but another double batch of strawberry
freezer jam was put up today. i don't
think i'll need to do any more now, the
strawberries are finally tapering off (41
quarts picked, cleaned, processed, some
given away). i would have liked to have
done a few batches of regular strawberry
jam, but it has been so hot and humid that
i just can't convince myself that i want
to turn the stove on for very long.

after looking at the rest of our supplies
i see that we really don't need to put up
more pickled beets or bean salad. which
will be good because i expect/hope to be
really busy doing tomatoes this season.


songbird

In article >,
songbird > wrote:

> but another double batch of strawberry
> freezer jam was put up today.
> songbird

Yer killin' me, bird. I missed the strawberries because of a huge
kitchen remodel. I thought I had some in the freezer and find I do not.
Drat! If I get tomato anything put up before Sunday night it will be a
murrcle!
--
Barb,
http://www.barbschaller.com, as of April 8, 2013.

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>songbird wrote:
>
>> but another double batch of strawberry
>> freezer jam was put up today.
>> songbird
>
> Yer killin' me, bird. I missed the strawberries because of a huge
> kitchen remodel.

ah, that's what it was! i was reading a note
before that seemed to imply that you'd moved or
something major. remodel could be as bad...

we ended up with about 45 quarts picked
total (not counting what i ate on the hoof
when picking or those i gave away).
considering the amount of neglect those plants
got this spring they did well. the second
bloom/crop is on the ever-bearing plants and
i've had a few berries already, but the chipmunks
are very busy this year and getting many before
i even have a chance to notice them.


> I thought I had some in the freezer and find I do not.
> Drat!

how rapidly it goes too, i put up about a dozen
pints and some half pints and smallers, but the
half-pints and smallers are almost already all
gone (given away).

i must get a pint out of the freezer soon to
see how it turned out. i've not even tasted
it yet other than the left-over bits after
putting up a batch.

do you know a good science of cooking type book
that gets into pectin chemistry well? i would
like to know more about it but haven't put
together a reading list yet, any recommendations
from you (or others ) would be much appreciated.


> If I get tomato anything put up before Sunday night it will be a
> murrcle!

the chippies have been stealing the few
ripening cherry tomatoes as of yet. we are
hoping the next few weeks will bring more
than they can possibly destroy. the two
plants we have each season normally do give
us so many that we can't possibly keep up
with them for eating. some get used in
canning when we put up juice as they are
very sweet (but not much taste if canned
alone).

with 42 tomato plants in the ground this
year i should be doing some sort of canning
soon, but with the cold and cloudy weather
it's not coming along nearly as fast as some
other seasons...

in the meantime cucumbers and beans have
been doing well enough to keep fresh eating
busy. *cough*beets*cough* and turnips can
be ready any time i'm able to pull them and
process them.

dry beans, peas, etc. all doing good as
can be expected too.

just rolled in from vacation, ready now to
get going on the big project of the season
and canning what we can can. *cha cha* i
think i have a few days enough to get going
before the tomatoes overtake me.

anyways, glad to hear you are back to the
kitchen and contemplating mayhem.


songbird