I was reluctant to make strawberry rhubarb jam. However, after my attempt at making just rhubarb jam, I knew I needed to explore adding something else to rhubarb. Rhubarb jam alone doesn't pack much flavor. It doesn't make for a good jam in the morning on toast. It is sharp and citrusy, but that's about it. By adding the bare minimum of strawberries, I was able to round out the flavor of rhubarb without losing the wonderful essence of rhubarb that I love. This recipe is so delicious. If you have a hard time finding 10 pounds of rhubarb, look at my notes below.

April is the time of year that we get strawberries in the grocery store for $1.25 - $1.50 a pound. I wish I had access to local Utah strawberries, but people just don't grow them here. I won't complain, because Utah is more known for our raspberries!! And we have tasty raspberries. Here's my recipe... Continue Reading →

I bought a bag of plums this week from Allred Orchards. I wanted to try a small batch recipe of plum jam just to see how it would turn out and taste. It was hard not to just eat all the plums, but I managed to make jam before they were all gone. I've been... Continue Reading →

It is peach season in Utah and I'm still experimenting with making the best peach jam ever! I've recently started using weight to determine the amount of sugar to add to jam recipes instead of cup measurements. For fruits like apricots, peaches, and sweet cherries, I've been measuring the weight of the processed fruit in... Continue Reading →

I have used KSL classified ads to find local fruit and veggies. Right now apricots are out in full force! I found a family in Riverdale selling apricots for $25 / bushel (about 40 pounds). I was able to make this recipe twice and then dried the rest. This recipe turned out really great.

Raspberry jam in a preserving glass This isn't so much an "official" recipe but a way to remember what I did when I made raspberry jam. I'm still learning how to make low sugar, no pectin jams. This summer I tried to pick raspberries at one of the many U-Pick farms, but we had such... Continue Reading →

Over the summer we’ve tried to make salsa for canning. Now making fresh salsa isn’t that big of a deal. Fresh tomatoes, peppers, onion, cilantro, and volià you have fresh salsa. However, when it comes to canning salsa, it is not so easy. We followed a couple of recipes on the Utah State canning guide,... Continue Reading →

Ha ha I’m going to gross you out! Do you know how maraschino cherries are actually made? Take a light-colored sweet cherry, like the Rainier cherry, and soak them in a sulfur dioxide and calcium chloride mixture to bleach the fruit. Sulfur dioxide if inhaled or ingested will cause breathing difficulty and eventually with enough... Continue Reading →

Since making this recipe back in April, I finally opened a jar for the first time this week in June. It was so fantastic and delicious. I've had mango chutneys that were super sweet. I've had mango chutneys that were super spicy and others too salty. This chutney was the perfect balance of sweet, sour,... Continue Reading →

I never knew you could grow cilantro in Utah! Cilantro is ubiquitous in hot weather cuisines, yet (as I just found out) it does not like to grow above 75 degrees F. Yesterday it was 70 degrees F and sunny, perfect for cilantro that loves to grow in the spring. The cilantro is not going to... Continue Reading →