Strawberries are ripe again

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 79, Issue 6, 15 December 1949, Page 619

Strawberries are ripe again

are perhaps the most delicious of all the soft fruits of summer. Though the simplest and probably the most enjoyable way to eat them is to pick them, sun warmed and juicy, straight from the plant, there are many other delightful ways of serving them, some of which are described in this article by Eva Topping, Rural Sociologist, Department of Agriculture, Auckland. VV7HERE strawberries are plentiful the fragrant smell of W hot strawberry jam will pervade the kitchen, and perhaps a few can be spared to bottle in small jars. Strawberry Jam Strawberries are among the fruits which do not set readily .in jam making, and the addition of some acid and pectin is required when only strawberries are used. By combining them with apple, rhubarb, plum, gooseberry, or lemon juice, a good setting jam will be obtained. Strawberry jam is much better made in comparatively-small quantities, perhaps 2 or 31b. of fruit in a boiling. The first recipe gives a jam with a good proportion of whole strawberries in it. Though rhubarb juice is specified, plums, apples, or gooseberries can be used instead. For making the juice boil the apples and cut them in pieces with skins and cores included. Recipe 1 21b. of rhubarb 1 2 cups of water 21b. of strawberries About 31 cups of sugar Wash the rhubarb, cut it into lin. pieces, add the water, and boil the rhubarb until it is pulpy. Strain it, measure the juice, and allow the same quantity of sugar. (There should, be at least 2 cups of juice; if there is less, make it up to 2 cups with water.) Put the measured sugar, rhubarb juice, and another l|lb. of sugar into a preserving pan and stir it over a gentle heat until the sugar is dissolved and the juice is almost boiling. Then add the strawberries and boil the jam rapidly, stirring as little as possible to keep the strawberries whole. Skim off the

scum, test for setting, and when setting point is reached remove the pan from the stove. Take off any scum and leave the jam to cool, stirring or shaking the pan gently occasionally to prevent the strawberries floating when the jam is in the jars. Pour the jam into clean pots, leave them until they are quite cold, pour on melted wax, and cover, label, and store them. Recipe 2 31 b. of strawberries Juice of 3 lemons 31b. of sugar ' 'Wash and stem the strawberries, put the sugar over them, and leave them to stand for 2 or 3 hours, or overnight if convenient. Pour them into a preserving pan, add the lemon juice, and heat them slowly to boiling point, stirring gently until the sugar is dissolved. Boil the jam rapidly until it sets when tested (from. 15 to 25 minutes). Put it up and cover it when it is cold. If the jam is covered with paraffin wax, there should be a small space between the top of the wax and the cover. Bottled Strawberries A few small jars of preserved strawberries are a splendid addition to the store cupboard. They can be used for special-occasion cakes, fruit salads, or other'desserts. Pintsized preserving jars are practically unobtainable at present, but lib. jam jars sealed with preserving skin are convenient containers. If the first recipe and method are used, the berries remain whole and are less likely to float to the tops of the jars. Unfortunately, strawberries often lose some colour in the bottling processes. Recipe 1 I cup of sugar : 1 cup of strawberry Juice 21b. of whole strawberries Crush and heat enough strawberries to yield i cup of juice; over-large, damaged, or misshapen strawberries can be used for this. Add the sugar to the juice, boil and cool it, add the whole strawberries, and boil them for 3

