Strawberry Saturday

This morning, I met my friend Jen at LeGrande's cousins' strawberry farm to do some picking! It was the perfect morning, cool, no humidity, blue sky, and a nice breeze.

Here are my baskets loaded with the delicious ruby berries!

I've only recently fallen in love with strawberry picking. Perhaps it is because it is new for me...this was not something that I did as a child. It seems wholesome and simple, and I love that about it. It's a bit like treasure hunting- trying to find the perfect berries hidden under those green leaves. I struggle to finish because there are still so many berries left in the field, just begging to be taken home and savored! It has also led me to keep alive a tradition of my Mama Sease, my maternal grandmother- jam making! She used to make the best freezer jam and it was like bringing home a pot of gold when she'd send us home with a jar of it. It didn't last long, and we savored it on biscuits and the like. I've made jam for the last 3 years and we enjoy it as a taste of spring, and it brings back memories from seasons of childhood. Here's to you, Mama Sease!

Back at home, the berries are washed and I prepare to make jam with one of the baskets of beries. First, I hull the berries and put them into the food processor to gently crush them. Oops, the first time, I let the processor go too long...strawberry soup! I think it'll be okay!

Next, pull out secret weapon #1- Ball NO COOK pectin! This stuff is great...no boiling of water, sugar and gelatin with the possibility of nasty burns! Instead, you simply mix 1 1/2 cups of sugar with the pectin and then add 4 cups of berries. Mix for 3 minutes and voila- you have jam! I am sure Mama Sease did it the old fashioned way, but hey, I am not opposed to progress! Plus, this new way uses less sugar, so your jam is healthier. The berries sweeten it.

Last, pour the jam into clean jam jars. Secret weapon #2- if you love jam-making, save all your jam jars from the past year and recycle them, especially when you want to give the jam away! You give jam in pretty jars and don't have to buy new jars each year, plus you are recycling! Last year my class picked strawberries and we made jam for Mother's Day. It was a huge hit, but the best part was watching 15 inner-city kids taste their homemade jam on biscuits for the first time. They loved it, but I think I loved watching them love it more.

Secret Weapon #3- If you are a teacher, those little white plastic strawberry baskets are treasures. I have a whole art cabinet in my classroom filled with these baskets, neatly labeled and filled with different supplies- glue, glue sticks, markers, pencils, scissors, you name it. When I need to bring those items down for the class to use, I simply open the cabinet, select the correct basket, and use the convenient handle to take it to the table. I bet you are thinking, "wow, are teachers smart or what! They can make use of ANYTHING!" You bet we can- just try us! I beg my friends and mother in law for their baskets every year.

Stay tuned for a second canning segment coming this summer-green beans in Mama Sease's pressure canner! The bean seeds are sleeping away in our garden, but I don' think it will be too long until they awaken!