After a quick rainfall, a double rainbow appeared over the strawberry patch!
Strawberry season is here in full force and it's the best season we've seen in 20 years of growing and picking strawberries. Ann Marie is out in the strawberry patch (2245 York's Corners Road, Edwards) everyday from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm (Mon - Fri), 7:00 am - 6:00 pm Saturday and 7:00 am to 5:00 Sunday. We're only a 15 minute drive from downtown Ottawa.
Now is the time to fill your freezers with the taste of summer and the most delicious farm fresh local strawberries. Due to the cold, wet spring, it pushed back strawberry season by 3 weeks but that just means we're going to go three weeks longer! We anticipate strawberry season to continue until the end of July.
With all this beautiful weather we've been having lately, the fields are going strong now. We're starting to have the perfect summer. A lot of sunshine and just the right amount of rain. This is what our field crops love!
This week we're picking fresh garlic. You'll notice we don't cut off the stalk of the fresh garlic, this is because it's edible! You can use it exactly as you would a leek. Sautée it with other vegetables or use it in a broth.
Let's not forget about everyone's favorite, strawberry jam! They make the perfect gift and it keeps the taste of summer going all winter long. We want to help you out with your jam making by offering you jam berries. Pre-order your jam berries today and pick them up at our strawberry patch or any one of our CSA locations. Our jam berries are $9.00 for a 4 liter basket (a minimum order of 3 baskets).
Recipes for traditional and freezer strawberry jam are provided below.
Your Rochon Garden CSA Share
If you are a full or half-share member, here's what you will see in this week's box:
1.5 Liter basket of strawberries
Tomatoes
Haskaps
Potatoes
Broccoli
Spring mix
Spring onions
Herb
Fresh garlic
Radish
If you are a lite-share member, here's what you will see in this week's box:
1 liter basket of strawberries
Tomatoes
Broccoli
Haskap
Spring mix
Garlic
Your Fruits Plus this week is a 3 L basket of strawberries
Basic Homemade Strawberry Jam
Ingredients
2 pounds Rochon Garden strawberries, hulled
4 cups white sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
Directions
In a wide bowl, crush strawberries in batches until you have 4 cups of mashed berry.
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 degrees C).
Transfer to hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace, and seal.
Process in a water bath. If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don't bother with processing, and just refrigerate.
To test for jelling
Place three plates in a freezer... after about 10 minutes of boiling place a tsp of the liquid of the jam onto the cold plate. Return to freezer for a minute. Run your finger through the jam on the plate... if it doesn't try to run back together (if you can make a line through it with your finger) it's ready to be canned!
Strawberry Freezer Jam
Ingredients
2 cups Rochon Garden strawberries
4 cups sugar
1 (1.75 ounce) package dry pectin
3/4 cup water
Directions
Mix crushed strawberries with sugar, and let stand for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, stir the pectin into the water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 1 minute.
Stir the boiling water into the strawberries. Allow to stand for 3 minutes before pouring into jars or other storage containers.
Place tops on the containers, and leave for 24 hours. Place into freezer, and store frozen until ready to use.
This recipe makes 6 small jars of jam