Blueberry Pickin'

Every year, well at least the last three summers, I have spent many a morning at the Brewer Christmas Tree Farm picking blueberries. This is my summer therapy. When I come back from the farm with this many berries, 

approximately 8 quarts, I have to figure out what to do with all that berry deliciousness. I freeze several bags and always keep a big bowl in the frig for nibbling at will. This trip I decided to make blueberry butter in the slow cooker and blueberry gelato. I wrote about the blueberry butter this time last year on this post. The gelato was a great way to use my new ice cream maker!

Making A Comeback

I was amazed to see that I have not posted since... oh, NOVEMBER! Wow! Believe it or not, I have not made a card since OCTOBER. I have crafted a few other items and started playing with the sewing machine I inherited from my grandmother. I attribute my "comeback" (a mere attempt at this point) to Pinterest! My creative juices are flowing and my "not right now, I am pinning" levels are at an all time high I am eager to reconnect with the blog world. If you have not checked out Pinterest, follow the button in the side bar and find out what all the hubbub is about... Go ahead, I'll wait...

Isn't it a great way to inspire and be inspired! I posted this cucumber salad on one of my boards and now I am going to add the recipe here so everyone can enjoy the yummy goodness!

Peachy goodness

A few weeks ago, I had the good fortune to drive through middle Georgia on my way home from Calloway Gardens.  If you did not know, this is where the concept of Georgia Peach was born. Middle Georgia counties produce the sweetest, juiciest, most delicious peaches in the whole wide world. Argue if you like, but I will not change my opinion. I stopped at Taylor Orchards to grab a bag of peaches and some homemade peach ice cream. OK, I stopped for the ice cream and happened to pick up a bag of peaches. I should have gotten two bags. Ultimately, they ended up in a batch of peach butter. I did save one to enjoy just plain and simple. SO Delicious! 

I used the slow cooker like I did for the blueberry butter I made earlier this summer. Here is the recipe:

15 good size peaches

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Splenda Blend

1 cup Honey

Blanch and peel the peaches, cut peaches into smaller chunks. Fill slow cooker and set it on low. Add spices and sweeteners. Cover the slow cooker but keep the lid raised by placing a spoon on the rim. The cooking process takes form 6 to 12 hours. When it butter reaches the desired consistency then you are done. You can use a whisk, potato masher or hand-held blender to smooth out the butter. Process in a water bath and let cool. 

My house smelled great while this was cooking. Yankee Candle should make this into a candle scent. Everybody is getting butters and preserves for the holidays! Just need to work on my cute packaging. 

Happy Day!

Slow Cooker Blueberry Butter

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is berry picking. I have accomplished strawberry, blackberry and blueberry this summer. Figs, while not berries, are coming soon. This past Monday, I drove to the Brewer Christmas Tree and Blueberry Farm in Midway, Georgia to do some pickin'. My friend Kate, who is my partner in crime when it comes to berries, joined me. We left early and it just started to get hot when we finished filling our buckets. 

Not too long ago, I discovered the Can Jam hosted by Tigress in a Jam. This month the round-up was all about berries! I love digging through the different recipes and blogs from all the participants. Every time, I learn something new about canning. Some of the flavor pairings are amazing. Things like, chinese five spiced pickled cherries and grand marnier blueberry peach sauce. I also discovered Blueberry Slow Cooker Butter at Food in Jars.  If you live in the Northeast right now and pretty much any where in the Southeast this time of year, the heat is a serious burden. I mean it is heavy and down right overbearing. So, if I can avoid standing in front of a hot stove then I am all about the cooler option.  Enter the slow cooker! 

I made a few adjustments to the recipe and the end result is a dense and fruity delicious spread. Not overly sweet and very true to the berry flavors. 

7 cups pureed blueberries

1 cup pureed blackberries

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup Splend sugar blend

Juice from 3/4 lemon

Juice from 1/4 lime

2 teaspoons Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

Add pureed berries to slow cooker with the cooker set on low and the lid in place.  At the one hour mark, stir. After this, leave the lid ajar (hee, hee, canning humor) by placing a spoon, spatula, whatever under one side of the lid. This lets the steam evaporate.

