I just got back from New York after visiting two of my best friends. One is interning at a Broadway producing office. The other girl is interning with the designer Diane Von Furstenberg. Check out her fashion blog by the way- http://artichaute.blogspot.com/.
Anyways, I woke up this morning rummaging through the fridge deciding what to eat for breakfast. Nothing was going to satisfy my palette like the superb Thai I had in the city. I settled on a hard boiled egg and yogurt (boring I know). Well, I saw some berries and almost ate them but they looked like they had been in the fridge for far too long, although not long enough for them to mold thankfully.
And then it hit me- Christmas Gifts! Why, you ask, does dingy fruit make me think of Christmas on a hot June day? It reminded me how much I’ve wanted to try making preserves and give them as gifts! I figure it was a great time to try making and canning them so I could be prepared for the holiday season.
First Stop: Target to pick up some jars.
Simple Strawberry Preserves
-2lbs Strawberries (washed with the green tops cut off of course)
-1 cup sugar
-about a tablespoon of lemon juice
1. Put the berries and lemon juice in a pot on medium low heat for about 40 minutes. Stir the berries every once in a while.
2. Add the sugar and bring the mixture to a boil. You should let it go for about 15 minutes or until it reaches 210 degrees (grab a candy thermometer, they’re really useful!) .
Blueberry Preserves
-6 cups of blueberrys
-2 ½ cups of sugar
-¼ cup of maple syrup (my twist)
1. Add the berries to a pot and break some of the berries with your spoon.
2. Add the Sugar and cook on medium low heat for about 30 minutes.
3. Add the maple syrup and stir continuing to boil. At this point it should be about 220 degrees and thicker.
READY TO CAN
There were directions on the container the cans came in so I used that. But here it goes,
1. Sterilize the cans and lids in simmering water until ready to add your preserves (DON’T BOIL).
2. Add your preserves, put the top on and twist the bands.
3. Drop in boiling water for abut 10-15 minutes.
4. Let them sit for at least 24 hours.
Now you can gift these or use them in your favorite recipes. Now that I've started with basic preserve recipes, I'm ready to experiment! How about a spicy tomato jalapeno?
You can now store your preserves up to a year... remember to refrigerate after opening!
