Thursday nights I usually hit up the Highland Square Farmers’ Market since it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump from my day job. I also attend because one of my favorite fruit farms has a stand there – Huffman Fruit Farm. I love Barb and the other young woman whose name currently escapes me. And I especially love their fruit. I am very, very eagerly anticipating their peaches, plums, and nectarines. Mmm….
This afternoon I was on the hunt for red raspberries. When we were up at Vytko Farms last week we focused on the currants (plus we heard from other pickers that the red raspberries were picked over already). And while Walnut Drive has red raspberries they are usually in super limited supply. I knew my favorite gals from Huffman would have some kick ass berries ready for me and I was right.
First things first – triple berry jam. It is my all-time favorite. It is also Diane’s favorite and Aunt Deb’s favorite and my favorite jam to give as a gift.
This year I’m calling it Triple Threat Jam and it contains strawberries (2lbs) , red raspberries (1.5lbs), and blackberries (1lb). It is freakin’ delicious.
While jamming the Triple Threat I also had to deal with the remaining 11lbs of red raspberries. These little treasures are just so dang fragile. They only last for a day in the fridge and I didn’t want to waste a single berry.
So, I froze them.
I weighed out the berries in 1 and 2 pound increments and flash froze them on cookie sheets. This technique works well for all berries but especially really fragile ones like red raspberries. It helps them retain their shape a bit when you finally unfreeze them. So, flash frozen and then into labeled bags and sealed with the vacuum sealer.
You’re really going to want to come see us Saturday morning at the Haymaker Farmers’ Market to taste (and buy!) some Triple Threat Jam. And don’t forget about the Blackcurrant & Rhubarb Jam and the Blackcurrant & Strawberry Jam.
See you under the bridge!
