Time to report on recipe results, and it’s a mixed bag.
Remember my attempt at micro-jams? Well, I won’t be publishing any of those recipes. This is largely because I failed to write them down–woops! But the jams were not a complete success. If I must confess, okay, the black raspberry jam could even be described as a failure. My problem there was too much sugar–it made the jam grainy and detracted from the berry flavor. Not good.
It’s not “jammy,” but I’m eating my jam.
On the other hand, my strawberry/lemon balm jam tastes lovely–bright and fresh, like newly harvested berries. The drawback is that the jam didn’t “jam,” per se. I need to experiment and get a good pectin to fruit ratio established. This will take experimentation!
Meanwhile, I can report that my Kosher Dill Pickles turned out… okay. They ferment, which is the alternative to canning. This can result in yeast that must be skimmed from the batch periodically. Not sure I love that part of the process. The pickles, when sampled after a few days, were salty but not flavorful enough, so a long time in the brine. In the end, the results were fine, if you want to go to the trouble. I have since had much more success with other pickle recipes.
Also, here’s a picture of my Squash Lasagna Casserole. Turned out delicious! Even my squash-averse husband loved it.
Squash lasagna casserole, made in ramekins!
