Strawberry Picking

     It's June!  Thank the good Lord because after the winter we had, and the very long spring, I was a little worried that the weather wouldn't cooperate and we wouldn't get to go strawberry picking!  
     I just love fresh picked strawberries, especially on a day like today.  They will be nice and warm from the sun and so sweet on our lips,  I'm sure that Adam will eat more than he will pick himself, but he's three, so that is to be expected.  
    My family loves strawberries, so already I have taken an order from my husband to not only make strawberry shortcake cupcakes, but also to make jam this year.  I haven't had time to make jam in the last two years, so I am really looking forward to jam this year.  What goes into making a great jam?  Good ingredients like fresh picked fruit, sugar, pectin, and a little butter (to keep the foaming down and to add a shine).  It only takes about two hours to make jam from start to finish, so that is on my list for this afternoon.       You can make jam with already picked berries from the grocery store, but you need a lot of them, so they are not only a lot more expensive, and they come from California so they aren't fresh.  I prefer to pick my berries rather than have the farm pick them because they are cheaper that way.  Last year, the cost per pound was $2.15 a pound.  That is really reasonable and for just about 4 pounds of berries, I can make 10-12 jars of jam.  My hope is to double that this year so that we have enough to get us through most of the school year next year.  I am also planning to make raspberry and peach jam when those fruits come into season so we should have plenty.  

     I have my own strawberry patch, but I don't have enough plants to make jam yet, so I am going to add about ten more plants to my patch this year and then next year I will have enough berries right here at home and I won't have to go picking somewhere else.  I am blessed to live in an area where there are a lot of farms, so anything that I don't grow myself, I can easily access without having to spend too much money, and I am supporting local growers and their families.  
   We love Chase Farms, in Perinton NY, but if you Google U-pick strawberries in your area, a list of farms will pop up and you can go to the farm that is closest to you.  They all work about the same way, they give you a container, you fill it up, and then they weigh it.  If they are like Chase's, they probably won't take credit and debit cards, so have your cash ready when you get there.  

We are off to the berry patch!  Have a blessed day!