Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Holy strawberries Batman, are we in a jam!

I just loved that post title. But no worries.

When I was a young wife and mother, I used to pick berries and make jam. I would have my young boys ‘help’ me pick them, although I knew half of them were going into their little mouths. I also put up peaches and froze vegetables, although the jam-making was always my favorite. I loved seeing (and eating) the results of my labors and was proud of the little jars all lined up and labeled with the date and the year.

I ended up giving away my canning things at some point and needless to say, it’s been a long time since my jam-making days.

But when I see berries like this, the memories come flooding back.

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The perimeter of the grounds here at the manor house are covered with berries and the first ones to come in are the blackberries.

I almost wish I still had my canning supplies.

I said almost.

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The taste is indescribable, and I’m sort of surprised that the little critters and the deer haven’t been at these bushes.

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This one tasted really good. I ate it right after it made its photo debut.

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Ditto for these.

Swirls

I want to thank each and every one of you who comes to visit this humble little blog of mine. Please know that I appreciate having visitors and the comments that are left. I am touched at your words, laugh at your jokes, and feel as I’ve gotten to know so many of you. So thank you from the bottom of my heart.

And with that said, have a beautiful day. Hope to see you again.

UPDATE: Dummy me. These are black raspberries. Thanks, anonymous, for pointing it out. I always got them confused. Some things never change. ~C.G.

49 comments:

Chrissykat said...

Okay...yum...yum yum yum! I'm drooling. Must-Have-Berries!

Reddirt Woman said...

Mmmmm, looks so good. I've never canned but my little momma did and usually at least one or two or three of my aunts would come over and there would be a full day of cooking and canning and my favorite days were the jelly making days. I must say that I much preferred jelly to jam but I think even as a child I was drawn to the clear, deep colors.

deborah said...

I almost miss my canning equipment too, just thinking how good the berries would be mid-winter.

I do enjoy your pictures and your blog. Thank you for sharing with us!

JacksDad said...

That blackberry gave its life so that you could make it immortal! :)

lesthook said...

My daughter brought me one berry yesterday. I rarely can anymore but like you,I did my fair share. My younger sister has taken over the jelly and jam duties for the most part,LOL!

Jen at Cabin Fever said...

You should give it a go again! Every year my mom makes strawberry jam and mails it to me when she finishes. One of these days I am going to try my hand at it.

And we are going to have blueberries here in a month or so! Can't wait.

Gena @ A Bluebonnet in Beantown said...

Lovely looking berries! I wish I had your jam-making and preserving skills. Freezer jam is as close as I've come (and I was pretty proud of that effort).

Gena

Michelle said...

Those look like black raspberries -- YUM!

Ann On and On... said...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE canning! Each year I do a little more than the year before. Those photos (BEAUTIFUL) got me excited for the summer fruits.

Julie Harward said...

Nothing better than berries right off the bush!!! Love them, could eat them forever! I too am burned out by canning all my life, but sometimes it is tempting! Come say hi :D

Elizabeth said...

gorgeous photos, as always! I used to live near some wild blackberries and loved picking them in early June...then I'd make blackberry ice cream - it was truly tasty.

thanks for sharing these photos!

A New England Life said...

One day I'm going to learn how to can. And I'm going to grow my own fruit and vegetables! Do you believe me? I have the best of intentions, really.

I like blackberries but don't care for the seeds. My parents have them in their backyard too. Their house used to be a farm way back in the day.

I like the title of the post too!

beth said...

YUM....we are waiting for ours, but it's always a race against the deer out at the cottage....i guess they lived there first, so i don't feel too bad when i come up empty handed.

LizB said...

Yummy! You made me giggle! I love blackberries - I loved helping my grandmother can all sorts of things. On of my most precious memories is the last walk I took with my grandfather, hand in hand, around the property/garden, picking berries - he passed away just a few short weeks later. I am finally getting into my "own" when it comes to baking/canning/gardening - I make a mean chocolate zuchinni bread (thanks to Grandma's recipe!)

Anonymous said...

I never have made jam, but I sure do love eating it! Those berries look delish!

Leenie said...

Frozen Jam! Nobody mentioned frozen jam. No sealed jars, just sugar, pectin, maybe corn syrup. Find a recipe online or I can send you the one my hubby uses. He makes the jam at our house. Tons better than the cooked stuff.

eileenb@cableone.net

GREAT PHOTOS!!!!

Char said...

oh yes, how i love fresh picked berries

Mary Lou said...

You and I are REALLY on the same page. I took berry photos yesterday on my walk down our little path. None of ours are black yet. They don't belong to us but I will be watching them anyway.

Donalyn said...

After only freezing stuff for the past 15 years or so, I am going to break out the pressure canner this summer - gonna try to capture a little more of the bounty of the summer this year. First up - going to pick strawberries next week to make some jam. Your berries look so good!

mrs mediocrity said...

