Strawberry Jam - Granulated Sugar Free, Pectin Free & Dead Easy

Strawberry Jam - Granulated Sugar Free, Pectin Free & Dead Easy

Many summers ago I woke up with an almost overwhelming urge to connect with the brave frontier women who came before me by taking perfectly sun ripened fruit and turning it into jam thus preserving the bounty of the harvest for the long hard winter to come.


I set off early, purchasing enormous pots, sterilizing equipment, cute jars and flats of peaches. Happy with my haul (and poorer by about $250.00) I got to work. I blanched, peeled and pitted. I washed and sterilized. I boiled, simmered and stirred, all the while humming a wordless tune I was certain my fore-mothers had hummed many moons ago.

And then it happened! What can only be described as an apocalyptic catastrophe turned my peaceful afternoon into a scene so horrendous it would surely be rated NC-17 (for violence) if life were rated the way movies are. Jars started exploding, shooting out shards of glass covered with sticky, icky goo everywhere. The shards embedded themselves into the cabinets, walls and ceiling dropping fat splatters of peachy tar over every surface.

I plucked goopy glass from my hair, arms and feet. I washed and scrubbed and mopped. I cursed my fore-mothers so loudly and vehemently it would have brought a blush to Joe Pesci’s face.

At the end of a very long, arduous day I surveyed the fruits of my labor. I had one $250.00 jar of slightly brownish, uncongealed peach jam, a spotless kitchen and a body covered with Hello Kitty Band-Aids.

It was then that I realized that those brave frontier women who came before me didn’t have a choice. They had to preserve the fruits of the harvest lest they stave during the cold hard winters. I also realized I lived in California where the winters are anything but cold and hard, that I have a damn car and can go to the damn store and buy some damn jam.

That was the end of my jam making until recently. I got swept away by the gorgeous strawberries at the market selling for a pittance and brought home far more than I could consume before they went bad. What to do?



I decided I would make jam again. But this time on my terms. Forget those damn frontier women. So I came up with what is possibly the easiest jam known to man (and certainly to those fore-mothers of mine). It also happens to be granulated sugar and pectin free jam. And yes, of course, it is gluten free as well.

So if you like slaving like a dog for your jam, then skip this recipe. If on the other hand you want to revel in luscious jam that is ridiculously easy, then by all means read on.



Strawberry Agave Jam

(printable)

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled, rinsed and halved
½ cup agave nectar

Directions:

Combine strawberries and agave in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat so that the mixture continues to boil gently. Stir the mixture a few times while cooking to prevent sticking or scorching and mash the berries a few times, a potato masher works well for this or you can use the back of a spoon.

Continue cooking for 25 minutes or until the berries have broken down and the mixture is very thick. Cool to room temperature. Mixture will thicken and jell up as it cools.

Store in a clean jar for up to a week.

Makes about 1 cup of jam.

Strawberries With Balsamic Vinegar

Strawberries With Balsamic Vinegar

This morning i got some really tasty fresh strawberries, from the local farmer. So i really wanted to use them. So it was my luck it is potluck on IHCC this week, and stumbled upon this great Bittman recipe.


Strawberries With Balsamic Vinegar
Yield 4 to 6 servings

Time 15 minutes

Potluck on IHCC
Mark bittman for The New York times

Strawberries are the basis for some of the best fruit desserts, from strawberry shortcake to summer pudding. After a heavy meal, though, you might regret eating something so rich and luxurious. But here is a strawberry dish that not only is delicious and intriguing but also can compete with plain fruit in its lightness.

Strawberries with balsamic vinegar will not hold for any length of time. You can sugar the berries an hour or two before serving them, but no longer. Sprinkle on the vinegar and pepper, very judiciously, just before serving. Feel free to mix in some blackberries or blueberries for color; their addition is a striking one. The berries, of course, can be served solo, but for an even more elegant presentation, add a few crisp cookies or a slice of pound, sponge or angel food cake.

Ingredients

1 quart strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced
1/2 pint blackberries or blueberries, optional
1/4 cup sugar, or more to taste
1 teaspoon high-quality balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh mint leaves for garnish, optional

Method
1. Toss strawberries and other berries, if using, with the 1/4 cup sugar, and let sit for 10 minutes or longer. Do not refrigerate.
2. Sprinkle with the vinegar; toss gently, then taste and add more sugar or vinegar if necessary. Sprinkle with the pepper, toss again, and serve, garnished with the mint, if you like. Spoon into a glass or bowl, and serve next to cookies or a piece of cake.

Protein Smoothie Banana and Pineapple

Ingredients:
2 bananas
some strawberries
pineapple
4 raw fertile eggs
blend everything in a blender and drink.
Very nutritious, enjoy.

I'm not sure if this is good, but it may float your boat. When I was younger, my older siblings loved banana smoothies. We called them shakes because it had a large amount of milk in them. I remember that my sister Johanna would prefer her smoothie to at least have one egg because it made the shake/smoothie have a better consistency. I personally don't remember the difference, but I remember loving every shake that my siblings made for me. It's more of a nostalgic item of food with me because of that.  I was the youngest of 3 older brother and sisters, so I pretty much followed them to anything and I owe my love to smoothies to them!

Banana Oatmeal Smoothie Recipe

This is a great breakfast, or a brilliant way to get some essential nutrition into your kids.

Ingredients:

{ This is so delicious!!!!}

1 cup milk
1 cup of oatmeal
1 banana
1 cup orange juice
Cut banana into chunks.
Place all ingredients in blender container.
Blend until smooth.
2 servings

Superfood Smoothie Banana and Blueberries

Ingredients:
½ cup fresh spinach, washed and dried
1/3 cup frozen blueberries
½ large banana (1 small)
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup soymilk
1/3 cup crushed ice

Put all the ingredients in a blender and give it a whirl until smooth. Drink up!

Mango Orange Smoothie
 

Serves 1-2
 

Ingredients:
1/2 banana
1 cup frozen mango chunks
1 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons vanilla yogurt
1 scoop vanilla protein powder

Optional: *1/2 cup uncooked oats (not instant) Directions: Place all the ingredients in your blender container and blend on high speed until everything is smooth. Blender times will vary depending on the type of blender you have. Enjoy!

SUGAR FREE ORANGE (strawberry) BANANA BREAD by Colleen Lasko

1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. oat flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 mashed ripe bananas
1 (6 oz.) can frozen unsweetened orange juice, thawed
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. fresh strawberries, diced
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Mix dry ingredients. Blend well the bananas, orange juice, eggs and extract. Add dry ingredients. Stir in strawberries. Pour into greased loaf pan or pans. Bake in 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until well done. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on rack. Slice thinly.


Colleen's comments: "Um, at the end, I also thought it was a little weird that there wasn't any butter so I stirred about 1/4 cup butter in, and what was left of our cream cheese (about 1 oz.). I also greased the pans with butter. We ate one whole loaf not long after it came out of the oven. Luckily we still have one loaf left."


Colleen! I'll be sure to try these and post a picture to see! I bet they are so pretty!