Summer is Jam Making Time

I believe homemade is the best!
We had several fruit trees in our backyard while I was growing up, my grandpa and my dad planted them soon after Mom and Dad bought our house which was a couple of years before I was born.
The suburban land there was fertile, located in what was once called "The Valley of the Hearts Delight" in Santa Clara County, California.
Known then for its prolific fruit orchards and farmland, it is known as the (original) Silicon Valley today.
The Valley of the Hearts Delight  ~ the name sounds so much sweeter to my ear than 'Silicon Valley' (and those days were sweeter, as well.)
My parents also nurtured our vegetable garden, plus chickens and rabbits in our backyard plot. But that is another story for another time...
The crops were incredibly abundant from just those few  backyard trees, and what fruit we didn't eat fresh my folks either canned or made into into jam.
Apricot, Plum, Peach and Strawberry were my favorites. My parents canned the jam in 16 ounce jars.
These days I use the  8-ounce capacity jars ~ more manageable for smaller households.



We enjoyed that delicious jam throughout the year, on toast, pancakes and waffles from the good old waffle maker. I think one of my favorite meals was having 'breakfast for dinner' ~ what a treat, especially for my sister, brother and me.



When I married and we began our own household, I continued the tradition nearly each summer since then.
 I can probably count  --on one hand-- the number of  summers that I have missed making jam for one reason or another  through the years.  And during those years I was always  thankful when my family would share what  they had "put up" with us.



I usually always made traditional jam, but then sometime in the late 1960's to early 1970's the innovative idea of making Freezer Jam and Refrigerator Jam became popular.  Made with less sugar and with a shorter cooking time it brought jam to a new level ~ fresher tasting and not cloyingly sweet. I love it!



That was when we lived in the "city".
I still enjoy the freezer/refrigerator jam, but these days I usually make only a couple of jars of that kind for just two of us.  
Living out in the country-side we  occasionally frequently face power-outages at any time of the year. It's risky to invest all of the jam to the freezer  or refrigerator; so I find it safer to can most of it in the  traditional way (hot water bath) so it is shelf stable.  


Most recently I made red raspberry jam ~ which I dearly love for its intense color, flavor and deep, delightful perfume.  However, some that I cook for cannot tolerate the seeds so for the past couple of years I began straining the seeds out ~ it takes a little more time, but the results are so worth it. Pure raspberry goodness.



You can just press the slightly cooked berries through a medium-fine mesh sieve by pushing through with the back of a wooden spoon, or use a food mill, then proceed with your favorite jam recipe.  
I always trust the recipes that come in the pectin packages.  You can find pectin in most well stocked grocery stores.  (Pectin is a natural ingredient to thicken jams, jellies, made from apples.)

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For a good tutorial on traditional jams, low sugar, lower sugar and no-sugar jams, click here.
Please note: The only thing I disagree with is -- I would advise against is using a "non-stick" coated pot for cooking the jam.  
Cooking surfaces such as  stainless steel, porcelain coated cast iron, or  natural copper are my cooking vessels  of choice for jams, jellies, preserves, etc.

You probably know, if you have made jam, there might be a little left over when making a batch.    Cook's Treat!  
I love to have it on warm toasted bread (butter is optional for some, but not for me!) A length of warm, toasted baguette is superb... (it must be the French in my blood...)

It's soo good and the aroma of jam simmering on the stove takes me right back to my  childhood summers. The little bit of left over from the jam making process has the same effect.
:o)
The wild blackberries which grow on the property have been picked and I'll be making seedless Blackberry Jam next. Photos to follow if I have a chance.


It's wonderful of you to have stopped by, please say 'Hi!'
I love to read your comments and enjoy hearing your thoughts.
xo~ mari

Lavender Week Wrap-Up with the Novel Bakers

For the final day of Lavender Week with the Novel Bakers

I'm going to take you from Breakfast/Tea, then skip to the

evening meal, and throw in a few options for dessert

at the end. 

I hope you enjoy!

I made quick, Strawberry-Blueberry and 

Lavender Infused refrigerator jam as an accompaniment

to the warm homemade biscuits

for our tea . . .

The jam is fresh, made with strawberries and blueberries

from the garden, I like that you can control the amount

of sweetener. We prefer ours not too sweet ~

and it cooks up in just a few minutes.

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And for dinner, I just had to make this luscious

Grilled Chicken Breast with a lovely and different

Lavender-Honey Marinade, which my friend Monique 
recently posted on her blog.
(Click to Link.)

Oh my. 
Do yourself a favor. Make THIS!

It's a winner. I followed Monique's variation on

the original recipe exactly and I wouldn't change

a thing about it. It's heavenly.

The light sauce goes really well with the tiny potatoes,

as Monique served it. And because the garden is

prolific with cucumbers right now, I sliced a few and

anointed them with a drizzle of the vinaigrette style

sauce as well. Borage blossoms compliment cucumbers

very nicely, as they have a very mild cuke-like taste.

Yummy! A keeper that I'll definitely make again.

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On to the dessert (or two...)

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream, infused with Lavender

essence.

It is one of the EASIEST ice cream recipes I know of.

