HOMEMADE JAM

It was our first ever attempt at making homemade jam today. Both Dave's Mom & my Mom and Nana too have always made homemade jam. But though I've helped prep as I was growing up I never knew the final process. Today we learned it was much, much easier than we had thought. I am praying it sets because we have some very eager jam eaters awaiting these homemade treats.

I received this little guy for Christmas.  This was his first time out of the box & he worked like a champ!

Do you think he may be a little excited?

Blueberries are squashed in a flash!

After we put together the blueberry jam it was time for strawberries.

Dave worked on finishing up the blueberry jam.

The kids wanted to be right in the middle of it all.

Thank you, Mom!  She got this for us to use in our jam making.

Our official taste testers.

She wanted to help stir & was very happy when it was finally her turn.

Next it was time to taste test the strawberry jam.  What a tough job, eh?

9 jars of blueberry jam

Daddy giving Boo instructions on how to fill the jars.

Boo & I finished up the strawberry jam and filled 12 jars.  This is all freezer jam.  We plan to make some hot jar jam with the rest of the strawberries sometime this week. 

STRAWBERRY PICKING

Strawberries

Dave, Elvis, Bugsy & Boo went strawberry picking. They actually ended up going twice. That is because after putting up the first round we realized we needed more if we wanted to try our hand at making jam this year. The berries are amazing! Big & juicy!

This photo cracks me up. She couldn't get enough of those sweet berries!

6 gallons


Yum! Yum!

A bowl of red delight.

Mama hulls the berries.

All ready for the freezer!

Some are mashed, some are whole & some are sliced.

Elvis is proud of his hard work.

This pan is all ready for the freezer.

CHOMP!

Now for some relaxation time.

Bugs couldn't stay awake. It was a big, full day.

Boo kicking back.

They ended up picking 10 gallons in all. We snacked on some but most were put up in the freezer. We plan to make jam & the rest will be for delicious treats such as strawberry shortcake, strawberry pancakes & ice cream toppings.

Berry Pick'in

Saturday we decided to take a chance on the weather & go strawberry picking. It had rained most of the week & rain was supposed to arrive again. It was sunny when we started out & beautiful so we loaded up the van & took off. Elvis was really excited to go as he LOVES strawberries. We arrived, gathered our plastic baskets they provided & headed out into the fields. I had Princess in the snugly sack and strapped on. There were only 2 other couples picking and I was surprised. Back in MA when we would go it would always be crowded. The kids did a great job picking & followed our instructions on which berries to pick. I mainly spotted & directed as it was hard to bend over with Princess strapped on. Plus she didn't like being tipped over. We left with 4 baskets full & tummies full as well.

Walking to the strawberry fields.

Cute sign.



The bee hives we passed by on the way to the fields.

Boo & Sweet Pea got right to work.

Dave helped Bugs find the right strawberries.

Elvis did a great job filling his basket.

Boo checking out an odd shaped berry.

Bugs had juice all over his face. He enjoyed eating them much more than picking! Lol!

These fields were set up very nicely with an irrigation system and raised beds.

It was nice not to have to bend all the way down to the ground or wade through straw. My allergies really appreciated the latter.

Sweet Pea finds the perfect berry.

We heard thunder and finished up very quickly. As we drove away from the farm we saw the dark clouds coming fast. We knew God had timed it perfectly for us.

We stopped on the way so Dave could take this photo. Isn't it neat? We wanted to take more of the scenery as it was beautiful farm country but it grew dark too quickly.

Dave put up all the berries that were left after the kids got to them. I think they ate at least 1/2 a basket or more! Dave, Boo, & Elvis returned on Monday night to pick more berries for jam. I can't wait to give it a try!