Strawberry Mint Pepper Jam

Source: adapted from recipe in Mes Confitures by Christine Ferber

Ingredients
1,000g local strawberries, picked in June, washed, hulled and frozen
800g sugar
juice of one lemon
10 mint leaves, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Steps
Day 1: Thaw strawberries (~12 hours). Add sugar and lemon juice to berries and gently toss in a glass bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Day 2: Pour macerated fruit mixture into a large pot and boil gently for 10 minutes. Return to bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Day 3: Strain berry juice from berry solids. On medium heat in a wide flat pot, bring berry liquid to a slow gentle boil until mixture reach 221 degrees. Skim foam. Add berry solids and boil gently for another 5 minutes. Continue to skim foam.
Fill sanitized jars with jam using funnel. Cover with clean new lids heated in very hot water and screw on rings. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Test lid for seal.

Deep Spice Berry Jam

adapted from the Ball Blue Book of Preserving (2004 edition)

makes 7 half-pints

Ingredients
5 cups mixed berries
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon five spice powder
7 cups sugar
1 package pectin
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (commercial or homemade*)

Steps

1. Combine the berries, lemon zest, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, cinnamon, and five spice powder in a non-corrosive pot and put on medium heat. Crush berries with a sturdy potato masher. Raise heat to high and add sugar, stirring it in completely. Cook on high for one additional minute then remove from heat. Let pot sit for a few minutes before adding pectin. Add pectin by sprinkling on top of mixture, stirring to prevent lumps. 
2. Stir in vanilla extract. Ladle mixture into hot half-pint jars leaving ¼ inch headspace. Check for air bubbles. Wipe jar rims and close jars with hot lids and bands. Process jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. 
3. Store cooled jars in a cool, dark space for a few days to let flavors mature.

* Homemade vanilla flavoring: split and scrape 4-8 vanilla beans into a small tall bottle. Place scraped pods in bottle as well. Cover with a good quality vodka. Store in a cool, dark place for at least one month before using.

Grandma Sadie's Zucchini Relish

Ingredients
10 cups chopped zucchini
4 cups chopped onions
2 large green peppers, chopped
2 large red peppers, chopped
¼ cup pickling salt (or kosher salt)

Pickling syrup:
6 cups sugar
3½ cups cider vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons turmeric
3½ tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons nutmeg
1½ tablespoons celery seed
½ teaspoon black pepper

Steps

1. Mix chopped ingredients with salt and let stand overnight. Rinse with water and drain well.
2. Prepare pickling syrup. Heat syrup ingredients until blended. Add zucchini mixture and bring to a boil. Simmer 5-10 minutes. 
3. Pack into sanitized pint jars leaving ½ inch space on top. Wipe jar rims with a cloth dipped in simmering water.
4. Apply lids. Adjust lids by tightening fully then loosening by ¼ inch. Process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. Let cool.

Makes 7-8 pints

2014 Urban Fair winning recipe from Jamie Suehiro

Update on 2014-10-23 20:26 by Eamon Molloy

Earlier version failed to include 2 large green peppers, chopped