I do like the frozen wild blueberries. They have a good strong taste. I purchased 600 grams for $4.79. I also purchased frozen strawberries, same price. Not impressed. Most of the berries were bland, a few were nice and sweet. I checked things out online and found that frozen berries are probably healthier than fresh.

A Moose in Love wrote:
> I do like the frozen wild blueberries. They have a good strong taste. I purchased 600 grams for $4.79. I also purchased frozen strawberries, same price. Not impressed. Most of the berries were bland, a few were nice and sweet. I checked things out online and found that frozen berries are probably healthier than fresh.
>

if you are very finicky about taste of strawberries
it is best to grow your own or go pick your own when
they are ready locally.

the frozen ones are better than the fresh ones in
the middle of winter when you are desperate, but if
you can get the fresh ones and put those up they
are going to be better because they'll be riper than
the mass produced frozen ones.

we take the frozen ones in the winter and i add
some of my strawberry freezer jam to them to make
them much better tasting than anything you can
get shipped in from CA. those tasteless berries
aren't worth the bother. they may look ok but
blech.


songbird

On Monday, August 5, 2019 at 10:46:39 PM UTC-4, songbird wrote:
> A Moose in Love wrote:
> > I do like the frozen wild blueberries. They have a good strong taste. I purchased 600 grams for $4.79. I also purchased frozen strawberries, same price. Not impressed. Most of the berries were bland, a few were nice and sweet. I checked things out online and found that frozen berries are probably healthier than fresh.
> >
>
> if you are very finicky about taste of strawberries
> it is best to grow your own or go pick your own when
> they are ready locally.
>
> the frozen ones are better than the fresh ones in
> the middle of winter when you are desperate, but if
> you can get the fresh ones and put those up they
> are going to be better because they'll be riper than
> the mass produced frozen ones.
>
> we take the frozen ones in the winter and i add
> some of my strawberry freezer jam to them to make
> them much better tasting than anything you can
> get shipped in from CA. those tasteless berries
> aren't worth the bother. they may look ok but
> blech.
>
>
> songbird

My cousin made a really good strawberry rhubarb jam using locally grown strawberries. Wonderful stuff. She also put in a small amount of nice bitter orange peel. But then, I've never met a jam I didn't like.

On Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at 12:19:39 PM UTC-5, A Moose in Love wrote:
>
> My cousin made a really good strawberry rhubarb jam using locally grown strawberries. Wonderful stuff. She also put in a small amount of nice bitter orange peel. But then, I've never met a jam I didn't like.
>
Back during the Crusades when I was just barely a teenager there was a jar of
quince seed jam on the kitchen table. Being a goofy teenager I thought it
sounded just disgusting; don't ask me why, you know teenagers can be real
ding-a-lings at times. Anyway, with some trepidation I smeared a bit on
either a biscuit or toast and had no high expectations. Oh my! Much to my
amazement it was simply delicious!!

Can't even find the stuff on grocery shelves now. GRRRRRRRRR I think the
only place I could snag a jar now is at the once-a-month flea market at the
Mennonite stand. The Amish stand would probably have it for sale, too.

On 8/6/2019 1:50 PM, wrote:
> On Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at 12:19:39 PM UTC-5, A Moose in Love wrote:
>>
>> My cousin made a really good strawberry rhubarb jam using locally grown strawberries. Wonderful stuff. She also put in a small amount of nice bitter orange peel. But then, I've never met a jam I didn't like.
>>
> Back during the Crusades when I was just barely a teenager there was a jar of
> quince seed jam on the kitchen table. Being a goofy teenager I thought it
> sounded just disgusting; don't ask me why, you know teenagers can be real
> ding-a-lings at times. Anyway, with some trepidation I smeared a bit on
> either a biscuit or toast and had no high expectations. Oh my! Much to my
> amazement it was simply delicious!!
>
> Can't even find the stuff on grocery shelves now. GRRRRRRRRR I think the
> only place I could snag a jar now is at the once-a-month flea market at the
> Mennonite stand. The Amish stand would probably have it for sale, too.
>

You can buy a jar or buy a case. The Trappist make great preserves. I
always have a jar of strawberry. Have some on toast or English uffin
most days.

https://www.monasterygreetings.com/p...nal-Selections

On Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at 1:25:25 PM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>
> You can buy a jar or buy a case. The Trappist make great preserves. I
> always have a jar of strawberry. Have some on toast or English uffin
> most days.
>
> https://www.monasterygreetings.com/p...nal-Selections
>
Yes, but the cost of shipping far outweighs how much I'd enjoy a jar. When-
ever I hit the flea market again and the the Mennonites or Amish are there
I'll spring for a jar.

