Canning with Queen

Holy crap! It has been forever since I've blogged. There are a few reasons for this. One is that so much is in progress but nothing is really completed: the patio is finished but the grass seed isn't even sprouting yet, the fence around the garden is up but not painted....I could go on and on and on. Another reason is that who wants another garden update!?!  I mean I get crazy excited about my baby melons, but don't expect anyone else to be. But to me the main reason I've haven't been writing is that we've seen so many of the people I feel like I'm writing to this spring, summer, fall, that all my stories fell redundant! I mean how many jokes about giant lamb testicles are there really?


I have also been thinking about changing format of this blog a bit. Obviously we aren't really traveling any where anytime soon (expect for Ohio and after 3 visits in the next 3 months, I think I may be done going there forever!), but I do have a ton of fresh food, so why not write about what we're doing with our bountiful harvests? So I'm going to give this a go. It's harder than it sounds, since it is usually after I make something I think 'Oh, I should have taken pictures and blogged this' and I don't do things like make dinner regularly.

 A random aside: Sometimes I feel like I'm running for (and winning!) the Worst Housewife Award (let's be real-I'm pretty much a housewife and most days I am cool with it). To win this award I don't so things like make dinner or put laundry away. I feel my best event is 'Ignoring that the kitchen is a mess, even though I was the one got everything dirty'. Which actually brings me to what I'm doing this morning. Canning jam. The biggest con on making jam is that I'm in the kitchen for hours and I actually clean the kitchen, since I can't really go anywhere else and there is only so much dancing with Queen, Abba and a little Nancy and Lee one can do at 10 am! I'm sure I have points deducted for both the bad dancing and the cleaning.

Yesterday we went blackberry picking and came back with 3 gallons of blackberries! Really there is nothing else to do but make jam today! I also have a ton of rhubarb in the freezer from the garden so that is how 'Blackbarb jam' was born! This is essentially David Lebovitz's Rhubarb Strawberry Jam with blackberries and not really following the directions. PS: Everything I've ever made using a David Lebovitz recipe has been great! And honestly his book 'The Perfect Scoop' is hotter than '50 Shades of Grey'-I mean Date, Rum, Pecan Ice Cream or Raspberry-Champagne Sorbet-yes please!! (maybe I need to get out more!) Blackbarb Jam



8 cups of blackberries
8 cups of rhubarb, trimmed and sliced into 1/2-inch (2cm) pieces
5 1/2 cups sugar
zest and juice of one lemon
pinch of salt
1 package of pectin

1. In a large pot, mix the rhubarb, berries. Cook, covered, stirring frequently over moderate heat, until the rhubarb is cooked through and thoroughly tender. It should take about 15 minutes (mine took longer since my rhubarb was still frozen-ish)

2. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and salt, and cook, uncovered, skimming off and discarding any foam that rises to the surface, until the jam is thick and passes the wrinkle test.

3. Stir in the pectin, get your can on. 

If this doesn't end up being delicious, I still have 2 1/2 gallons of blackberries and 24 cups of rhubarb to work with! Maybe I'll make some popsicles or syrup next!