feel like you are eating inside a Irish home. The photos take you to the beautiful Irish landscape, markets, and finally to an Irish table for a feast.

This simple cauliflower dish stuck out at me because it was easy enough for the kids to help prepare for the party. This cheesy cauliflower dish would be a great substitute for a family that loves their macaroni and cheese. The cheese is really the really the star of the dish, so you want to use a nice sharp cheddar cheese for this recipe. The author recommends a white cheddar but I used an orange cheddar instead because I really like the flavor of the cheese that I chose. Do not skimp on the cheese. This is one time where you want to spend a little more money and get a good quality cheese.

Ingredients modified from Real Irish Food by David Bowers p 172

• 1 head cauliflower
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp. whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• pinch nutmeg

Directions

1. Cut the cauliflower into florets.
2. Steam the cauliflower for 15 minutes or until tender.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
4. Heat the butter in a pan until melted over medium high heat.
5. Add the flour to the butter and mix well.
6. Slowly add the milk to the flour mixture. Stir constantly. Cook until thick like alfredo sauce. This will take about 10 minutes.
7. Add the cheese and nutmeg to the thick milk. Stir well. Cook until the cheese has melted.
8. Add the cauliflower to a medium sized casserole dish. Pour the cheese mixture on top.
9. Bake for 10 minutes or until brown spots begin to form on top of the cheese.
10. Serve immediately.

How to Make Seed Mats

I admit it. I get spring fever every year. When the final days of winter roll around all I can think about is getting in my garden and planting a new set of crops. I find myself wanting to go outside and start digging in the garden even if the ground is completely frozen.

This year my spring fever has been worse than normal because baby #3 is due right around the same time as my zone's planting date. This is making me more anxious than ever to get out in the garden and plant stuff. I want my entire spring garden planted and growing by the time baby #3 makes their appearance into this world. To make things easier on the few short days that I have available for planting, I am making seed mats on days that are too cold and gloomy to go outside and work in the garden.

The seed mats will be planted directly in the ground with a light layer of soil sprinkled on top and a nice misting of water to get them started. The seed mats have been super easy to make even with two little helpers. I simply squeeze a small dot of glue on the paper napkin and let one of the kids place the seed on top of the glue dot. Normally, I would let Little BBQ control the glue, but I wanted to use the least amount of glue possible for each seed so they glue would not interfere with germination.

The seed mat method works well for seeds that can be planted closely together and do not require soaking before planting. I have made seed mats for carrots and radishes so far. The other random perk of seed mats is that I will have to spend less time hunched over on the ground a few days before delivery saving me from a back ache.

Materials from Hickory Holler Farm

single ply napkins that contain no dyes
ruler
non toxic liquid glue (I used Elmer's School Glue)
seeds
ball point pen

Directions

1.  Measure the amount of space needed in between each seed (the back of seed packets usually tell you how far to space plants or you can use measurements given in square foot gardening.)
2. Place a small glue dot on top of where a seed should be located.
3. Place the seed on top of the glue dot.
4. Continue placing glue and seeds on the napkin until the napkin is full.
5. Label the seed mat with the type of seed and when the mat needs to be planted.
6. Allow the seed mat to dry.
7. Plant on desired planting day by placing the mat in the garden and sprinkling soil on top of the mat and mist with water.

Canning Lemon Curd

Normally a recipe for boiling water canning calling for ¾ cup of butter and eggs would send me running the other way. I would worried about botulism, but this recipe is from the National Center for Home Food Preservation that thoroughly tests their recipes before recommending them to the public.  A lot of research money and testing at The University of Georgia in Athens, GA has gone into this recipe. With that being said, this is not the type of recipe that you want to get creative with. Do not make substitutions or changes to this recipe. Sometimes with canning creativity can be dangerous, so it is better to go with a tested recipe rather than risk getting sick from your home canned products.

I have a lot of notes on this recipe for those not as familiar with cooking and canning:

1.       Superfine sugar can economically be made in your kitchen by running regular granulated sugar through a food processor or blender for 1 minute. The sugar should not be as fine as powdered sugar, but it should be finer than granulated sugar. If you are not comfortable making your own superfine sugar, then you can find super fine sugar at some grocery stores in the baking section or at specialty baking stores, but it will cost you more than regular granulated sugar.

2.       The lemon zest in this recipe must be fresh. Dehydrated lemon zest will not work in this recipe. To make zesting a lemon easier, use a microplate grater. A microplate grater will allow just the yellow part of the peel to come off leaving behind the bitter white part of the peel. A box grater is not recommended for zesting.

3.       Bottled lemon juice must be used in this recipe. Fresh lemon juice can vary in acidity which can make this recipe unsafe for canning so only bottled lemon juice is recommended for this canning project.

4.       If you do not have a double boiler, then you can easily make one by placing a large bowl (at least 1 ½ quart capacity) on top of a pot. The bowl should rest part of the way down inside the pot and fit snugly.

