berries.

It's that time of year! The berries are ripe and my hands are stained. And so are the kids feet! Last week we picked mulberries from the tree and we had to do it barefoot so we didn't wreck our shoes.

Thankfully the tree is on the outskirts of the yard so we don't worry about tracking it in the house. Because it's early in the season, our first batch of jam was triple-berry jam: mulberries, raspberries & black raspberries. The black raspberries were a surprise.

I had planted raspberries from my mother-in-law last year, but this year these strange berries grew amongst the raspberries. It wasn't until they ripened that I figured out what they were! How they got there is still a mystery. But as a gardener, I welcome the new plant to nurture and harvest from.

All the berries mashed together. I am in love with the color!

My little helper.


And my big helper!




The jam is all done and 'resting' until it can go in the freezer. The little jar in the front is for a boy I babysit for. He helped make the jam and so I'm sending home some for him to enjoy!

It took us 4 days to collect enough berries to make the first batch. But by Friday, we had enough and made the triple berry jam.

I kept putting off strawberry picking this year and finally realized it's not something I enjoy. What I do enjoy is the jam making process and of course, the jam. So this year I opted to purchase a flat from the local farm stand to make my strawberry freezer jam.

This whole process taps into my pioneer spirit. The idea of storing up goods in your pantry for the long winter ahead. Using what you have - things that you grew and harvested - to feed your family. It makes me smile.

All my wonderful, glorious, delicious strawberry jam!

And on an unrelated note... my rummage sale find. Only 75 cents!