All sorts of fruity goodness was being canned up on the homestead yesterday. I had picked wild blackberries a few days ago.
Meredith invited me to come and pick blueberries there, and mentioned she used to make "Black & Blue" jam with both berries. That sounded good to me, so that was the first batch canned. When I made my early garden rounds, I found that our night visitors had had a peachfest, & didn't invite us. There was nothing else to do, but harvest all but a dozen or so of the peaches, and can them. Most of the peaches were imperfect in some way, so wouldn't keep for long. I canned up the larger pieces as is, and made peach almond jam with all the smaller bits. The peaches were quite wet, and took some time to cook down. Unfortunately, they ended up a bit scorched, but I added a little more sugar and almond extract, and J pronounced them just fine. I won't be giving any as gifts, as I'd hoped, but we'll enjoy it anyway. Today, we're making peach ice cream. Now, what am I going to do with all those cucumbers?
It's been a day of simple pleasures, here on the homestead. Watching the snowflakes fall. The whir of the sewing machine, as I darned some soft, pastel cotton summer sheets. The burst of summer flavor, as I bit into a blueberry in the Black & Blue jam on toasted homemade bread. The feeders, covered with a variety of birds. The soft snore of a cat on the hearth. I do so love a snow day.
