Raspberries: Garden to kitchen

It's so nice to have black raspberries again. Today I made a jar of raspberry jam just to see if I remembered how to do it. We tried it on toasted english muffins and smiled that something this easy works. All it takes is equal parts of sugar and berries over medium heat until it sheets from a spoon.

The next thing we'll be doing is just tossing about a cup of berries into a Pannekouken (dutch oven pancake) which is a sort of an egg rich batter in a round bottomed pan that you bake in the oven. We used to love them years ago in a local restaurant where the waitresses dressed like little dutch girls and ran them out to your table before they fell (the pancake, not the girl...OK, you can stop laughing now). It was very dramatic, not only because of the way it was served to you but also because they raise up light and fluffy over the edge of the pan and just drop flat as soon as they hit the cool air. making them at home promises to be much duller but just as yummy.

I've only heard back from one of the people that I offered berries to and as you can see there are an awful lot of berries out there so I'll be trying many more things before I give up and just start freezing them.

Fresh Raspberry Jam

I wouldn't make too much of this unless you've got a freezer to keep it in but I make it the old fashioned way with just fruit and sugar. If you don't have anywhere cold to keep it just make the tiny amount you're likely to use that day.You use equal parts of each starting with the fruit.

1. Measure the amount of strawberries or raspberries that you've got and put them into a stainless steel pan.

2. Measure an equal amount of sugar and put that in in another container somewhere that it can get warm. (warm sugar mixes easier and dissolves better)

3.  Put the pan with the berries on the heat and mash them as the cook to boiling.

4. Slowly add the sugar to the berries, stirring constantly and continue to cook until it boils hard and thickens.

5. It's done when it looks like jam

6. Let it cool a bit and put it into a clean container.

7. Store in the freezer or refrigerator

We're snacking on it warm with tea and toast as I write this.

I'm hoping you'll enjoy it too.