Carrie’s CSA strawberry muffins & jam
I was floored when I was handed our family share of strawberries a couple Sundays ago! Whoo-hoo! Jam time! I didn’t make jam that afternoon because I wasn’t prepared – I ended up making a batch on Monday.
Cooked strawberry jam
Berries were washed, halved and hulled. You definitely do not want the little core that’s in the middle of your strawberries in your jam, could make for some chewy eating 🙂 I used about a pail’s worth to complete one recipe from Certo.
My jam jars were previously washed and ready. But to sterilize them further, I put the jars in a 225F oven for 10 minutes and kept warm until needed. Lids were put in boiling water until also needed.
Let the mashing commence… one layer of halved strawberries at a time on a small cookie sheet. The kids really enjoyed mashing! Then measured and put in my biggest pot. I use my biggest pot just in case it boils high. I wouldn’t want it to boil over! It would be quite the mess, eek!
After the required amount of mashed strawberries is in the pot, add the Certo with a quarter cup of the recipe’s sugar. Bring to a boil and then add the rest of the sugar in the recipe. Bring it back to a boil, for one minute. Then remove from the heat, stir and skim the foam off the top for approx. 5 minutes.
When you have skimmed the foam, you are ready to fill your jars. But not right to the top, about a quarter inch from the top. Put your lids on tight and let them set from 24 hours before moving to where you are storing them. And don’t forget to label at least the date! According to instructions from Certo the recommended shelf life of jam is 8 months, but my jam from the previous year was still good, right into June!
Jam is easier to make than you think! You just need a bit of time.
Here’s the link to the recipe I used: Certo Light Cooked Strawberry Jam
Fresh strawberry muffins
So, I still had another pail that was pretty full. What to do next? How about some Fresh Strawberry Muffins. I made these a few years back and they are my most favourite muffins. They are light and flavourful, easy and quick to make. The recipe even doubles really well.
I don’t think you can really mess this recipe up. It says to sift the flour, but I don’t and they still turn out great. Maybe next time, I should try sifting the flour? And I chop the strawberries into really small pieces. I find by making them really small they spread out in the batter better and you don’t end up with a muffin without any strawberry pieces
Even with doubling this muffin recipe, I still had a bit of strawberries left. Let’s say these ones didn’t last long. They were eaten quite quickly for dessert! And with that two pails of strawberries were gone!
