Veggies and Jam

Saturday is Farmers Market Day. Today’s haul included:
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New red potatoes (I think they were rose gold), garlic buds, asparagus, spring onions, spring carrots, bok choi, peas, and…strawberries! And not just any strawberries, but Mr. Sherman’s June berries. They are the sweetest berries I have ever tasted and look forward to them every year. I asked about them last week and was told it was a bad year and there may not be any for sale. (Mrs. Sherman uses them for her famous jam) But, today I was early enough to snag the only two baskets. woo! I also bought some from Whippoorwill Farm who are second in my book. Their berries are not as sweet, but are a good sturdy tasty berry for preserving. I also bought two fresh chickens today from North Tabor Farm and some beef from Blackwater Farm.
We are pretty stuck at Rugosa Rose Farm with growing greens, herbs, and eggs. We don’t have enough sun for really an other vegetables. To make up for that I have a good relationship with many of the farms on the island and we are able to eat 90% local most of the year.  But, that is another post for another day.
Back to the strawberries! I promptly went home and made jam. Our strawberry season is short. Two or three weeks really. So when I see strawberries, I make jam. My favorite recipe is Strawberry Jam in “Blue Ribbon Preserves, by Linda J. Amendt” It is simple and easy. My only problem is sometimes the fruit bits will float. Who can tell me why this is? It doesn’t effect the taste or jell of the jam, we eat it anyway.It just makes it a failure for entrance in the fair. I have won many ribbons with this jam when it behaves.
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Aren’t they pretty?
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Jars at the ready. You can see the extras for shortcake in the back and my floaty failures of last week.
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I like these round jars the best. You can get a good grip on them and they look so pretty with a ribbon or a length of twine. They are becoming hard to find, I encourage everyone to return their empties.
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Ta dah! They were a lot less floaty this time. Much better. I will stash them away in the cabinet I use to store all my preserving. The preserving season has begun.

Comments

  1. This strawberry jam sounds amazing!! The crop for strawberries has been a little less than ideal here in Texas, as we are in one of the worst droughts and keep the temp around 115!!

    Maybe next year!

    Take Care

    Jaclyn

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  2. Oh my that is hot! It never gets that hot here. Maybe low 90s. Now humidity, we have plenty of. Strawberries can be a fickle crop, if there is too much rain you get moldy mushy berries that are no good for anyone. Thanks for commenting.

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