Ha ha, I love your title, too. I am always making corny batman jokes...

And I love that you ate the one in the photo, and oh my, did you make me crave some berries!

Supposedly, this is the year that I am going to learn to do pickles...we will see how it all works out...

Low Tide High Style said...

Yum! Enough said! ;)

Kat :)

Hilary said...

Oh yum! Berries are among the best parts of summer fruit.. along with melons and cherries.. drool!

Cloudia said...

you wild thang!




Aloha from Waikiki

Comfort Spiral

Mary said...

Yours are ahead of ours -- none ripe here yet...

When I was a young bride, I used to bake -- bread, bagels, cookies, danish... I haven't made any of that in forever, except for some focaccia. I've never tried making jam. I can see how it would be satisfying to have all those pretty jars lined up in the pantry however... :)

The Weaver of Grass said...

I am still a jam-maker and am gearing up for what looks like being a major crop of raspberries and strawberries this year. Your berries look delicious.

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

I have never made Jam, but love it and the berries... just don't have the equipment. It's on my list once we're in This Old House. I eat a pint of any kind of berry with ease, in about five minutes :-)

Julene said...

I love the title of this post, too! (; I just made some strawberry rhubarb jam this weekend - yum!

Anonymous said...

I believe those are black raspberries. It's way too early for blackberries.

Thistle Cove Farm said...

It's a bit over 44 years I've been canning and love it. There's nothing like opening a can of home made goodness and serving family and friends. At Christmas, I buy hand made jam baskets and tuck in a couple of jars of jam, a small towel and make someone happy. Today is blueberry jam day; how fine!

Nurse Nancy said...

They look so wonderful.....TSAnnie and I picked strawberries yesterday...so much fun this time of year.

Deb said...

they looks so yummy...I remember when my grandmothers made jellies and perserves when I was a kid...it was so much fun for us kids...

Deborah said...

Good morning Kate!!
I want you to know that you are one of the very first blog sites that my little eyes looked upon, and I've always been blessed and moved by your "humble and sweet" posts.
You are a treasure and I'm so happy getting to know you and your family.
You bring joy to so many..
Your blackberry shots are so inviting and make me want some...thrown into a freah bowl of vanilla yogurt with some raspberries too. This is a favourite combo for me...this morning in fact :)
Ill have to just enjoy raspberries though this morning with my yogurt..I dont have any blackberries.

Love and joy to you Kate
Im so glad to have your sweet friendship..

Deborah xo

abb said...

Berries eaten in the great outdoors on their original stem are simply the very best! Aren't you lucky to be surrounded by so many!

Jessica White said...

Love raspberry jam...my absolute favorite!

I got canning equipment a couple of years ago, but I haven't done a thing with it...too busy! Someday.

Anonymous said...

Yum! smiles.

The JR said...

You could always make a small batch of refridgerator jam.....

Beautiful pictures.

Infrequent Flyers said...

It strikes me as so funny that you took a photo of that berry and then ate it! I don't know why it does....Guess you couldn't do it in any other order!

Kacey said...

Those look delicious! Love the colors. I bet they were great!

Linda said...

Yum! We have a 'U Pick' farm right close here & their blackberries are in now. Going to have to go get me some!

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

Our berries here in Nova Scotia won't be ripe until the end of this month. My mouth is watering!

Daryl said...

So have you seen Annie's strawberry bounty?

Carolynn Anctil said...

My Mom provides the homemade jams & jellies in my home. Although, I did find a pretty good freezer jam that I made a couple of times. Not quite the same though.

Love the photos! As usual.

FireLight said...

My mother used to go out looking for blackberries on our propery and along the fence row. The bushes were very prickly and her hands super delicate. She waited until we had a "blackberry winter"...a cool spell in June...just as the berries began to ripen. "It makes them sweeter," she insisted. I remember helping her, and the ones we picked looked just like the ones in your close-ups! My mother did not make jams, but cobblers that would melt in your mouth. These images are just phenomenal!!!

Kerri Farley said...

~ Yum ~

Jo said...

My mother always made us whistle when we picked berries. I never really knew why, until she confessed it was because as long as we were whistling, we weren't eating the berries. :-)

Blackberries make the best pie in the world. I thought those were black raspberries. It's a bit early for blackberries yet, I think...

Gail said...

They do taste best when eaten directly from the vine.

Pauline said...

black caps! mine are almost ready - the first ones taste like summer! You have a marvelous blog - delighted to have found you :)

Brynwood Needleworks said...

Beautiful, Kate. I'm going to forage in the fridge now. Oddly enough, I find myself thinking about food now. :-)
xoxo
Donna

hermomsometimes said...

Make a cobbler eat it hot with vanilla ice cream. Now that is YUMMY.