Along with that flat of raspberries, we picked a second flat and a couple of smaller flats of blackberries. We went on one of those hundred-plus degree days that we have had so many of in Washington this summer. With work and camp schedules, we didn't have much of a choice of days, but we went out early to avoid the worst of it. After about 10 minutes, Gabe looked at me and I could tell that he was ready to cash it in. Honestly, I was too, and I usually have the strongest incentive to keep at it because I have a head full of ideas of things to make with our haul. But the children were so bouyed with excitement while they were picking that it lifted us, too. They seem to have much more enthusiasm for picking at Larriland than they do at our own farm garden. I'm not sure why that is, but it was just what Gabe and I needed on that morning.
By now I have turned almost all of the berries into jam; those that are left we are eating on cereal or with granola and yogurt. Such an excellent summer treat.
I stayed fairly traditional with my preserving because this was my first year making raspberry and blackberry jam. But I did make a couple of batches of blackberry ginger jam and I love the way it turned out. The jam has the winey sweetness of the blackberries along with the slight heat and perkiness of the ginger.
We made several jars of strawberry jam at the beginning of the summer, but we have eating through them voraciously. Now we have many more jars (I think the kids counted 19 of varying sizes) to add the larder. I'm hoping they last us at least a few months. I'm such a fan of having a taste of summer in the middle of a cold, cold, day.
And now that the jars are put up, I'm feeling a need for a bit of putting up myself. I'll be taking a break from the blog for at least a couple of weeks to enjoy some time with my family and to relax and recharge. I hope to spend a lot of time in the lake, and a bit of time running around it. But mostly I want to spend time staring at it, letting it work its magic on me. After a few days, I know that the relaxation will seep into my bones, and I hope that I can take it with me into the busy autumn months to come.
I will buzz into New York to attend the BlogHer conference this coming weekend. Now that I've been blogging for just over a year, I feel the need for a bit of thinking about what I want to get out of this blogging experience. I have loved it, but it does take a lot of time and energy, and I think a bit of contemplation about what I want to accomplish in the long run will be a good thing for me. I'm hoping that talking to lots of other bloggers at BlogHer will help me focus my thoughts.
I hope that you all have a very happy and peaceful August, and I look forward to reconnecting soon.
If you are canning the jams for storage, please see this earlier post for some helpful references. I have also found Putting Food By to be an extremely valuable practical resource.
Makes about 6 cups
10 minutes preparation time
about 20 minutes cooking time
8 cups blackberries
4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
Put a plate in the refrigerator to chill.
Mash all the ingredients together in a large stockpot. Bring it to a boil and boil until it thickens, about 20 minutes.
To test to see if the jam will set, put a teaspoon of jam on one of the chilled plates and return it to the refrigerator for one minute. After a minute, remove it and tilt the plate. Most of the preserves should remain in the center of the plate, while some of it -- especially the more liquid portion -- will slowly spread out towards the edge of the plate. When the preserves have firmed up to this extent, skim off a bit of the foam if there is any, stir in the rest, and transfer the jam into storage jars.
I never thought to add ginger to our blackberry jam! Thanks for the delicious idea! I look forward to seeing you at BlogHer! Come find me in the crowd! :)
Posted by: Leticia- Tech Savvy Mama | August 03, 2010 at 11:09 AM
Hope you enjoy your time off in August. I have always enjoyed reading your blog, I hope the break and attending BlogHer inspire you to keep writing.
Posted by: Alexis | August 04, 2010 at 02:30 PM