Summer is winding down, so my canning is as well. I got lots of pickles this year so I got to make 3 batches of dill pickles. I'm hoping the few little pickles I have develop into big cucumbers and I can make one more.

     

     Made two types of pepper jelly and canned some of my parent's jalapenos. My parents ended up with some purple bell peppers from their garden so I paired that with an orange and yellow bell pepper and their jalapenos to make a fall pepper jelly as well as a red and green pepper jelly. 

     Also did some apple picking on labor day weekend. Picked around 28 pounds of gala apples and turned it into 9 quarts of applesauce. The orchard has chickens, a turkey, goats, cows, and pigs. They have a bakery and a playground. It's always such a fun day.

 

     Going to (probably) swing one more apple picking trip. I'll only be picking around 7-8 pounds this time and make apple butter. Love fall!

     Well I guess that is all for now, until next time!

Having such a fun summer!

     Chickens started laying about 2 weeks ago. Found out 4 of my 8 won't lay until September, but 3 of the 4 buff orpingtons have begun. Fresh eggs are much richer than store bought.
     Been making an effort to get outside and do some sort of physical activity. While my youngest was in extended school year my oldest and I would do a 45 minute walk. Now that he's done for the summer, we've been swimming a lot. But the kids love the water and they sleep so much better at night.
     Made some cherry pie filling and up next are pickles!! Really hoping the corn starts growing as well as the pickling cucumbers have. I definitely would love to can some corn to have for this winter.
     We have started cleaning out the storage area we call the basement and hope to have it in order by October. Turning it into an entertainment area and a place to hang our during the summer so we can turn the AC to a higher temperature and it won't have to run as much. 
     We are going to replace our deck with a smaller one without steps and get a poured patio underneath. Plus turn the window underneath it into a door.
     We did have a small issue with our garage back in 2016 that we gave a temporary fix to. But it held far longer than we thought it would so we put off replacing it. Last month it gave up and we had to replace it. Quick and painless and we are happy with how it turned out. We will replace the other garage door eventually because it is very old, but we don't really use it right now.   
     My husband has officially finished his master's degree and is now just working a M-F schedule. He is so much happier, as we all are. He worked so hard and we are all very proud of him.
     Things keep moving along and we are having one heck of a fun summer! Hoping to possibly squeeze in a float trip at some point. Excited for fall and hockey to start back up though. I'm more excited than, I think, I have ever been for an upcoming season since I've been a Blues fan.
    Well I think that's all for now, going to go back to resting. Not feeling so well this week.

   

Trying to make a difference, however small...

     Back in December I made a commitment to reduce my waste as much as possible. I bought some recycling bins and I started buying my daily care products from Lush. I LOVE my shampoo bar, naked shower gel, and my face bar. The conditioner bar didn't do quite enough for my fine, thin, and damaged hair. I'm moving it to a shave bar and bought two new "traditional" conditioners to try.

     Recycling has been going well. We used to create (on average) a bag of trash a day. We now go 2-3 days before needing a new bag now. I take soda cans/tabs to my parents as our church recycles them and gives tabs to Ronald McDonald House. Their city does recycling pickup for free so we just throw the rest of ours in with theirs. Anything that doesn't go to a landfill is a win in my book.

     Chickens are getting big and I hope it is warm enough to have them outside in a couple of weeks. They really need the extra space, I just think it is still a bit too cold for them outside full time. 

     Between the trees, grasses, and crops we are planting there should be a lot for pollinators to have a grand old time with. I can't wait to have my own hive/s next year. The more food I can supply from my own back yard the better. 

     Well I guess that's all for now. Hopefully I'll have those plants in the ground and pictures taken soon so that I can post them. 

So many changes

     We bought our house almost 10 years ago. There was some work that needed done, but we put it off because it wasn't structural and we had other priorities. But now we are finally in a place where we can take care of it. We just had some of the work done this week and I love it. We are also using this same company, Remodeltech, to do our windows and deck. Those are the two other big projects we need done. Hopefully we can save up and do the windows this fall and the deck next summer.

     Once the windows and deck are done we are hoping to have the backyard terraced. Its rather hilly and makes mowing difficult. Tracing would alleviate that as well as give some flat area for a playset, and maybe a trampoline, for the kiddos. It would be great for them to have a place to play anytime the weather is nice.  