Leave everything this way for 5 hours. At the start of 5 hours, add sugar(s), lemon juice, lime juice and spices. Give it all a stir. Take the lid off at this point, turn the cooker to high and let the cooking down proceed. Stir occasionally. (I stopped this part too early, because I would have ended up getting in bed as the rooster crowed)

Pour in jars when you like the consistency, leave a 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch space at the rim, clean the rims and process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Store unopened jars in a cool, dark place. Should yield 6 to 7 half pints depending how much you cook it down. Information below is based on 7 half pints and the nutrition information is for one half pint. 

Nutrition Facts

Calories                   406

Sodium                  15.5 mg

Potassium            339.7 mg

Dietary Fiber            9.4 g

Sugars                      83 g

Protein                     2.2 g

Vitamins

A                             6.5%

B-6                         6.4%

C                         86.3 %

E                             14%

Manganese          67.8%

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my latest creation. I'd love to hear from you so leave a comment or ask a question. 

Happy Day!

Links:

Tigress in a Jam

Food in Jars

 

Triple Berry Jammin'

Over the past few weeks, I have picked strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. My freezer is full to over flowing, so I had to make something with all these berries. Even though it is 110 heat index down here, I was willing to stand over a hot stove and make jam. So, I headed to my local store to grab some supplies. While browsing the canning shelves, I discovered "NO COOK" pectin. Are you serious? I do not have to sweat to death and dehydrate while getting a steam facial to make jams?!  A little leery for fear it might mean the jam is not legitimate jam, just some knock-off version, I bought a pack of the pectin and some freezer jars, only after confirming they were BPA free. I checked out the Ball website. Cruised through the recipes and then adapted the Berry Blitz recipe for my purposes. 

Triple Berry jammin

1 pkg Freezer Pectin

3/4 cup Splenda Sugar Blend

1 1/2 cup crushed balckbeerries (12oz)

1 1/2 cup crushed blueberries (12oz)

1 1/3 cup crushed strawberries (16oz)

zest of 1 small lemon

1. Stir sugar blend and pectin in a bowl, mix well.

2. Add berries and zest, stir for 3 minutes.

3. Ladle into clean jars, let stand 30 mins and freeze for one year or keep in frig for 3 weeks.

According to SparkRecipes these are the nutrituion details per 8 oz jar: (more information below the nutrition facts)

Nutrition Facts
5 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		204.5
Total Fat		0.4 g
	Saturated Fat	0.0 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.2 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	0.1 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		4.5 mg
Potassium		225.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate		43.6 g
	Dietary Fiber	4.8 g
	Sugars	35.4 g
Protein		0.9 g

Vitamin A	2.4 %
Vitamin B-12	0.0 %
Vitamin B-6	3.9 %
Vitamin C	88.2 %
Vitamin D	0.0 %
Vitamin E	3.5 %
Calcium	2.7 %
Copper	5.6 %
Folate	7.2 %
Iron	3.1 %
Magnesium	4.3 %
Manganese	41.8 %
Niacin	2.2 %
Pantothenic Acid	3.7 %
Phosphorus	2.5 %
Riboflavin	4.6 %
Selenium	1.3 %
Thiamin	2.7 %
Zinc	1.6 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

I know this label is LARGE, but I could not figure out how to change the size without making a huge effort. I'll do better on this part next time I post a recipe. The bread in the picture is homemade by one of my past student leaders. He dropped if off last week and it is DELICIOUS!  All the other jam is in freezer jars. I knew I would need one to test the final product so I just used a glass jar.  So I could share this with more people, I posted over at Blue Cricket Design. Each week she host Show and Tell, much like my LOOK WHAT I DID. The difference is, people actually link up to her weekly post. So, if you want to show and tell, provide a link.

Reviews thus far, " Yum! - I liked the consistency a lot. A little bit sweet from the Splenda I might have preferred just sugar. But that is being picky." "It was great! Did you see how fast I ate it?"

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my latest creation. I'd love to hear from you so leave a comment or ask a question. 

Happy Day! 

Links:

Ball Fresh Preserves

SparkRecipes
Blue Cricket Design 

Link Party: