Summer of Strawberries
When strawberry picking was at its peak, we drove a little south to a farm to pick strawberries early in the morning. They kind of took over my Saturday and our kitchen. It was worth it.
We got my dad a food dehydrator a few years ago because he likes to make venison jerky...but he never even took it out of the box. So I snagged it and tried dehydrated strawberries. Delicious!! They take a while, but they're so good!
Just cut the strawberries into thin slices and layer them on the tray. Stack the trays and put the cover on and let 'em go! I rearranged the trays every so often to keep them consistent, but it was pretty painless. Only bad thing is that they shrink significantly so there's not much yield, but it's great if you don't have a plan for some berries. I just store them in the freezer and munch on them periodically.
Strawberry Jam
Makes 10-12 half-pints
2 quarts (8 cups) fresh strawberries, hulled
1 (1.75 oz) pkg regular powdered fruit pectin
1/2 tsp butter
7 c sugar
1. Chop up 8 c berries. Add the berries about 1 c to a large heavy pot. Crush the berries. Add more and more until all 8 c have been added.
2. Stir in pectin and butter. Heat on high, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Add sugar all at once. Return to boiling; boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; skim off foam with metal spoon. (I canned that "foam". It makes great ice cream topping!!)
3. Ladle at once into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a 1/4 inch headspace (that's a gap). See below.
4. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids.
5. Process in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes (start timing when water starts to boil). I used a large pot that once was a pressure cooker (thrift sale steal!) I just boiled them for 5-8 minutes. Make sure the water covers the tops of the jars!
6. Remove jars; cool on racks! Beautiful! If you've never canned before, it can take a while for the lids to pop - it's the change in temperature that causes the vacuum seal (uhhh...I think). Be patient! Let them cool as completely as possible before putting stickers on them or putting them away.
7. Enjoy! This jam is absolutely delicious!
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
The good news is: This pie was delicious!
The bad news is: I can't remember where I found the recipe. Bummer! Next time I'll write it down!
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