Strawberries, one of the first edible fruits to mature in the spring, have been available at the Fearrington Farmers Market and other local markets for about two weeks now. With the days getting longer and hotter, fruits – each bushel better than the last – are now flooding out of area fields. Not only is this a prime time for eating fresh fruits, this is prime time for making jams and jellies. With this in mind, I wanted to share an option for both buying and making your own.
Recently, I’ve have a personal interest in the art of fruit preserves. I’ve been out at 6am picking elderberries along some of the main roads here in North Carolina. There’s such a fulfilling sense of self sufficiency returning home like the hunter/gatherer with an overflowing basket of berries, ready to transform into jams and jellies.
Now when doing this for myself, I can make a batch last a few months, however when it comes to preserves for the Fearrington House, it would probably only last a week. Due to the volume of preserves we go through, a company must supply us with these items. In an earlier blog - Every Chef needs an “Anne” – Colin writes about our organic gardener, Anne Stomp, who works side by side with us throughout the year. Well, through Anne, we were able to meet her sister, Fran Adams, who lives in Woodbury, CT and specializes in unusual flavors of jams and jellies.
The business, which she runs with her husband Ron Pinto, is called Winding Drive Jams & Jellies (windingdrivejams@aol.com), and it offers some of the best and most interesting jams we have ever come across. These preserves are served with our pastries for breakfast as well as our afternoon tea items. Hopefully you can join us at Fearrington House to try them out!
Fran and her husband, along with some local farmers, grow their own berries and fruit; this in turn affords them the latitude to test and create distinctive and delicious flavors such as: Strawberry and Pinot Noir Jelly, Kiwi & Lime Marmalade, Raspberry & Chocolate, Blueberry & Peach, Strawberry & Rhubarb, Creme de Cassis & Pinot Noir and even a Hot Pepper!
As promised, for those inspired enough to try out making jam at home, here is a copy of my very own recipe for Strawberry, Champagne and Vanilla Jam – enjoy!
Strawberry, Champagne and Vanilla Jam
Ingredients
1kg Strawberries, Hulled and Halved
900g Sugar
25g Pectin (or use 400g Sugar with 500g of jam sugar with added pectin)
50ml Lemon Juice
500ml Champagne
5 tsp Citric Acid
3 Vanilla Beans
Method
Heat 200g of the sugar with 200g of strawberries and crush with a wooden spoon. Add the remaining strawberries and simmer for 5 minutes, then add the rest of the sugar with the pectin and citric acid and dissolve. Add lemon juice and champagne and then boil hard for 9-12 minutes. To test its setting point, you can check the temperature with a preserving thermometer which should read at 104.5C/215F, or you can drop a little jam on a cold plate, leave to cool for a minute and then push gently with you finger; if the jam crinkles setting point has been reached . Add to sterilized jars and seal. That's it!