Leftover Strawberry Syrup Innovation: Iced Tea

It’s the end of my 3rd batch of preserves in two nights. 3 liters of strawberry jam, 4 jars of preserved strawberries in syrup and 3 jars of stewed rhubarb. It’s going to be a good winter.

This post may not be very exciting to those of you who do not make preserves – I am hoping that this connects with at least one person that does (or will try) because I am BOUNCING with excitement.

When making jam/ preserved fruit, you are often left with a small amount of juice that you simply can’t pack into a jar. It’s often a tablespoon or two. Typical approach is to put it in the fridge and find a use – pancakes, flavor a cocktail or add to a can that you open in the first week.

The problem with the syrup alone is that it is not all sweet – there is an undertone of lemon juice (used in the preserving process). The lemon is almost impossible to detect in the jam/ preserve because the sweet fruit brings the whole deal into context. I pack all the berries I can in my jar so my leftover is typically just this juice. I love it on pancakes but was sure there must be another use.

As I was cleaning the kitchen from the evenings toll, I made a pot of tea. I’ve been rather excited about “real” iced tea lately so I began the process with some of my leftover boiled water that wasn’t used in the rhubarb process. I’m sure you know where this is going now – I was still clueless as I steeped the tea on the counter and sweetened it slightly. I didn’t even clue in as I added a touch of lemon juice into the tea.

As I put the tin of loose-leaf tea back in the counter I laughed at the irony that I had chosen tea made with wild strawberry leaves as it’s base. I’ve just processed 25 pounds of strawberries in the last 24 hours. It hit me that I had strawberries, sugar and lemon in the tea and only then did I notice the glass on the counter with my leftovers from preserving – strawberry juice matched with sugar and lemon.

This lemon-berry mix is so ideal for tea that I now also have another use for the leftover syrup from the preserved whole berries that we’ll eat in the winter (contrary to popular belief, I really do have a limit to how much ice cream I can eat). I’m actually thinking that the berries might occasionally play second-fiddle to their divine juice!

For those of you who make preserves and the like (or those who know people who do) – what do you do with the bits that just don’t fit in the jar?

Strawberry Fields… and a simple plea

We are dedicating this space to positive energy – if we don’t like something, we don’t spend time to focus on it. Part of that is our outlook on life and part of that is because this space is a hobby and we want it to be fun for us. We hope that we challenge thoughts at time and want to support those we see as fighting the good fight. There is room for many views here and we want to ensure others are heard as well. We allow all comments (that aren’t disrespectful – our about section lays out a simple guideline).

We also want to draw attention to things that need it. Today’s post is not all that controversial and something that borders on our focus on positive things that we like. It is, however, something we are really passionate about.

When produce such as strawberries are available in your town that are produced nearby, please go out of your way to avoid purchasing those which were harvested thousands of miles away. Beyond the environmental impact, there is a real impact on people near you and hard working folks trying to make a living feeding us. The small additional charge is relevant in the taste – even better if you can get them fresh from the field.

Strawberries came our in Black Creek (Prince Edward County_ two weeks ago and are starting to pop around Toronto. There are a lot of grocery stores filled with imports from far away, often subsidized by Governments which allow for them to sell under a cost local farmers can produce. This puts a massive amount of pressure on a superior local product and can put future crops at complete risk.

I have nothing against berries from far away -they are simply best fed to those who are far away. We also will admit to the occasional flat of them in the off-season when there is no alternative – however there are a few sacred weeks when we can eat these locally and at their best – and support a system that will only continue to provide a further bounty for us in return.

An urban organic farm (supplying food on 1/5th of an acre)

Urban Homesteaders? That’s what the Dervaes family (of Pasadena, California) calls themselves as they challenge the rest of us to try to live a 100 FOOT diet. They run an urban farm on one-fifth of an acre (to put that in perspective, if their lot was square it would measure approximately 93 feet at each side). They grow enough food for themselves as well as supplying some of the local community around them.

Watch the following 2-minute video from 2006 to get an idea of what they have been up to since 2001:

The project goes far beyond growing food and is a journey into self-sustainability. They grow their own food, harness their own energy, produce their own wine, share educational info and share their journey. Check out their journal for a glimpse of their urban farm and the bounty so far this summer.

It’s an interesting site and certainly offers a challenge to each of us to consider. Cheers to them and fascinating stuff!

This little piggy went to market…

What a bizarre day today!

