Fruit floats because it's lighter than the sugar-laden syrup. The way around that is to let the fruit absorb some of that sugar so that the weights are equal. If you make a preserve without commercial pectin, you can achieve this by cooking the preserve nearly to the jell point, pulling it off the heat, letting it sit for a while or even overnight, stirring occasionally, then resume the cooking and bottle. If you're using commercial pectin, you can do the same thing if the pectin is added at the end in your recipe. Just let the preserve rest then return to temperature, add the pectin and continue as usual. Another option is at the end of preserving let the jam sit in the pan for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then place in the jars for processing. You can also stir one more time in the jars before attaching lids. The only problem with this method is with commercial pectin it's possible the jam will set in the pan during that 10-minute period. You might have to reheat it to get it in the jars. I hope this helps. Happy preserving and enjoy all those wonderful strawberries! Carol

Two 40-50 foot oaks and many limbs hovering over my house. The tree guy here, used ropes and a ladder, and nothing else but a chain saw. The big and buggy maple out front when cut, and fallen had gone all the way across the street and slammed into the guard rail. We had traffic blocked for about 15 minutes for them to clear way the mess. All it took was a 2 day visit at about 6 hours a day total. They will soon be back to get rid of some birch and more, as one had fallen right outside my kitchen window and I woke to find it in my walk way. Luckily nothing planted there was damaged. But if it were to happen now, we can say its a $3000 damage I don't wish to pay for. My poor little old New Zealand made alumminium famed glass greehouse is only 6x8. Its now got dead birch tree limbs just waiting for more snow load to come. Wish you luck. BTW, most of my garden is sunny until about 3-4 PM. after that and before 9 am its shady. But I still manage. The oaks further back are at least 75 foot tall, and the trunks are well over 2-3 feet around. My poor blueberries lean to the eastern sky all the time and there are no real branches on the west sides of the rows over the big oaks. Mighty they are, but can be cut down if very necessary. Next door quickly realized that if I have damages from his trees, he will be getting many expensive bills to pay!

Thanks Carol. OK, I ended up going with a barely used Presto 01781 23 quart that's like new, didn't arrive yet... Can someone please post the part # for the 3-way weight that was listed in another thread? This one has the dial gauge and the new design 1 piece 15lb weight included but may upgrade to the 3-way weight if I can find it cheap. Also, what do you use, if anything, to do a double batch of pints? My current Presto does 10 pints and this one handles 20 I believe... I'd like to make a 20 pint batch of Annie's Salsa all at once... I will triple the recipe and divide it for tailoring to different heat levels but can it all at once. Thanks. Mark

Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Jul 12, 10 at 18:43 Time for a new Cookalong. Katiec choose strawberries for our focus ingredient. They are just getting ripe in her area, so let's help her out with some awesome strawberry recipes. Next Cookalong July 25. Nancy Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong #30 -------- TOMATOES!!!!!! Follow-Up Postings: o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by denise8101214 (My Page) on Mon, Jul 12, 10 at 19:05 I was hoping someone would pick strawberries! We have had wonderful ones from the farmers' markets the past two weeks. Here is a link that might be useful: All the other cookalongs o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by doucanoe (My Page) on Mon, Jul 12, 10 at 22:23 Yumm! Ours are about done, here. I picked 16 pounds a few weeks ago and made lots of stuff! This liqueuer is good, and was originally posted by a CF member, but I don't recall whom, and I don't think he/she posts anymore. So I will share this with you! I have 2 quarts of it aging as we speak.... Scrumptious Strawberry Liqueur 3 c fresh strawberries, stemmed & washed 1-1/2 c sugar 2 c 100 proof vodka 1 c water 1/2 tsp lemon zest 1 tsp orange zest 1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice Crush strawberries and sugar together in bowl. Let stand for about one hour. Transfer to clean 2-qt container and add vodka, water, lemon zest, orange zest, and lemon juice. Cover and let stand in a cool, dark place for 2 days, shaking frequently. Use a fine-mesh strainer to strain out solids. Discard. Transfer liqueur to clean container, cover, and let stand for 1 week. Rack or filter into final container. Age for at least 1 month more before serving. Yield: approx. 1 qt. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This salad is always a hit. It's from the St. Paul Hotel which is a 5 star hotel in downtown St. Paul that I worked for back in 1993. Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing Source: St. Paul Hotel Dressing: 1 c sugar 1/4 c poppyseeds 1/2 c Sesame seeds 1 c salad oil 1/2 c raspberry vinegar dash paprika 1 T worcestershire sauce 1 T minced onion Combine sugar and vinegar and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and chill well. Serve over baby spinach leaves and sliced strawberries. Garnish with brie cheese wedges. (You may want to half this recipe, as it makes a lot of dressing...) Linda o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Mon, Jul 12, 10 at 23:17 Doucanoe thanks for posting that liqueur recipe, I'm always on the lookout for those. This year I made pear and apricot. I love it mixed in with wine. This recipe for Strawberry Bannana Bread is something I will probably make this week if I have time, as a present for the new BF. He likes strawberries and bannana bread. I'll be using my frozen ones though. Source: Sweetpea on "The Mixing Bowl" Web site. She states: "My own creation, tweaked further for better results." Strawberries, bananas and orange marmalade OH MY!!! Servings: 12-16 Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 70 minutes Total time: 1 hour and 25 minutes Ingredients: 2 eggs 1 cup sugar (I'm sure I will use 2/3 cup!) 2 ripe bananas, coarsely chopped (do not mash) 1 3/4 cups coarsely chopped strawberries 1/4 cup orange marmalade 1/2 cup melted butter 2 cups flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Microwave butter in a large microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute. Add the sugar and vanilla and mix until blended; stir in eggs, orange marmalade, baking powder and soda, mixing well. Add the flour and blend until well combined, do not over mix. Fold in the strawberries, bananas and walnuts (optional) until just well incorporated. Turn batter into a 10-inch greased and floured loaf pan (I use Baker's Joy spray), batter will be very thick. Tap loaf pan on the counter twice, to settle any air bubbles. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 70 minutes or until a cake tester, inserted in center of loaf, comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack and then remove from pan, return to rack, and wrap with a thin cotton tea towel. Cool for several hours before cutting. NOTE: Wrapping the bread in a towel, allows the crust to steam a bit and makes it much easier to slice. Here is a link that might be useful: Triple Tasty Treat o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by teresa_mn (My Page) on Mon, Jul 12, 10 at 23:31 doucanoe - have you seen the St. Paul Hotel since it was remodeled a couple of years ago? My sister was the designer. Also - did you work with Heidi S. in the restaurant there? o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by jessyf (My Page) on Wed, Jul 14, 10 at 7:09 Dipped in a very old balsamic vinegar..... o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by doucanoe (My Page) on Wed, Jul 14, 10 at 8:41 Teresa, I worked in the catering/sales department. I knew a few of the restaurant employees, but don't remember most of them after all these years. Sadly, I haven't been back there in years. I'll have to get downtown one of these days and stop in. Just so as not to hijack this thread, here is another recipe! LOL I made this for the first time with the berries I picked a couple of weeks ago. The only thing I would change is I would double the amount of cream filling. It is thick and there wasn't enough to completely cover the bottom crust. I think this would be really good with a shortbread crust, too! Free Image Hosting at Strawberry-Almond Cream Tart 36 honey graham crackers (about 9 sheets) 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons butter, melted 4 teaspoons water Cooking spray FILLING: 2/3 cup light cream cheese 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon almond extract TOPPING: 6 cups small fresh strawberries, divided 2/3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted Preheat oven to 350°. To prepare crust, place crackers in a food processor; process until crumbly. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, butter, and water; pulse just until moist. Place mixture in a 9-inch round removable-bottom tart pan coated with cooking spray, pressing into bottom and up sides of pan to 3/4 inch. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack. To prepare filling, combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and extracts in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over bottom of tart shell. To prepare topping, place 2 cups strawberries in food processor; process until pureed. Combine strawberry puree, 2/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook 1 minute. Remove glaze from heat, and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Combine 4 cups strawberries and juice; toss to coat. Arrange berries, bottoms up, in a circular pattern over filling. Spoon half of glaze evenly over berries (reserve remaining glaze for another use). Sprinkle nuts around edge. Cover and chill 3 hours. Note: You can use either an 8 x 12-inch rectangular pan or a 9-inch round tart pan. The recipe also works with a 9-inch springform pan and a 10-inch pie plate. Nutritional Information Calories: 289 (28% from fat) Fat: 8.9g (sat 4.2g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.5g) Protein: 4.5g Carbohydrate: 48.7g Fiber: 3g Cholesterol: 15mg Iron: 1.3mg Sodium: 242mg Calcium: 59mg Jean Kressy, Cooking Light, APRIL 2003 Linda o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Wed, Jul 14, 10 at 9:30 Strawberry season is finished here but I certainly enjoyed them this year. You can see in the photo that the local ones are a deep red all