Tasty Tuesday: Triple Berry Jam

My mom and I took the 4 kids strawberry picking the beginning of June. (One day I'll go through all those pictures and write up a post. One day, hopefully before my kids are teenagers.) We ate quite a few fresh strawberries, froze a bunch, and then made jam with the rest.

We made cherry-strawberry jam last year for my first attempt at jam making and canning. I have since canned a few other things, but hadn't made anymore jam. Last time, I was a little nervous that something would go wrong, but this time since I'd done it before, I was confident. Right?

Nope. There was still that little bit of anxiousness that my jam wouldn't be thick enough or that the jars wouldn't seal properly. I know, such confidence. 

But enough about that, let's make some triple berry jam!

Enlist the help of a big, strong helper. The cuter, the better.

 Mix berries and pectin (with portion of sugar) in a large pot.

Once the mixture has come to a boil, add the remaining sugar and stir; bring back to a boil.

Skim off the excess foam and pour the hot jam into prepared jars.

But beware . . .

If you try to fill the jars and take pictures at the same time, you might end up with jam on your counter. 

And then you'd have to scoop it up with your finger and taste the jam. But if you're like me, this wouldn't be the first taste of the delicious concoction anyway.

 Process the jars for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Remove them, leave them on the counter until cool, and listen to the melodious pop-pop-pop of the cans sealing.

And that's that! I don't know why it's intimidating to me. It's not even difficult. We made a batch right after picking the strawberries and we're down to our last jar. This jam is absolutely delicious! Possibly the best jam I've ever eaten. We just made a second batch again because it's that good. This time, I used 12 oz raspberries, 16 oz blueberries, and just mashed enough of our frozen strawberries to equal a total of 6 cups of berries. So good. You just can't go wrong here. I have a feeling we'll be making a lot more homemade jams.

Triple Berry Jam

Ingredients:

4 cups crushed strawberries (about 8 cups whole)

1 cup crushed raspberries

1 cup crushed blueberries

4 cups sugar, divided

1 (1.75 oz) package no-sugar-needed fruit pectin

Directions:

1. In a large pot, combine the strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Whisk 1/4 cup sugar with the pectin (to avoid clumping) and add it to the pot. Bring to a boil (that can't be stirred away) on medium-high heat, stirring often. 

2. Add the remaining sugar to the mixture; return to a full rolling boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. 

3. Remove from heat; skim off foam. Pour hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch. Adjust caps. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath. Remove from bath and leave on counter, without touching, until cool.

Recipe adapted from pickyourown.

Tasty Tuesday: Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins

Leighton went hunting with my brother, uncle, and grandfather. A bunch of men for a weekend. My grandma sent spaghetti; my sister-in-law sent sausage-tortellini soup; and I sent these muffins. I don't think we trust them to cook for themselves.

I also don't think they mind.

 Mix the dry ingredients.

 Measure the wet ingredients.

 Combine the two.

 Add the blueberries.

 Fill the muffin liners.

 Make the streusel.

Pour on the topping.

Please, for all that is good in the world, be generous.

Bake and enjoy!


This recipe really could not be any simpler. We've made these muffins many, many times, and they're always delicious. Make them for your hunter. Don't have a hunter? Make them anyway. They're good!


Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour                       1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup white sugar                                   1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 teaspoon salt                                       1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder                       1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup vegetable oil                                  1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 egg                                                          1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.