 Condensed milk, heavy cream (warmed with

a bit of lavender, then strained and chilled.)

Put that mix in your ice cream maker to begin the freezing process, 
then about 10 to 15 minutes before the ice cream is

solidified, add the chunks of fresh strawberries

along with a splash of vanilla, and continue with

the freezing process.

I like to offer a drizzle of Lavender Syrup at the table so

anyone who wants it can add a bit to bump up the

lavender flavor.

I happen to like it just as it is. 

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If you don't want to serve the Lavender Palmiers (pictured above

with the ice cream), you might like to substitute these

lavender cookies:

Delicate, and gently flavored with lavender ~

I think it's best to make these when the lavender blossoms

are at their peak.

Fresh blossoms are milder, and texturally more appealing than

dried flowers in this recipe.

If you look closely, maybe you can see . . .

~ the tiny specks of green in the cookies ~ this recipe

includes a small amount of minced lavender leaves to

the cookie dough.

Not overwhelming at all, just a faint nuance of

lavender ~ I think these would be so pretty served

at a summer tea or bridal or baby shower.


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I had much fun with the topic of lavender, it pushed

me to try recipes I probably would not have otherwise,

and we were pleasantly surprised at my house at what

a versatile herb lavender is.

Sending out a big THANK YOU to our organizer, Jain @ a quiet life blog,

and my companion Novel Bakers, Mary @ Home is Where the Boat Is.

Michael @ Rattlebridge Farm and our special guest this week ~

Pam @ Sidewalk Shoes, it was fun having you join in Pam!

And a big thank you to my followers, whether

you comment or not ~ I appreciate the time you take

to come see what's going on here on my blog.


xo ~mari

Powder Puffs ~ Powder Puff Cookies Laura Calder

Every lady I knew while I was growing up carried a pretty, slim, little container called a "compact" in their handbag. The compact held pressed (not loose) face powder and a thin powder puff applicator nestled on top of the pressed powder cake.

It was just not fashionable to be seen with a shiny forehead, nose or chin in those days.   ;)

So recently, as I watched Laura Calder make these darling little Powder Puffs on The Cooking Channel, it reminded me of Mom's powder puff in her compact--- and I could not resist making  them.

Who can turn down raspberry jam and vanilla-flavored whipped cream sandwiched between two soft, spongy, slightly chewy little cakes?

I used agave-sweetened Marionberry jam this time rather than the Raspberry jam ~ it worked perfectly.

The cake batter is slightly reminiscent of Madeleine batter, except there is no butter in this recipe.

After the simple batter is mixed, tablespoonfuls are dropped  on a parchment lined baking sheet, and baked in a hot oven for only 5 to 7 minutes. 

When finished baking they are removed to a cooling rack. After they have cooled the jam and vanilla whipped cream

is layered between two cookies-- and placed bottom to bottom.

I found it surprising that the sweets then need to sit for an hour or so, in which time the little cakes turn from slightly hard to softer and  spongy, and that's just the way they are meant to be.

Be forewarned... you might find it difficult to eat just one, but that's okay because the recipe yields about 16 Powder Puffs.

If you would like a copy of the recipe you'll find it on my recipe blog HERE.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, and if you feel like leaving a comment I would love it!  ~m.

Rose Petal Jam and 5 Minute Artisan Bread

At the end of the blooming season before our first freeze, I gather some rose petals to make a few jars of Rose Petal Jam.
I garden organically, no pesticides and natural fertilizer, so the blossoms are completely edible. There is no color added to the jam, its color is the result of the petals you choose. The most fragrant roses make the most flavorful jam.I used a mix of David Austin English pink roses, and several blooms from the Don Juan (deep red) climbers that grow over the arched gate at the entrance to the main rose garden.


Usually the jam is a very delicate pink, but this time (because of the red Don Juan petals), the color was much more intense ~ a little deeper than usual.( If you like the hand crafted serving board in these photos, you will want to go by Thibeault's "The Vancouver Island Gallery" to see the gorgeous hand-crafted wood offerings to learn more. )

The process is very simple ~ just the washed rose petals, lemon juice, water and sugar, and pectin (to assist in thickening).Since this jam will be used up and given away, I don't process it for longer storage. It is kept in the refrigerator or freezer and is best used within a couple of weeks.


I wish I could share the intense fragrance and delicate flavor of homemade Rose Petal Jam, it is absolutely heavenly.


It makes a fine spread for scones, biscuits, muffins, waffles or pancakes, etc. as well as your favorite bread ~ in this case the Five-Minute a Day Artisan bread.The sweetness of the jam contrasts and complements the tart, sour flavor of the bread beautifully.


The recipes for making Rose Petal Jam are all very similar, some like to add herbs such as lavender, lemon verbena or thyme, or grated lemon or orange peel, even a splash of vanilla or rum, but I prefer it plain. You can find many recipes for Rose Petal Jam or Jelly on the internet;THIS one is a favorite. Note the pretty color that is produced by using all pink petals ~ that is my favorite; but this time I had more reds than pinks so the red is more predominant in this batch.


Thank you for stopping by today, I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Please stop on by at Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday andHow Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday to see all participants this week.