This is part seven of a seven part series.  Its all about supply and demand in the organic food market.  If you like this one you should read the first six.

This is less of a link to an article then it is to a resource.  This is TreeHugger.com’s local food project. Its a great resource to find out information about local foods and local food initiatives.  Its pretty cool but so is TreeHugger.com which is a Discovery Channel product.

Along those same lines as the TreeHugger.com resource Minnesota has put together a great site Minnesota Grown.  You can find all sort of great information about local produce in Minnesota.

This site is all about reusing stuff in fun/creative ways.  I haven’t tried any of their ideas out yet myself but I’ve got a couple bookmarked for later use.  Check out superuse.org here.

This one is all about a mad shout-out.  This is Northland and this is beer. Check out this Northland-centric brewing project. Who knows maybe we can talk these fellas into a post or two here some time too?

(this is cooked jam, which tastes closer to what you can buy at the store, strawberries can also be made into freezer jam which is also delicious, and easier to make)

 Wash the berries,
 then cut off tops and slice. This recipe calls for 2 quarts of strawberries.

 Then, mash the sliced berries. There should still be some chunks of fruit as well as juice.

 Making jam can be done all by one person, but it’s easier and more fun with two people working  on it. One person can be measuring and prepping all the stuff, while the other slices, mashed and boils the jam. This is the 7 cups(!) of sugar waiting to go in with the berries.

 Wash and rinse jelly jars, this recipe makes just over 9 jars worth of jam.

 Then place in the oven, set pretty low, this dries the jars and gets them hot enough.

 Also put lids and water into a small pan and bring to a boil (this sterilizes them).

 After the berries have been mashed, transfer them to a large pot and add fruit pectin (“Sure-Jel” is a popular brand, but we use whatever is cheapest) Bring the fruit and pectin to a rolling boil, then add the sugar. Return to a rolling boil, and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Then get the jars out of the oven and get a ladle and funnel ready. (This is where it really helps to have another person)

    Ladle the hot jam into jars…

 wipe the rims with a damp cloth…

 place lids and rings on the jars, and make sure the rings are tight.

 Then flip the jars upside down for about 5 minutes. This puts all the hot liquid around the rim, so it has a better chance of sealing. Flip the jars back over and then listen for them to seal. They make a very satisfying “pop”! After that it doesn’t take very long for the jam to set, then it’s ready to be shared with friends! Yum!