Oh my aching . . . . Everything!

This morning I made a batch of Italian plum jam, did 2 loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen.  This afternoon my daughter's family and I helped a friend by turning her compost pile, it took two of us to move that pile over  from 2 smaller piles  (for 1 1/2 hours).  Layering and watering, that was hard work.

When I arrived home, the rest of the bowl of plums were calling to me.  So another batch of jam was made!  I like to use my meat grinder on my mixer to keep the prep time down.  Plums are my second favorite fruit for jam.  If sour cherries were available I would be in heaven because they make the best jam!  After folding the laundry all I could think about is sitting down.

My husband asks  "could you make a blackberry pie if I pick them (7 pm).  Really!  My son pipes up  "I will", he is a good son.  Especially after he spent the afternoon chopping wood.

Our summer bounty, Blackberries!

We went to our daughter's house to make jam.  After collecting and freezing large quantities of blackberries, we picked today to use up her stockpile.  I prepared juice last night to take to make a batch of jelly for our pantry.  So we made 6 batches:  jelly, 1 low surgar jam and 4 regular jams.  It was quite a marathon of canning.  E also canned up 4 pints of tomato sauce and baked 2 pumpkins to puree and freeze.  Definitely good stuff, the grandkids got to lick a spoon and they approved.  I must make a batch of jam in the morning and use the solids from the jelly drip, I'll sieve it because seedless jam is my preference.  We are very tired but satisfied and I am grateful for my husbands help, he watched the 2 grandkids (ages 3 and 6). We would never have been able to work for HOURS with them underfoot.  Thank you hunny.

Blackberries . . . .

I have been out picking blackberries, again.  14 cups!  They have all been going into the freezer till I can get to them, plus hopefully to juice up better.  My family has not been too cooperative these couple year, my rule has always been:  you pick, I make it.  The blackberries and so big and beautiful and juicy this year with a lack of sun and rain, go figure.  Anyway, my goal is a batch each of jam, jelly and syrup (to die for on vanilla ice cream).  Yes, they have been out there BUT NOT enough!  And with hundreds of pounds of berries, hmmm . . . . wasteful!  One year when my kids were little I made  80 jars of good stuff with plums, apples, pears and blackberries.  And yes, the whole family was involved.  Not too sustainable of us, either.