Tuesday, January 26, 2010

New skills!

I made jelly for the first time this weekend, thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law. I always thought it was really difficult to do, but even though there are a lot of steps to follow, once you get the hang of it, it goes really quickly! Pics to follow shortly, they weren't cool enough to take home yesterday. I got about 17 jars total made- strawberry and blueberry jelly and peach jam. And boy, do they taste delicious! There is nothing better than learning a new skill, especially when it brings me one more small step closer to self-sufficiency and one equally small step away from total reliance on the grocery store.

4 comments:

  1. Did you use frozen fruit? Sounds yummy...I think it's time for some tea and toast with jam for breakfast!

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  2. Very cool, and I know how you're feeling. It;s the same way I felt the first time I made mine. My daughter was 6 months old and we've been canning and jam making together ever since. I use Pamonas Pectin, WAY less sugar (than sur-jel)that way and great taste!!!!

    Congrats and happy eating!

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  3. Karen- I did use frozen fruit, because when it thawed it created a whole lot of juice! I can't eat seeds at all (long story) so we actually used a Dritz pressing cloth sewn up into a bag to strain the berry juice. Not a single seed got through!

    We've been eating nothing but toast or biscuits with jelly since Sunday...not a bad life!

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  4. Congrats on your jelly making efforts, Jess. I am looking forward to tasting some of the fruits of your labors when next you are at BogEnd.
    Enjoy the jams!
    momma

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