Over the weekend we made raspberry jam. I was a little concerned about the seeds. They don’t bother me but Greg suggested about a week ago he hates raspberry seeds—he denies this statement now. So when I thought he hated seeds I ordered this Fruit and Vegetable Strainer KitchenAid attachment to remove them.

He bugged me all Saturday morning asking when I was going to start so he could try out the new toy. After a quick rinse the raspberries went into the strainer. He had a great time and even said, “This is the most fun I’ve had in the kitchen in a long time.” He read on a discussion board not to run them through twice because the strainer could crack or put excess labor on your mixer— he of course didn’t believe this statement. “Look at the juice left on those things Katy”, he said after I reminded him of the warning. In the photo below you can see the first run through and the second. We also shot a little video to show you how it works.

The machine did get clogged and he had a heck of time getting the attachment off the machine but thankfully nothing broke. As he was cleaning I began to boil the raspberries on the stove. I threw in a few of the seeds sticks when he wasn’t looking. How can you have raspberry jam without seeds, right? I made two batches of jam. The first was just regular raspberry and second was Raspberry with Mint and Lavender. The touch of mint is amazing! The recipe below is from my favorite new canning book, Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry by Liana Krissoff.

Raspberry Jam with Mint and Lavender
Makes about 5 half-pint jars

1 pound of Granny Smith apples (about 4 small)
3 pounds raspberries, rinsed if necessary (about 10 cups)
2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
Grated zest of 2 small lemons
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons fresh lavender blossoms, or 2 teaspoons dried

Prepare for water-bath canning. Sterilize the jars and keep them hot in a canning pot, put a small plate in the freezer, and put the flat lids in a heat-proof bowl.

Quarter and core the apples, reserving the cores and seeds. Put as many of the apple trimmings in a jelly bag or 4 layers of cheesecloth as will fit, and tie the bag closed.

Put the raspberries and sugar in a wide, 6- to 8-quart preserving pan. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Add the apples and the bag with the trimmings, along with the lemon juice and zest. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, stirring frequently to prevent it from sticking, until a small dab of the jam spooned on the chilled plate and returned to the freezer for a minute becomes somewhat firm (it will not gel), 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the mint and lavender and cook for one minute. Remove from the heat and stir gently for a few seconds to distribute the fruit in the liquid. Remove the bag and the apples.

Ladle the boiling water from the canning pot into the bowl with the lids. Using a jar lifter, remove the sterilized jars from the canning pot, carefully pouring the water from each one back into the pot, and place them upright on a folded towel. Drain the water off the jar lids.

Ladle the hot jelly into the jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace at the the top. Use a damp paper towel to wipe the rims of the jars, then put a flat lid and ring on each of the jars, adjusting the ring so that just finger-tight. Return the jars to to the water in the canning pot. Bring to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes to process. Remove the jars to a folded towel and do not disturb for 12 hours.

Recipe as it appears in Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry by Liana Krissoff.

Making jam together on Saturday afternoon.

Greg demonstrating how the attachment works.

First run through on the left and second time on the right.

Raspberries boiling in dutch oven with apple tied in cheese cloth.

Fresh mint and lavender from garden.

Mint and lavender chopped up for jam.

Mason jars freshly sterilized and ready to be filled. Mr. Jack sits in the window watching the whole process.

Filling jars with jam using a funnel.

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I picked up a flat a raspberries from my CSA yesterday to make into jam. I hadn’t really thought about how to deseed them till this morning or if I want too? Greg found a link to this Kitchen Aid fruit and vegetable strainer attachment (I already have the food grinder)—it will be here tomorrow am.

Last night, I tweeted the below tablecloth/sailboat photo and everyone went crazy. I picked up the tablecloth last winter at Goodwill up in Maine for $2. Pretty cute, eh? We don’t have a table set up in our house right now so we’ve been bringing picnics down to the the beach and Crocker Park overlooking the harbor instead.

So what are you doing this weekend? I hope I can get my lazy butt out of bed Sunday morning to take a trip up to Todd Farm, finally dive into the ocean, make raspberry jam and spackle a few spots on a wall I’m trying to finish up. Happy Weekend!

p.s. follow me on twitter or facebook for play-by-play weekend action!

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Isn’t this the most beautiful summer squash you’ve ever seen? I love the variation of yellow and green bands. I wish I could figure out a way to cook them and preserve the detail; this 90+ degree day is getting the best of me and I can’t think!

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Spring Linguine with Fiddleheads
Recipe: Kohlrabi, Radish, Carrot, Cabbage Slaw

Fiddleheads “are furled fronds of a young fern” harvested in the early spring. They taste similar to asparagus but have a bit more grit. Growing up in New England we typically steamed or sauteed them simply with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.

