Nothing taste better than homemade. And it can be a very affordable way to provide your family with high quality, nutritious food. It's amazing to think that the berries I bought on Friday, grown locally without the use of pesticides or other chemicals, were on the vine just the day before. It doesn't get much fresher than that. And making homemade strawberry jam couldn't be easier.
My favorite recipe is to simply follow the instructions for "cooked jam and jelly" provided in the box of 100% Natural Sure Jell. If you don't have a water bath canner, just use a large stainless steel stock pot. I used just over half of the gallon of strawberries I purchased at the farmer's market (@ 5 pints), washing, capping and crushing them with a potato masher. Aside from the Sure Jell, the only other ingredient required is approximately 4 lbs of sugar (note: for diabetics, there is a sugar free version of Sure Jell). Within 20 minutes I had 9 1/2 half pint jars of jam that cost me less than $1.25 per jar. Compare that to store bought organic jams at $4 or more and the savings quickly add up. My friends love these as a gift...I'm sure yours will too.
Showing posts with label strawberries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label strawberries. Show all posts
Monday, May 23, 2011
It's Strawberry Time in Tennessee
May brings some of the most wonderfully delicious strawberries to Tennessee. As I visited my local farmer's market last Friday I was lucky enough to get 1 gallon of strawberries for $12 (see next post how I used them to make strawberry jam for less than $1.25 per half-pint). Now I know many people might think that sounds like a lot of money, but you have to consider the time, resources and risk...yes, risk...involved with being a strawberry farmer.
I purchased my berries from a booth run by Valley Home Farm in Wartrace, TN. The co-owner of this family farm was working the booth that morning, so I took the opportunity to find out a bit more about their operation. She shared with me that since late March they had been working 15 hour days. With nighttime temperatures falling into the high 30's and low 40's they have to go out into the fields throughout the night to check field temperatures. They have to use special protective frost blankets to shield the strawberries as they start to bloom or the crop can literally be lost on one cold night. I commented to her that the lecturer at my Master Gardener class had said it cost about $10,000 per acre to grow strawberries...which was astounding to me..but she said it was actually more.
If you've never visited a strawberry farm you might be surprised to see all the special preparations and work that goes into producing them. It starts in the fall with using special equipment to build the raised beds and put down black plastic mulch sheets to cover them. There are holes about every 6 inches that strawberries will have to be hand-planted into. Underneath, a drip irrigation system has to be installed to carefully monitor and dispense just the right amount of water to grow the plump, juicy strawberries we all love. If Mother Nature cooperates, then by mid-April the berries begin to ripen, and run for about 6 weeks. One bad winter or a late spring frost and the entire crop can be lost. When it's berry picking time pickers must be hired to hand pick each and every berry or some farmers choose to offer "pick your own" at a reduced price.
So the next time you look at a beautiful package of strawberries, I hope you appreciate the labor of love and tremendous investment that farmers put into growing these wonderful fruits. And remember, please support your local farmers...they support you.
I purchased my berries from a booth run by Valley Home Farm in Wartrace, TN. The co-owner of this family farm was working the booth that morning, so I took the opportunity to find out a bit more about their operation. She shared with me that since late March they had been working 15 hour days. With nighttime temperatures falling into the high 30's and low 40's they have to go out into the fields throughout the night to check field temperatures. They have to use special protective frost blankets to shield the strawberries as they start to bloom or the crop can literally be lost on one cold night. I commented to her that the lecturer at my Master Gardener class had said it cost about $10,000 per acre to grow strawberries...which was astounding to me..but she said it was actually more.
If you've never visited a strawberry farm you might be surprised to see all the special preparations and work that goes into producing them. It starts in the fall with using special equipment to build the raised beds and put down black plastic mulch sheets to cover them. There are holes about every 6 inches that strawberries will have to be hand-planted into. Underneath, a drip irrigation system has to be installed to carefully monitor and dispense just the right amount of water to grow the plump, juicy strawberries we all love. If Mother Nature cooperates, then by mid-April the berries begin to ripen, and run for about 6 weeks. One bad winter or a late spring frost and the entire crop can be lost. When it's berry picking time pickers must be hired to hand pick each and every berry or some farmers choose to offer "pick your own" at a reduced price.
So the next time you look at a beautiful package of strawberries, I hope you appreciate the labor of love and tremendous investment that farmers put into growing these wonderful fruits. And remember, please support your local farmers...they support you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)