Tag Archives: Gifts

Jar Meal: Italian Barley (or Farro) Soup

Jar Meal: Italian Barley (or Farro) Soup

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: California, Italian
Keyword: Barley, Dry Beans, Farro, Quick, Quinoa, Vegan
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 201kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pearled barley
  • 3 tbsp pre-washed quinoa
  • 3 tbsp dried mung beans
  • tbsp dried minced onions
  • 1 tbsp dried basil
  • ½ tbsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp fine grains salt plus more to taste
  • ¾ tsp dried chili flakes
  • 1 tbsp bouillon powder
  • cups water
  • 14 oz crushed tomatoes

Instructions

  • Layer all of the ingredients into the jar. Set aside for up to six months.
    1 cup pearled barley, 3 tbsp pre-washed quinoa, 3 tbsp dried mung beans, 1½ tbsp dried minced onions, 1 tbsp dried basil, ½ tbsp dried thyme, ½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp fine grains salt, ¾ tsp dried chili flakes, 1 tbsp bouillon powder

Make Soup

  • Add 5½ cups water and 14 oz crushed tomatoes and the contents of the jar to a large Dutch oven or pot. Simmer over medium or medium-low heat for 35 to40 minutes. You want heat that produces steady, small, concurrent bubbles. You can cook either covered or uncovered, or a mix. If you cook uncovered, be sure the water level remains sufficient – ingredients should always be covered by liquid, and if not, add ½ cup of water at a time and let it come to a steady boil again before adding more water. If you cook fully covered, I'd recommend a final five minutes uncovered and at a slightly higher heat level once everything is nearly cooked through. Turn off the heat once the barley and mung beans have cooked through, which you can test by tasting the barley, which should end up chewy and not stiff. If you want to add any kale or broccoli, add just a few minutes before the soup is done cooking.
  • To serve, you can drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and/or top with cheese (mozzarella, Parmesan, etc.).

Notes

Makes six servings, especially with added fat from olive oil or cheese

Nutrition

Calories: 201kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 351mg | Potassium: 469mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 254IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition Facts
Jar Meal: Italian Barley (or Farro) Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 201 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Saturated Fat 0.4g3%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.2g
Sodium 351mg15%
Potassium 469mg13%
Carbohydrates 42g14%
Fiber 9g38%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 254IU5%
Vitamin C 8mg10%
Calcium 80mg8%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Mixed Berry Jam

You want sugar content, by weight, to eventually equal 65% of the mixture. I’d start with 50%-55% sugar by weight, so you don’t get too sugary a result. Going lower than this could cause you to cook the jam too long to remove water, and the long cook will make it less fresh tasting (and remove the natural pectin). You could adjust with added pectin and/or acid too, if you drop the sugar.

Mixed Berry Jam

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American, Classic
Keyword: Gift, Jam, Summer
Servings: 0

Ingredients

  • 500 g strawberries
  • 550 g other berries e.g., ½ raspberries, ¼ blackberries, ¼ loganberries
  • 550 g sugar
  • ¼ cup lime juice ~3 limes
  • 1 tbsp pectin

Instructions

  • Put spoons in the freezer. First, clean and crush the berries. Start by washing them and picking through for any obvious issues. Remote the tops from the strawberries. Roughly chop the strawberries. Add everything to a very large pan – preferably one that is both wide and quite deep. Weigh out the sugar in a bowl. Sprinkle just a small amount of the sugar onto the berries and toss. Let sit for a few minutes while you prep jars and clean up a little, to get ready for the next steps. (Clean the jars, lids and bands, prepare the water bath canner for sterilizing jars, etc.)
  • Once you have everything else ready, more or less, crush the fruit some (it should have sweat some, from the sugar). Put the berries over a medium heat, add about half of the lime juice, and stir until everything is liquid. Now, add the rest of the sugar and the pectin and cook over medium-low, stirring frequently. Watch for foam and stir it down when needed.
  • Sterilize the jars, since you’ll be processing them for less than 10 minutes. Do this by filling the canner you’ll be using with the empty jars and boiling for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180ºF, so you can keep them warm. Remove each and drain the water back into the canner, for use during processing. Place sterilized jars in a large Pyrex baking dish and place in the oven while you finish the jam. Leave the water and canning setup.
  • At this point, the jam will hopefully be reaching temperature. You need it to get to 217ºF to 226ºF, which demonstrates enough water has evaporated that the mixture is now 65% sugar. If you haven’t quite reached this temperature, turn up the heat some and stir until water evaporates away.
  • Once it reaches the correct temperature, test the consistency with the spoon test. (Take a frozen spoon, dip it in carefully and put in the fridge for a minute or so. Test consistency once it’s cooled.)
  • When it’s done, remove the jars from the oven and turn off the oven. Turn the heat back on for the water bath canner. Fill each of your jars with jam, leaving just ¼” headroom. Place lid on top and screw the lid on finger-tight. Place in the water bath canner, careful not to tip them over.
  • Bring the canner to boiling for 5 minutes. Then turn off the heat for about 10 minutes and then remove the jars. Do not disturb for 12-24 hours. Then you can remove the lids and check seals.