It was a rare day when I worked from home (the crunch of a deadline keeping my team running at 100 and most of us being locked behind a machine longer than any one person rightfully should on such a sunny day).

Things were going well until the gunfire started. It continued (off and on) for about 12 hours. The back alley and front of building are being used as a television set today. It was fun to watch and the people were very friendly – random bursts of “gunfire” would derail solid thought and it was time to get out of the neighborhood for an hour by later afternoon. We decided to have a quick tour of a Farmer’s Market we would not typically be able to attend.

It was surprising to see the market crawling with people at 4:00pm mid-week. It is exciting that people attended en masse and we were excited to make one of our first outdoor markets of the summer. It will be my last for another 3 weeks as travel will once again take me to the south west US over the next two weeks.

A gentle banjo filled the air, smiling people filled the paths and some great looking food was being served up. Amazing volunteers who added to the community were present, everything was organized and it was a wonderful event.

There was a lot of great stuff at the market. It specialized in organic faire. We were thrilled to pick up some smoked lakefish from the Owen Sound/ Wyerton area (I know that’s a broad range ). Asparagus as thick as my thumb, home made polenta and mushrooms raised with great care were highlights. We’ll spend time featuring some of the fine purveyors of these things in the near future – they were truly the highlight.

You will notice we’ve not mentioned the name of the market in this post – this has been an intentional omission. We found ourselves struggling with some of the booths – and what we struggled with is appearing at every farmers market in Ontario that we have seen and this is post raises questions not about a specific market but the state of farmers markets overall.

There is no set rule over what a farmer’s market is to sell. Some offer more crafts than food, others are exclusive to food and some offer specific niches, such as organic food. I’m not suggesting this is a bad thing – each market has its own personality, its own essence and character and this often is matched to its community and volunteers who work so hard to bring them to life.

What we struggled with was some of the food itself. A few tables were covered with produce from the US. It was organic and it was raised by a farmer. It was quality food, likely purchased at the food terminal. It wasn’t local – nor did it claim to be. It certainly offered items we can’t purchase locally yet. I appreciated the variety but the purpose of a drive across town was to find unique products specific to a small market such as this (albeit, that is MY interpretation and expectation and others are not required to agree with it).

Where is the line between a farmers market and a produce market? Do we need a distinction? Is it appropriate to simply purchase something and resell it there? What can be done if people are genuinely deceiving?

It was a great conversation with few answers and even more questions. The only definitive decision was that we have committed even further to finding the artisans who grow, create and share their own food and we will do our best to highlight those who are closest to the food they are selling. We’re not suggesting that others are inferior – merely that we will do our best to support the people who are connected closely with the food they offer for sale and we will do so by sharing their stories. Of course you will ultimately decide who to support.

Great event, great food (dinner was AWESOME) and a nice market.

Eigensinn Farm – Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 5, Final Post)

We`ve posted pics of the people, the food, the smudging, the chefs, the path and the location in the woods. We haven`t covered the farm part itself – it`s a mystical place in energy and actuality. There are many residents and discoveries all across the property. Today`s post covers our long walk back to the car and a couple of friends who we encountered on (and off) the path home.

We hope that you enjoyed this series – we were honored to be a part of the event and hope you`ve enjoyed it with us! We`d love to hear back from some of you whoa re going next year and we`ll see if we can`t all share a glass of a little something!

This truly is a magical place and an unbelievable event – we lost ourselves in the day, the food, the farm and those around us. A week later we find ourselves still excited and enamored. We arrived with no idea of what to expect and left with any expectations surpassed.

We h0pe you’ve enjoyed this series of posts – hopefully there will be a future post covering dinner in the kitchen!

Eigensinn Farm Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 1)
Eigensinn Farm Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 2)
Eigensinn Farm Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 3)
Eigensinn Farm Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 4)

Eigensinn Farms – Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 4)

People were in a great mood through the day – the weather was unreal and the wine was flowing for those who were not driving. People were excited to be there – newbies (like us) were excited to be in such a fantastic place while the veterans around us were both excited to be back and excited to share their past experiences as our guides.

We ate a lot, walked around and spent a few hours lounging on a hay bale in the sun and shade of the forest. White Eagle joined the festivities and prepared a smudging which he asked us all to join. He was friendly, smiling and welcoming of all. He smudged with Sage from a BC Nation and presented a lovely part of the afternoon that was the only “formal” part of the day.

