Happy Valentines Day!

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Happy Valentine's Day! By now you've heard that the groundhog predicted six more weeks of winter, but that was two weeks ago, so by the time the fruit market opens on WEDNESDAY,  MARCH 5th  at 6 a.m., spring should be springing!

 Local berry season starts in four months, so it's time to eat up the jam you canned or froze. Under ideal storage conditions, your canned jam will remain in peak quality for about 12 months, same for frozen jam and jellies. After a year the preserves will still be safe to eat, but you may find subtle changes in texture and color, especially if you've used a reduced sugar recipe, because sugar acts as a preservative in the jamming/jellying process.

Some of the most useful and authoritative canning sources I turn to are the Ball Blue Book, which we sell at the market during canning season, and online I go to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, and the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning. One of my Facebook friends has a beautiful website, www.learntopreserve.com, and be sure to "like" her Facebook page here for frequent updates.

If you've followed this blog or read the market's monthly newsletter, the Grapevine, you probably know that I have a "thing" for canning jars (and all kinds of other stuff, like green stuff, blue stuff, teacups, shiny things, old postcards, British Royal Family stuff, and, well, just stuff in general). When I cleaned up my canning jar horde this fall, I discovered raspberry jam I didn't know I had, and also, a super sweet book of vintage canning labels. Score!

It's time to use that jam, and in pondering what to do with it, I invented the concept of the PB & J thumbprint cookie. Except like everything else I've ever invented, I googled it, and discovered that it already existed, of course. Everybody has a favorite peanut butter cookie recipe, so I just used mine:

              After about 10 minutes, the cookies are puffy. Remove from oven and make the jam wells.

PB & J COOKIES
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
extra granulated sugar for rolling cookies in
1/2 cup jam or jelly

Preheat oven to 350
   In a medium bowl, blend flour, baking soda, and baking powder, set aside. In the bowl of a mixer, cream butter, peanut butter, granulated and brown sugar till light and fluffy, add egg and vanilla, mix till combined.
  Add dry ingredients to peanut butter mixture and mix until just combined. Dough is easier to handle if you refrigerate it about 1/2 hour. Shape dough into 1" balls, roll in sugar and bake about 10 minutes, until cookies are puffy.  Remove from oven, and use a rounded measuring spoon to make an impression in the cookie. Return to oven another 8-10 minutes until cookies are done. Cool briefly on pan, remove to wire rack and finish cooling. Spoon about a teaspoon of jam into the center of each cookie.

SALT CLAY FOR PRETEND COOKIES

1/2 cup salt
1 cup flour
1/2 cup water
food coloring if desired

Let the kids measure the ingredients in a bowl. The beauty here is that you don't need precise measurements. If the clay's too wet, add more flour/salt. Too dry, add more water. Kids can roll and cut the dough out for pretend cookies, decorate with sprinkles, the whole nine yards.

Cook the cookies in the microwave on high for 3 minutes, then cool. The cookies can also be painted after they're cooled, but if using paint, make sure the kids know they're not for eating. One little sample of the salt dough while they're mixing it up will probably be enough for toddlers to discover they're not worth eating!

Fruitfully yours,

Karin

Blueberry Maple Refrigerator Oatmeal

I’ve been making different versions of refrigerator oatmeal for breakfast for my family for the last week. I make it at night and by the morning it is ready to enjoy. I put it in a mason jar which makes it an easy grab and go breakfast straight from the fridge (Its eaten cold). It is filling and high in protein, calcium and fiber but low in fat and sugar. I got the original idea for it from theyummylife.com. They have many different versions that are delicious (cocoa banana was a hit) but I’ve been experimenting with using my leftover frozen fruit from the summer.

Every summer I freeze blueberries in huge amounts - partially because they are one of my very favorite fruits but also because they are wildly simple to freeze. But every year before the market opens up again I feel the pressure to use up what's left in my freezer. This year its several pounds of frozen blueberries.

This version of refrigerator oatmeal uses blueberries which thaw in the fridge and give the oatmeal a delicious taste of summer.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/3 cup your preferred milk
• 1/4 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried chia seeds
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup (more or less to taste)
• 1/4 cup blueberries (or enough to fill jar)
  
  

Directions

In a half pint (1 cup) jar, add oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, and maple syrup. Put lid on jar and shake until well combined. Remove lid, add blueberries and stir until mixed throughout. Return lid to jar and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. Eat chilled.

Nutritional Info: 215 calories, 4g fat, 48g carbs, 8g fiber, 12g protein; Weight Watchers PtsPlus: 7

Stay sweet,

Alisa