Month: June 2023

DIY Mango Blueberry Jam: a summertime take on a fridge staple

By Anna Pearson, Ella Roberts, and Sarah Bakeman

Grab your grocery list, erase the store-bought jams, and gather some old jars! It’s mango season at ECHO Global Farm, and I’m going to teach you how to make a refreshing and sweet mango blueberry jam. 

This flavor combination is a tropical getaway from your everyday strawberry jam, and, to make it better, ECHO’s experts helped me make this recipe more sustainable. After a few weeks of saving old almond butter and pasta sauce jars, a mango blueberry jam presented itself as the perfect way to give the glass containers a second life! 

I plan to give out my jars to ECHO’s amazing farm staff and interns, so I won’t be sealing the jars for long-term storage. Rather, I’ll be telling the recipients to pop their jars in the fridge and enjoy as the summer months heat up. 

If you’re looking to put these jars into long-term storage, this recipe will also walk you through the sealing process. For this, I advise using a canning jar, such as a Mason Jar.

Let’s get into the recipe!

Ingredients:

3 cups chopped mangoes

1 cup blueberries

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 tsp butter

1 box Sure Jell (fruit pectin)

4 cups sugar

(This recipe yields approximately 7, 8 oz. jars of jam)

Instructions:

Gather together your mangoes and blueberries and wash them

Peel all of the skin off your mangoes, either in a circular motion or vertical slices. As long as there’s no skin left, either way is fine! And make sure to collect the scraps for composting. 

Slice your mangoes, getting as much fruit off of the pit as possible. I cut my mango pieces a little bigger because my friends at the ECHO farm like a chunkier jam. But you can make these mango pieces as big or little as you wish. Keep in mind big chunks will boil down a bit once they’re on the stove! If you don’t like chunks, feel free to mash the fruit beforehand. 

Measure out 3 cups of chopped mangoes and 1 cup of blueberries and add to a large pot. Add lemon juice and butter into the pot with your fruit. 

Here’s the fun part! Turn your stove up to high heat and gradually stir in the pectin. The mixture should come to a rolling boil (when you stir, the mixture will continue to boil instead of dying down).

Once this rolling boil has started, stir in 4 cups of sugar. If it stops boiling, wait for it to come back to a boil. This will allow the sugar to dissolve! 

The new mixture should return to a boil. As soon as it does, set a timer for 3 minutes! It’s important to get this timing right to allow the sugar to have the proper reaction and create a jam consistency. Both science and the ECHO experts say so!

That’s all the cook time the jam needs! Pretty simple, right? After those 3 minutes, you can remove the jam from the heat and ladle it into jars. This recipe is good for about seven 8 oz jars, but you can use different sizes if needed. If you have a funnel, that will be helpful for getting the jam into the jars.

Do not fill your jars to the brim! Instead, leave about a ¼ inch of space at the top.

Lightly screw on the caps. If you are not planning to seal the jars (meaning you will consume the jam in the next couple of months), feel free to put the jar in the fridge. However, if you want to seal the jars, read on!

Bring a pot of water to a boil and submerge your cans. To ensure they are properly sealed, boil for 10 minutes – this is important. Again, set a timer!

Remove the jars from the boiling water, but be careful! I repeat, be careful! The jars will be hot. Here at ECHO, we recommend a canning jar lifter. 

Set the jars aside on a kitchen surface to cool. I like to leave them out overnight. If the jars make popping sounds, don’t be alarmed. This is a good sign! It means the jars are sealing. 

Once the jars have cooled, you’re good to store them in a cool, dry place for 18 months to 2 years! I like to label my jars with “enjoy by” dates.

Whenever you decide to crack a jar open and enjoy it, make sure to put it in the fridge! (And, of course, enjoy it!)

And that’s it! A simple recipe fit for beginners, experts, and everything in between. Whether you share this mango-blueberry treat with your loved ones or keep all the jars for yourself, please tweet a photo @ECHO_net or tag us on Instagram or Facebook @echofightshunger. We would love to see your results! 

Five Southwest Florida Field Trips for Family Fun

By Anna Pearson, Ella Roberts, and Sarah Bakeman

Whether you’re looking for a tropical farm to explore, a miniature train to catch, or a manatee yoga session, the sunshine state is a hub for both fun and education. Here are a few helpful hints for parents and teachers looking to switch up their daily routines. 

