Jamming

My canning pot has been busy lately! I love making jam. I love the thick bits of fruit glistening on a cracker or a piece of toast. I love the jewel like jars sparkling on the pantry shelf. I even enjoy standing over the steamy pot of molten jam burbling away on the stove. (I confess, it does make me feel a little Laura Ingalls like, too!)



Last week was strawberry week. I also found some rhubarb at the store which was a rare and special treat. I bought all they had - about 2 pounds.

The boys and a neighbor friend spent an afternoon in the kitchen with me last week and helped make some jam. They were pretty interested in the hows and whys of the process and asked some good questions. I explained how sealing the jars works and later in the week, I found them in the yard with some recycled plastic peanut butter jars making "leaf jam" (water, leaves, grass, etc). They even set the jars on the hot sidewalk to get them to seal properly! I guess they were listening to me.



We ended up with 10 half pint jars of strawberry jam, 8 half pint jars of strawberry rhubarb jam, and 3 half pint jars of rhubarb jam. As an added bonus, I also have a quart sized jar of strawberry syrup. Perfect for making home made fizzy sodas, topping pancakes or even ice cream. I boiled the tops of the strawberries (including the greens) with 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar for several minutes and then strained it into a jar. I got the idea here and I think it's such a clever way to use what might ordinarily end up as compost.



If you have homemade jam, you need some homemade bread to go with it. This brioche was made using the brioche pan my mom picked up for me at an estate sale using the recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. (Previously blogged here.)

Perfect!