Krista, is a major part of the food production at Farm to Table. Not only is she our expert gardener, but she is also our chief food preserver, baker, and soup master.
While I hog the spotlight, writing columns, blogs, and taking the lead in our marketing and communications, she is a major part of the wonderful food that comes out of our kitchen. After tending to our crop of berries and rhubarb, Krista brings the bounty to the kitchen and turns it into sweet, sweet gold.
And with berry season well upon us, I am excited to turn the blogging duties over to Krista for a change. She’s the jam and jelly whiz in our operation. She also makes sure the Farm to Table pastry comes out just right.
So, without further ado, I leave it to Krista to guide you through the world of summer jam making:
Secrets to Foolproof Local, Seasonal Jams
Its jam-making season! With the strawberries & raspberries bountiful at markets and pick-your-own farms, the Campbell Fraser house is thinking about Christmas. In addition to being able to pretend that its not 30°+ outside, the homemade jams and preserves we make at this time of year are a major component of gifts for family and friends.
Jams are fairly quick and easy to make, and of course, taste great. You can make either freezer jams or cooked jams, depending on your mood (and freezer space). The benefit to freezer jams is that they are a bit simpler to make and you can use a wider variety of containers, as they don’t have to seal. The downside is that these jams must be stored in the freezer (hence the name). Freezer space is at a premium at our house, so I generally make cooked jams. I’ve included a couple of recipes that I used this year (strawberry-rhubarb and raspberry) below. When you buy pectin (either powdered or liquid, more on that in the notes below), it always comes with a few recipes and instructions. These recipes are as good a starting point as any, experiment with any fresh fruit you have.
Read more at the MyKawartha Farm to Table Blog (with recipes!) — Click here.