Picking Cherries and a recipe!

Cherry picking time!!!!!

We picked several gallons of cherries and then made Cherry Jam!

We got 8 half pints of jam and 9 Quarts of pitted sweet cherries...Yum!!!!

Bing Cherry Jam

from the Book

" Blue Ribbon Preserves"

by Linda J. Amendt

4 cups pitted and chopped fresh ripe Bing cherries ( about 3 lbs)

1/2 cup strained fresh lemon juice

5 cups sugar

1/2 tsp unsalted butter

1 (3 oz) pouch liquid pectin

1 tsp pure lemon extract

in an 8 quart pan, combine cherries, lemon juice, sugar and butter.

Over med low heat, stirring constantly, heat the mixture until the sugar is fully dissolved. Increase heat to med high and bring mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in entire contents of the pectin pouch. Return mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Skim off foam. Stir in almond extract.

Allow jam to cool for 5 minutes before filling jars, gently stir mixture every minute or so to distribute the fruit. Ladle the hot jam into hot jars leaving a 1/4 inch head space. wipe jar rims and threads with a clean cloth. Cover with hot lids and apply screw rings. Process half pint jars in 200 degree water bath canner for 10 minutes, pint jars for 15 minutes.

We absolutely love this jam and I recommend this book to any one who loves to make their own home canned jams and jellies. There are over 300 recipes that are mouth watering and worthy of trying!

check it out for yourself!

I bought mine from amazon.com

Sweet Cherries!

I went Saturday morning to pick cherries,

I picked 3 gallons which gave me;

9 quarts and 1 pint

with enough left out to eat and to make home made

cherry Ice Cream!

I would liked to have more but,

the cherries are expensive at $ 2.25 a lb for pick your own!

Picking Strawberries!

We went to a local pick your own farm today and picked Strawberries!

This is my lonely strawberry from my own plant, so this is why we went the PYO farm for more!

My Mom and Ryan picking strawberries

A unique looking strawberry, doesn't it resemble a flower?

Ryan and myself picking berries

We picked 16 lbs of strawberries, 10 lbs are what I am going to make jam with and freeze for smoothies and other recipes!

We did enjoy fresh strawberry shortcake for desert tonight!

My Mom and I with our berries!
And these lovely ladies paid for our berries! We sold these 4 pretty poults last night and used the money from them to pay for the strawberries and the sugar for the Jam I am making!

We had a great day with beautiful sunshine and warm but not hot temperatures, there was a light breeze blowing and this made picking the strawberries very enjoyable, I really liked the time with my Mom, having nice little conversations while picking berries and Ryan had a great time! he was still talking about it long after we got home.

Now it is time to get busy making all that yummy jam for this winter!

Making Apple Sauce

Its raining here again today, so I thought it would be a good day to make apple sauce!

I just core my apples and fill a large 10 quart soup pot with the apples, add enough apple juice or cider to the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking and cook until the apples are very tender and it begins to resemble apple sauce. run this through a strainer, I use a colander and pour it in over a big pot, then use a wooden spoon to separate the pulp from the peelings. Next in your pot with the apple pulp just add sugar and cinnamon to taste and cook a little while longer to dissolve the sugar and blend the flavor of the cinnamon.

That's it.... Very easy!

you can then put them into jars and can them in a water bath canner!

**When you make apple sauce use any type of apple that is very ripe to obtain maximum flavor, you can mix varieties of apples for a better flavor. I purchased deer apples from a local grower for $5.00 a bushel and picked out the best ones to make my apple sauce, then the animals get what apples I decide not to use for my apple sauce or apple butter!

Try some today, you won't be disappointed!

Puting By

"In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has." Proverbs 21:20

One of the things I really enjoy is canning or "puting By" as it was referred to in the past, setting up autumns abundant harvest!
Here I had canned peaches, tomatoes, grape jelly and apple butter!