The Difference Between Fruit Butters, Jams, Conserves, Jellies, Marmalades, & Preserves

In our modern age I've come to find out that there are people who've never heard of fruit preserves & conserves.  I've even been asked from time to time what the difference is between jam & jelly.  So here are the definitions... 

Fruit Butters

Fruit Butter is made by cooking fruit pulp and sugar to a thick consistency that will spread easily.  Butters are cooked slowly until thick enough to round up on a spoon.

Jelly

Juice strained from fruit is used to make jelly. It is usually crystal clear and shimmering. Jelly is gelatinized enough to hold its shape when removed from the jar, yet soft enough to spread easily.  Flowers that can be made into juice (Sorrel) or tea (Rose-Hip pods & Hibiscus) can be made into jelly by themselves or combined with fruit juice.

Jams

Jams are jellies with crushed or chopped fruit.

Conserves

Conserves are jam-like products made with a combination of two or more fruits, nuts and raisins.  If nuts are used, they can be added during the last five minutes of cooking.

Marmalade

Marmalade is made from the peel & juice of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water.  It contains pieces of fruit and peel in the transparent jelly.  It can be made from lemons, limes, grapefruits, mandarins, sweet oranges, bergamots and other citrus fruits, or any combination thereof.  Marmalades are similar in structure to jam. 

(On a personal note I recommend that you google a marmalade recipe & make your own marmalade before buying it because I've heard that the marmalade in stores are flavorless & just bad.  People who've only had store bought marmalade claimed to hate it but loved mine.)

Preserves

Fruit is preserved with sugar so it retains its shape, is transparent, shiny, tender and plump. The syrup varies from the thickness of honey to that of soft jelly. A true preserve does not hold its shape when spooned from the jar.

Dandelion Greens

Yeah, you heard right. Dandelion greens.  Now when  you work on your lawn you can kill two birds with one stone because those ubiquitous weeds that plague your lawns are actually very healthy for you.

The whole plant, root, leaves & bloom provide so much nutrition for severe illnesses that are so common in the United States.  On top of that  there's actually a coffee substitute that can be made by roasting the roots. Different people have easier methods of  roasting the roots, I'd recommend looking at several pages.  The pretty yellow blooms have actually been used for fritters.  But for now let's just stick to the leaves.

Here they are in my default greens recipe with onions, garlic & some soy sauce.

Cooked male dandelion greens.

Now I'm not one for bitter flavors but even though dandelions greens are bitter, they're not offensive.  I found them enjoyable enough that I will eat them again.

I've read that they're not bitter if you pick them in the spring before the flower appears & the leaves mature.  I had just learned about them in the late summer so the ones pictured above were picked after the flowers bloomed.

I recommend them.  If bitter flavors don't suit your pallet, I'd try mixing them with other greens first as there really is nothing like eating well for free.

And just a word of caution, if you're going to pick dandelions from somewhere other than your own property, first make sure that they're not sprayed with chemicals (check with the owner).

Now I don't know how true the following is BUT I was told to only eat the male leaves (the ones that look like lion's teeth).  I wasn't told why, so I did some homework on it & this is what I found...

1. None of the pages I investigated made any reference to leaf genders.
2. All the pages I investigated only showed male leaves for consuming.
3. The only pages that showed female leaves were for illustration about dandelions only.  There were no references regarding consuming dandelions.

There's LOTS of information online on the nutritional value & all the medical benefits contained in these weeds.  For something that's so readily available I'd wager that it would be worth your time to google it.

W O O H O O ! ! !

Over 1000 page views!

Ladies & gentlemen, no pictures please. ;)

Purslane

As I was sharing my discoveries about Red Root to a friend (this time from Barbados), she pointed out another common root that is also edible.  I swear, more than anything, multiculturalism has benefited my diet this year.  If I wanted to learn about edible weeds growing all around me & how to cook them I'd probably have to pay for a book or a class.

Well boys and girls, today's lesson is about a common weed that is eaten in not just Barbados, but in India, Mexico & the Mediterranean as well and from what I've read is extremely rich in omega 3 fatty acids which is something that every vegetarian & vegan should take note of.

PURSLANE, also known as

• Pursley
• Pusley
• Portulaca &
• Little hogweed prefers warm dry weather but grows just about everywhere.

They say that just about everyone has it on their property and that it tolerates just about every kind of soil.  If you can't see it then it's probably just dormant.  Purslane seeds require sunlight to germinate.  Cultivate the soil as underground seeds have been known to live for up to forty years underground and it's probable that it will germinate & grow.