A Moose in Love wrote:
....
> My cousin made a really good strawberry rhubarb jam using locally grown strawberries. Wonderful stuff. She also put in a small amount of nice bitter orange peel. But then, I've never met a jam I didn't like.

have you ever had strawberry freezer jam?

i don't bother making any other kind of
strawberry jam now.


songbird

On Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at 2:27:23 PM UTC-4, songbird wrote:
> A Moose in Love wrote:
> ...
> > My cousin made a really good strawberry rhubarb jam using locally grown strawberries. Wonderful stuff. She also put in a small amount of nice bitter orange peel. But then, I've never met a jam I didn't like.
>
> have you ever had strawberry freezer jam?
>
> i don't bother making any other kind of
> strawberry jam now.
>
>
> songbird

I don't think I really know what freezer jam is. This jam can be and is frozen.
The jar I got was freshly made, and wasn't frozen. Is freezer jam made in a different way than regular?

On Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at 12:22:22 PM UTC-10, A Moose in Love wrote:
> On Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at 2:27:23 PM UTC-4, songbird wrote:
> > A Moose in Love wrote:
> > ...
> > > My cousin made a really good strawberry rhubarb jam using locally grown strawberries. Wonderful stuff. She also put in a small amount of nice bitter orange peel. But then, I've never met a jam I didn't like.
> >
> > have you ever had strawberry freezer jam?
> >
> > i don't bother making any other kind of
> > strawberry jam now.
> >
> >
> > songbird
>
> I don't think I really know what freezer jam is. This jam can be and is frozen.
> The jar I got was freshly made, and wasn't frozen. Is freezer jam made in a different way than regular?

Freezer jam is a jam that is not cooked. The fruit is chopped up and sugar and an acid like lemon juice is mixed in. After the sugar has dissolved, liquid pectin is added which thickens the mix. That result is a fresh fruit spread that some folks like better than the cooked stuff. I've made quite a lot of strawberry freezer jam. It used to be a thing with me. Of course, I made quite a lot of biscuits to go with this tasty spread.

On 2019-08-06 6:22 p.m., A Moose in Love wrote:
> On Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at 2:27:23 PM UTC-4, songbird wrote:
>> A Moose in Love wrote: ...
>>> My cousin made a really good strawberry rhubarb jam using locally
>>> grown strawberries. Wonderful stuff. She also put in a small
>>> amount of nice bitter orange peel. But then, I've never met a
>>> jam I didn't like.
>>
>> have you ever had strawberry freezer jam?
>>
>> i don't bother making any other kind of strawberry jam now.
>>
>>
>> songbird
>
> I don't think I really know what freezer jam is. This jam can be and
> is frozen. The jar I got was freshly made, and wasn't frozen. Is
> freezer jam made in a different way than regular?
>


It is an easy kind of jam. You add the sugar to the fruit. Heat up some
water with pectin and then mix it with the fruit and put it in plastic
containers and throw them into the freezer. It produces a jam that may
be a little runnier than cooked jam but tastes more like the fresh fruit.

A Moose in Love wrote:
....
> I don't think I really know what freezer jam is. This jam can be and is frozen.
> The jar I got was freshly made, and wasn't frozen. Is freezer jam made in a different way than regular?

yes it is different as the fruit is not cooked. if you
like lemon juice it really makes the bright notes of the
strawberries stand out. i add extra lemon juice.

the basic technique is simple, clean the fruits, mash
some of them up and you can leave some larger chunks if
you want them, i just mash it all up, measure out what
is needed, add sugar, stir a bit and then leave it sit
for about 10 minutes, by then most of the sugar has
dissolved, you can stir it a bit at this point to get
more of the sugar dissolved, i'm not that picky. then
you add pectin and lemon juice and stir for a bit to
make sure that is fully incorporated, then you can put
it in containers and let them sit for a bit and then
put them in the freezer or refridgerator. frozen it
will keep a year or two (i seal the jars using budget
canning lids that have been warmed up and then i put
a ring on and tighten it well). you have to leave
enough room in the jars for expansion during freezing
but otherwise i don't have problems with the jars in
the freezer.

i usually use liquid pectin, it is fairly expensive
so i may do something else in the future or just not
make as much. we'll see (trying to reduce sugar in
my diet).

what i like about it the most, not having to cook
jam on a hot day in the summer. that alone is worth it
but the flavor is so much better too.


songbird