Yesterday, I was sitting and reading a forum post by fellow blogger Laurie at Life Force Vibrations. She was mentioning how she had just scored a deal on rhubarb, and threw out something that got my attention: strawberry-rhubarb jam.
So I immediately got out of my computer chair and set out to take inventory of my jars and canning supplies. After a quick stop for lids, Ava and I headed out to a local farm that I thought might have some fresh berries. When we got there I was disappointed to see only 4 pints in the sun. I told the lady I would have to come back because I wanted a full crate, and didn't want baked berries.
Just then, her husband, exhausted and covered in berry juice, came up from the field with a fresh flat. I snagged it faster than a praying mantis zaps her prey. I was so excited to get fresh picked organic strawberries-luck was with me. I decided to push my luck and asked the man for rhubarb. He explained that the rhubarb was 1/2 a mile in the opposite direction from where he was headed, and I'd just have to come back a different day. I still had the berries, so not all was lost.
I headed back home and got to work on canning some jam. First I washed all of the berries, and divided them into bowls-one for jam, one for eating, and one with scraps for the chickens. At the end of the whole process-which took some doing, I ended up with some lovely jam to put in our pantry.