With my strawberries ripening in the patch, I went out to fill up my pan.

I returned with 4 quarts of red, sweet, tasty morsels.

At the urging of my daughter, I used this picking of berries for a simple treat.  Originally it came to us as a beverage syrup from The Settlement Cook Book .  But we also use it on ice cream or on pancakes and waffles.  We call it Strawberry Syrup.

Strawberry Syrup

Gather the Equipment you will need:

• Potato masher (I don’t like using a blender.  It tends to make the berry mash so fine that the juice will not seep easily through the jelly bag.)
• Flat pan in which to mash the berries
• Candy thermometer
• Several layers of cheesecloth or a jelly bag
• A canning funnel to aid in a clean pouring of syrup into the jars
• 5 or 6 half-pint sterilized canning jars with lids and screw bands 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups mashed berries
• 4 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water

Place the mashed berries in a jelly bag to extract the juice.  (You will get approximately 1-1/2 cups of juice.)

Cook sugar and water together until it reaches 234° F.  When it reaches this temperature, add the strawberry juice and bring to a boil again.  Remove from burner.  Skim the top of the syrup.  While still hot, pour the syrup into the sterilized jars and seal with lids and screw bands.

Two teaspoons of this syrup mixed in a glass of cold water makes a sweet fruit drink.  It also goes great with waffles and pancakes or it can be used as an ice cream topping.

Note:  We also use this recipe with red raspberries and black raspberries.   It can also be made with currants.
photo credit: bucklava via photo pin cc
photo credit: Deena Hall
photo credit: Deena Hall

Picture Perfect Rhubarb

Along with asparagus, rhubarb is the other first crop in my garden.

Bulbous blossoms form on the plant which I cut off.  The blossoms will take away from the growth of the leaves which I plan to harvest.  That harvest will last until early to mid-June.

Ceasing to pick the rhubarb for the remainder of the summer will give the rhubarb plants time to recover from the leaves lost in the picking.  It strengthens them for survival till the next harvest.  My rule of thumb is to stop picking the rhubarb when the strawberries are done bearing.

When the leaf stems have reached an appropriate length I pull the whole stem loose from the plant.  I generally have a knife in hand so that I can cut off and discard the huge leaves before returning to my kitchen. The stems measure 10 inches or more when clipped.

I wash and trim the stems, cutting them into 1/2 inch pieces.  I  freeze them in freezer containers to use another day, or I can make jam, or other yummy rhubarb desserts.

One delicacy I make is Victoria Sauce.  I found the recipe in the Ball Blue Book.  It is easy to make and is a delicious sauce for eating with meats.  It compares with sweet-sour bottled sauces that one finds at the grocery store.

Rhubarb-lovers will like this.

                                                Victoria Sauce

2 quarts chopped rhubarb                            1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped onion                                 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1-1/2  cups chopped, seedless raisins         1 teaspoon ground ginger

3-1/2 cups brown sugar, packed                  1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 cup vinegar

Combine rhubarb, onion, raisins, sugar and vinegar.  Cook until thick, about 25 minuties.  As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking.  Add spices; cook 5 minutes longer.  Pour, boiling hot, into hot Ball Jars, leaving 1/8-inch head space.  Adjust caps. Process 10-15 minutes.  Yield: about 4 pints.
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“Hey, Mom, what’s for lunch?” asks your child.

“Boiled eggs and toast,”  you offer.

“Eeuuu, those green old things,”  he responds with disgust.

Good old farm eggs

Have you ever had such an exchange?  Why do some boiled eggs look white with a greenish yolk?  There is a reason and it can be avoided.

The overcooking of the egg causes the yolks to discolor.

Here is a great way to avoid the “green eggs”.

• Place the eggs in a kettle. 
• Add water.  The water level should reach about one-inch above the eggs.
• Cook to boiling.
• Turn off the burner and set the kettle of eggs on a cool burner to rest for 15 minutes.

• 

  Golden-yellow Yolks

  Drain off the hot water and cover eggs with cold water. 

• Peel eggs when cool enough to handle.

The yolks will be a cheerful yellow color.  Try this little trick.  It may revive your relationship to boiled eggs.

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photo credit: .::RMT::. via photo pin cc