     In addition to the work house we also ordered some fruit and pecan trees as well as some ornamental grasses. Already have 3 of the trees and they are in the ground. As far as crops I ordered corn. Strawberries, polar berries, sunflowers, and grapes. Going to add that to the cucumbers, green beans, and soy beans from last year. Also may have a huckleberry bush and pickling cucumber plants headed my way as well. Between the chickens and all the trees and crops, I will hopefully be able to provide a lot of my food choices from my own backyard in a few years time. 

     Well I guess that's all for now! Once all of the trees and grasses are in, I'll post some more before and afters!

     

Chickens are getting HUGE!

     This is Heihei. She is easily the biggest of all 8 of the chicks. She might think she's a woodpecker though 😉! All of them are for the most part super mild mannered and sweet. When I have to reach my hand in to the brooder they don't attack me. They'll probably have to leave the brooder soon though, they'll be 4 weeks old next week.
     It turns out one of the chicks will have white feathers so she is Camila. One of the other Easter eggers have feathers that are white, grey, and brown so she is Ibizy, short for Isabella. She also happens to be the smallest right now. I've come up with one of my extra names, Luna, just not sure for which chick yet.

     So far I've had a lot of fun with these chickies and they are doing well. I can't wait until it's warmer so they can get outside on the grass. Of course I have to build their coop and enclosure first, so I should probably do that soon!

     Because I ended up with 2 extra chicks I upgraded their coop. I'm saving the original for separating any chickens that could potentially get sick or if the weather is forecasted to be severe. They will be ok to be a little cramped for just a teeny bit. Better than anything else that could happen!

     Well I guess that's all for now! I'll be busy getting ready to move the chicks outside and gettinf some home repairs done here in the next little bit!

The chickies are here!!

     I went Tuesday to pick up my little fluffballs, and I just absolutely love them! I ordered 3 Buff Orpintons and 3 Easter eggers, but they gave me one extra of each breed as a "just in case" so I have 8 little chickies!!

     They seem to be doing good so far  I've only named one. She's the most outgoing and loudest cheeper, so I named her Heihei. In the picture above she is the darkest one. I had my names picked out before hand and will decide who is who as they show their personality. Just have to come up with 2 extra names because I'm really hoping all 8 make it until they're older.

     Both of my kiddos love the chicks but my youngest wants to be around them all day. He's constantly trying to take us to them to play. It's all chickies this and chickies that. I'm really glad I made this choice because there are very few things he shows interest in in an active way. 

     I do need to look for a new bigger coop though. I bought one that would give 6 chickens good space but it just isn't big enough for 8. I think I've found a good one and it's super cute. It is red and looks like a barn!

     Well I guess that's all for now, I'll keep posting as the chickies grow and start laying eggs!

It's official!

     February 6th. That is the day I'm picking up my 6 chicks! I've started gathering everything I'll need and even though they won't need it for weeks, I am putting the coop together the next warmer day. I am getting really excited and I already have names picked out. I have 3 Easter Eggers and 3 Buff Orpingtons! I can't wait to post some pictures of the new additions.
     Not this spring but next spring I'll start my beekeeping adventure. I have my supplies all picked out and where I'll be getting the bees from. I figure I will have my chickies well established by then and it will give me more time to learn about what I need to do to keep them healthy.
     In addition to doing what I can to help the bee population I have switched to bathroom products that don't have packaging. I'm using Lush's Honey I Washed my Hair naked shampoo bar and Big naked Conditioner bar. Also using their naked shower gel. I've ordered the toothy tabs, the mouthwash tabs, and the charcoal face bar. All packaging that is created I will recycle in my new recycling bins.

     I am making as many changes as I possibly can to help the environment. We already create so much less trash since I started really paying attention to what we consume in this house. 

     My husband got a government job and he has his last week at his current job next week. It is bittersweet, but much needed. No more 12 hour days, no more holidays, no more weekends, no more getting up at 5 AM. Plus with most of our debt gone and the extra money we are finally going to be able to get some work done on this house. This is a huge blessing for our whole family and came at the perfect time. He'll be finishing up his Master's Degree this summer and then life will be so much less hectic. I know that is going to reduce his stress level on a massive scale. 

     Well I guess that is about all the new I have for now. I'll post against once I have the chickies!

