Strawberry Blueberry Pineapple Preserves. Or maybe I should call them Blueberry Strawberry Pineapple Preserves. Either way, it's a mouthful. Oh! I know! P.B.S. Preserves! It rolls off the tongue nicely, and I'm sure the folks at Sesame Street would love it.
For my second canning experience, I decided to go off the cuff and come up with my own combination. I was sold when I asked Ang and Michael if they thought strawberries, blueberries and pineapple would make tasty preserves and they answered with a resounding 'YES'!
I have never heard of pineapple in preserves, and I don't know if they are supposed to be used in that way, but I figured, what the heck, I'll give it a try. I referenced a strawberry preserve recipe I found on the internet and got to work.
In a large pot I combined fresh strawberries, frozen blueberries, and canned pineapple (juice and all) together with sugar and some lemon juice, and set it on the stove. I brought the mixture to temperature and used the same frozen plate test I did with the orange marmalade. Once the mixture quickly jelled on the frozen plate, I was ready for the jars.
The whole thing came together quite quickly, but the proof was in the taste. Not having any biscuits around this time, I had to settle for a piece of toast. The flavors were sensational! The strawberry and blueberry flavors shine, and the pineapple comes through as well, even though most of the chunks practically disintegrated while cooking. It has the perfect sweetness for my taste, as well.
My second canning experience was a success and it was exciting to try something new. I was also lucky enough to get dozens of 8 oz. jars from Margie, chock full of canning memories past. All but guaranteeing many more canning adventures to come.
luke! share your canning technique??? i haven't but plan to. no secrets, of course...just the simplest, basic method so i don't mess it up.
ReplyDeletejeff
I'll work on writing something up, Jeff. There are a lot of steps, but it's fairly straightforward. Not as daunting as I was afraid it would be. I'll get back with you soon!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see what delicious combinations you come up with next!!! This one looks outta-sight!
ReplyDeleteGreat original recipe, Luke! Your post reminded me of the time that Mom (Nonna to you), me and my sisters turned the kitchen into a veritable canning factory. It was July 4, 1976, and there was a bumper crop of wild black raspberries -- at the peak of ripeness -- along the tree lines of the field behind the house. Us children picked a huge amount of the raspberries, and then helped as Mom turned them into the most delicious black raspberry jam! We canned CASES of pint jars of jam! Mom had acquired some stick-on oval labels preprinted with "From the kitchen of Schifferli", and then Mom wrote across the top of each label, "July 4, 1976". That was our Bicentennial jam. I still might have one or two unopened jars. Singer-songwriter Jim Croce sang "Time in a bottle", but each of those pint jars of jam are chock full of "Memories in a jelly jar." -- Leo
ReplyDeleteP. S. Update from 1976 to 2011: The peak of the wild black raspberry season has shifted dramatically. Whereas July the fourth was the peak of the season in 1976, if you go out to pick wild black raspberries on this Fourth of July, you will find very few berries, if any. Now the peak of the wild black raspberry season is around June the 20th. A graphic demonstration of climate change in a mere thirty-five years. -- Leo
Thank you for sharing that story, Uncle Lee. I would have loved to see all of you in the kitchen that day! I remember eating black raspberries from the bushes along the tree
ReplyDeletelines of the field. Such a treat. It is astounding to think that there enough raspberries that year to make cases of jam!