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| 6 pints of blackberry jam, 3 made on Saturday and 3 made on Sunday |
I don't normally labor on Sunday afternoons. That's usually my time to rest and restore myself. This past weekend, however, found me making jam both Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Saturday, my jam-making was definitely a to-do item on my list. I had a bunch fo blackberries to both freeze and turn into jam. But Sunday afternoon was a different story. I wasn't planning on making jam this day. I was going to have a restful afternoon. Those berries were enticing. So fresh and plump, full in sweetness and flavor. I wasn't in a rush to get anything done. I simply felt called to make more jam.
The kitchen was uncharacteristically quiet on Sunday. It was just me and the berries. I took my time, allowing the berries and sugar to heat slowly on the stove. I inhaled the deep berry fragrance as I leaned over the pot to take a taste. You could say I was in the groove. My relaxing Sunday jam-making felt so different from my hectic, got to get this done, Saturday session. I wish every time I preserved or prepared some food for my family I could feel this same sense of ease and enjoyment.
So blackberry jam has been my most recent food preservation effort. With the winter's jam now made, I'll move on to making blackberry juice later this week.
How about you? Are you preserving any foods for fall and winter enjoyment?
I have a few pears to deal with, and occasional handfuls of peppers. I made a pear pie yesterday and plan to make another one today, and may freeze the rest, sliced for future pies. Still using up jam from the last crop so we don't really need more.
ReplyDeleteThe peppers will just be frozen for future use. Most are Anaheim/Poblanos right now. Nothing else is producing, between heat and squash bugs. It's just been too hot. If we can keep things alive a few more weeks, we should have more produce again this fall.
I've never had pear pie. Sounds delicious!
DeleteWe make pear pies with some of our excess pears. They taste much like apple pies and are delicious.
DeleteHi Cat,
DeleteYum, that pear pie sounds delicious. I've never heard of those before. I hope your weather cooperates so you can enjoy fall harvests.
I'm glad you had a very relaxing Sunday while completing a chore on your to do list. Sounds like a winner whenever that happens. I'm trying to be mindful and remind myself to enjoy whatever I'm doing. It's not easy since we're geared to be productive and not waste time.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely, peaceful day,
Laura
Thank you, Laura. I really enjoyed that afternoon.
DeleteI think it's an excellent goal to find enjoyment in daily tasks. I'll have to work on that more. Thanks for the nudge.
Me personally? I'm not preserving anything. :) My husband, however, was drying herbs in his new dehydrator over the weekend, and has been freezing blueberries, cherries, and peaches (and maybe some green beans). I am in the enviable position of being able to use home-preserved food without doing the work involved. Yes, I recognize that I'm spoiled. :)
ReplyDeleteOh lucky, lucky you, Kris! Enjoy all of that home-grown yummy produce!
DeleteThe blackberry jam sounds wonderful -- what a treat it will be for your family this winter. For us, we are looking at an abundance of homegrown apples, so I'm going to do my best to put up as much as I can. With my day job however I need to make the process as easy as I can manage. So with the windfalls that may be slightly marked and bruised I've been collecting, coring and cutting (keeping peels on, adding no sugar) into my crockpots, to cook down and caramelize (wow, I truly didn't intend to have that much alliteration in there lol). I then blend this apple mash into sauce (and in some cases the apples being so cooked down and caramelized the resulting sauce looks pretty much like apple butter), with the intention of chucking it all into my freezers for future sides, smoothies, toppings, cooking and baking. But there are so, so many apples (a bumper crop, despite drought) that I just may have to get my dehydrators fired up this season as well....
ReplyDeleteWe also have a nice little abundance of swiss chard this year, which I plan to simply chop and freeze (after a bit of blanching) for adding to future winter soups and stir-fries.
Using your crockpot for the apples is such a great idea. And it sounds so delicious, too.
DeleteI've been chopping and freezing a lot of Swiss chard, too. It's been a bumper crop year for the chard. I'm glad you'll have the chard to add to winter meals.
Being able to relax and enjoy the process of a chore is not an easy thing to do. I'm glad you were able to do that with your blackberries. So far this year we have frozen cherries, blueberries, and tomato sauce. I see apples in our future.
ReplyDeleteHi Live and Learn,
DeleteThose cherries, blueberries, and tomato sauce sound wonderful and I'm sure will be very appreciated come winter. Good luck with the apples!