Lemonade

I had a craving for home-made lemonade the other day. I was thirsty and it was hot, and so I stopped at the store and picked up a large bag of lemons.

Lemonade is easy, but it needs to be planned ahead. There are three ingredients - lemon juice, sugar and water. The first step is to make a sugar syrup. Put in a small saucepan - 1 cup of sugar and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and then remove from heat and cool to room temperature, before chilling in the fridge. Meanwhile, juice 2 lb of lemons. A juicer would do the job nicely. I do not have one, so I cut them in half and juiced them by hand with a reamer. Pour the juice through a strainer to remove any small seeds (or a fine strainer if you don't like any pulp in your lemonade), and chill in the refrigerator.

Once syrup and juice are cold, you are ready to make your lemonade. Pour the juice into a bowl, and add half of the syrup. Taste. If the lemonade is too tart (acidic), add more syrup until it tastes right. Once the sugar balances the acidity, decide if the overall sweetness is to your liking. I like my lemonade less sweet, so I diluted it with cold water (about an equal volume of lemonade to water). Put some ice cubes in a glass and pour in your lemonade. Enjoy on a hot day!

Metric Info: 1 cup = 240 ml; 2 lb = 900g.

Strawberry Jam

I had never made jam before, but I just started getting into canning this year, and strawberry season was coming to an end, so I decided to get started.

There are many different recipes for jam making. This one does not involve the use of prepared pectin. The resulting jam was not fully set, but was thick enough to spread well without running much (at fridge temperature, which is where I am storing it). The recipe is from 'Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It' by Karen Solomon.

Take 1.5 lb of strawberries. Wash them in cold water. Allow them to dry, then remove the green tops and cut into slices or chunks (however you would like them to be in the finished jam). Place in a large bowl. Add 2 lb sugar. Juice 2 lemons, saving the seeds and hulls. The seeds should be wrapped up in a cheesecloth bag and tied. Add the juice to the strawberries. Mix everything together gently and let it sit for at least 4 hours. You can put it in the fridge and leave it there for a while if you like - mine sat for at least 2 days.

Once the strawberries have macerated (which is what mixing them with the sugar and letting them sit is called), transfer the entire contents of the bowl into your largest pot (preferably a stockpot). Add the lemon hulls and bagged seeds. Bring to a boil. Boil for a few minutes and then reduce the heat to a simmer, and continue to simmer until the temperature of the liquid reaches 221 F. This will take a little while - maybe 30 minutes. It will produce foam as it boils - you can remove and discard it. You should also remove the bag of seeds and the hulls at the end.

Once the jam reaches the target temperature (the gelling point), ladle it carefully (it is hot) through a funnel into sterilized jars. It should fill about five half-pint jars. It will keep in the refrigerator for about 4 months. If you want it to last longer, you can process it in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Let the jars sit for a few hours (I leave them overnight) and check that they are sealed. If so, the jam should keep for a year.

Note 1 - If you are going to can the jam and have not already done so, you should read the USDA guide to home canning. There are considerable risks to doing it the wrong way, so this guide is highly recommended.

Note 2 - The finished jam was a little lemony. You could reduce the amount of lemon juice used slightly if you wish, but the hulls and seeds should not be omitted as they are a source of natural pectin.

Note 3 - 221 F is the gelling temperature for jam at sea level. If you are not at sea level, the gelling point will be different (it is lower at higher altitudes).

Note 4 - 1.5 lb = 680g; 2 lb = 910g; 221 F = 105 C.