Strawberry Picking and Jam Making

While Grace was on spring break we headed to our favorite spot for strawberry picking, Hunsader Farms. This has seemed to become a tradition of ours, a visit to the farm come late February or early March. We spend an hour or so picking berries, then it's off to visit with the animals and swing on the swings.

This year we picked around sixteen pounds of the red gems before our baskets became heavy and we could no longer bend over. And Grace, as per her usual, spent some of her time in the fields picking wild flowers, making them into cute wee bouquets.





After our morning in the fresh air, it was time to head home to put those yummy berries to good use. Jam making it was - a total of sixteen jars worth. As in previous years, I used two different recipes. One being the "strawberry jam" by Katherine on allrecipes.com and the other, "classic strawberry preserves" from the book, "Canning for a New Generation" by Liana Krissoff. Both are made sans pectin, with first being more sweet, with the consistency and flavor of typical jam, while the latter is made with less sugar and whole berries, making it a perfect dessert topping.


Ah yes, I hope this little tradition of ours will continue for many years to come!