Enroll in one of my workshops or sign up for my Jam, Jelly and Fruit Preserve CSA!

Want to learn how to create your own delicious jams an jellies? Sign up for my workshop to learn the ins and outs of canning fruit. Click here to sign up!

 

I've also started a Jam, Jelly and Fruit Preserve CSA! Now, you can enjoy fresh and tasty jams and jellies by signing up for Sweet Bea's Jam, Jelly and Fruit Preserve CSA. I source my fruit from local farms throughout Massachusetts, from Allendale Farm in Brookline to Cider Hill Farm in Amesbury.

For $175, you will receive 2 jars of jams, jellies, or preserves hand crafted by Sweet Bea herself each month from July through December. We ship them via USPS so you don't have to worry about pick-up dates. Payment is due by June 15th. To sign up, email me at sweetbeashc@gmail.com

Meyer Lemon and Rose Petal Marmalade

I never liked marmalade all that much. I remember my father preparing breakfast for me and my three sisters on a bright, late winter’s morning. He made himself a cup of coffee while he waited for the soft English muffins to pop out of the toaster. He lovingly spread orange marmalade on each side, put them on a plate and handed them to my sisters and me. “You have to try this! It’s delicious!” he said. His father was an English chef, so I suppose the love marmalade is natural. I had one bite and spit it out. I hated everything about it - the bitter sweetness, the chunky rinds, all of it.

Since citrus is so lovely this time of year, and really the only thing in season, I could only get so far without tackling a marmalade. I must admit, I was a little wary of getting back on that horse. I scoured recipes in all my cookbooks and the internet and I finally came across this lovely combination - meyer lemon and rose petals. The meyer lemons are sweeter than their cousins and the rose petals give this marmelade a lovely pink hue.

As I sat down to develop my own recipe, I remembered all the things I hated about traditional marmalade when I was a child. This time, I cut the rinds very thin into small strips. I also scrape off the pith from the rind to get rid of some of the bitterness. After all is said and done, I can say I have been converted. This lovely marmalade is fit for the Queen of England herself. Enjoy it on a sunny morning with a delicious blueberry scone and a cup of earl grey.  

What You’ll Need:

• 2 lbs Meyer lemons
• 3 ½ cups cane sugar
• 1 ½ cups fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons dried rose petals

1. Thoroughly wash each lemon. Using a sharp knife, cut off each end of the lemon. Gently cut along the rind from end to end, segmenting the rind in 4 or 5 pieces – do not cut all the way through, only cut through the rind. Peal the rind from the lemon and set the rinds aside. Cut the lemon in half then thinly slice, removing all seeds. Place the lemon slices in a large bowl. Place the seeds in a small bowl. Next, using a paring knife, gently scrape the pith from the rind and place in the small bowl with the seeds. Thinly slice the rind and place in the bowl with the lemon pieces. Pour the sugar over the lemon pieces and rinds. Stir until the lemons and rinds are evenly distributed and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Let the lemons and sugar sit, unrefrigerated, overnight.
2. The next day, pour the reserved seeds and pith into a jelly bag or a few layers of cheesecloth. Tie into a pouch. Most of the pectin is in the seeds and pith, so we will cook the marmalade with the pith and seeds for the pectin. Place a small, ceramic or glass plate in the freezer – we will use this to test the set of our marmalade later. Next, pour the lemon and sugar mixture into a large saucepot. Pour in the lemon juice.  
3. Place the jelly bag into the saucepot and bring mixture to a boil. Simmer for 35 minutes, making sure the pot does not overflow.  After 20 minutes of simmering, add the rose petals. 
4. After 35 minutes, remove the plate from the freezer and drop a small amount of marmalade on the center of the plate. Place the plate back into the freezer. After 5 minutes, remove the plate and slide your finger along the drop of marmalade – if it is set, it should wrinkle gently. 
5. Pour your marmalade into sterilized jars and seal with sterilized lids and tops. Either process cans in a boiling bath for 10 minutes or use the flip method to seal your jars. Once the jars have sealed, you will hear a loud pop!

Enjoy with scones, crumpets or muffins.

Blood Orange and Lavender Curd

I always look forward to blood orange season. These little jewels brighten the starkness of the mid-winter snow and ice. After trudging through the snow, I arrive home with my precious cargo. I take off my snow boots, my snow covered coat and hat and hang them above the heater to dry. I set the oranges in a hanging basket in the window and I begin to search around the kitchen for inspiration. While searching through cupboards, pantry and spice racks, I see hanging above the basket a bunch of dried lavender, plucked from my garden on a warm summer day. After flipping through over 20 curd recipes, I came up with my recipe for Blood Orange and Lavender Curd. This lovely curd is perfect for cakes, pastries, pies, or slathered on a fresh baked piece of rye bread. 

What You'll Need:
zest of 2 blood oranges
1 cup fresh blood orange juice (about 4 oranges should do the trick)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cups butter, cut into pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
6 egg yolks

1. Place all the ingredients in the top of a double boiler (or do what I do and use a metal bowl on top of a sauce pot filled with about 2" of water).
2. Cook over high heat and whisk until the butter is melted and the ingredients are combined. Once the butter has melted, cook, whisking constantly, for another 10 minutes until thickened. 
3. To test if the curd is done, coat the back of a wooden spoon with the curd and draw a line with your finger. If the curd falls back in on the line, it is not ready. However, if the line stays clear, the curd is ready.
4. Pour the curd over a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. This curd can be canned and kept for 1 year, or refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Yield: About 3 cups

Dandelion Jam

Nothing says spring more to me then seeing green fields freckled with these little yellow flowers. Few people know that dandelions are quite useful in the kitchen. Their leaves are edible and make a great bitter green in tossed salads and their flowers can be used for everything from tea to syrup to jam, hence this recipe. This jam is deliciously light and sweet and goes great with tea cakes and muffins.

What You'll Need

1 cup dandelion flowers*

1 ½ cups water

1 cup sugar

1 package of fruit pectin

3 - 8 oz. canning jars

*Be sure to separate the petals from the green leaves and stalks. This can be quite tedious, but you'll be glad you did. The green bits can impart a bitter flavor to your jam and no one likes bitter jam.

1. Combine the dandelion petals and water in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. It takes awhile for the delicate flavor of the dandelions to seep into the water, so the longer, the better.
2. Once you have let your petals soak, strain the mixture and reserve the water.
3. Place the water and sugar in a saucepot over medium-high heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
4. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, add the pectin and stir until the mixture comes to a boil.
5. Using a large spoon, scrape any foam that rises off the top. This step is crucial. If you neglect to get rid of the foam, it will settle on the top of your jams resulting in a cloudy mess.
6. Can immediately and let stand in cans for 24 hours before handling.