WELCOME TO
Learning to Live Sustainably
We can do it together
Mel's first adventure in canning!
My mom's black raspberry bushes produced an amazing amount of fruit this year, which was extra special because after 40 years of living in her Xenia home and raising two kids there she has moved to Cincinnati to live with us. One of the things she brought with her in the move was 4 quarts of those delicious black raspberries. It seems she shared a lot of them with family and friends, but saved enough for us to make freezer jam. We even had half a quart left over, but I will tell you what we did with it a bit later.
The first thing you need to know is that I have never canned anything in my life. And, I don't cook. Thank God for my wonderful husband who should have been a chef. But, I want to learn to do canning and fill my pantry with lots of delicious food for the winter. So, now that I have black raspberries that need to be transformed into jam, a box of freezer jam jars, and a mother who is willing to help me learn, I am ready to start small and see what happens.
The 12 jars she brought with her have been washed and are drying while we (and by 'we' I mean 'I') start pushing the berries through the sieve to remove all the seeds.
My mom's black raspberry bushes produced an amazing amount of fruit this year, which was extra special because after 40 years of living in her Xenia home and raising two kids there she has moved to Cincinnati to live with us. One of the things she brought with her in the move was 4 quarts of those delicious black raspberries. It seems she shared a lot of them with family and friends, but saved enough for us to make freezer jam. We even had half a quart left over, but I will tell you what we did with it a bit later.
The first thing you need to know is that I have never canned anything in my life. And, I don't cook. Thank God for my wonderful husband who should have been a chef. But, I want to learn to do canning and fill my pantry with lots of delicious food for the winter. So, now that I have black raspberries that need to be transformed into jam, a box of freezer jam jars, and a mother who is willing to help me learn, I am ready to start small and see what happens.
The 12 jars she brought with her have been washed and are drying while we (and by 'we' I mean 'I') start pushing the berries through the sieve to remove all the seeds.
After much work, the first batch is ready to be poured in the jars. We had to send my son to the store to get more sugar and another box of jars because they made more than expected. I guess that means I am a good berry masher. :)
So, here's what we ended up with: 16 jars of freezer jam, a bowl of seeds (or zombie brains), and half a quart of berries that still need to be made into something.
We decided to make some adorable little happy face tarts (If you know me, you know I love to sneak happy faces in wherever I can.) and a cobbler. Notice the one that seems to be drooling? I think he may have eaten too many zombie brains.
So, here's what we ended up with: 16 jars of freezer jam, a bowl of seeds (or zombie brains), and half a quart of berries that still need to be made into something.
We decided to make some adorable little happy face tarts (If you know me, you know I love to sneak happy faces in wherever I can.) and a cobbler. Notice the one that seems to be drooling? I think he may have eaten too many zombie brains.
When we were finished, my mother hurried downstairs to her room before I could think up something else for us to cook today. I think I wore her out, but it was a fun day and the black raspberries made some really wonderful jam. Tomorrow they will go in the freezer and my first jarring adventure will be complete. Next time, maybe I will be brave enough to try something that involves the pressure cooker. But for now, I will bask in the delicious glory of black raspberry freezer jam. One seed (I mean step) at a time, my friends, one step at a time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mel Farnsley &
Mary Hutten, Owners
info@learningtolivesustainably.com
513-481-1914
Visit us Fridays 3-7pm at
Lettuce Eat Well Farmers' Market
3820 Westwood Northern Blvd.
Cincinnati, OH 45211
info@learningtolivesustainably.com
513-481-1914
Visit us Fridays 3-7pm at
Lettuce Eat Well Farmers' Market
3820 Westwood Northern Blvd.
Cincinnati, OH 45211
*Visit our Facebook
page for our current product lineup &
additional info.
*Pinterest:
*Twitter:
*Blog/Newsletter:
No comments:
Post a Comment