Today was the first day of our canning! Mmmm ~ strawberry season is right on track this year to be spectacular! We live half way between Santa Maria and the Salinas areas where most strawberries are grown. Which means great big, sweet berries are plentiful and very inexpensive! Four pounds for $5 of giant, sweet strawberry's!!
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These are 4 pound packages, so you can see how large they are, no green, even on the very bottom tips. They are field ripened and just as sweet as can be. The eight pounds we put up today we had 2 berries that spoiled, 7 that were a bit too bruised for the jam, so we just ate them, and the rest - well they cooked up to 7 pint jars, and 1 half pint jar!
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I thought there would be more ~ you too? Well, I forgot a pint does take a pound of fruit. We got to taste a bit left on the bottom of the pot - oh yummyness heaven!!
Today we made a double batch at once. Holy strawberries did that take a long time to bring to a boil! Normally I do half pint jars because I gift so many (one year I even made 1/2 CUP sizes - total waste of a good jar and time!) So tomorrow - I have 18 half pint jars to do!
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I'll make one batch at a time to speed up the process. I know - it does sound backward.
So, what about you? Do any of you can your own veggies or fruit? Do you make jams or jellies? I'm growing lots of beets, hoping to can those this year!
Oh my gosh!! I just remembered!! For Christmas, our youngest son and daughter in law bought us a food dehydrator and I think it's time to crack the box and learn to make fruit roll ups, or dried fruit! Oh yum - now I can hardly wait for mangoes to come in to season! Dried mangoes are just soooo, so so good! As a matter of fact, mango jam, roll ups - frozen.
Oh my, I'd better get going - I need to get the dehydrator how to book out and read it in bed tonight! So, nightie night!
Blessing to all!
Hugs,
Donna
Donna your strawberry jam looks so delicious! When our girls were little we used to dry lots of fruit in our dehydrator and made our own version of a fruit roll up using applesauce. Hope you have a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteblessings,
Danielle
Wow!!! My sweet Donna,
ReplyDeleteThose strawberries looks so fresh and delicious, and your strawberry jam is so yummy! Not only strawberry jam, your mango jam is also fanstactic! I enjoyed it once and I remember it forever!!! Hope you find something great with the dehydrator!
Good night and have a fab new week!
Much love & hugs,
LS xoxoxoxo
wow your a busy lady..and ihave never made jams as hbbie says id burn water lol!!! but i do love jam and a farm near us sells homemade and im always there when i need my jam for my scones.i made them once and my scones looked so good.....but dont know what went wrong they were rock hard.. heehe aand huby used his a a door stop....so after ll my disasters i dont do as much as i should..i do have ever have a yearning for a pot of strawberries love them and yours really do look yummmy have a wonderful yet fruitfulll day my friend love sassyxxx
ReplyDeleteI make chutney from an old family recipe when the cooking apples are ripe in the autumn, I collect windfalls for these. And I make special bitter marmalade when the seville oranges are in the shops for a few short weeks in January and February.
ReplyDeleteI'm drooling looking at all that jam and those berries. Yum! I wish we had berries that good and cheap near me. We do have places to go pick them but I just haven't had the time this year.
ReplyDeleteDropping over from Chillin with Jill congrats on you award. I cannot believe your strawberry prices we pay $5. for a pint basket here. Wow. I love your description and photos making me want to rush out and get some of those expensive strawberries and can. :) B
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing more yummy than homemade jam!! How lucky and blessed your family is to have you.xo HHL
ReplyDeleteYour strawberry jam looks scrumptious! When my children were small I made jams and jellies. It was fun and we all loved it. Not much reason anymore with only me. You have given me an incentive though and I do believe I will try it again. The Illinois peaches are in season right now.
ReplyDeleteYour strawberry jam looks wonderful, Donna. I don't can anymore at all...but I do freeze a bit of stuff. I hope to make a batch of freezer jam this summer- xo Diana
ReplyDeleteIt all sounds too wonderful....I love strawberry jam... And ...mangoes...!! I made a lot of jam from the plums in our garden last year and my son picked wild damsons so I made jam with those...plus jelly with the grapes from the greenhouse. It all feels so good doesn't it? Enjoy but don't wear ourself out my friend! Joan
ReplyDeleteMMMM!!!! Oh my gosh, years ago when i lived in Oakley, CA I used to can tons of different jams a year. Never had to buy any jam in the grocery stores. I miss living so close to fresh fruit stands and making homemade jam. I'll take a jar LOL!!!!!!!
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