Sweet Summer Heat - The Conclusion of The "Rescued' Strawberries Story

As I posted in early July, we received a wonderful gift of a lot of strawberries.  I chose to juice most of them and they have been sitting awaiting a good inspiration.  There is lots of strawberry jam around so I wanted to make something different while still retaining the wonderful strawberry flavour.  Would this product be a jam or a condiment?  Well - we decided to make a crossover - something that would be tasty for those who like a jam with interest ...  But ...  also could be used as a condiment for those who like a sweet compliment to meats.   I think we succeeded.  I took it to one of the markets the last 2 weeks and the tasters were pretty equally divided about whether it was a jam or a savoury.   It will be going out to the all the Edmonton markets this week and here are some ideas about how to use this unique taste treat.

Flavour Profile:  it starts with the full taste of sweet summer strawberries filling your mouth and just at the end - as you swallow - a light lift of chipotle chilis becomes present.  This finish cuts the sweetness and brightens the mouth with a little surprise.  As the cooks at Fruits of Sherbrooke, we think it is pretty brilliant!!

Uses: *  Some people have used it to spark up a PBJ sandwich or just plain on toast. *  Others have used it on cream cheese and a bagel or with cheese and crackers. *  Use it as a glaze when cooking chicken, fish or tofu.  As it is a jelly, I would suggest putting the meat or fish on a large piece of parchment or foil , topping it with a couple of spoonfuls of Sweet Summer Heat and then closing the package and baking in the oven or on the BBQ. *  What about a salad with a protein of your choice, lots of greens, perhaps feta cheese, some pecans or pumpkin seeds and a dressing with Sweet Summer Heat in it.  Make an oil and vinegar dressing or use a mayo dressing and add 2 or more Tablespoons Sweet Summer Heat to the dressing.  This will make it a wonderful fruity dressing with a touch of heat.  You can always add extra heat by adding chopped hot peppers or a touch of hot chili sauce. *  Make a unique topping for a grilled steak.  Have a few fresh strawberries chopped and if grilling meat on BBQ, put the strawberries in a small pan on the grill and when just heated add a couple of Tablespoons of Sweet Summer Heat to the berries just until heated.  Taste and add extra chili if desired.  Remove steak from the grill and top with the Strawberry Sauce.  If steaks are cooked in a pan, add the berries and Sweet Summer Heat to the grilling pan as soon as steaks are removed then pour over meat to serve. *  What about desserts?  In a microwave glass bowl, heat a few spoonfuls of Sweet Summer Heat for about 10 seconds to just soften it, then toss with prepared fresh strawberries and pour over a cheesecake, ice cream or mix with an alcohol of choice for a summer drink.

Availability:  This is a Seasonal Specialty.  This means that we have a limited amount because it is not a regular fruit we rescue.  It will be available at local Farmer's Markets and can be ordered by phone for delivery at markets until it runs out and that will be the end.   During its availability we will accept request for delivery but these will be filled only if available.

Comments:  This product has been fun to create and we hope it will be fun to use.  We thank Walker's Own BC fruits for their generosity in gifting us with the strawberries.  To be clear, they were past their prime for the markets but with diligent efforts by our fruit rescue team, we were able to sort through and find berries that were still full of summery goodness.   We then had the joy of creating what we think is a unique gem!

Your comments are always welcome.

I just noticed that rhubarb seems to have pushed its way into the photo but it is NOT in the jar!!!

Rhubarb Rhapsody

The siren call of spring brings the rhubarb popping up out of the ground as the (almost) first food of spring!   Christina and her crew of volunteer pickers have been out harvesting already and in just under 3 weeks they have brought in over 100 Kg.  That has disappeared into the cooking pots and then into jam jars ready for the market.  Here is a list of the wonderful things we have already made with rhubarb (and there are a few more in the test stages).

JAMS:

**  Apple, Plum, Rhubarb with plums and apples saved since last summer's bounty **  Blackberry Rhubarba wonderful dark jam full of summer warmth  **  Blueberry Rhubarb is a lovely dark colour and the rhubarb adds zest to this wonderful fruit **  Grapefruit Rhubarb is a wonderful combination of these 2 tart fruits that give a marmalade flavoured jam with a soft texture **  Mango Orange Rhubarb has the mellow mango fullness balanced with the zip of rhubarb and orange **  Pineapple Rhubarb is an old fashioned jam that used to be made by many grandmothers **  Raspberry Rhubarb  and **  Raspberry Pear Rhubarb.  Last year we had taste tests to see which was the favourite and since it was almost a tie, we have  again made both jams with raspberries donated to us this past winter **  Sassy Barb with Orange uses local saskatoons and rhubarb and unites them with a hint of orange **  Spiced Rhubarb fills your mouth with a burst of fragrant spices **  Strawberry Rhubarb the perennial favourite and it's adult cousin **  Strawberry Rhubarb with Sambucaliqueur($1 more) adds a hint of black licorice to the strawberries **  Vanilla Rhubarb ($1 more) is made with whole vanilla beans so it is a delicate flavourful jam perfect for an afternoon tea with scones and crumpets.

CONDIMENTS:

**  Chipotle Rhubarb Ketchup is our best seller and we have made lots for the Bar B Q season **  Citrus Ginger Sauce is a lighter sauce without tomato that goes well with pork, chicken and fish **  Hot Pepper Rhubarb Condiment is like hot pepper jellies but since we use full fruit it spreads easily and does not melt and slide off your finished food.  It is growing to be one of our top 10 sellers! **  Lemon, Pepper and Gin Condiment ($1 more) is made of rhubarb juice with fresh lemon and freshly ground black pepper finished with Gin. **  Rhubarb Chutneyis full of spice, vinegar and chunks of fruit.  **  Rosemary Jelly is a clear jelly that fits well in the sweet side to use on toast but also accompanies lamb and chicken **  Sweet Chili Tri Sauce is our newest product.  It is similar to Thai sauce but we believe it has a stronger opening flavour that ends with the satisfying warmth of it's 3 types of chili peppers.

So this is why we call it Rhubarb Rhapsody - so many flavours and combinations and all from the humble rhubarb plant.

We can also ship to customers in Canada so give us a call at 780-244-0129 to find out more.

Markets:

Come out to the local Farmer's Markets listed below and see what we are sampling each week.  As we have such a large selection of product, different items are featured each week, so over the summer you will be able to taste everything.  By coming out to the markets, you can also purchase items that we are putting out for a test or items that come in limited supply.   For your information we work hard to be environmentally responsible and our tasting spoons are made of potato starch (non GMO) and thus are compostable.   In the kitchen we recycle what we can and compost all of our kitchen scraps before using the garbage bin.

Wednesday 4:30 – 7:30 pm:  South West Edmonton Farmers Market at Terwillegar Community Recreation Centre - 2051 Leger Road.

Thursday 4:00 -  8:00 pm:    124 Grand Market on 108 Avenue and 124 Street

Saturday:  9:00 am  -  3:00 pm:     104 Street Downtown Farmer’s Market

Saturday:  10:00 am - 3:00 pm:     St Albert Farmer’s Market  - at St. Anne and St. Thomas Streets in St. Albert

Sunday:    10:00 am – 3:00 pm   Callingwood Farmer’s Market  at 69 Ave and 178 Street.

Sunday:  10:00 am – 2:00 pm  Petroleum Club Market  at 11110 - 108 Street.