Coping with your picky eater
A Tasty Goldfish Bowl?
After going to a pick-your-own farm to pick strawberries, why not make your own jam? Here is a recipe for NO COOK Strawberry Jam. Let your child mash the berries and mix and stir in the other ingredients. When the jam is ready, you can go one step further and let her make her own sandwich for lunch!
Age group: 3years+
What you need:
- 850g caster sugar
- 500g firm ripe strawberries
- ½ bottle liquid pectin (Certo) or 1 sachet pectin crystals
- juice of 1 medium lemon (3-4 tbsp)
What to do:
- Heat oven to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1. Pour the sugar into a shallow dish and warm in the oven for about 10 mins.
- Hull the strawberries and mash in a large bowl with a potato masher or fork. Stir in the warm sugar and leave for about 4 hrs, at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved,
- Mix in the pectin. Stir well. Then add 3 tbsp lemon juice. Spoon the fruit crush into 5-6 small clean freezerproof containers, or jars. Cover loosely with cling film and leave at room temperature for about 3 hrs.
- Check to see if the mixture is setting. If it still looks quite runny, pour the pots back into the bowl and mix in another tablespoon of lemon juice, then repeat the process with the pots. Leave for at least 24 hrs at room temperature, by which time the mixture should have reached a soft set.
- Cover tightly with lids and freeze until needed. This jam freezes for up to 8 months – keep it in the fridge after defrosting. The jam may go cloudy after freezing – but when it has thawed, just stir and it will go clear again.
Tips:
- Take the opportunity to do measuring and to teach new vocabulary associated with cooking.
- Talk about hygiene in the kitchen
- Talk about safe food storage.
- Talk about healthy eating and why we eat fruit.
I am a preschool and primary school teacher and mum to 3 children. I have been involved in education since 1997 and have trained in a variety of educational specialist areas. It is with this expertise that I write articles to help parents and educators provide quality learning experiences for the children in their care.
