So if you'll remember last spring I learned how to make freezer jam. I actually went to a farm picked the strawberries and made my own jam. Yum. I learned a few things. The picking part sucked. It would have been better without two whiny kids. The picked strawberries also made a really watery jam consistency. They tasted fantastic, but more soupy. My friend Jill taught me to mix half picked and half Sam's Club. I also attempted to make Peach Strawberry- total bust. There are so many reasons why it could have gone wrong that I am left stupid on that one. I also attempted to do blueberry syrup. It didn't go well either, but I am more optimistic about that in the future. This year I was all ready to send Jeff to go pick me some strawberries, I so wasn't gonna go picking berries pregnant. Then we got flooded and ruined all the local strawberries. Sad, but I moved on and made it all Sam's Club style. This is the result. Yum!
In the last few years I, along with everyone else, have fallen in love with Basil. Isn't it great? So yummy and smells so good. I have tried to grow it for the last two years with limited success. I barely had enough to make anything at any time. This year after a rough start, the plants have gone gang busters! Today I celebrated by making homemade Pesto! How cool is that? Yeah, I know probably not that cool, but I feel totally awesome about it so there.
5 comments:
I made freezer jam this year. It totally didn't work. It tastes great but it is more like freezer syrup. My Mom didn't know why it didn't work either. It is the recipe she always uses. I canned jam the year before last and it worked great. It is driving me crazy that the jam didn't work this time because I just want to know why so I don't have a repeat of the same thing next year. Oh well you win some you lose some.
Make sure that you measure very carefully. If you put a little extra fruit in or don't put enough sugar it won't set. Also, different brands of pectin have different instructions. If you put the sugar in first with some brands, it won't set. Some brands have to be dissolved in water before you use them. Always follow the instructions in the box of pectin because they may be different than a family recipe.
That's pretty awesome Emily. I can't ever get Basil to grow either. I'm glad it worked for you this year though!
pesto is totally cool. that is basically the reason i even grew a garden. I've had some very good luck with basil, though. Not sure why..
Hey, I'm totally impressed, but I can barely make a box of mac and cheese so I'm impressed with pretty much every culinary effort. But I LOVE pesto and I have a killer recipe for an Italian pesto pasta straight from the Sicily area. If you like green beans, red potatoes, and Italian sausage, I will send you the recipe!
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