the way through " no white in the centers. This new recipe I made this summer was from an old cookbook so you can decide if you want to use the uncooked eggs or not. I made it in individual serving dishes rather than in the pie shell. The flavor was reminiscent of the "fruit fluffs" that used to be served in the tearooms of my youth. STRAWBERRY CHIFFON PIE One 9-inch baked pie shell 1 envelope unflavored gelatin ¼ cup cold water 3 eggs, separated ¾ cup sugar, divided 1 Tbs. lemon juice 1 cup crushed fresh strawberries Whole strawberries for garnish Soften the gelatin in the cold water. In the top of a double boiler, beat the egg yolks together with ½ cup of sugar and the lemon juice. Cook and stir over boiling water until the mixture thickens. Add the gelatin-water mixture and stir until it dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in the strawberries. Pour into a large bowl and chill about 30 minutes, or until the mixture begins to set. Beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks, then beat in the ¼ cup of sugar, a little at a time, until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. Fold the egg whites into the strawberry mixture and pour into the prepared pie shell. Chill at least three hours before serving. Garnish with strawberries, if desired. Photobucket o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by terri_pacnw (My Page) on Wed, Jul 14, 10 at 14:19 I love AnnT's Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes...That's my favorite shortcake.. Maybe she'll share the recipe again...I know where my printed copy is..but not my computerized copy.. o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by katiec (My Page) on Mon, Jul 19, 10 at 19:21 One of our favorites (besides chocolate covered strawberries) is to dip a berry in sour cream and then roll in brown sugar...mmmm... Similar, I think this is an old tupperware recipe: a caramel-ey dip made with softened cream cheese, brown sugar and a bit of vanilla. I made this last year, from Mes Confitures. I thought the mint sounded odd, but the flavors all worked well (I think I'll use more pepper next time): 2lbs Strawberries, (weigh after washed, hulled & sliced in half ) 1 1/2 lb sugar (about 3 1/2 cups) 1 lemon zest and juice 8 fresh mint leaves, hand shredded 8 black peppercorns, freshly ground In a ceramic bowl, add the strawberries, lemon zest and juice, and sugar. Fold together just to mix and cover with parchment paper and let macerate overnight in the refrigerator. Next day, bring the preparation to a simmer in a preserving pot or large saucepan. Stir gently to dissolve all sugar for about 5 minutes. Strain through a sieve and hold the fruit separately while you return the syrup to the pan and bring to a boil, cooking on high til concentrated at 221F on a candy thermometer. Add the fruit back into the pot with the mint and ground pepper. Return to boil for about 5 minutes, stirring gently. Check the set. Fill clean, hot jars and process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. And this one made our fair judge swoon. She said it was true preserve. from an old Ball blue Book: * Exported from MasterCook * Strawberry Preserves Deluxe Recipe By :Katie, from BBB Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Preserving Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 1/2 quarts strawberries 5 cups sugar 1/4 cup lemon juice Combine strawberries and sugar in a large saucepot. Let stand 3 to 4 hours. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice. Cook rapidly until strawberries are transparent and syrup is thick, about 10-12 minutes. Ladle into a shallow pan, Let stand, uncovered 12 to 24 hours in a cool place. Shale pan occasionally to distribute strawberries throughout syrup. Heat strawberries and syrup until hot throughout. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot preserves into hot jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 20 minutes in a boiling water canner. Source: "Ball Blue Book" Copyright: "1995" Yield: "4 half-pints" o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by compumom (My Page) on Tue, Jul 20, 10 at 2:12 Alexa- Where are your stuffed berries? Just yesterday I was telling DD about them! o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by gbsim (My Page) on Tue, Jul 20, 10 at 5:56 Could someone remind me did the cookalongs change to be just done whenever now? Do we actually cook or just share recipes? I posted on another thread about my Louisiana Peach "Brandy" and got a few questioning replies and though I really rarely drink here I am with another alcohol based recipe for my Strawberry Margarita Pie!!!! I've been making it for years so it's definitely T&T. This is a beautiful dessert (very high... fills the whole springform pan to the top); no baking even the crust; great for parties since you make it ahead of time and it can easily serve 10. Works just as well in the off season using frozen berries. Definitely not the very young as there is close to 3/4 cup of alcohol in the recipe. Grace Strawberry Margarita Pie 2 cups hulled and halved strawberries ( I cram and heap them into the cup and use a generous 2cups or more... well really I don't think I even measure any more!) 4 T granulated white sugar Crust: Graham Crackers (1 inner package plus 4 more big rectangles) 6 T granulated sugar 1/2 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup condensed milk 7 T tequila 6 T Triple Sec 1 T fresh lime juice a couple of small shaves of lime rind with a microplane 2 cups whipping cream Toss the strawberries with the 4 T sugar and set aside for at least an hour to allow juices to form. Butter or grease a 9" springform pan. Crush the graham crackers in the food processor. Buzz in the 6 T of sugar and blend in the softened butter til combined. Press up the sides and across the bottom of the prepared springform pan. Rinse crumbs out of the food processor and use it to puree the softened strawberries (and their juices) with the condensed milk, tequila, triple sec and lime juice. Transfer puree to a large bowl (really large!) Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold about 1/3 of the cream and the little bit of lime rind into the puree. Then gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream. Pour into the crust. Cover with parchment or wax paper and freeze at least 12 hours. To serve: Unhinge and remove the side of the pan and garnish if desired with strawberries, mint and/or lime slices. Allow to stand at room temp for a little while to soften before cutting. I usually put some sliced strawberries on each plate. o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Tue, Jul 20, 10 at 15:00 We're supposed to cook the recipes and post the recipes that we intend or would like to cook. I always do this with the best of intentions of cooking them, but only manage to "cook along" within the time frame about 10% of the time. If you count the times I EVENTUALLY get around to making one of the recipes it's more like 40%, but sometimes it is months later, the way my schedule seems to go. I would say 30-40% is pretty much my average of how often I get to my "to try" file of recipes, under the best of conditions! o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by murphy_zone7 (My Page) on Wed, Jul 21, 10 at 4:42 My all time favorite with strawberries is Annies Fruit Salsa from . I use more than a pound of strawberries, leave out the raspberries, add blueberries, and use peach for the preserves. This stuff is great on yogurt too and I have just eaten it with a spoon!! No chips necessary. Murphy Here is a link that might be useful: All Recipes o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by caliloo (My Page) on Wed, Jul 21, 10 at 12:48 Sorry about not including the Stuffed Strawberries earlier, I thought everyone might be tired of seeing them or hearing about them. I make them a LOT in the spring. Stuffed Strawberries 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened 1 cup sifted confectioners sugar 2 teaspoons almond extract 2 quarts fresh whole strawberries, capped In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, almond extract until smooth. Spoon mixture into a pastry bag with a medium star tip or spoon into a zip-top freezer bag. Chill one hour. (If using a freezer bag ­ after chilling, clip corner of bag.) Quarter strawberries from tip to stem end without cutting through stem end. Pipe cream mixture into strawberries. Chill until ready to serve. These go over really well after dinner whether they are served on a crystal tray or on a disposable plate at a picnic. Photobucket I also went overboard with them at the last swim picnic, I piped the cream cheese stuff onto Oreos and then topped them with sliced strawberries. Photobucket o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by ritaotay (My Page) on Thu, Jul 22, 10 at 4:11 Not really a recipe or any real cooking involved but here's my latest passion... Lightly toasted bagel smeared with a good portion of creamed cheese on both sides, a good sprinkle of sugar and a bunch of sliced strawberries... Works well with the freeze dried strawberries too... Hugs, Rita o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Thu, Jul 22, 10 at 9:47 One of my favorite things to do with good fresh strawberries is very, very simple. Cut them up and add them to my home made granola in the morning. Of course, just popping them in my mouth works, too! Sally o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Sun, Jul 25, 10 at 20:04 Time for a new topic.... pulling a name from those that contributed..... >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Doucanoe Linda, please choose and post your choice here. Nancy o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Sun, Jul 25, 10 at 22:43 Bumping so Linda notices. o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Mon, Jul 26, 10 at 10:15 I wasn't able to make the bread, I was visiting my aunt and she does not like to share the kitchen! I have bananas on the shopping list and hope to make the bread some day. But now I have banana blueberry muffins to eat up!! Plus applesauce which is waiting to become applesauce bread. Single me can only eat so many baked goods! o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by jenn (My Page) on Mon, Jul 26, 10 at 12:40 Oh my, what a nice collection of new recipes here! My favorite way to eat strawberries is on top of good vanilla ice cream, or added to plain yogurt along with some granola or chopped walnuts. Or dipped in chocolate!! o RE: Cookalong #31-----Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Jul 26, 10 at 17:27 Linda (Doucanoe) hasa craving for....Peaches! Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong #32 ---------- PEACHES!