Strawberry Jam

We had a beautifully laid back weekend.

Chris and I were determined to do next to nothing,

with the scheduled event being relaxing with our family.

Done and done.

About the only thing that happened that was somewhat productive

was the making and canning of strawberry jam.

We moved the strawberry plants to a new location in the yard because they were taking over the garden...

and then I proceeded to neglect them,

so we got all of two strawberries this year...

which the dogs ate.

Luckily, I found a FABULOUS new local fruit and veggie stand that has been selling them super super super cheap.

So I picked up 5 lbs and made some jam.

If you've never canned before,

strawberry jam is a good place to start.

There are very few ingredients,

few steps,

and best of all, you don't need a pressure cooker/canner to preserve them (just a big pot for the hot bath method).

I hull and cut mine into smaller pieces.

and then pulse them in the mini processor in small batches until they're broken down but still fairly chunky (they'll break down a little more when you cook them).

Then into the pot with sugar, lemon juice, and pectin.

Then funnel into the jars and process for 15 minutes in boiling water, turn off the heat, 

leave them for 15 minutes more in the water,

take them out,

and let them cool overnight.

So simple. So pretty. So tasty.

Red, White, and Blue Pie

I had a crazy weekend.

We were busy all around, but it was a lot of fun.










Family and friends were around, so we ended up throwing an impromptu get together at our house.

Since it was Memorial Day yesterday,

I thought I would make what I call "Red, White, and Blue Pie."

It's pretty tasty and simple to make.

Plus, it uses fruits that are in season right now (rhubarb, strawberries, and blackberries),

so even if you don't grow them yourself,

you should be able to find them at your local farmers market or grocery store.

Red, White, and Blue Pie

Ingredients

For the Pie:

One 9" pie crust, uncooked

about 7 cups of rhubarb, strawberries, and blackberries (I like about equal parts of all three, but I use whatever I have), cleaned and cut up

Note: I dice my rhubarb into about 1/2"pieces and my strawberries to bite sized pieces. The blackberries I leave whole.

1/2 C of brown sugar

1/2 C of white sugar

1/2 C of AP flour

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

a healthy pinch of salt

For the crumb topping:

1 stick (1/2 C) of butter, chilled and cut into 1/2" cubes

3/4 C of brown sugar

3/4 C of AP flour

3/4 C of oats (not instant)

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

a healthy pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, gently mix your fruit with all of the filling ingredients. Be careful not to break up your fruit too much.

Place rolled out pie crust in pie dish and fill with fruit mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

In the meantime, mix all of the crumb topping ingredients except for the butter in a medium bowl.

Cut in your butter with a pastry cutter (or a fork if you don't have one).

After the pie has baked for the first 20 minutes, top with your crumb mixture and place back in the oven.

Knock the oven temperature down to 325 degrees and bake for another hour, or until the filling thickens.

By the way, I put a foil lined cookie sheet underneath the pie plate, so I don't have a sticky mess in the oven.

Done and done.

And so good.