Have you ever been strawberry picking?
I have not!
My daughter is 3 years old, she's getting to the age where things are more interesting to her and she is easier to "control"
One HOT morning, I decided her and I were going to go Strawberry Picking at a local U-Pick Strawberry Farm near us! Only about 10 minutes away from our home, we decided to venture out & begin this opportunity of greatness!
Elma, Manitoba. Canada that is. Last year we had an EXTREMELY horrible gardening year with extreme dry heat and LITTLE no to rain. Thus, leaving the crops thirsty and the wildlife hungry. With that being said, last year this farm sold out within days. THIS YEAR, i was so excited to hear that because we are having a HUMID and WET summer, the crops did amazing and will be able to produce enough berries for us humans to consume for a few weeks, which is such a relief from god!
Elma, Manitoba
5 Minute Walk
as you can see here, lots of green strawberries, meaning lots to harvest in the couple weeks to come!
"quick snack, keep it healthy"
the size, the color AND THE TASTE... out of this world! nothing like you'll find in the stores!
"strawberry fields forever"
we picked 4 of these!
MORE then enough for 16 jars of jam!
NOW THE JAM!!!
I have never make strawberry jam before, and this is only my SECOND year dabbling in the "homesteading" - "Canning" - "Preserving" world.. Strawberry Jam seemed easy enough...
recipe straight from my BALL bible!
obsesssseeeddd
step 1)cut off the tops
step 2)cut in half
step 3)... SMASH!
dont forget to compost! i've also heard if you throw these in some water, sparkling water or lemonade you got yourself a nice summer mix!
5 cups of SMASHED strawberries required for 8 HALF pint jars!
smaaaaash
booiiiillllllllllll
VOILA! this is what i had leftover from 16 jars i canned! this was our "stock" for the fridge, and boy did it go fast! it gelled PERFECTLY and tasted beyond amazing!
breakfast anyone?
this was an amazing experience for me. I got to bond with my daughter, I got to strengthen my skills in canning and I got to feed my family and friends delicious strawberry jam...HOMEMADE from local farmers! it was so much fun and i cant wait to do more canning this year!
if you have the chance to go to a u-pick farm for ANY sort of fruit or vegetables... even farmers markets, i highly highly highly suggest it as supporting local is SO important and sustainable!
xoxo,
MM
