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STRAWBERRY JUICE and BREAKFAST CRACKERS Several years ago, we spent eleven months in Finland. It was during that year that the first Moomintroll children's book, written by Tove Janssen was published. In iambic pentameter it told the story of a fictional character named Moomintroll running with a can full of milk through the dark woods to his mother. After a series of mishaps and adventures, Moomintroll arrives at home only to find that the milk had "curdled and had set". The part that intrigued our children - and me as well, was the final statement: "Now they had strawberry juice at every meal." Not at all impossible in Finland, for strawberry juice was available on the grocery shelves! Not at all impossible, if you have a supply of strawberries and a Finnish steam process juicer today! You can make not only strawberry juice, but you can make juice from all kinds of fruits and berries. One of my favorites is to combine strawberries with rhubarb to make a beautiful deep red juice. This is the time of year when I like to harvest all of the rhubarb from our garden and make juice. Although it's wonderful when combined with strawberries, and makes an appealing punch when combined with ginger ale or lemon soda and ice, I often make pure rhubarb juice for punch. To keep it, I either can or freeze the juice. For an early summer morning get-together, maybe even on Midsummer's day, I suggest Strawberry juice and Swedish Breakfast crackers. It appeals to kids of all ages! The Finnish steam process juicer consists of a water pan for making steam, a kettle to catch the juices, a basket into which you put the fruit, and a lid for the top. It is stainless steel. There is no need to mess with cloth bags to make clear juice. The juice is boiling hot and can be extracted into hot, sterilized jars and closed with sterilized lids, to preserve. It's incredibly easy to use. I make juice from rhubarb, strawberries, grapes, currants, raspberries, blackberries, apples, cranberries, high-bush cranberries, crabapples as well as chokecherries. The unit is also great for steam-cooking all kinds of foods. Corn on the cob is great! The following recipe is a guide for you when you make juice from all sorts of fruits and fruit combinations. Five to 6 quarts of fresh fruit will fit into the top of the juicer. You may or may not wish to add the sugar. When apples are in season later in the fall, I never add sugar, but love to make juice from different varieties of apples and enjoy the differences in flavor between them. Juice from berries and fruit makes beautiful jelly as well. I make jelly using grape juice from our vines and currants from the currant bushes. If I plan to make jelly from the juice I never add sugar to the fruit while steaming. STRAWBERRY RHUBARB JUICE 3 quarts fresh rhubarb,
cut up, unpeeled if you plan to use the juice as a beverage, layer the rhubarb, strawberries and sugar in the perforated steaming basket of the Mehu-Liisa. Cover and place over the water pan filled with boiling water. Steam for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until the rhubarb and strawberries appear limp, colorless, and have sunk down to about 1/4 of their original volume. Have hot sterilized
canning jars ready (hold them in boiling water, along with lids
and rings for 20 minutes). Or, have a heatproof container or pitcher
into which you can extract the juice. Extract the juice into the
prepared container (s). Top canning jars immediately with the sterilized
lids. If juice is extracted into a pitcher, allow to cool, then
refrigerate. RHUBARB STRAWBERRY DRINK: Pour the cooled juice over ice cubes and dilute to taste with oater. Or, combine half and half with soda water or ginger ale. SWEDISH BREAKFAST CRACKERS Crispy and not very sweet, these crackers are perfect to serve with the Rhubarb Strawberry Drink. They're easy to make, too because you roll the dough out right on the cookie sheet, cut it into square and leave them in place to bake. I suggest them for your Midsummer's party menu in the GREAT HOLIDAY BAKING BOOK, page 101. 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks
butter, at room temperature Preheat the oven to 400*F. Lightly grease two 17 x 14-inch rimless baking sheets. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar; add the egg and beat until light. Stir the flours together with the baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture along with the milk and mix until dough is well blended. Divide dough into 2 parts. Flatten each half of the dough and place one on each greased baking pan. Sprinkle lightly with flour. With a rolling pin, roll dough out right on the baking sheet, adding flour as necessary to keep from sticking, until the dough is 12 x 15 inches and about 1/4 inch thick. Pierce all over with a fork. With a straight knife, cut into 2x3-inch rectangles, leaving them in place. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until light brown. Remove from the oven, and with a sharp knife, separate the crackers where they were cut before baking, leaving them in place. Turn the oven off and return crackers to the oven to crisp, about 10 minutes. Makes about 48 crackers. If you do not have a juicer to use, you can get one right here, at my website, by clicking HERE, or check with local Scandinavian gift shops where they are sold. |
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4244 Emerson Road, Duluth, MN 55803 218-721-3026