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| Hollins Farm Strawberry Patch |
On Saturday, I found a wonderful pick-your-own fruits and veggies farm not too far out of town, Hollins Farm. It's right next to Sky Meadows State Park, so next time I go out, I think I will do a hike at the park first, then go picking. The drive is really pretty too.
The weather was perfect. Not too hot, and just enough clouds to keep the sun from really beating down on you. It was almost as perfect as the strawberries, which were amazing.
I picked a whole flat. Took about an hour, which my legs are now telling me is a lot like doing squats for an hour. That's dangerously close to exercise! I got out there in the afternoon, so by the time I got home it was a little late to start jam making, so I put up all the fruit and the spring greens I picked.
Sunday, it was time to make the jam. Strawberry jam is one of my favorites and I made a few variations on the classic. All total, I ended up with 27 1/2-pint jars. All 27 sealed perfectly. I love listening to the lids pop as the pressure seals the jar. It is such a satisfying sound.
Strawberry balsamic jam adds in a little balsamic vinegar instead of some of the lemon juice normally in the jam. You don't taste the vinegar, but it really amplifies the strawberry flavor.
For a summery twist, I made lemony strawberry jam adds some lemon zest to the jam and adds a lemony zing to the jam.Most jam has some sort of citrus juice to get the acid balance right for canning, but you don't usually taste it.
Peppered strawberry jam adds just a half teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper to the jam right before putting it in the jars. It give the jam just a little bit of kick and black pepper and strawberries go surprisingly well together.
Canning is one of my favorite cooking pastimes. Besides being fun, it is also nice to start restocking my prepping shelves. The gals at Hollins said that sour cherries might be ready next weekend! Sour cherry conserves, anyone?
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| Some adorable mutant strawberries I found. |