ECHO Global Farm

Located in North Fort Myers, ECHO is a non-profit tackling food insecurity at its source – teaching and innovating agricultural techniques for struggling small-scale farmers internationally. Explore seven geographically-themed settings on the Florida farm, showcasing crops, agricultural techniques, and animals worldwide. With one of the largest collections of tropical food plants in the United States, students will learn unconventional yet effective methods of growing these crops in less-than-ideal conditions. 

Discover how simple technologies can improve food, water, and shelter for millions of people on the Appropriate Technology Village Tour. Learn how sand can be transformed into water filters, manure into energy, and bicycles into power tools. See firsthand how ECHO uses simple solutions to change lives. After the tour, stop by the Bookstore and Nursery for more resources on implementing these methods in your classroom or at home. Tickets are available online for both farm and Appropriate Technology tours Tuesday through Saturday.

Railroad Museum of South Florida

Operating out of a Railroad-Depot style building in Fort Myers, the Railroad Museum of South Florida educates about American locomotive history. The museum features an authentic brass steam locomotive bell (that visitors can ring), a locomotive simulator, and model trains representing a variety of American eras, but the experience doesn’t end inside the building. Outside, museum-goers can take advantage of a miniature railroad system. The train brings visitors on a mile-long ride around a lake and through the park’s north end. Along the track, there’s more to take in than just natural scenery. 

The park has four full-size crossing signals, a 100-foot tunnel, a waterfall, an operating windmill, a 20-foot trestle bridge, and a pedestrian bridge. The locomotive experience is made even more immersive by scale-sized villages along the train’s route, their architecture depicting local Southwest Florida communities as they appeared in the 1950s. Tickets are available online for train rides, and group rates are available for trips in advance.

The Shell Factory

Celebrate over 80 years of fun in North Fort Myers at this Southwest Florida family entertainment destination. The Shell Factory gift shop is home to the world’s largest collection of seashells and shell specimens. There is something for everyone with unique one-of-a-kind gifts from all over the world. With both indoor and outdoor activities, visitors will have hours of fun. After shopping, stop by the Southern Grill for something to eat or head over to the Fun Park to rock climb, soar on the Eagle Zip-line, cool down by the lagoon, or putt around at the miniature golf course. The nature park features over 400 animals, a dinosaur-themed park, a playground, a picnic area, and an outdoor butterfly garden. Entry is free (except to the Nature Park), and parking is free. Different large-group packages are available, but pricing varies for each activity.

Kowiachobee Animal Preserve

This educational non-profit preserve in Naples is home to more than 130 animals, including big cats, reptiles, and nocturnal animals. The Kowiachobee Animal Preserve offers guided tours of its facilities and community presentations at schools, daycare centers, college groups, and more. The unique preserve allows for students to get up close and personal with exotic and endangered animals, learn about them from experts in animal conservation, and customize educational experiences to match the learners, no matter what age. The animals help students learn about science, biology, conservation, extinction issues, and animal responsibility.


 KAP has been in operation for over 15 years, with more than 25 years of experience in animal conservation and related issues. Their mission is to educate community members of all ages about the steady decline of exotic and endangered animals. Tours must be booked by calling ahead and are free to attend, but donations are welcome.

The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature

Found in Bradenton, The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature is the largest natural and cultural museum of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Exhibits cover everything from fossil evidence of Florida’s earliest animal residents to local history and creativity. The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature is open for exploration Tuesdays through Sundays and features a digital Planetarium and the Parker Manatee Rehabilitation Habitat for visitors. The museum’s online calendar displays various upcoming events, including gentle yoga with manatees every Sunday at 11 a.m. and Tales Under the Tree at the Bishop every Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.

The Bishop’s mission is to ignite a passion for nature and science to transform their community and the world. They strive to inspire curiosity, build connections, and create impactful experiences. Admission is free for Florida teachers, and tickets are available online for students, chaperones, and guests. There is no maximum group size, and fun for all ages!

Whether you want to keep your family learning or plan the next classroom adventure, Southwest Florida has plenty of indoor and outdoor opportunities to ward off boredom. Hopefully, these have sparked your interest in the many destinations Southwest Florida offers.