Last Friday, I ran over to the Old Oakland Farmer’s market during my lunch hour. I work near Jack London Square, so it’s a quick trip. I was shocked by the amount of farmers selling beautiful, ripe strawberries! Somehow, I had though of strawberries as more of a summer fruit, but I took one bite and bought a whole flat. These were juicy, sweet-tart, and huge! They are the type of strawberries that are red to the core, and really taste perfect on their own.
So what to do with all these Strawberries? Make jam, of course! I’m getting ready to sell at the Underground Market on Saturday in San Francisco, so I’ve been working like mad to make sure I have enough of the old favorites (Dilly Beans, Jardiniere Pickles, Pear, Honey and Lemon Verbena Jam), as well as bring some new flavors to the table. I decided to experiment with two types of Strawberry Jam. I’ve always loved rhubarb, so that was a no brainer.
I picked up some rhubarb, did some online research to confirm methodology (this was my first attempt at preserving rhubarb), and then got started. First, I cut the rhubarb stalks into a dice and cooked them with a little bit of water until they softened. They are very firm, and take a lot longer to break down than the strawberries.
Then I added the chopped strawberries and cooked until they softened. All I added was organic sugar to taste, lemon zest, and some Pomona’s pectin to ensure it gelled. Because I use no-sugar pectin, my jams have much less sugar than usual. If you use fresh, ripe, organic, local produce, there isn’t much else you need to do. The rhubarb adds a lovely tartness to the strawberries. Come taste at the market on Saturday!
The other half of the strawberries went into making another first attempt, Strawberry-Basil jam. I missed documenting the process, but it’s really easy–I just made a standard Strawberry jam, but added a chiffonade (that’s rolled basil leaves chopped, to make long strings) of basil at the end. It add a lovely note of basil to the jam…again, you’ll have to come by and taste at the Underground Market on Saturday…see you there!
I’ve been madly working to get this blog and other news sources up and running this week. So here we go! In addition to subscribing to the blog via rss feed or reader, you can follow me on twitter and become a fan on Facebook!
Wow! What a week it’s been! Last Thursday, I had the privilege of being a vendor at the second ever Underground Farmer’s Market, put on by Forage SF. After starting this little business last year, I had never imagined being able to sell at a market like this. I had checked with my local farmer’s market and even a few craft fairs, and was told that I couldn’t sell my homemade items at events like that. When Iso mentioned the idea of the market last fall, I was thrilled and starting preparing!
For my first market, I had no idea what to expect. First, I was amazed at the number of people who came through the market–easily 500. I so appreciated the chance to get feedback in person from of all of the people I met who tasted my jams and pickles. Your reactions when sampling all of the different flavors were the best part, and it felt great that you all liked my offerings enough to invest your money! I also loved chatting with all of the other vendors, as their own passion for homemade foods was readily evident.
I’m now working on developing some new flavors for the next market. I heard from spicy jam-lovers and advocates of agave instead of sugar, so look for both of those at the next market! I’ll also be replenishing my supply of favorites that sold out, including the plum balsamic rosemary.
Please comment below if you have any suggestions! Thanks again for your support, and I look forward to seeing many of you at the next market.
(I’ll try to make more, as this was quite a hit!!) I know, this is not a combination that you’d think of for a jam…but I assure you, it’s worth suspending disbelief. I was a bit skeptical, so tried this recipe in a very small batch, and was convinced that I had to make more by the responses I got! This is destined for a cheese plate, not a PB&J. I’ve tried it with goat cheese, triple cream brie, and on bread by itself, and it is really a fantastic flavor. Tangy and tart, it only has the natural sweetness from the plums and a bit of honey. The strongest flavor comes from the balsamic vinegar and the rosemary.
I cooked down the pluots (plums would have been fine, too, but my favorite vendor at the market had some great, super-ripe pluots, so I went with them) until they were juicy and had broken down. I then added the balsamic vinegar and honey, and kept cooking it until it had thickened.
I waited until the end to add the rosemary, wanting the keep the flavor fresh. The texture is thinner, as it is not thickened with pectin–a great spoonable texture that works well with bread and cheese!
Mission Accomplished! I’ve completed my first jelly attempt, and I think it was a success. The Mint Jelly turned out great–subtle flavor, little bit of a lemony tang, and just the right balance of thickness to spread-ability.
To start, I chopped up two large bunches of mint, stem and all (the stem is as flavorful as the leaves). I heated the water just to a boil, then let the mint steep overnight. The next day, I strained it, added the remaining ingredients, and voila–my first jelly.
The color is definitely not the bright green you see in commercial jellies, but I prefer the natural color, with no added dye. Though traditionally used as a topping for lamb, I’d encourage you to use this in other ways, too–the original person who requested it swears by its use in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!
I finally had time to make jam from the zinfandel grapes we picked at Chase vineyards a couple of weeks ago. First, I cooked down the frozen grapes so that I could juice them. Since they had seeds, I wanted to strain the juice. I decided to add some seedless 
champagne grapes, so that I could include some skins, to give more texture and to balance the strong flavor of the zinfandel grapes. I de-stemmed the champagne grapes, and waited to finish juicing the zinfandel grapes after they cooled. 
To make the jam, I cooked the champagne grapes with the juice, and made a grape jam. I think it turned out great–deep, rich flavor and a little bit of texture from the skins.
