Platter Jam
Fresh Strawberry Pie
Strawberries Filled with Cream
Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
Blue or Red Raspberry Jam
4- Fruit Jam
Strawberry, Rhubarb and Pineapple Jam
Jill’s Strawberry Tarts
Strawberry Smoothie
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Pickled Green or Yellow Beans
Select fresh firm fruit. Smaller berries are better. Do no more than 2 or 3 qts at a time. Wash and drain. Place each qt of berries and same amt of sugar in separate kettle (deep pot) and add 1 tblsp cold water. This keeps berries whole. Place over very low heat until sugar is melted. Shake to help dissolve sugar. Then turn up heat, when fruit begins to boil – boil just 10 min. Remove from heat – skim off foam. Now pour this cooked fruit into any large platter or pyrex pan – have fruit no more than 1” deep. Leave overnight in shallow dishes. Presto! What a change. Each berry is separate and lying in a rich delicious thick syrup. Sterilize jelly jars and fill with fruit. Cold? Yes. Cover with hot paraffin was. Keep jar in fridge for use. This is runny and good on ice cream.
****************************************************************************
I know this recipe seems like too much work, but it’s truly worth it…trust me!
Fresh Strawberry Pie (adapted from the June 2008 Gourmet)
Crust:
5 ounces of shortbread, gingersnap or cookie of your choice
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Filling:
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (2 1/4 teaspoons)
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Pulse cookies in a food processor to fine crumbs, add sugar and butter and pulse until combined. Carefully press crumb mixture into 9-inch pie pan. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Select 15 large strawberries as close to same size as possible and set aside. Cut remaining strawberries into small or medium dice (your preference) and toss with sugar and lemon juice. Let stand, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Drain berries in a sieve set into a large glass measuring cup or bowl. Add enough water to make 2 cups. Transfer to a medium saucepan and set berries aside.
Sprinkle gelatin over strawberry liquid and let soften 1 minute. Bring to a bare simmer, stirring until gelatin has dissolved. Add diced berries and then transfer to a metal bowl set into an ice bath and stir frequently until mixture begins to mound, this could take anywhere from 20 to 50 minutes. (It’s actually easier to put the bowl into the fridge, in the ice bath and wait 40-60 min) Spoon 1/2 cup of filling into pie crust and arranged reserved whole berries, stem side down, on top of filling. Spoon remaining filling over and between berries. Chill pie until filling is set, at least 4 hours.
***************************************************************************
Strawberries Filled with Cream
16-18 large strawberries
1/3 cup cream cheese (or mascrapone cheese)
1/3 cup whipping cream
2-3 tbsp powdered (icing) sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
You want the strawberries to sit flat. So if they are a little wobbly with the stems left on, cut the green stems off the strawberries to they will stand upright when placed on your plate. With a small sharp knife, cut an “X” in each strawberry, cutting almost through to the bottom of each strawberry. (The cut should be such that the strawberry will open up but not fall apart.) Gently, with your fingertips, spread each strawberry apart to make “petals”. Set aside while you make the cream filling.
In a medium sized bowl, whip the cream cheese and whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until soft peaks form.
Spoon the cream into a pastry bag fitted with a large tip or a plastic sandwich bag with the end snipped off. Pipe the cream into the strawberries. If not serving immediately, cover and place in the refrigerator you are ready to serve.
*********************************************************************
Ok, I admit that I didn’t think of this one, but here’s how I would do it.
Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
******************************************************************
Check out this recipe link for “Raspberry Rockets“:
http://www.saucysprinkles.com/2011/04/simply-sweet.html
***********************************************************************
All of the preserves that we sell at the farm are home made by our good friend Marjorie Paddle. She truly makes the best jam and preserves (She didn’t even pay me to say that!) Marjorie is always willing to share her time and wisdom about preserving with anyone who is interested. She is a wonderful lady who is always giving of her time to many great fundraisers and causes and I’m never sure how she does everything and has time to make all of her wonderful goodies! Here are a few of her jam recipes exactly as she has written them out and passed them on to me to share with you! Enjoy!
Strawberry, Rhubarb and Pineapple Jam
Crush strawberries to make 2 cups prepared fruit. Gently boil rhubarb (or stew) to make 2 cups prepared fruit. Measure 1 ½ cup crushed pineapple (fresh is tastier). This measures 5 ½ cups prepared fruit. Put this in large stainless steel pot and add 1 ½ – 2 pkg. pectin crystals. Bring all to a full boil over med. Heat stirring often. Add 5 ½ cups sugar and bring to a full boil, boiling hard for 1 minute, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir and skim off foam with a metal spoon for 5-7 min. A wrinkling should appear on the jam. Stir again and pour quickly into hot sterilized jars. Process in boiling water canner for 5 minutes.
HINT: To prevent fruit from floating to the top, especially strawberry jam and peach, make sure there is enough pectin added and that you skim and stir jam 7 minutes or more.
HINT: To prevent excessive foaming, especially strawberry jam, add ¼ tsp butter to jam when cooking.
**********************************************************************
Jill’s Strawberry Tarts
Mix in a medium saucepan:
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
Add:
¾ cup water
2 cups pureed strawberries (about 3 cups whole strawberries)
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue cooking for 1 minute.
Arrange small berries (or cut up berries) in tart shells. Pour hot mixture over berries.
Refrigerate until set (about 2 hours)
*********************************************************
This is a great way to use up those frozen strawberries. The kids and I drink these all winter long!
Strawberry Smoothie
3 cups frozen strawberries
1 banana
6 Tbsp yogurt
¼ cup orange juice
Blend until smooth
***********************************************
This recipe works well on cake or cupcakes. We had it this year for Lilly’s second birthday celebration on cupcakes. It looked so pretty and girly piled up in all of it’s pink lovelyness!
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Mix with a stand mixer or beaters until desired consistency.
**********************************************************************
One of my favourites! Too bad I’m the only one who will eat this in my house.
Pickled Beans (Adapted, ever so slightly, from the Joy of Pickling)
6 garlic cloves, sliced
3 pounds of green or yellow thin beans trimmed, if necessary, to 4 inches
1 tsp. dried chile pepper flakes (or 6-12 small fresh ones)
6 heads of dill (optional, but I wouldn’t want to leave it out)
3 1/2 cups of white wine vinegar
3 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp. pickling salt
**you can also add 6 teaspoons of mustard seeds and omit the dill for a different take on this recipe
1. Into each of 6 sterile pint mason jars, put 1 sliced garlic clove and 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds (if using) Pack the beans vertically into the jar, adding 1 or 2 chile peppers(if using dried flakes as I often do, put them in the bottom of the jar before adding the beans), and if you like a dill head to each jar.
2. In a nonreactive saucepan, bring to a boil the vinegar, water, and salt. pour the hot liquid over the beans, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. close the jars with hot two-piece caps. Process the jars for 5 minutes in a boiling-water bath.
3. Store the cooled jars in a cool, dry, dark place for at least 1 month before eating the beans.