Yesterday was a very busy day! Allison, Chris' sister, is staying with us, and she has been such a good sport--we dragged her all around the valley yesterday, and she was so helpful and patient with us. She came to help Ruth and Jordan move into their new house (which was pretty fun to start organizing and setting up. Evelyn was super cute scooting around on the slippery wood floors and sucking on everyone's frozen water bottles.) We ran some errands and came home for a nap, and Chris got a really bad migraine. About this time I was feeling really bad that we didn't have a fun plan for her first day here, so I decided it would be fun to do something crafty, and strawberry freezer jam was the winner.
I'm not sure if Allison really wanted to make jam, but I thought it was fun, and she was really really helpful--she washed all the jars and kept track of the timing....actually, she did most of the work. I really hope she liked it. I had a lot of fun getting to spend time with her and getting to know her better.
It was really nice to be able to finally use some of the mason jars from my reception...They have been filling up more than their fair share of space in my cupboards. Now that I've tested the waters with freezer jam, I'm starting to get ideas about applesauce and peaches...I need a teacher, and a pressure canner.
Note: I'm really, really, really glad we followed the instructions (the recipe from the Pectin box) EXACTLY. When we did our first batch, we were really surprised at the amount of sugar it said to put in, and when we tasted the sugar and strawberry mixture, it was overwhelmingly too sweet.
...But after we added the boiled pectin and water mixture, it was absolutely perfect. (Thanks, Allison, for reassuring me and convincing me to not half the sugar in the next recipe!!)
About the time we were cleaning up, Chris resurfaced and we decided to have a cookout (Bratwurst is always good, but it is absolutely amazing on the grill!!) Daniel and Heather came over, too...it ended up being a really fun night.
Any recommendations for things to can? I know peaches and applesauce is always good, but my imagination seems to halt there. ...Also, does anyone want to can with me next month (Assuming here that only my family reads my blog...sorry all you random internet surfers. ;))
I would love to can with you next month! Everything I know about canning I learned by canning with someone else, so I'd love to pay it forward.
ReplyDeleteAlso, do you have a Ball Blue Book? It will tell you everything you need to know about canning/freezing/dehydrating. And if you want a written form of everything I'd spout off while we were canning, here you go. :-) http://placetobloom.blogspot.com/2009/09/rachaels-harvest-kitchen-day-2.html
I second Rachael's suggestion for a Ball Blue Book or Kerr Canning book. They have all sorts of fun suggestions. And you don't need a pressure canner for fruit or jams or tomatoes. So you can get started with a water bath canner and do quite a bit of fun stuff with it. Apple pie filling. Rhubarb ice cream sauce. Yum
ReplyDeleteSounds like a plan!! ...and Connie found out about my canning plans and bought me a water bath canner and a lifty outy thingy (so vague, but you know exactly what I mean, huh!) and a funnel. Now we have all the gizmos and gadgets, and you have the know-how, and I am SOOOO excited to have a canning party!!
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