currants. lovely.. tarty little buggers

The red currant, is it not lovely? Makes me want to talk with a British accent for some reason. Ahh.. lovely as it looks..do not be fooled by its sweet appearance – this lovely little red berry is such a tart! Sorry, it is so tart. It”s definitely got perk – you can pop these little lovelies right into your mouth for little sour candy like explosions, or you can do something more traditional as I did, and make red currant jelly (recipe to follow). To the fact part.. by now you may know that I like to know (and tell) a little science background about the food I am posting about generally – so for the currants… Did you know it”s a ribe? Yes, that”s right.. its ribe on, its ribe-eous.. its from the ribes family, which means that the currant is a relative of the silly gooseberry. Currants are an excellent source of Vitamin C and also contain fibre and iron.. AND.. the vikings ate them, so you know they will make you strong. When selecting your currants, look for bright coloured and shiny berries. Unlike some fresh berries, the currant will keep well for a few days in the fridge. Red currants can be found right alongside raspberries right now at all the Farmers Markets in town, as well as on the side of road as those nifty little summer stands that pop up here and there. So here is my recipe for red currant jelly,but as with all recipes that involve preserving or canning,you should read up on it a bit. I recommend “The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest” by Carol W. Costenbader. I have not poisoned myself yet, but preserving can be dangerous business if not done properly. Kelly”s Red Currant Jelly Wash your currants. Put some (I”d say equal parts) water and your currants in a non-reactive pot or pan (don”t worry about the stems for now). Boil for about 10-15 minutes, smash the currants along the side of the pan as you are boiling. Take off heat, using a cheese cloth, strain for 2 hours into a clean bowl – I just kept twisting the cloth until I got all the juice out in a more timely manner.*add spices, see below. Measure how much juice you have, put it back in a clean non-reactive pan, adding equal parts sugar, just add the sugar a bit at a time, letting it dissolve each time before putting more in. Keep stirring until the liquid “jells” or gets really thick. Jelling happens at 8 degrees above boiling. Be careful.. very hot! Once it starts to jell, or you reach the temperature, maintain that for a minute. All that jelling done, skim the thick jelly liquid and pour into sterilized jars, within 1/4 inch of tops of jars, process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. *How to make it super delicious:After you strained the chunky, stemmy parts and you have the bright red juices of the berries, when you reboil that.. add in some spices. I went with cinnamon, cloves and cardamon. Just be sure to strain all those spices out before jarring up your concoction.  Read More

Heeman Greenhouse and Strawberry Farm

photo: Kelly Hunt There really should be a song about strawberries.. they make you get all riled up and flush with excitement. It may be their intense red colour, or maybe the hundreds of little freckly spots all over them, maybe it”s their enticing smell, or perhaps it is their overwhelming deliciousness! Whatever the case may be, local strawberries just make me want to scream and shout…”Hooray for June!” Corny? Yes, am I ashamed? Well no. I grew up in London – and as fellow Londoners reading this may already know, the best place to go for these delicious little bursts of strawberry joy is Heeman Greenhouse and Strawberry Farm. Heeman has been operating since 1963! That is before I was born – go Heeman! Heemans is located at 20422 Nissouri Road, Thorndale Ontario. Basically, you just drive all the way out Huron Street, past the airport until you cannot go any further,and make a right and the farm is about 30 seconds down the road on your left. If you are coming from Dundas,you take it all the way out toward Thamesford and make a left at Nissouri Rd and then it will be on your right. It should be noted that Heeman Greenhouses does not sell only strawberries, they also have all kinds of plants, trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, and even starter vegetables available. Later on in the summer they get other kinds of local berries in as well. The staff are always super friendly and really helpful!For Additional Crop Information you can call their crop hotline for availability 519-461-0555. For Greenhouse information please call 519-461-1416. There is no surprise here, that I bought a flat of strawberries this afternoon and have almost used them up in a matter of 6 hours. I have made 3 strawberry pies for a father”s day fiesta tomorrow and had the remainder as strawberry syrup drizzled over some ice cream as an afternoon snack. I do have 2 pints left over for pure, no nonsense, straight up strawberry inhaling over the next 2 days, oh… ok…who is kidding who – they”ll all be gone by midnight! Visit Heemans this weekend, stock up, you will not be disappointed.  Read More