Thanksgiving /Christmas

     I wanted to try something new and make jellied cranberry sauce (the kind you slice) from scratch and can it for thanksgiving this year. Unfortunately while what I made was tasty it did not gel properly. It's more like a jam than a jelly. It was great on toast and I actually found a good use for it. I've decided to try my hand at making macaron. I'm going to make a red cookie with a ring of whipped frosting and the cranberry "jam" as the filling. Very festive and cute. Hopefully also tasty.
     I also made a caramel sauce and that did turn out pretty well. Not as smooth as I would have hoped but it looks mostly like it should and tastes great. I found a recipe for salted caramel popcorn macarons so I'll probably use it as filling for that as well as dipping apples.
   

     I'm starting my Christmas baking this week. I'm making 2 (maybe 3) kinds of macarons, sea salt vanilla caramels (which I made last year and were very popular) and peppermint patties. I will make the peppermint patties first and freeze them until Christmas because those will do well frozen. I'll make the macarons probably 2-3 days before Christmas and store them in the refrigerator. The caramels will be a day or so before. They are super quick and easy.
     I've got 95% of my Christmas shopping done, wrapped, and under the tree. What I have left to buy is gift cards and I can buy them all at Target and put them in little gift bags. We are decorating today and I can't wait until my kiddos see it. This is going to be a great Christmas.
     I will definitely have a new post next week because I'm going to a hockey game and we got a suite! It will be so much fun!

How is it already November?

     I have been far busier than I could have predicted. I have been making and canning a lot of pepper jam. I'm making some with habanero peppers this week and then I will probably be done for the year. I didn't get enough green beans to can. We've learned quite a few things that will (hopefully) help improve what we are able to harvest next year.  Here is a look at a small portion of what I've canned since my last post:

     I have decided to get my chickens next year instead if waiting until my youngest goes to kindergarten. I've purchased my coop and working on a set up where they can roam, but still be safer. I am getting really excited about getting the chickies!
     In addition to chickens I am leaning heavily towards beekeeping as well. I like the idea of natural honey. The biggest factor though is to help the bee population. I found a local beekeeping store. My biggest question right now is where to find flowers for the bees that haven't been treated with anything that could hurt or kill them.
     It is also my racing season right now. The Cardinals Care 6K in September was cancelled, but I had the MO' Cowbell and Blue Note 5K in October, as well as the Hot Cider Hustle 5K this month. Next month I have the Hot Chocolate 5K. My next race after that is the Run for Chocolate in February.

     I also made a long weekend trip to upstate New York in October to see my bestie. It was my first time flying by myself in my 30+ years. I flew from Lambert to Baltimore and then on to Albany. My flight back from Albany to Midway was delayed, so there was only about 5 minutes after I arrived at my gate and boarding for my flight home back to Lambert began. I had so much fun. We went to Cooperstown, Herkimer Diamond Mines, and Utica Zoo. I took a lot of pictures. I missed my family so much though! Definitely glad I went. 

     Well I guess that is all for now. I will try to write more. I kmow nobody reads this blog, but I'm writing for me even if nobody reads what I write.

It has been a while...

     Although the new car is working out great, other things have been less than fantastic. I had insurance issues to deal with for the better part of the last 6 months. Turns out my son getting an official diagnosis has hurt him more than helped. I think I've finally got it all taken care of though, so that is a big relief.
     Not all of the busy was bad. Got to go on a family vacation in Branson last month and I picked up a cool sign for my chicken coop. Took my oldest to Dixie Stampede for his first time. Although technically he did go "in utero." Went fishing, swam in Table Rock Lake, but the best is spending a whole week with the family.
     Gardening is going ok. We had a couple weeks in a row where the temperatures were over 100, so they didn't fare so well while I was on vacation. I've got some good cucumbers though.
      I am glad the first half of August is over though. August 8th was 10 years since my miscarriage and August 14th was 15 years since ALS stole my grandma from this Earth.
     The kids went back to school Wednesday and my oldest is actually really happy in school. They have Monday off for the eclipse, so we're going to enjoy the day as a family.
     I guess that is all for now. I'll hopefully get some corn and green beans canned this weekend. Between that and the eclipse I'm crossing my fingers that I'll have more to post early next week.
   

