grayfingers
Cave Dweller 
Member since November 2007
Posts: 4,575 
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Post by grayfingers on Aug 5, 2012 12:32:39 GMT -5
The raspberry patch produced well this year, am in the last part of the harvest. This variety is thorn-less, grows to seven feet and sets the finest, juiciest and largest berries I have seen here in our area.   I'm simmering them up today, this is over 30 lbs of berries. I will reserve enough pure juice (virgin press) that weeps out of the berries to make a batch of clear red jelly. The rest gets run through a food mill to remove the seeds and is made into jam.  Last year's jelly  Red currants and black gooseberries are next. |
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Post by helens on Aug 5, 2012 14:05:20 GMT -5
Wow... drool...
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Post by Pat on Aug 5, 2012 16:21:47 GMT -5
Your jelly is beautiful!
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Post by rockjunquie on Aug 5, 2012 17:24:56 GMT -5
My mouth is watering! I LOVE raspberries and the smell is purely divine. mmmmmmm
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Deleted
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Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2012 7:58:51 GMT -5
Missed this one. That is some awesome looking berries and jelly.
Do you do chokecherries? My mother made the best chokecherry syrup on the planet. She would go to a casino for breakfast and take her own chokecherry syrup. And the jam was to die for. For a lot of years after I was grown that was my Christmas present.
Curious, how many jars do you have? lol
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grayfingers
Cave Dweller
Member since November 2007
Posts: 4,575
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Post by grayfingers on Aug 6, 2012 13:32:30 GMT -5
Jim, Yep, was raised on sourdough flapjacks and chokecherry syrup. Just finished today's jelly making. It has to be made in small batches, (4, 12oz jars of finished product) Life was too busy to can much this past couple of years, so am sort of ramping back up, as we were running low. I made up three batches today, got too steamed up to do the 4th so took a break. I have enough juice to do a total of eight batches, froze the other half for now as I juiced the currants yesterday, and have two batches to do of that. Labor intensive, but well worth it.
I'm from a canning family, Literally grew up eating homemade everything. I am the last in my line to carry on the hunter/gatherer lifestyle. We have a large garden and an orchard my folks and I started in the 1970's. We planted a lot of wild fruiting trees and shrubs such as pie cherries, currants, gooseberries, juneberries ( also known as serviceberry, sarvisberry or saskatoon berry). Also wild and domestic plums, a chokecherry grove and assorted apple trees. When we have time, my favorite is picking wild huckleberries for pies and jelly. Also elderberries. In a "normal" year, I make all sorts of jellies, syrups and jams, I even can my own ready to use apple pie filling as well as apple sauce and butter.
I grow a minimalist veggie garden for fresh eating, only plant the full canning garden once every three years or so to stock back up.
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Post by rockpickerforever on Aug 6, 2012 13:43:51 GMT -5
Looking at those berries made me :drool: I just made another small batch of Fossilman's Jalapeno jelly. I could not for the life of me get the foam off the top before ladleing it into jars. What's the secret for doing that? Since it didn't all want to get out of there, I just let it go into the jars... I mean, it's pretty much just an esthetic thing, right? Besides, in two months time, it'll all be gone anyway  Jean |
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grayfingers
Cave Dweller
Member since November 2007
Posts: 4,575
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Post by grayfingers on Aug 6, 2012 13:54:07 GMT -5
Jean, you are right, it is only about the looks, foam don't hurt anything. If you put 1/2 tsp. of butter in the juice before boiling it will reduce the foaming. Then, after the pot has been pulled from the heat let it set a minute or two, ( I ready the hot jars at this point) it will get a skin on the top. Using a flat slotted spoon, skim off the whole layer, taking the foam with it. Keep the foam, it is delicious.
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Post by rockpickerforever on Aug 6, 2012 14:12:57 GMT -5
Now that sounds like the way to go! Thanks for the tip! Jean
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grayfingers
Cave Dweller
Member since November 2007
Posts: 4,575
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Post by grayfingers on Aug 6, 2012 15:40:27 GMT -5
I sucked it up and made three more batches. The ones on the blue towel are currant jelly. Really good on toast, but even better used as a rub/glaze for a wild bird or game roast. Also great on mutton. Today's production.  Currant, back lit.  |
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Don
Cave Dweller
He wants you too, Malachi.
Member since December 2009
Posts: 2,616
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Post by Don on Aug 6, 2012 16:20:11 GMT -5
so jealous! It's to hot to grow berries down here. All I've put up so far is pickled beets, tomatoes and pickles. I"m already lamenting missing out on the apricots this year.
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Post by rockpickerforever on Aug 6, 2012 16:34:41 GMT -5
Dang, now you made me hungry for jelly. Guess I gotta go into the kitchen and make a peanut butter and jalapeno jelly sandwich!! Jean
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grayfingers
Cave Dweller
Member since November 2007
Posts: 4,575
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Post by grayfingers on Aug 6, 2012 16:47:54 GMT -5
lol, me too. Even after slaving over a hot stove all day. Taste test- skimmings on toasted home made bread. It passed.  |
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Post by rockpickerforever on Aug 6, 2012 17:24:28 GMT -5
Lucky for me, I was already eating my PBJ at the computer when you posted that pic - otherwise, I might have swooned!!! That definitely looks tasty, and on homemade bread to boot! (Yes, I do save the skimmings, they taste just as good as the rest of the jelly) Can a person get fat just looking at that? Jean
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Jean