In my farm box this week I received a 1/2 pound of beautiful fronds from Chamutka Farm in Whately, MA. I had an urge to try something a little different but wanted to keep it simple so I didn’t loose the uniqueness of the frond. My facebook fans came up with some great ideas including Fiddlehead and Chanterelle Risotto, Cream of Fiddlehead Soup, and Spring Linguine. I decided to adapted the Spring Linguine recipe from Whole Living and added pancetta, parmesan and lemon zest. The pancetta gives it a little more depth and the zest lightens up the flavor. And the parmesan, well. How can you go wrong with parmesan reggiano on a bowl of linguine? My recipe adaptation below. It’s a perfect spring dinner or for us a big friday afternoon lunch.

Spring Linguine with Fiddleheads
1 pound linguine
1/2 pound fiddleheads
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
juice from 1/2 a lemon plus zest
1/2 pound baby leeks, washed, trimmed, and cut into thirds on a bias
1 1/2 cups dandelion greens or sorrel, washed
1/4 pound of diced pancetta
1 cup of grated parmesan reggiano

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the linguine until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

My fiddleheads were really dirty so I soaked them overnight and drained. The next day I removed the papery particles from each of them. Then, fill a medium bowl with cool water; add 1 teaspoon salt and the lemon juice. Some recipes suggest blanching them after their first rinsing. Or you can cook them a little longer in the skillet like I did.

Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Let pan cool for a few minutes and then add the leeks and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, until soft. Add the fiddleheads and cook 4 to 5 minutes more (less if you blanched them), until warm and golden. Add pancetta back in and for additional 1-2. Turn off heat and stir in the dandelion greens and cover while you drain the pasta. Toss the mixture with the pasta, season with salt and pepper, add addtional lemon juice and zest, stir in parmesan and serve.

Recipe adapted from Whole Living’s Spring Linguine.

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It’s been pretty cold here this week. I’ve spent way too much time indoors fighting off a cold and baking delicious desserts that are not taking too kindly to my sedentary lifestyle. I really need to get out and sign up for a yoga class or something…I might go crazy soon.

Greg ordered a Metal Detector in hopes that he might find some gold in the basement. He was inspired by the guy in Staffordshire, England who found gold from the 7th century in a field. No gold so far but it’s damn good at finding nails and amusing us at 10 o’clock at night.

We’ve had a few nights of frost which zapped the rest of my tomato plants. Can you believe I picked tomatoes in October? I have a few more weeks left of my farm coop box. This week I got some delicious carrots, celery, and potatoes that are destined for a soup. Have a great weekend!

Just out of the oven and still eating, Ratatouille and Sausage Potpie With Cornmeal Biscuits. Discovered via the NYT’s Dining & Wine article, Ripe for Autumn’s Hearth. I used tomatoes from my garden, eggplant and zucchini from my weekly farm box. Totally delicious. Make it this weekend and enjoy the last bits of summer.

I’m completely obsessed with my new camera. Above and below a few shots of my weekly farm box. The Nikon D5000 is great. How beautiful are my edamame, pears, and green beans? I love all the different tones and values the Nikon seems to find. Want more vegetable photos see here.

I’m back! No, I didn’t fall of the face of the blogging earth. I’ve been working on creating a new home for my growing blog. I have a lot more work to do and a ton more errors to fix. I must continue on even if the format isn’t perfect.

In other news I bought a new camera. Well, I bought two. I couldn’t decide. I wanted an slr to upgrade my canon point and shoot that took a ride in the washing machine about a month ago. I ordered a Canon EOS Rebel T1i and a Nikon D5000. The photos above and below are from my test drive of the Canon EOS Rebel T1i.

Out of the box the camera was easy to use. The camera is the perfect size for my hand and super lightweight. My only complaint so far is that Live View is not available in automatic modes. Live View is the image you see on the screen while your trying to figure out your composition. More on the camera later. I promise to do a side by side comparsion with the Nikon. But for now take a peek at my newest veggie photos. Want to see more beautiful veggies click here.

p.s. none of these photos have been photoshopped or altered in anyway. All the photos were taken with the flash off. I love low light photos. I need a camera that can perform in the lowest of light and not be blurry or make all the grays turn into blobs.

I’ve been away the past few weeks and my neighbors received my vegetable box in exchange for watering my plants. Thanks guys!

This week we got some beautiful edible flowers, cherry tomatoes, organic corn, chinese eggplants, beets, and cucumbers. I guess I have to make a salad tonight to use the flowers or they’ll go bad. I’ve been on a search for an interesting beet soup. I had a warm version a couple of years ago at The Kitchen in Boulder, Colorado. It was delicious, earthy, and a bit spicy. Do you know a good beet soup recipe that’s not your typical Borscht style?

I almost forgot to share my vegetable box for the week. More of the same: beets, swiss chard, kale, and cabbage. Cucumbers and argula are new additions. I’m going up to Maine on Saturday to spend 1/2 the week at my mom’s in Portland and the other 1/2 road tripping. The veggies will have to come along! I just a call that friends who might be coming over tonight. I have to whip up something for dinner. Now what to make? Let’s just eat the cucumbers and bring some beers to the beach! It’s too hot for me to cook!

Below some raspberries and blueberries I purchased at the coop. Their was overflow from the fruit shares. The raspberries are heavenly sweet.