blackberries,
blackcaps,
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cooked jam,
Corn-Free,
Dairy-free,
Fermentation,
Jam,
Little Kids in the Kitchen,
Mason Jars,
slow food,
Summer,
Vegan,
wine
It's looking a lot like late-summer harvest season...
8:29 AM
As of 2 weeks ago, the storms have started. This usually marks a turbulent time for changing weather and seasons. The crows (which seem to disappear every spring when the migratory birds arrive) are making their presence known and the geese are flocking together into noisy airborne groups. I've been picking blackcaps in our backyard for the last month and they stopped producing this week. I ended up with about 3 gallons (full ziploc bags) of berries that I put daily in the freezer to keep.
I took out the frozen berries and made them into black cap wine, and jam.
Black cap wine is something that I made for the first time last season and it turned out fantastic. Deep red, sweet, and wonderful chilled in a pretty glass.
Enjoy! And Happy Harvest!
I took out the frozen berries and made them into black cap wine, and jam.
Black cap wine is something that I made for the first time last season and it turned out fantastic. Deep red, sweet, and wonderful chilled in a pretty glass.
 | |||
| Summer 2013 Blackcap wine |
Wild Blackcap Wine
regular blackberries or mulberries would work well in this recipe too
4 lbs (1.8kg) Blackcaps
8 oz sweetened cranberries (or raisins)
1 package cider or champagne yeast
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 1/4 cup apple juice
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 1/2 lbs (1.6kg) sugar
1 tsp acid blend
In a large, stainless steel pot crush the berries and add the cranberries and 2 quarts (1.9 liters) of water. Let sit 24 hours, well covered.
In a jar, make a yeast starter culture by combining the yeast, yeast nutrient, apple juice and lemon juice in a mason jar. Cover and shake vigorously and let stand until bubbly.
Strain the juice from the must into a 2 gallon plastic bucket. Discard the pulp. Add half the sugar, the acid blend, and enough water to make 1 gallon (3.8 liters). Add the yeast mixture. Stir until well combined and then let mixture ferment for 5 days lightly covered with a cloth.
3 days into the initial ferment it's ALIVE! You can hear it fizzing!
Stir in the remaining sugar and let ferment for 10 more days. Rack the wine
into an airlocked fermentation vessel and let it complete the fermentation process.
When the wine is clear and no longer bubbling, rack into bottles, cork, and cellar the wine.
Wait at least 6 months before opening your first bottle.
****************
And we can't forget the jam! My kids love this stuff and I've made it every year since we moved into this house.
I follow the directions in the Certo brand pectin box for "Raspberry Cooked Jam". But I'll write it out here for you.
Wild Blackcap Jam
4 cups crushed blackcap berries
6 1/2 cups sugar
1 package certo pectin
This makes about 7-8 cups of jam
In a large pot bring melted sugar to a rolling boil.
Wash jars and lids in hot soapy water and put aside.
Combine berries and sugar and bring to a rolling boil.
Add Pectin and stir constantly for exactly 1 minute. Ladle the jam into the jars and put on caps. Process the covered jars in the boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Removed cooked jam from the water bath and allow to cool and self-seal on the counter at room temperature.
Will keep for up to 1 year on the shelf.
Buttercream Frosting,
canning,
Corn-Free,
Dairy-free,
from scratch,
Jam,
Mason Jars,
Rhubarb,
strawberries,
Strawberry Cake,
Summer,
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Strawberry season going out with a BANG! Strawberry Rhubarb preserves and Fresh Strawberry Cake with "buttercream" Frosting
8:12 AM
Well, strawberry season is winding down, and I thought it best to have it go out with a BANG this year. I made the last of the strawberry harvest into preserves with some leftover rhubarb that I had frozen a couple of weeks back. And, I'd also like to take this opportunity to share my favorite cake recipe, ever. This cake doesn't screw around or make excuses. It's a full-blown from scratch birthday cake-style treat that includes Dairy-free buttercream frosting.
We'll start off with the preserves. If you aren't making your own preserves ( jam and jelly) yet, you really should. It's incredibly easy and doesn't take as much time as you might think. I made 5 jars of Strawberry- Rhubarb Jam that I'm keeping in the refridgerator. The first jar disappeared after about 3 days, and another jar could easily be used as an AMAZING strawberry cake layer filling/ fruit topper.
Honestly, I just follow the recipe on the Certo pectin box, but I'll write it down here just you can all see how easy it is:
Assemble your cake! Put the Jam layer in between the two cake layers, and then frost with buttercream!
I hope you all enjoyed strawberry season as much as I did this year!
We'll start off with the preserves. If you aren't making your own preserves ( jam and jelly) yet, you really should. It's incredibly easy and doesn't take as much time as you might think. I made 5 jars of Strawberry- Rhubarb Jam that I'm keeping in the refridgerator. The first jar disappeared after about 3 days, and another jar could easily be used as an AMAZING strawberry cake layer filling/ fruit topper.
Honestly, I just follow the recipe on the Certo pectin box, but I'll write it down here just you can all see how easy it is:
Strawberry Rhubarb Jam. Preserving The Season!
1 package Certo liquid fruit pectin
2 pints strawberries cored and crushed
1 lb chopped rhubarb stalks
6 1/2 cups white sugar
5 pint mason jars with rings and caps.
Wash out your jars and lids with hot soapy (antibacterial) water. Set aside to dry. Prepare your fruit and put it in a large pot. Stir in the sugar and bring the mixture to a rolling boil on medium heat.
Add Certo and return to a full boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Ladle your mixture into the jars and cap. Leave on the counter to cool and seal themselves. Store in the refridgerator until you're ready to use them.
Enjoy as is, OR use as a filling between the layers of this EPIC fresh strawberry cake:
Fresh Strawberry Layer Cake with Buttercream Frosting
Modified from http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/1088
- 24 oz very ripe strawberries, hulled (or no-sugar-added frozen strawberries)
- 1-2 tsp sugar (optional)
- For the cake:
- 1/3 cup Soymilk, at room temperature
- 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cup cake flour
- 1 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 12 Tbsp Earthbalance brand Margarine (1 1/2 sticks), at room temp
- Hull, slice and toss fresh strawberries with a teaspoon or two of sugar and cover. Let them sit at room temperature until juicy.
- Puree strawberry mixture in a blender
- Reserve 3/4 cup puree for the cake.
- Use leftover puree to fill the cake or fold into the frosting, if desired. OR use some of the Strawberry Rhubarb Jam from the above recipe!
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 8- or 9-inch pans: oil and flour the pans well
- In a small bowl, combine puree, soymilk, eggs, and vanilla and mix with a fork until well blended. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix to combine. Continue beating at slow speed and add butter. Mix until combined and resembling moist crumbs.
- Add wet ingredients and beat at medium speed for about 1 minute or until evenly combined. Stop mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl and hand beat for 30 more seconds.
- Divide the batter evenly among the pans
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (time will vary). Let cakes rest in pan for about 10 minutes and turn out onto wire racks. Let cakes cool completely before frosting!
Dairy-Free Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup Earth Balance Margarine (or Palm-oil based Shortening *contains no transfat)
- 4 cups corn-free confectioners’ sugar
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 2 T. plain unsweetened almond milk or soymilk
Assemble your cake! Put the Jam layer in between the two cake layers, and then frost with buttercream!
