Strawberry and Rhubarb Jam Class presented by a RARE BIRD!

On Sunday afternoon, Jill and I spent a delightful afternoon making preserves at Elawa Farm with Chef Elizabeth Madden, the founder and owner of Rare Bird Preserves. I asked Elizabeth how she came up with the name "Rare Bird Preserves".   She said her grandmother called her that name and it just stuck!  Elizabeth made the class was interactive, fast paced and extremely informative.  She is a pioneer in developing new flavor combinations in the Jam and Jelly world, so it was fun to hear her viewpoint.  She practices making her preserves in small batches in a traditional copper jelly pot.  She does not use commercial pectins.  Instead she uses natural pectin from fruits such as lemons or green apples.  For our class, she placed 3 quartered and peeled  ( the pith was still on the lemon) lemons in a muslin bag to create the pectin for the jam.

 

 

Start with the ripest berries you can find!  The best are from the local Farmer's markets. The redder, the better!  Hull them with a pastry tip with sharp points on the edge. Then quarter the berries.

 

Wash and chop the fresh rhubarb.

 

Elizabeth uses less sugar than many jam makers.  First we mixed the chopped fruit with the sugar in the mixing bowl.  8 parts sugar to 10 parts fruit for this recipe.

 

Next, all the fruit and sugar was placed in the copper jam pot along with the pectin bag.

 

Elizabeth securely ties the pectin bag, so that the lemon's seeds don't fall out into the preserves.

Continuously stirring, so the mixture does not burn.  The larger pan allows the moisture to evaporate faster, causing the mixture to thicken.

 The test to see if the jam is ready-  a "curtain" of gooey goodness forms on the wooden spoon's edge.

 Second test to see if the jam is ready for the jars-  dollop a spoon full on a frozen sheet pan.  If the dollop  "wrinkles" when pushed by your index finger, it is ready!

 

 

Take the jars from the 225 degree oven and get ready to fill them.

 

They have been in the oven for at least 10 minutes to sterilize them. (not the lids!)

 

 

 

Elizabeth adds lemon zest and a bit of sea salt to the cooked fruit.

 

Each is filled  up into the neck of the jar.

 

 

Each is stirred with a skewer to remove any air bubbles before the lid is placed on the jam.

 

 

Once the lid is sealed, the center "button" will pop inward.

 

 

 

With the leftover rhubarb, we made a simple syrup with rosemary and rhubarb. Perfect to add to sparkling water for a refreshing summer drink.  ( I'll bet this would be great in a  margarita too!)

This morning I opened this delicious concoction to taste it!  With a perfect consistency, it was like eating fresh strawberries from the field.  I think it would be a great glaze for grilled chicken too!

Look at the beautiful color -



 

 

 

 

I always have Rare Bird Preserves in my pantry. They are wonderful accompaniments to charcuterie and cheese trays and desserts.  My two newest favorites are Peach Lavender and Cranberry Clementine.  I tried the Cranberry Clementine mixed with a little mayonnaise and put it on a smoked turkey sandwich.  Deelish!   People tend to think of preserves as a breakfast item.  However, a generous spoonful  of Peach Lavender Preserves on a grilled fresh peach with a dollop of whipped cream- a delightful summer dessert. Garnish with a sprig of fresh lavender for a truly gourmet presentation! 

 

You can purchase her preserves in specialty food stores, in the cheese section at Whole Foods or directly from her website.

http://rarebirdpreserves.bigcartel.com/

 

If you are in the Chicago area, Elizabeth  will be teaching future classes at Elawa Farm. More info on their website at  http://www.elawafarm.org/  This class exceeded my expections and was so much fun.  I can't wait for the Farmers Markets to start- I'm ready to make jam!!

Honor Your Father

Recently I spent 3 days in southern Missouri with my friend Jill and her sister, Nancy.  The purpose of the trip was  to finalize their dad's estate and settle the trust that he left to the 4 siblings. My only purpose in going along was to keep Jill company on the long drive. 

Upon his death, their dad left 1000 acres of pristine farm land to his children.  Their initial thought was to keep the land and the farmhouse and make it a family retreat.  But as the years went on, they realized that traveling from Colorado and Chicago to an area without a commercial  airport was just a dream.  Their children were adults now, and not interested in traveling to such a remote area of the country----especially without Internet, GPS, and cell phones.  Yet, heart strings were  tugged and the fact that this land had been in the family for over three generations stayed on their minds. Their father spent his life buying property adjacent to the farm, just so it would remain pristine and untouched.  So what was the solution- how to honor their father and his wishes, yet be practical in this day and time.  Finally, a solution was found.  The state purchased much of the land to maintain because of a relatively rare species of plant growing on it.  A local business man purchased some of the land to run cattle on, as it was also adjacent to his land.  And the sister that really wanted to keep the farm, inherited  a  portion of land and the farmhouse. 

 

After  all this was finalized, we cooked dinner at the farmhouse and talked about family memories.  ( how rare to chat for 4 hours !!!  No TV, no Internet, no cell phone).  Drawing upon my own experience from growing up in a rural area, I asked the sisters what foods and recipes were family favorites?? I didn't get a lot of answers from them- possibly chicken and dumplings and custard pie.  I  just couldn't figure it out- my family gathered every Sunday just to eat and my aunts fought over who made the best fried chicken!!.  So what drew their family together - here in such a beautiful rural part of the country??? And I finally figured it out- it was simply "the love of the land". Their father was an architect and loved to design. He designed many of the buildings in town.  All of his children inherited some of his talent.   Jill's sister and brother are both landscape architects. Her sister, Patty, a designer,   has created a beautiful garden at her home  in Colorado. While Jill's career has been in retail, she has a keen eye for design and loves gardening and home design. 

Jill's father constantly reminded his children that "there is not a more beautiful spot in the world" than this part of Missouri.  And I have to agree-----

Sunrise from the back porch

 

 



Early morning fog

 

 



 

 

The old rose growing on the fence

 

The patch of irises that Jill's mother planted years ago.

The old swimming hole

 



The old mill where their grandparents took their wheat to be ground.

 

The state park where they played and picnicked as kids

 

 

                       The commemorative garden planted for their mother - in town by the library.

 

Two close sisters digging up a few of their mother's irises to plant in their gardens back home.

Closing and locking that fence for the last time-

 

 



Back down that gravel road to the paved road- for the last time------


Life moves on whether we want it to or not.  Yet our core values are formed from our past experiences.  And their dad left them a strong legacy- A deep seated  love of the land and home.

Jill is starting to plan her new home in South Carolina- and the landscaping and design is a major part of the project.  Nancy is returning back to Colorado- ready to tackle a remodel project on her home- just so she doesn't have to leave her beautiful gardens.  She has created these breathtaking gardens  and I would never leave them either.  

Absolutely a work of love- wouldn't you say! Awesome job Nancy!  I can't believe the amount of love that you put into that garden.


After three hard years of dealing with lots of unexpected issues, the estate is finally settled.
I think their dad would say they did a great job of honoring his wishes.