A Bumbleberry Post

Cranberries
Last evening the dog and I went on a cranberry scouting expedition. What did we find? The berries aren’t quite ripe yet, but there is a bumper crop this year—big berries and plentiful—like I haven’t seen since 1987.

And yes, I remember the exact year, because several years later I still had bags of cranberries in the freezer labeled, “Cranberries, September 1987.” Oldest daughter and her friend were ten years old, and for a couple of weeks in early September they’d disappear into the bush together whenever it could be arranged, and waddle home a couple of hours later, side by side, carrying a 5-gallon bucket of berries between them. (That was back in the days when reasonable parents still let their kiddies wander the bush unsupervised all afternoon as long as they were home for supper.)

Watermelon
All the watermelon I bought this year was disappointingly bland and flavourless and not very juicy. Even the big watermelon fans in the fam didn’t like it much, and I ended up throwing some away.  Do they even grow the slurpy, full-of-flavour, seeded melons like I grew up with anymore?

Peaches
I have been shamelessly admiring all the jars of canned peaches (and strawberry-rhubarb jam, too) lined up on a little table in the kitchen. What’s the point of slaving over the canner if you can’t admire your handiwork for a while before you store it away on a cool dark shelf in the basement?

I still plan to do a post on canning peaches, but it is taking longer than I expected to get it together. In case you are waiting for my instructions before canning peaches and your peaches are in danger of spoiling while you wait, let me recommend the book Putting Food By by Janet Greene. It is the very best resource there is on canning, preserving, freezing, drying, curing, smoking or cold storing food of all kinds—fruit, vegetable, or meat. If this book doesn’t have instructions for it, you don’t want to do it.

Don't Send Me Email

My box is all filled up, and the mail server won’t let me in to empty it. I spent a big chunk of time yesterday trying to fix the problem, but I was unsuccessful.

If you emailed me in the last few days, there’s a good chance I didn’t get it. When the problem’s solved, I’ll let you know, okay?

Update on Saturday, August 25, 2007 at 4:48PM by rebecca

Yippee! My mailbox is  cleaned out now, so go ahead, send me stuff.

Jammin'

This afternoon I’m making jam—strawberry rhubarb jam, to be exact.

I like making jam. It is so satisfying to see those jewel-coloured jars lined up on the counter.

The first time you make it, it seems like a big project; but once you get the hang of things, it becomes a rather quick and easy project. To make it even easier, I usually prepare the fruit for the jam and wash the jars and utensils in the evening as I clean up after supper. Then I refrigerate the prepared fruit overnight. First thing next morning, before it gets hot, I make the jam. The most tiring part of the whole project is the 5 minutes of stirring, and older children’s arms work well for that.

Today I’m breaking the early morning rule, since it’s cool and rainy. I may still regret it.

I’ve done jellies, too, but I hate the juice-straining step, so now I’m a jam-onlyist.

Do you make jam or jelly? What kind do you make? Do you have any tips for making jams and jellies, or advice for first-time jam or jelly makers? If you post (or have posted) a recipe for jams, jellies, or preserves, why not leave your link in the comments of this post?