Jellies and Jams...

Hickory Hill Farm Lavender

Yesterday was a "make Lavender Jelly" day. I harvested lavender flowers before the sunlight was directly over these perfect, little flowers.

Friday's Harvest

I didn't need many, and when I brought them into the house, they filled the kitchen with a wonderful aroma.

Lavender Flowers Detail

 Perfect, tiny flowers.

Lavender Jelly On Toast

By 10:30 am, all the jars were in the canner, processing. I scraped the last of the jelly from the pot, and sat down for a late breakfast...Lavender Jelly on toast, of course!

Lavender Jelly

Before I could finish my tasty breakfast, the timer went off and I pulled the jars of Lavender Jelly out of the bubbling water. I tried to combine food coloring to get the jelly to be more lavender, but even though blue and red make purple, it didn't turn out as I planned. I'll try again next time. Thankfully, color had no effect on the taste of this jelly. It's heavenly!

Strawberry Jam

I also made six half-pints of Strawberry Jam...

Sweet Basil Jelly

and four half-pints, plus three "smalls" of Sweet Basil Jelly. I think this will be if for canning basil this season. I'm going to let the rest of the plant go to seed now.

Pantry Shelves

 

My pantry is filling nicely. Top Shelf: Regular Dill Pickles; and canned Sweet Banana Peppers. Second Shelf: Bread & Butter Pickles, Salsa, and Chopped Tomatoes. Bottom Row: Sweet Basil Jelly, Strawberry Jam, Lavender Jelly, Strawberry-Rhubarb and Pears in Light Syrup.

I'm going to the Farmer's Market with Aunty Margaret and Uncle Dick today. If I find Roma tomatoes, I'll be bringing them home to can this weekend. Otherwise, I'm going to be making aprons in the studio! 

 

Enjoy your weekend, my friend. I sure will.

One For The "Win" Column...

Sweet Basil Jelly

I'm writing this post at the end of the day on Thursday. I had a loooong, productive day.

I'm going to share photos, and "stats", but few(er) words. I'm good tired. 

This Sweet Basic Jelly is tasty!

Use it any time you'd use mint jelly, or pour it out over a brick of cream cheese for a

sweet/savory appetizer, served with your favorite crackers. That's how we'll try it here.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam

 I haven't canned strawberry jam in forever!

This is the Strawberry-Rhubarb version. mmm mmm

Salsa (Ole'!!)

I purchased seven pounds of tomatoes on Wednesday. This is what I made with them.

Salsa. Now, where did I put those tortilla chips? I'd better wait at least until it cools, right?

More Pickles

  I saw pickling cucumbers at the farmer's market on Wednesday, and couldn't resist.  This is just a portion of the pickles I made. Grrrrr. They're floating. I really dislike it when they float! If I'd packed them any harder, I would have broken the jars.  Frustrating, even though they'll be just as tasty either way.   Here are my totals for today: 6.5 half pint jars of Sweet Basil Jelly 14.5 half pint jars of Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam  9 half pints of Salsa 2 quarts and 10 pints of Pickles (bread & butter and dill)
I still have strawberries left, so I'll make Strawberry Jam today. I also want to make some Lavender Jelly, so I'll see if I can get that done, too.

All in all, I'd say that yesterday goes into the "Win" column, and all these jars are going into the pantry! (giggling)