minutes. Cover the saucepan and set it aside for at least 4 hours or over night. Pack the strawberries into clean jars, filling them to within lin. of the top. Scald the . sealing skin and -tie it tightly over the jars. Set them in a vessel of water, having at least lin. of water over the tops of the jars, bring the water to the boil, and maintain it at.boiling point for 10 minutes. (Detailed instructions for using skin seals were published in the “Journal” for November, 1948.) Recipe 2 . Select firm, well-coloured strawberries, and stem and weigh them. For every lib. of berries allow f cup of sugar. Cover the strawberries with the sugar and stand them overnight, or for several hours at least. . Put them into a pan, bring them to the boil, and let them boil rapidly for 10 minutes, removing scum as it forms. Pack the strawberries boiling hot into sterilised jars and seal them at once. Fill and cover one jar at a time, having the jars thoroughly sterilised and scalding the skin just before tying it on the jar. Strawberry Desserts Strawberries can be used in a variety of ways to make desserts fit to grace any occasion. Here are some recipes: Strawberry- Pie I pastry shell About lib. of straw1 dessertspoon of berries cornflour I dessertspoon of sugar Make a pie shell of short crust pastry and leave it to cool. Wash and stalk the strawberries and set half aside, choosing even-sized fruit.- Mash the other half, add J cup of water, and heat them slowly to boiling point. Strain them through a sieve, measure the juice, and make it up to 1 cup with extra water if necessary. Bring the juice to the boil again and add the sugar and cornflour, ready blended to a smooth paste with a little cold water. Cook the. mixture, stirring constantly, until it is transparent. Cut the whole strawberries in halves lengthwise and cover the bottom of the pie shell with them, reserving some berries for garnishing. Pour the prepared glaze over them and set the pie aside until it is cold. Decorate it with whirls of sweetened mock cream, with a berry in each. Strawberries in Jelly 2 tablespoons of J pint of water , gelatine I to 2 tablespoons of 1 pint of strained sugar lemon juice Soften the gelatine in 2 tablespoons of cold water; boil the remainder of the water and pour it over the gelatine. Stir in the. sugar and lemon juice. Rinse a basin or mould in cold water, pour in a little lemon jelly, and put it aside in a cool place until it is set slightly; keep the rest of the jelly warm. Arrange a layer of hulled, washed, and dried strawberries on the semi-set jelly, pour, over more jelly, and leave it to set again. Repeat the layers of jelly and berries until the mould is filled. Reserve some of the strawberries for garnishing the jelly when it is ready to send to the table.

Strawberry and Ice Cream Shortcake 11 cups of flour Salt 2 flat teaspoons of 3 cup of sugar baking powder 1/3 cup of butter 1 cup of milk I egg Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt, rub in the butter, add the milk, and beat the mixture well. Add the egg and beat again. Spread it in a greased and floured tin and bake it for 25 to 30 minutes in a moderatelyhot oven (375 degrees). Cool the cake, split it in halves, and spread the lower half with vanilla ice cream and sliced strawberries. Put the other half on top and cover it generously with halved strawberries sprinkled with icing sugar. Strawberry Fluff Sauce 2 teacups of small Pinch of salt strawberries X teacup of icing 1 teaspoon of lemon sugar Juice 1 egg white Mash the fruit well, then add the lemon juice and sugar. Beat the egg white with the salt until it is stiff, add the fruit puree, and whip the

sauce until it is light and fluffy. Use it at once , with vanilla-flavoured junket, ice cream, blancmange, Spanish cream, or similar desserts. Strawberry Ice Cream (1) 2/3 cup of sweetened I cup of unsweetened condensed milk mock cream I cup of crushed 1/3 cup of water strawberries j. cup of sugar Mix the condensed milk and water and add the strawberries and sugar. Pour them into a freezing tray and place them in a refrigerator set at its lowest point. Chill them, then add the cream, mixing well. Cool the mixture rapidly until it is half frozen, scrape it into a basin, and beat it hard until it is smooth but not melted. Replace it in the refrigerator, and repeat the beating once more before the ice cream is completely frozen. Strawberry Ice Cream (2) 1 pint of milk I dessertspoon of 2 eggs cornflour 2 teaspoons of 2 tablespoons of sugar gelatine I cup of crushed Pinch of salt strawberries Make a custard with the egg yolks, cornflour, and sugar. Dissolve the gelatine in a little cold water and add it to the custard, mixing thoroughly. Pour it into the freezing tray and leave it until it is nearly frozen. Whip the egg whites with the salt until they are stiff. Crush the strawberries. Beat the custard, add the pulped fruit, then fold in the egg whites. Put the ice cream back into a refrigerator until it is frozen. Strawberry Roll 4 eggs, separated I teaspoon of baking 1 teaspoon of vanilla powder essence I cup of sweetened Pinch of salt mock cream for flllX cup of sugar Ing 3 cup of flour Beat the yolks until they are pale and add the sugar gradually while continuing to beat. Whisk the whites until they are stiff, fold in the yolk mixture, and add the vanilla essence.