I slightly steamed & somewhat sautéed it.  I don't like to fully cook my greens as they say that it keeps the vitamins better this way.
Unfortunately I got the very last of it as it is the end of the season for Purslane.  It comes out a lot in the spring.  I did get a bit of flavor and a whole lot of crunch.  It had a lovely nutty feel.

I've also been told that it's good raw in salads.


I've googled info on Purslane if you're interested...
http://herbgardens.about.com/od/culinary/p/Purslane-What-Is-Purslane.htm
http://www.gardenguides.com/863-purslane-weed.html
http://www.canadiangardening.com/plants/native-plants-and-wildflowers/purslane-an-edible-groundcover/a/31791/

Red Root

RED ROOT

A friend offered me cooked leafy greens I thought was spinach. Much to my surprise it wasn't spinach at all. She called it Red Root, a weed that is more thought of in the west as a problem for gardeners & livestock owners. I'd never heard of it before and overlooked it as just another inedible weed growing on dunghills. I am also told that Red Root is expensive especially in the big cities. Expensive & free... I couldn't resist.



Here it is on a dung heap.

First I washed & steamed it. Oh, the aroma that it gave when I lifted the lid was wonderful.
(Oh and incase you're wondering, that light colored twig looking thing is, its Japanese Knotweed.)
 

 
Then  sautéed it with other vegetables...

 then wrapped it in a chapati.

It cooks just like spinach and tastes delicious. 

I will start blanching it for the winter.  It's worth it.

I couldn't help but to google it to see what it's medicinal benefits are. (As all things in nature possess.)

"Red Root herb grows in temperate climates and makes a great tea, in fact during wartime it was used as a tea substitute. Plus it can be taken as tincture and also in capsules and it works great for asthma, bronchiole diseases, and coughs too. The root is very astringent making it a good mouthwash for oral ulcers. Also works well for improving lymphatic circulation and thus helps with edema… and problems related to the spleen and liver… and now Red Root has been used for the treatment of prostate enlargement. Red Root also works well for internal bleeding and also healing skin lesions. Plus Red Root is a good antispasmodic and also helps relax and sooth away tension, and it’s a good antiviral and antibacterial agent, and Red Root is a powerful antioxidant."  http://paulhaider.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/health-benefits-of-red-root/

"Adenoid Enlargement, Asthma, Bronchitis, Cough, Cysts, Diarrhea, Dysentery, Dysmenorrhea, Epstein-barr Virus, Fatigue, Fever, Headache, Hemorrhoids, Hepatitis, Hodgkin's Disease, Lymphatic Congestion, Mononucleosis, Nosebleeds, Sore Throat, Spleen Enlargement, Testicular Hydrocele, Tick Fever, Tonsillitis, Tumors" http://theherbalfarm.blogspot.ca/2008/01/red-root.html

Herb Dressing

A friend shared this recipe she got from "Soul Veg", a restaurant in Georgia.  It's not just good on salad but on plain rice as well.
HERB DRESSING

• 1/4 cup of soy sauce
• 1/2 cup of soy milk
• 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 Tbsp. of Italian seasoning.

Blend Together with...

• 2 cups of oil

Mix all the ingredients in a blender and add the oil last or it will not mix properly.

*It tends to separate rather quickly so shake before every use.

Ugandan Chapati Flatbread

A friend from Uganda showed me how to make an African flatbread called chapati.  I rarely use recipes & she doesn't use them at all but for the sake blogging I've googled a chapati recipe that was very similar to the chapati I made.  If you're interested, here's the link to the one I found.

CHAPATI (My version of it anyway.)

Granted they weren't perfectly round but they were good nonetheless.

• 2 cups of Duram Atta flour (or any flour of your choice)
• 1 tsp. of Adobo (or salt to taste)
• 1-2 tsp. of Chief Head Curry (or whatever flavors you like)
• 1/2 cups of finely diced onions (optional)
• 3/4 cups of water
• oil (for frying)

Adobo

1, Knead all the ingredients together.  The dough should stick together into a ball BUT should be dry enough so that it doesn't stick to your skin.  If it's to dry add a little more water.  If the dough is sticking to your skin add a little more flour.
2, Divide the dough into about seven balls.
3, Oil the surface for rolling.  Roll with a rolling pin until thin.
4, Fry in a skillet until brown.
Enjoy.

Chief Head Curry