Strawberry picking then canning, baking

We went to Chipman Farms in New Gloucester with friends yesterday morning to pick strawberries. We each brought a container and it turned out my family picked 22 pounds in about 1/2 hour, which was an indicator that the berries were plentiful even if the poundage was a bit more than I had planned on buying.

The girls decided they wanted to make jam and after a quick stop back at our friend's house for some rhubarb, we decided on a strawberry-rhubarb jam recipe.

Once the canning was done, both girls wanted to do more baking with the extra rhubarb (thunderstorms were keeping us indoors anyhow) and after sifting through several cookbooks L. settled on rhubarb pie and G. chose rhubarb coffee cake (a recipe suggested by our friend Sarah). I had never cooked with rhubarb and the girls liked the jam so much that they really wanted to experiment with some other rhubarb recipes.

The girls made them all by themselves (I was tired after cleaning up the canning mess) and both desserts received a thumbs up by the whole family (especially the coffee cake, which reminded us of spice cake that we all love). Here are the recipes in case you're inspired to do some baking with your fresh fruit.

RHUBARB-STRAWBERRY JAM
From: Ball (canning) Blue Book

4 cups crushed strawberries
2 cups chopped rhubarb
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 package powdered pectin
5 1/2 cups sugar

Combine strawberries, rhubarb, lemon juice and pectin in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Yeilds about 6 half-pints. (We made this recipe twice)

RHUBARB COFFEE CAKE
From: MerryMakers 4-H Club 3rd edition cookbook by Nanie Thibault

2 cups flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
2 cups rhubarb, cut up

Topping:
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup coconut
1/4 cup chopped nuts
4 Tablespoons margarine

Sift 2 cups flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, soda, salt and spices. Beat eggs, then add oil and milk. Combine flour and milk mixtures. Fold in rhubarb. pour into greased 9x13 inch pan. Mix 2/3 cup flour, brown sugar, margarine, coconut and nuts. Sprinkle over top of the cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

(We didn't have coconut or nuts and the recipe still came out great. Oh, and G. used a bundt pan instead of the suggested pan and it worked fine. She said cakes taste better when she uses that pan.)

RHUBARB PIE
From: Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

1 pie crust
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups fresh sliced rhubarb
Crumb topping

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons butter
Mix flour and sugar until combined. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In large mixing bowl stir together sugar, flour and cinnamon. Add rhubarb. Gently toss until coated.  Transfer rhubarb mixture to pie crust. Sprinkle crumble topping over filling.

Bake at 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.