Fold in the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt. Spread the mixture evenly in a swiss roll tin lined with wax paper. Bake the cake in a moderately-hot oven (375 degrees) for about 12 minutes or until it springs back when pressed gently with the finger tip. Loosen the edges and turn the cake out on to a cloth sprinkled with icing sugar. Peel off the paper quickly but carefully. If the edges of the cake are crisp, trim them off with a sharp knife or it will not roll without cracking. Lay a fresh sheet of waxed paper on the cake while it is warm and roll it up. Wrap it in a tea towel and leave it on a cake rack until it is cool, then unroll it and remove the paper. Whip the cream, spread some of it on the roll, and cover it with sliced strawberries. Roll it up again and cover the top with the remainder of the cream and strawberry halves. Strawberry Toasts For supper on a summer evening try these sweet toast titbits: 4 thick slices of bread Sugar Small strawberries Cinnamon Butter - Toast the bread lightly on one side only. Spread the other side with butter, sprinkle it with sugar and a dusting of cinnamon, and toast it lightly. Cover this side with strawberries, dot it with butter, sprinkle it with sugar, and toast or bake it lightly until the berries are hot. Strawberry Tarts I cup of flour 3 tablespoons of 4 to 5 tablespoons of butter or lard mock cream Pinch of salt Sift the flour and salt, add the fat, and cut it in with two knives until it is very fine. Mix in just sufficient top milk or mock cream to make a very firm paste. Roll the mixture into a

ball and leave it to stand for about 5 minutes to make it easier to roll. Roll it out on a lightly-floured board to jin. thick and cut it into 4in. rounds. Put them on an ungreased baking sheet, prick them with a fork so that they do not puff up, and bake them in a very hot oven (475 degrees) for about 7 minutesuntil they are lightly coloured. Cool them, and cover them with whipped cream, leaving a rim of pastry showing, then with unsweetened, hulled strawberries. With a spoon pour over sieved apricot jam, thinned with a little hot water and

cooled. Red currant, gooseberry, or apple jelly may be used instead of apricot jam. Strawberry Meringue Cake Cake Base: 1 cup of flour ' Few drops of lemon 2 flat teaspoons of essence baking powder . 2/3 cup of sugar • a cup of milk 3 tablespoons of Few drops of vanilla butter essence 2 egg yolks Meringue Top: 2 egg whites I flat teaspoon of 1 cup of sugar baking powder Sift the dry cake ingredients, rub in the butter, add half the milk and the flavourings, and beat them thoroughly for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the milk and the egg yolks, and beat the mixture for another 2 minutes. Pour it into a greased and floured tin of 9in. diameter, and pile on top the meringue mixture, made by beating the 2 egg whites until they are stiff, adding I cup of sugar while still beating, and folding in 1 flat teaspoon of baking powder. Leave peaks round the edges and a hollow in the centre. Bake the cake for forty minutes in a moderate oven (350 degrees), cool it in the tin for 10 minutes, loosen the edges, turn it out on to the hand, and place it right side up on a wire rack to finish cooling. Fill the hollow with sweetened, hulled strawberries' reserving some choice berries for decorating the plate. Recipe for Mock Cream I I2oz. tin of un- I dessertspoon of sweetened condensed gelatine milk About 3 tablespoons of Flavouring Icing sugar Soak the gelatine in a tablespoon of cold water, pour over it J cup of boiling water, and set it aside to cool. Pour the milk into a large basin and whip it with an egg beater until it is thick. Add the gelatine mixture slowly while continuing the beating, then add the sugar gradually until the required sweetness is obtained.