Mabon Recipes -- Fruit

Mabon is the second of the three harvests and as such it is the Harvest of the Fruits. So here are some recipes to use just that.

Pumpkin Bread with Cranberries courtesy of about.com

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups pumpkin pureé (15 oz can)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup fresh or dried cranberries

Preparation:

1. Combine flour, spice, baking powder, and salt in bowl; stir to blend the dry ingredients well.
2. Combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil in a mixing bowl, beating until smooth.
3. Stir in flour mixture, then stir in cranberries.
4. Spoon into a greased and floured 9x5x2-inch loaf pan.
5. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Freezer Jam courtesy of allrecipes.com

Another great thing that you can do with fruit at this time is to make jams. Here is some simple instructions on making freezer jam.

Ingredients

• Fruit
• Pectin
• Sugar
• Water

The basic ratio for each packet of pectin is:

3 cups mashed fruit
5 cups sugar
1 cup water

It is also best to not choose containers for the jam larger than a pint.

Making Jam

The process itself is simple:

• Wash and stem the fruit (and peel it, if applicable).
• Place it in a wide-bottomed pan and crush with a potato masher to a smooth consistency, leaving some chunks of fruit if you like.
• Stir in the sugar and let the mixture sit for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• In the meantime, mix together the pectin and water in a small saucepan until the powder is dissolved; bring it to a boil over high heat, and let it boil for a full minute.
• Pour it into the fruit and stir for a couple of minutes.
• Pour the jam into your containers, leaving a half-inch of "headspace" at the top.
• Cover the containers and let them sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
• The jam should have thickened significantly overnight, but it can take up to two weeks for it to completely finish its jelling process. If it's too thick, stirring it will soften it up. If it's still too runny after two weeks, you can pour it into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. It will get thicker as it cools, and you can re-bottle as you did before.

As the name implies freezer jam is meant to be stored in the freezer and can be kept there for up to an year. Or in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. Also remember that once opened you should use the jam within three weeks.

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