Seasonal Strawberries and More!

In the spirit of Earth Week, I decided to change up the blog entry some and do a little bit of scouting around to see what I could find about in-season foods. Interestingly enough, happened stumble onto an adorable little website that tells us what foods are in season in North Carolina year-round! Broccoli, leafy greens, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and strawberries are what we should be looking into right around April! And if you’re really craving some corn, there might be some fresh corn around town. But those apples we love so much and eat almost every day? Those are only fresh from mid-August to mid-February, so maybe stick with something like strawberries, watermelon, and blueberries this summer (not that anyone is trying to stay away from these amazing fruits, anyway, right?).

Check it out! http://www.agr.state.nc.us/markets/availabilitychart.pdf

Now, anybody up for a little bit of cooking? Here’s a fun (only 6-step!!) recipe I found to make fresh strawberry jam with our in-season spring strawberries. And it’s so easy that we could even make it on our very own campus (no joke)!

All you need is:

-2 cups of fresh strawberries

-3-4 teaspoons of sugar

-1-2 teaspoons of lime juice

Instructions:

1. Finely chop up the strawberries

2. Mix the strawberries with the sugar in a pot and cook the mixture over a low heat. Start with only a small amount of sugar and add more to taste, depending on how sweet you want the jam.

3. Stir the mixture often while mashing the strawberries with the back of the ladle. If you prefer your jam smooth instead of chunky, after the strawberries have started to soften and break down, pour the mixture into a blender. Blend to the desired consistency and then pour it back into the pan and continue cooking over low heat.

4. MAKE SURE IT DOESN’T BURN! Keep the heat on low and leave it on the stove, stirring every few minutes.

5. After the jam is as thick as you want it (remember, this is not jelly, so the mixture will never become jelly-like), take it off the heat and let it cool. Then add some lime juice to taste.

6. Put your homemade jam in a clean bottle, and store it in the fridge. Enjoy however you like!

Maybe with a loaf of homemade bread from the Farmer’s Market? Every Tuesday out at Parish House near Elon Community Church! Which is exactly where our group will be venturing in a week to check out some yummy, locally grown foods.

Thanks to http://one-change.com/blog/2007/06/fresh-strawberry-jam-recipe-pectin-free/ for the jam recipe!

-Genevieve D'Cruz