Here on my little patch of heaven in Southwestern Ohio, we have been invaded. With cicadas. Everywhere. I can’t even hang clothes out on the line! But there’s a silver lining in this cicada cloud after all. They are not bothering the wild fruit, like black raspberries and mulberries. I went foraging yesterday and harvested enough to make a lovely mixed berry freezer jam. Of … Continue reading Jammin’ It
Full disclosure. We don’t have a Netflix account, so when I got a couple requests to clone Meghan Markle’s trendy jam thumbprint cookies which she made on her Netflix cooking show, my first thought was to turn to the grandkids. Grandson Will and girlfriend Kenna were visiting, so Kenna pulled up the recipe on her Netflix account. I wasn’t surprised that Meghan’s recipe is similar … Continue reading RITA AND MEGHAN’S THUMBPRINT COOKIES
Our sweet and hot peppers are ripening faster than we can pick. We’re out in the pepper rows every day gently twisting peppers from stems. Time to get those peppers in my country kitchen to make hot & sweet confetti jam. You may know this time-honored jam as hot pepper jelly or Christmas jelly. (It’s the colored peppers responsible for the moniker). Hot pepper jam is … Continue reading Some Like It Hot or Maybe Not
Cleaning out my freezer is always an adventure. I find items completely forgotten about because they somehow landed in the wrong place. Like a 2 pound bag of small, sweet strawberries picked last June. That was tucked behind containers of farro and freekeh. Hidden between jars of bone broth was a quart jar almost full of grape juice. That had to be from making grape … Continue reading Strawberry Jam and Grape Jelly from Frozen Fruits & Juice!
I so enjoy chatting with Matt Swaim, Sonrise Morning Show on Sacred Heart Radio. Today we revisited a popular Bible fruit: figs. Did you know figs were cultivated thousands of years before Christ was born? Sometimes it’s hard to find fresh figs, so I wanted to share a couple recipes using dried figs. The first is a lovely little tart and the second is an … Continue reading Blue Cheese Fig Tarts w Homemade Fig Jam
Our black raspberries are ripening so quick this year. I have to be vigilant, though, about picking enough for jams. The competition is fierce. The birds enjoy berries and the deer, well, they’re greedy. They munch the leaves and tender stems along with the berries. After 2 days of picking, I finally have enough for jam. A labor of love. Homemade fruit jams capture summer … Continue reading Black Raspberry Jam: Summer in a Jar!
Today Matt Swaim, Sacred Heart Radio Sonrise Morning Show host, and I chatted about grapes. GRAPES (John: 15:5)Grapes are mentioned throughout the Bible and grapes were a staple food. Mentioned more than any other plant in the entire Bible, the grape vine was very important culturally and economically in biblical times. Because of its centrality in everyday life, it is often used symbolically in Scripture. … Continue reading Refrigerator/Freezer Grape Jam & Jelly
Here on our little patch of heaven/farmette, the snow, though treacherous to maneuver through, is quite beautiful. Here’s some photos I took. Continue reading Outhouse, Gardens in Winter Wonderland
Keeping promises. I’m doing just that today by sharing recipes for bramble berry jams, aka red raspberry, black raspberry and blackberry. I have a patch of black raspberries in the garden, plus some wild ones growing on the hillside nestled in with the wild blackberries. Why jam and not jelly? I’d need a lot more berries than I have to make jelly, since you have … Continue reading Bramble Berry and Blueberry Jams
Granddaughters Emerson and Ellery Violet jam One thing that has me smiling is how many of you responded with interest for making wild flower jellies and jams. My guess is while sheltering in place, you’re noticing what Mother Nature has to offer right in your yard. Like purple violets (leaves make a healing tea) and dandelions. Red bud blossoms. On my little patch of heaven, … Continue reading DIY Wild Flower Jellies and Jams
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