asian jewish deli

After the success of my first batch of jam ever (Shuksan strawberry), my interest in preserving (well, jamming at least) was piqued. Looking at what fruits were in season and local u-pick farms, we decided to go pick a flat of raspberries.

The berries we found at Biringer Farm were the largest raspberries I have ever seen. Never having picked raspberries before, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the bushes do not have spines, and stand very tall, resulting in a super easy and fast pick with no crouching or hunching over involved. The ripe raspberries pull off with no effort, making it easy to pick only the best berries. I later found out from the ridiculously knowledgeable Jon Rowley that these were the Tulameen variety. He was able to determine the variety from just a quick and dirty description!

The jam that resulted from these raspberries rivals the Shuksan strawberry jam in deliciousness. The jam was made from only berries and sugar, with no pectin, so the flavor is pure raspberry. Perhaps more stunning is the color of the jam, an amazing jewel-tone red in the sun. I can already tell that this batch of jam is going to be in the pantry a long, long time because it will be a very sad day when we finish the last jar.

It has been quite a while since I have updated the blog, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been cooking! I have been enjoying a number of weeks off of work, spending time with friends, going to Sounders FC matches, and generally trying to keep cool in this sweltering heat.

This week we drove up to Biringer Farm to pick raspberries. The variety was Tulameen, and it made the most delicious jam. Stay tuned for a post highlighting the raspberry jam, along with pictures of the pulled pork butt I am planning to make this weekend.

In the meantime, a rundown of some of the more delicious items from the kitchen.

Short-rib sliders

Strawberry-rhubarb pie

The most marbled and delicious ribeye I've ever cooked

Fried chicken

A preview of Tulameen raspberry jam

This past weekend I took some time to visit Due’s Berry Farm to take advantage of the short local strawberry season. Luckily the row I was picking in was planted with the Shuksan variety, possibly the most delicious strawberry I have ever eaten.

Shuksans have a very short shelf life, some even say that they need to be eaten by nightfall on the day they are picked. What to do with strawberries that need to be used the same day? Besides for a large bowl of strawberries and cream, I made 12 half-pints of beautiful jam.

I ate so much jam straight from the pan that my palette was completely overwhelmed and I couldn’t really evaluate the jam until this morning. The verdict? I’ll be going back to the berry farm on Friday for more!