I have a new tree growing in my backyard!  It is about a foot tall now, but by the end of the summer, it should be as tall as I am.  It is a Moringa Tree and the most recent trend in super foods! 
      Two of my friends, Julie and Anita are the ones who first told me about this tree.  It produces a bean that people in Asia love to use, but here is the west, many don't find it very palatable.  But never fear!  The leaves are also edible and healthy and delicious!  
       Anita has a number of Moringa Trees growing in her yard, and she gave me some seeds, which I sprouted and now have growing in my backyard!  The tree is very fast growing and it will be a large bush or a tree, depending on how you trim it as it grows.  I want mine to be a tree, so I am snipping off lower growth as it comes out.  Anita has been harvesting leaves off of her trees as well and gave some to me!  So guess what?  You are going to be seeing some Moringa leave recipes here on the blog!  So keep reading because what could be better than some cool Moringa Iced Tea Beverages for Summer! 

     Over the last couple of weeks, Anita has gifted me peaches from a friend's tree and apricots from her own tree.  It has been amazing to process these fruits and add them to my pantry.  In the midst of it all, I realized that I haven't ever shown you how easy it is to can apricots!  They are absolutely one of my favorite fruits to can because of the ease of the process and because a jar of freshly opened apricots tastes amazing!  Almost as good as the fresh fruit!  So, here is my basic tutorial! 

     Looking for a cute little cookie that would be perfect for a tea party or bridal shower?  Strawberry Oregano Shortbread is a delicate, flavorful and pretty pink cookie that would be perfect for any such  occasion!  A combination of flavors that are a little out of the ordinary makes this cookie special and when you are planning an event, being able to make it the day before and allowing the flavors to develop is a big plus for a tiny cookie. 

     I was asked to help teach a class about using fresh herbs and my assigned herb was oregano.  It is one of the herbs that I don't have growing in my garden, lol, but I thought that I could give this presentation a shot!  

     Most people equate oregano with Italian food, but my two Italian experts, Anita and Jessica tell me that Americans use a lot more oregano than Italians do in our pizza and pasta sauces.   Oregano can actually be found in the food of many cultures.  It is very versatile and has health benefits as well!  

      I did share a recipe for a homemade Italian pasta sauce to begin with in my segment of the herb class, but then I decided to do a couple of more unusual recipes as well!  I'll be sharing a few of those with you in the future, but today I thought I would give you the recipe that probably received the most positive comments of the night.  It is the Strawberry Oregano Jam! 

     You may think that the oregano would be too overpowering for a sweet jam, but the opposite is true.  The oregano is very much just a back of the palette earthy flavor that helps to cut through the sweetness of a regular strawberry jam.  
        I wanted to make this jam less sweet, so I broke the cardinal rule of jam making and messed with the recipe!  I used pectin, but I also used chia seeds that would help with the thickening process.  I added lime essential oil as well because I wanted the brightness to go with the earthiness of the oregano.  The jam is still a little thinner than normal, but so delicious! 

      This recipe made a lot of jam.  I canned these jars while still saving out about 2 cups of jam to in a container in the refrigerator to share at the class!  

     Remember when making your jam that you must follow the directions and add the ingredients in the order given.  It really does make a difference in the outcome of the jam.  But, if for some reason the jam doesn't set, this will be super delicious on pancakes or crepes! 

     It is a lot of fun to add variety to your normal recipes and people are always eager to try them.  At the end of the class, one of my friends grabbed a plastic cup and poured some of the jam in it to take home!  I felt so complimented and happy to share!  So, here is the recipe, don't forget to click on it for the printable version.