Food was plentiful (I was surprised that most of the tables served for all 4 hours) and you could graze at a leisurely rate with ease.

See More:

Eigensinn Farms – Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 3)

Day 3 of the posts on the event – for those of you arriving to the table late, we`ll add links to the other posts in this 5-part series shortly. There will be more pictures on Thursday before a BIG FOOD ANNOUNCEMENT on Friday and a few regular posts on the weekend before the final Eigensinn post on Monday.

We`re hoping that you`re enjoying the visits and that each day is a little like being there – small little surprises around each corner that, together, will give you a feeling for what the day was like. The farm was full of surprises and each corner brought on another surprise and delight and flavor. The chef`s and team who worked the event were so focused on ensuring that all were enjoying and were world class in their service and friendliness. I really enjoyed seeing them sneak up to other booths to say hi, share a smile and a taste of each others wares.

See more:
Eigensinn Farm Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 1)
Eigensinn Farm Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 2)
Eigensinn Farm Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 4)
Eigensinn Farm Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 5)

Eigensinn Farm – Wild leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 2)

This weekend’s event was absolutely stunning. I spent most of the day quietly observing – this will be shocking to those who know me personally. Yesterday’s post (Eigensinn Farm Part I) was the first in a photo essay that we hope will capture the feeling of the event and hopefully part of the experience that we had – that of exploration and wondering what was around the next corner. Stay tuned over the next 2 days for further posts and pics and explore this massive ”

For more:
Eigensinn Farm Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 1)
Eigensinn Farm Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 3)
Eigensinn Farm Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 4)
Eigensinn Farm Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 5)

Eigensinn Farm – Maple Syrup and Wild Leek Festival (Part 1)

Yesterday’s event was stunning. We’ll post several updates with a lot more photos and info, for now we’ll tease you with a some pictures that might best capture the spirit of what was

See More:
Eigensinn Farm Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 2)
Eigensinn Farm Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 3)
Eigensinn Farm Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 4)
Eigensinn Farm Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival (Part 5)

The other secret to fresh Asparagus

There are two ways to fresh asparagus – I am taking it for granted that we all can accept that buying fresh and local is the number one secret and also that we have all opened the crisper to find 4 or 5 day old asparagus wilting and dried in the fridge and thought it was game over. Don’t be too hasty to throw it out!

Before we reveal our secret I thought it would be pertinent to share a piece of logic a local farmer shared with me that was so obvious it had eluded me (that could be a way of me flattering myself by pretending I wasn’t thick enough to have had the thought myself of course). He asked me why grocery stores leave asparagus in water – I responded that it was to “keep them fresh.” He asked if that is why they watered their other vegetables in the fridge (beyond the fact that it also looks fresher and more appetizing) and I concurred. He smiled and told me that was right. He then asked me why they cared about the vegetables being fresh. I suppose I had never thought that far – surely they must care about me as an individual, no? While I’m sure they do, he had a different theory.

The difference between fresh and going stale for many vegetables (such as asparagus, lettuce, many herbs) is the amount of water they store in their cell walls. They are capable of absorbing some water as they lay in wait to be purchased. Watering them keeps them fresh and retaining more water. Water adds weight to the vegetable that a stale vegetable would not have. In other words, fresh food weighs more than stale. And most leafy food is sold by the gram or ounce and thus it is in their best interest to sell us fresh. Stunningly obvious and perhaps I am the only one who missed this fact but it certainly has made me think over the last few weeks (especially when I see a store selling stale food, effectively for less profit margin).

So let’s assume we bought fresh and took home the asparagus before letting it dry out a little (the drier it is, the less likely this will work though it’s saved some pretty dismal produce in my time). Add a teaspoon of sugar to a cup of water (a 5-10% solution) and let the asparagus soak (roots down) for a while. My preferred method is in a coffee cup – like seen below.

At the end of the day, this is no substitute for real fresh (asparagus actually loses much of it’s quality in the first 24 hours after harvest) but when in a jam and avoiding losing vegetables this is a handy trick. Even if your asparagus doesn’t appear to be dried, it is my experience that this can take stocks which are a few days old and make them much more tender than otherwise as the fibrous core becomes enhances with a higher water content. This veg is as much as 4% sugar when it first comes out of the field which is why the addition of the sugar to the water is not as foreign as it may sound at first glance.

next posts 1 2 3 previous posts

Navigate / search

Make Something. Share It.