5.       At 168 degrees F my lemon curd changed color and texture. The top of the mixture went from being pale yellow from the butter to a beautiful bright yellow that you would expect in lemon curd. The mixture also began to thicken. This is where stirring becomes essential because you do not want to burn your lemon curd to the bowl.

6.       When taking the temperature of the lemon curd, make sure you are not touching your thermometer to the sides or bottom of the bowl. You want an accurate temperature for this recipe.

7. Your boiling water canner must be heated to 180 degrees F before the jars are added. Do not add the jars if the water is hotter than 180 degrees. When you add the jars to the hot water bath, the water will stop boiling and you will have to bring the jars in the hot water bath back up to boiling to start your process time. The process time does not start until the water is back up to a boil over the tops of the jars.

Don’t let all of my notes scare you away from making this recipe. This lemon curd is worth all the extra notes. The lemon curd has a nice sweet tart taste that makes a great cake filling. The curd has a pudding like texture. A small dab of this lemon curd is excellent in a small bowl of homemade yogurt. This lemon curd must be used quicker than most boiling water canning recipes. This lemon curd is shelf stable for only 4 months, so plan accordingly.  

Ingredients from National Center for Home Food Preservation yield about 4 half pint jars

2 1/2 cups super fine sugar (see note 1)
1/2 cup lemon zest (see note 2)
7 large egg yolks
4 large eggs
1 cup bottled lemon juice (see note 3)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2" pieces

Special Equipment
Zester
Double Boiler (see note 4)
Thermometer
Mesh strainer
Large pot with rack on bottom for boiling water canning

Directions

1. Add enough water to hot water bath to cover full jars by two inches. Heat the boiling water bath to 180 degrees F. Do not over heat the water.

2. Mix the lemon zest with the sugar. Make sure to cover all the lemon zest with sugar. Set aside for 30 minutes.

3. Heat the water in the bottom half of the double boiler until gently boiling. The water level should not touch the top bowl.

4. Whisk eggs together until well mixed. Whisk in the sugar and lemon zest mixture slowly until smooth. Mix in the lemon juice. Add the butter pieces to the mixture.

5. Transfer the lemon mixture to the top of the double boiler.

6. Add the thermometer to the lemon mixture. Stir constantly.

7. Cook the lemon curd to 170 degrees F (see notes 5 and 6.)

8. Remove the curd from the heat.

9. Strain the curd to remove the zest.

10. Stir the curd for another 5 minutes until the curd is the desired thickness. My curd thickened within 3 minutes after removing from the heat.

11. Place curd in hot sterile jars leaving 1/2 inch head space. Place hot lids on the jars and adjust the two piece lids.

12. Place the jars in the hot water bath (see note 7). The water is cease to boil. Bring the water bath back to a boil. This will take about 30 minutes. The process time does not start until the water bath is back to a boil. Process for 15 minutes.

How to Dehydrate Lemon Zest

There are lots of delicious lemons at the grocery store right now. I am envious of those fortunate enough to live in an area where citrus fruits are bountiful during this time of year. In my cold climate I can either grow a miniature tree or buy from the grocery store for my citrus needs. This year I am buying my citrus from a grocery store since I do not currently own any dwarf citrus trees.

I am especially attracted to Meyer Lemons with their sweet tart flavor that lacks the harsh bitterness of true lemons. Unfortunately, Meyer Lemons do not last long in the grocery store, so when they are in season I indulge in several pounds of Meyer Lemons. I make them most of the Meyer Lemons by preserving the zest in a dehydrator. The Meyer Lemon zest is wonderful in yogurt, on top of steamed broccoli, or baked on top of fish.

Lemon zest takes up a small amount of room in a dehydrator, so this project is realistic for people with the smallest dehydrators. Use a micro plate zester to zest the lemons so the bitter white part of the peel is left behind. This will prevent your lemon zest from tasting bitter. Fresh lemon zest is far more flavorful than dehydrated lemon zest, but when Meyer Lemons are no longer in season this is a good substitute for fresh lemon zest.

Ingredients modified from The Dehydrator Bible by Jennifer MacKenzi, Jay Nutt, and Don Mercer p 28

• Lemons
• Micro Plate Zester
• Dehydrator

Directions

1. Zest the lemons using a micro plate zester. Leave the white part of the pith on the lemon.
2. Evenly spread the lemon zest over a sheet of parchment paper or on a fruit leather sheet.
3. Place the parchment paper or fruit leather sheet on a rack in your dehydrator.
4. Dehydrate for 2 hours at 130 degrees F.
5. Break up any clumps of zest and stir the zest to ensure even drying.
6. Dehydrate another 1-2 hours at 130 degrees F. (I dehydrated my zest for 3 hours)
7. Store in an air tight container in a dark place for up to 1 year.

Posted on Homestead Barn Hop