December went to hell in a hand basket

     December 4th we hear our car/brakes making a squeaking sound, so we call the next morning and get it in to get checked out. The rotors aren't gripping properly or some such nonsense and the vibrating is causing the sound. So nearly $250 and one day later we picked up the car.
     December 8th. The garage door is broken, won't close and my husband has to work until after Lowes is closed. I was able to make it close, but I knew as soon as it was opened again the problem would return. He was able to leave work long enough to get supplies and then fixed it after work. it was only meant to be a temporary fix until we could get a new door, but then the next day happened.
     December 9th. I was headed to the Hot Chocolate 15K/5K race expo to pick up my race packet. I went to make a stop and wait until it was my turn to make a right turn. Unfortunately my car had other ideas. I hadn't driven since the brakes were worked on and it didn't stop the same. That led to an accident and the passenger of the other car instantly got out and start yelling at me like I had done it on purpose. My 3 year old was in the car with me, but with the low speed everybody was fine. My front end crumpled like a wet sack, so I instantly knew it wasn't driveable. I called my husband at work to pick us up. Police were called, information exchanged, and then we sat and waited for the tow truck. After the police and other car left, I pretty much lost it. Lots of crying, pretty much for an entire hour. I've been in 6 accidents, but this was the first one where my insurance was listing me as "at fault." As soon as the Civic was dropped off, we went and got the rental and my hubby drove me to pick up my packet.
     Fast forward a week and I find out my 6 year old car has almost $6000 in damage and they are writing it off as a total loss. When we got the car it had 16 miles on it and it had just overy 91,000 on it at the time of the accident. Fresh tank of gas and relatively new tires.
     We start looking at options for a second car. The FIL has a free car, but it's in Michigan and not something we could get to for at least a month. So I start searching for used cars. I found one that was everything we needed and for a really great price.
     After nearly two weeks, a ton of phone calls, and some drama we got our Pilot. Thanks to the settlement from the Civic, we were able to put $3000 down and reduce our payments.
     Holidays were great though and I got to see my bestie when she was in town from New York. I hadn't seen her in two years. I really need to get up there and visit her, it's just not feasible right now.
     I'm so glad 2016 is over, but I'm also worried about what will happen in the future.

EEG

     My youngest finally got his EEG on November 18th. He had to fall asleep which I was worried about, but daddy held him and he was asleep in just a few minutes. He wasn't particularly happy when we had to wake him up for the last part of the test.
     Fast forward to November 28th and we got the results. Everything was noreal and no sign of seizure activity. It was such a relief. One less hurdle to get our little man over.
     We will be getting him into all of the recommended therapies starting early next year. Our insurance is switching over, so there is no point in going through all the start up and paperwork just to have to change it over in 2 months.
     He has continued to eat better. He had started eating pears and pistachios. Still trying to get him to eat more forms of protein and vegetables, but he is making improvements.
     Sleep is a little iffy. More often than not, he wakes up in the middle of the night and crawls into our bed. Goes right back to sleep, but just enough to wake us up. He likes to take up my side of the bed, so I wake up in pain a lot. Hopefully we can turn it around but for now I'm so exhausted all the time that I don't feel like handling it.
     Well that's all the news for now, got a busy day ahead of prepping salad in a jar. Great way to have a healthy lunch ready to grab, but they do take some work. But that's a post for another day!

Last canning of the season

     To finish off the last of the jalapeños that my parents grew I made some pepper jelly. I made two different batches. One was all green bell peppers and jalapeños and the second had red bell peppers and a jalapeño or two that had turned red.
     The first batch was runny so I ended up having to fix it, but the second batch turned out great.  

      This was the first batch that I fixed up. It is perfect now!

     This was the second batch that turned out just right the first time!

     I've never actually had pepper jelly so I had my family try it and they said it tastes good/just ad it should. I was glad to hear it turned out right for a first try. 

     The recipe was in the booklet that came with my FreshTech jam&jelly maker. It is also online at:  http://www.freshpreserving.com/pepper-jelly-%7C-pepper-jelly-recipe---ball-fresh-preserving-br1308.html

    I'll have a new post soon about our trip to the pumpkin patch. We're carving tomorrow, so it'll probably be Thursday or Friday.

Officially diagnosed

     My youngest finally got in for his tests back at the end of September to see if/where he is on the spectrum. He was diagnosed with a moderate level of autism, but with a prognosis that improvement is likely with therapy.

     I expected to be emotional after the appointment. I just didn't know if it would be hopeful or sorrow. It wasn't a surprise that he is, in fact, on the spectrum. My biggest fear was that he'd always be nonverbal and I'd never get to hear him say "Mommy I love you!" This appointment gave our family both a plan and hope.

     Right now the plan is to get an EEG, a hearing test, a vision test, and to start dental visits. The dentist isn't part of his therapy it's just time. They recommended a genetic test as well. We are going to see about getting him into speech therapy and possibly an eating group to improve the range of foods he will eat. 

