On Friday, we went blueberry picking at Bobrook Farms. I had wanted to go last year but was very pregnant at the time and in no condition. Luckily, a very nice friend picked some for me then. This year, we brought the girls for their very first berry picking and picked a gallon of blueberries!
The girls didn't help us pick any berries, lazy babies. They mostly sat and looked around at everything there was to see. It was a warm morning but we were still in the shade most of the time.
Dara discovered there were berries in the buckets and any time we set them down to pick more from the bushes above, she would crawl over and 'pick' some berries out of the bucket . . . silly girl.
Mmmm . . . nothing like fresh picked berries. They both love blueberries!
After we got home from picking them, I made frozen blueberry pie filling. It took two quarts of berries but I now have two blueberry pie fillings sitting pretty in my freezer waiting for the day they will be baked.
You freeze it in a pie tin, then wrap it and store it in a freezer bag. Then pop it into a store-bought pie dough and bake it still frozen. Will save one for when we have company this summer. Yum!
On Saturday, I decided to make jam for the first time. I learned I need some more equipment next time I try to make some. First, I need a larger pot for cooking the berries because it almost boiled over about three times.
Second, I need a wire rack for cooking the jars evenly after they are filled with jam. Third, I need tongs with the rubber ends so I can pick up the jars without dropping them back into the boiling pot of water and burning myself.
It was a success though. I have eight 8 oz jars of fresh picked, home made blueberry jam! Now I need to decide whether I should go black berry picking tomorrow or not. I really want to and make some blackberry jam just like my grandmother used to make. But we will see if I can make it out of the house early or not. Tomorrow is going to be a hot one.
No comments:
Post a Comment