Canning Cookbook- Canning Springtime

What do you look forward to every spring? Fresh asparagus? Beautiful spring flowers? Fresh berries of every color? Me too! All of it, every one of them and so much more. One of my favorite spring and early summer foods is the wonderful, juicy sweet strawberry. Strawberry farms do so well in Iowa, and I'm lucky enough to live near one.

Lots of strawberries means I need to find lots of ways to hang on to that juicy sweet memento so I have something to carry me through the cold winter months. Strawberry jam is always a favorite, and strawberries pair so well with other fruits too- like mangoes. I was lucky enough to find strawberries and mangoes ripe and ready at the same time, so you know what that means- time to make some jam!

Strawberry Mango Jam

3 cups sliced strawberries (measure them AFTER slicing of course)

2 mangoes, cut into dice- should be about 1 1/2 cups
zest of one orange, finely shredded

2 TB bottled lemon juice, NOT fresh

1 box powdered pectin

5 1/2 cups sugar

Combine the fruit, lemon juice and pectin in large pot. Bring to boiling, crushing the fruit. Add sugar all at once and stir to dissolve. Bring back to boiling, and boil hard for exactly one minute (just like almost every jam with pectin recipe you'll ever see).  Remove from heat, skim off any foam. Ladle into hot, sterile jars and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. You should get 6-8 half pints from this recipe.

This jam is soooo pretty in the jars, and so so so delicious. I'm sure you and your family will love it. 

*Note- if you do happen to find good deals on different fruits throughout the year, you CAN freeze them and use them to make jams later. I like to cut them up and freeze on cookie sheets until solid, then bag in freezer bags- easy to measure! Plus the cut-up fruits are handy for smoothies, ice cream, desserts, breakfast- whatever you like.

Easy As Pie

Seems like I am on a roll today- a pie roll. With the winter weather outside I should be thinking about baking but the pies I am going to share are so super easy and require virtually no cooking- other than boiling water!

Orange chiffon pie with drained canned mandarin oranges
lining the crust under the filling

My family has loved this particular pie for many years. It's a snap to put together and uses ingredients you can keep in the pantry and freezer and pull out whenever you need a quick dessert. The only "fresh" ingredients you need are the garnishes. I've been making this for so many years I don't even remember where I first saw the recipe or learned to make it. Probably an old magazine, I'm sure. I didn't invent it and don't claim to- it's just an old family favorite.

Lemon Blueberry chiffon pie with blueberries on the bottom

To make this super easy chiffon pie you will need:

Pastry shell (graham cracker or baked and cooled pastry shell)

1 package (4 serving size) gelatin- whatever flavor you like

8 ounce tub frozen whipped topping, plus extra for garnish, thawed

2/3 cup water

Place gelatin in large bowl. Bring water to boil, pour over gelatin.  Stir to completely dissolve. Place bowl in refrigerator and check it often and when it's reached the consistency of egg white fold in the entire 8 ounce tub of whipped topping. Fold in completely. 

Pile mixture into pastry shell and smooth top. Chill at least 2-3 hours. Garnish as desired.

Fresh strawberry chiffon pie

You can also fold in chopped fruit, berries, whatever you'd like to add a special touch. With the many flavors of gelatin on the market these days you can make a simple lemon chiffon or a fun cocktail flavored pie. Be creative!