Strawberry Freezer Jam

What do you do when it is 11:30pm and you realize you have a garden full of overripe strawberries? Make freezer jam! If you don't have a garden, please go to a Farmers' Market to get fresh fruit for the jam--grocery store produce just won't cut it for this one.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

4 cups crushed strawberries

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 pkg Freezer Jam Pectin

Overripe strawberries work the best. Wash strawberries and cut off the tops. I chose to put half of the strawberries in the blender to puree them and then crushed the other half with a potato masher. This created a good overall texture for the jam. You need four cups of mashed strawberries--not four cups of strawberries pre-mashing.

Combine freezer pectin and sugar in a medium bowl. Add strawberries. Stir vigorously for 3 minutes.

Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Pour into freezer containers. This recipe makes about four pints.

Store in the freezer for up to one year or the refrigerator for three weeks. I prefer the refrigerator version.

Cherry Crumble (for two)

This recipe was a perfect way to use cherries from my co-op order this month. It was done in under a half hour and absolutely delicious. My rating: 5 out of 5.

Cherry Crumble (for two)

1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp corn starch

1/3 cup flour
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp brown sugar
pinch of salt
pinch of cinnamon
2 1/2 Tbsp butter, melted

In a small saucepan on medium heat, cook cherries, sugar, water, and corn starch until cherries are softened and mixture thickens--about five minutes.

Combine flour, sugars, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Slowly add melted butter and stir with a fork to form the crumble topping.

Spray a small glass pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour in cherries. Place crumble on top and lightly press it down into the cherries.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until top turns light brown.

Granola Bars

Here's a recipe for granola bars that are far and above better than anything I've had at the store. Brown rice syrup can be found by sugar in some large grocery stores. Otherwise, look for it at a health food store. The end result is a little sticky, but it's worth it. My rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Granola Bars

2 cups rolled oats

1 1/2 cups sliced almonds

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1 cup chopped dried fruit

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups brown rice syrup

1/4 cup honey

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine oats, almonds, and pecans and put onto a cookie sheet. Cook for 7 minutes. Stir. Add coconut. Stir. Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes (watch closely to prevent the coconut from burning).

In a large bowl, combine fruit and salt. Add cooked oat/nut mixture. Stir.

In a small saucepan, combine brown rice syrup and honey. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is liquid and runny, about 3-4 minutes. Pour into the large bowl that contains the other ingredients. Stir everything together until well

combined.

Line a 9x13 pan with waxed paper. Pour the mixture into the pan. Cut off another piece of wax paper that is the size of the pan and place over the granola. Using that wax paper to keep your hands from sticking, press down very firmly and evenly. Make sure to get the edges and keep pressing until the mixture is as tightly packed as possible.

Refrigerate for four hours.

Cut into pieces and store wrapped in waxed paper.