Can Jam 4: Herbs

This is the time of year when, in most other parts of the country, virtually nothing – or next to nothing – is being harvested for market, so it’s kind of tough for a lot of our Can Jammers to find anything local suitable for canning. Therefore, our assignment for the April Can Jam was Herbs. Even if you’re growing them on your own windowsill, most people can find fresh herbs, right?

So, what have I got growing in the backyard right now? Mint. And lemongrass. Okay, so if I really put my mind to it, I suppose I could have thought of a dozen interesting things to do with the lemongrass, but my brain was focused elsewhere (see previous several posts). Mint. This is the pot of mint my husband thought I’d killed when I forgot to water the eensy little nursery pot it came in. Looking pretty dead, huh?

What to do with it? Something else that was in abundance in Southern Florida at the time, was strawberries. And what fabulous strawberries they were, too! You could go out to a u-pick field and pluck ’em yourself, or go to any grocery store and get the same fine, local berries at (for a change) incredibly low prices.

So, of course, the only sensible thing to do when confronted with such bounty, is to make jam. I adapted the basic strawberry jam recipe in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving:

Strawberry Mint Jam (makes about 4-5 pints or 8-10 1/2 pints)

Ingredients:

7 cups granulated sugar
2 quarts whole strawberries, washed & hulled
4 Tbs. lemon juice
1 pkg. regular powdered fruit pectin
1 small lime, cut into quarters
Sprigs of fresh mint equal to the number & size of the jars being used

Preparation:

Get your jars and lids sterilized as appropriate.

Crush the berries with a potato masher and add to a large, deep saucepan. Add the lemon juice and quartered lime, then stir in the pectin until it’s completely dissolved. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat while stirring frequently. Add the sugar all at once and bring back to a full boil , while stirring constantly. Boil hard, while continuing to stir, for one minute. Remove from the heat, skim off the foam and fish out the lime quarters.

Fill the hot jars with the hot jam, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Push a thin spatula or butter knife into the jam to release any air bubbles. Take a sprig of fresh mint, sized appropriately for each jar, and insert into the hot jam. Place the lid on the jars and boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the jars to sit in the hot water for an additional 5 minutes before removing to a towel or newspaper-covered surface to cool completely and listen for that satisfying ->Ping!<- of the lids sealing.

Now, Tigress may be thinking right about now that, hey! this was more about the strawberries than the mint. I disagree. And so would you, if you tasted it. That one sprig of mint in the hot jam, infuses it with its essence. Wait a couple of weeks before popping open a jar, and see what you think. The mint permeates the jam, giving it a freshness – without being overpowering – that’s perfect on a buttered biscuit on a hot, sultry summer afternoon, perking up your peanut butter, or even (being a tad daring!) brushed on baked or roasted chicken as a glaze.