     He's been thriving at school. Sleeping better. Not necessarily eating better, but eating more. He does seem willing to try more new foods. Recently he ate ground beef, an apple with the peel on, and a pear. He actually points at something when he wants it, where he used to excitedly wave his arms in the items direction. He also seems to be making more purposeful sounds as opposed to just noise. Like he is trying to say actual words instead of just monotone sounds. He has even started giving hugs and kisses!

     For now we just get him all the help he needs and hopefully before long I'll finally get to hear his voice. Hopefully he'll finally be able to get out of his own head and tell us what he's feeling, what's he's thinking, what makes him happy, what makes him sad. 

     Hope. It's what we needed, and it's what we have. Even if it's all we have for now. We will get through this together.

CordaRoy's corduroy beanbag chair-full sleeper

     My husband recently started the program for his master's degree, and he set his computer up on a low table in our bedroom. He can close the door and get work done, but sitting on the floor was uncomfortable to say the least. He knew he was going to have to go the beanbag route because a chair would be too high. We checked out tons of brands over several weeks when I came across the one we ultimately chose.
     I read lots of reviews talking about how the company really stands by its product and if the beanbag isn't fluffy to your standards they send more fluff, free of charge. So few companies do this, so I knew we had a winner.
     There are so many great positives to this chair. The best being the inside is actually a full size sleeper. The whole thing is machine washable  (though I'm not sure how you'd fit the inside inside a standard washing machine.) There are a few different sizes and fabrics for the cover. Lots of colors and patterns to choose from. There is something for everybody.

      Comes packed in a surprisingly compact box considering how big this thing gets. Around 20"x20" and fluffs up to over 40" wide.

     Some details about what is covered under warranty should an issue arise. We chose the corduroy to help prevent certain issues. We have a cat who scratches everything but his scratching posts.

      This was before it reached full fluffiness, but it is obviously still pretty large.

     This was the cat I mentioned earlier. So far no scratching *fingers crossed*

     Couldn't get the whole measurement in the picture because it was just too big. 

     So far the beanbag chair is working pretty well. He can sit and be supported while doing stuff for school. All of the kids and animals love it, so I'd say it's a win/win! Definitely recommend this chair to anybody who is looking.

Compost tumbler and canning jars!

     I've had a certain compost tumbler on my amazon wish list for at least 6 months and the reviews were great, but the price was hoverify between $90-$100. I checked my list and it was on sale for $67 and some change. I hopped on that right away and I'm super excited. The instructions weren't great, but luckily it was pretty easy to figure out with the help of a YouTube video I searched for. It is the yimby brand and I've already put egg shells, coffee grounds, apple peels and cores, a paper egg carton, and a whole bunch of other stuff in it.

     In addition to the sale on the tumbler ball jars were also on sale (on amazon as well.) I got 12 half pint, 12 pints, and 12 quart for around $26. If I'd been thinking I would have used my gift card and gotten $5 off. 

     I bought some more Jonathan apples and turned the caramel apple jam I made before into a recipe for pie filling. It looks good and I'll get to see how it turned out later this fall.

Lots more canning to finish off the summer

                               From this:

To this: 

In just about 4 hours. 

     First I cut an "x" into the bottom of each tomato and put them one at a time into boiling water. After about a minute to a minute and a half I moved them into an ice bath. I peeled them and then cored them with my handy dandy tomato corer (made it much faster!) I cut them into quarters and pureed them in my ninja blender. 

   

    I moved them to my big old stock pot, added my ball pasta sauce spice mix, and brought it to a boil. I reduced the temp to a simmer on medium in order to reduce the liquid. I'm not sure exactly how long I ended up on the stove for, but it was at least an hour. 

    I them put them into warm quart jars and processed them for 65 minutes in my electric water bath canner. I feel like the sauce could/should have been reduced a little more (probably at least another 30 minutes) but overall I'm satisfied. I can doctor it up a little bit when I actually cook dinner with it. Maybe add a little tomato paste and a bit more spices.

     Back in June I made some pickles and they were a big hit, so I wanted to get a whole bunch more made for the winter. I made 4 pint jars of bread and butter pickles and over 20 quarts of dill pickles. Most if them were slices but I made some spears as well.

     A couple of weekends ago I went to the local pick your own place and picked 20 pounds of Jonathan apples. It was way more than I intended to get, but I quickly had 3 ways to use them all up. I decided to make caramel apple jam: http://www.alattewithotta.com/2013/09/carmel-apple-jam-in-ball-freshtech-jam.html?m=1

Applesauce: http://www.freshpreserving.com/applesauce-recipe-%7C-how-to-make-applesauce---ball-fresh-preserving-br1126.html

And Apple butter: http://kristagilbert.com/amish-crock-pot-apple-butter/
     With the apple butter I ended up having to reduce the liquid in the oven at 250-300 for about an hour. Next time I will just remove some liquid before pureeing the apples. I also altered the caramel apple jam recipe by prepping the apples in lemon juice and water before hand and adding 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to the actual recipe as it was cooking.

     I am going back to pick some Granny Smith apples in October. I'll be using them to make apple pie filling, but canning season is winding down for now. I've made a lot of new recipes this summer and the results have been pretty good so far!

More fruit picking, canning, and a vacation!

     Since my last post I've gone blackberry picking twice and once to pick peaches. The blackberries were a bit bitter, but perfect for cooking with. I made jam, pie filling, fruit snacks, and then froze the rest. I picked way too many peaches (25.5 lbs!) so I made a lot of food. I made peach salsa, peach jam, fruit snacks, pie filling, and peach cobbler.
      Back in May and June I made sweet pickles, dill pickles, and bread and butter pickles. I let them pickle until vacation so they'd taste the best they could. Everybody kept telling me how good they were, so I guess I did an ok job. I accidentally switched the labels for the dill and bread and butter, so that led to me trying b&b pickles for the first time. They were actually pretty good!
      Speaking of vacation, we had so much fun! We went to Branson and stayed in the best lodge. It was so nice to spend a whole week with my whole family without the hubby having to go to work. We spent a lot more time at Silver Dollar City than White Water because it rained and was a bit cool for a water park.
      We got a ton of taffy in a bunch of different flavors and kettle corn. My oldest rode two bigger rides that he refused to go near only two years ago. Granted he said he'll never ride them again, but he still got on and rode! The youngest rode a few kiddie rides, but he loved water the most.
      Every year we go to Branson we pick out a hand-blown glass ornament from the glass shop at SDC and this year I got a pretty orange one that looks like it has flames. We already have next year booked, so I can't wait to pick out the next ome!

It has been crazy lately!

     My youngest got sick last week, so I haven't had time to write recently. He was so bad he ended up in the ER on IV fluids. He is doing worlds better now, but we have to fix his sleep schedule again.
     We bought him a hammock swing because it seems to sooth him so much. When he is actually ready for bed he falls asleep within 10 minutes or so. It is by far the best investment we could have made. Granted it wasn't even $50, including the mounting hardware.
     Here in a little bit we are getting him a new bed. Right now he will only sleep in his "pack and play." We found a bed at IKEA that I think will help him move away from that. It has stairs and you can put a tent/canopy over it. He loves his older brother's bed because of the stairs, but this bed is much lower so I'll feel safer.
     I have a new post coming up in the next couple of days about my first adventure with making sweet pickles. They are complete, I'm just waiting for them to sit for a bit before opening. I'm making dill and bread and butter pickles now that I've got my new electric water bath canner! That way I can process more at one time without water getting everywhere.
     More to come soon, I hope anybody reading is having a blessed day!

Strawberry Picking

 We went to a pick your own place this past weekend for strawberries because 

the weather was beautiful and the hubby had the day off. My older sister and my nieces

went with us. I haven't picked strawberries in at least 20 years.

This time I didn't trip and send my berries flying every which way, so

it was definitely an improvement. 

The kiddos definitely had a great time, even if the youngest wouldn't eat any of the 

strawberries. They didn't even mind the mud in the field from it

raining so much the days before we went. I might have ruined a pair of shoes,

but man did I enjoy watching them in the fields. 

We ended up with almost 10 pounds of fruit, so I decided to make some jam. I used my 

FreshTECH Automatic Jam & Jelly Maker again using the following recipe: http://www.freshpreserving.com/recipes/jam-maker-homemade-stawberry-jam. 

I think I added a bit too much fruit the first batch, so it is more like a syrup

than a jam but it is still yummy! I will take the time to 

measure much more carefully for the next batch I promise!

I am also currently in the middle of making some sweet pickles off a a recipe I 

found on Pinterest. So far everything looks normal, but I guess I'll see how they turned out later

this week. I'll post the recipe and pictures later this week with an update 

on how it went.