We are Jammin! Cause the jammin is GOOD!

This is my best friend June, for ten years now we have been raising our kids, exchanging stories, encouragement, and laughter and experimenting in the kitchen. Every Tuesday and sometimes on Sundays well get together and make something yummy. Last Tuesday she and her four youngin's came over my house and we made and canned a whole 'lotta jam!

This is her littlest one. Hes a cutie pie, and he approves of the jam! Since he approves, I will share it with you! Here is the step by step guide on how to make and can your very own strawberry jam. It looks like its pretty involved but its not, its super easy. If you haven't canned before, this is the best to start off with. You can find this recipe in the Ball canning book.

You will need 5 cups of mashed strawberries.

4 tables of lemon juice (to add acid)

a pad of butter to reduce the amount of foam needed to be skimmed later

a package of powered fruit pectin

7 cups of sugar.

a big stock pot

and a huge canning pot

8 oz canning jars

rinse the strawberries, then hull them, and cut them in half, or in slices

Mash them up and measure them as you go. Should be five cups of strawberries.

yummy mashed strawberries! Take the mashed berries and put them in your big stock pot. Then add 4 tablespoons of lemon juice, a pad of butter, and the packet of pectin. Whisk that all together.

(If you have one of the containers of pectin, use 3 tablespoons)

(This is a pad of butter)

Cook the mixture on medium high heat stirring occasionally until it gets to a rolling boil, then add in the 7 cups of sugar all at once.

Turn the heat up! Once it gets to a raging boil, where if you stir it, it will not stop boiling. let it cook for a minute or so more. Then skim off the foam on top. It looks like whitish stuff.

Now I like to keep my jars in a pot that I have sterilized them in. I sterilize them by putting them in the canning pot and boiling them. Once they have been at a boil for five minutes I will turn it off and let them sit in the hot water. Then I fill my sink with boiling water and transfer them there using wire tongs. BE CAREFUL! The jars are hot! Boil the lids also and set them aside. The jars have to be hot when you pour the hot strawberry jam in them, because of not, the change in temperature will make the jars crack.

Now take each jar out of the boiling water, fill it with the jam leaving a 1/4 of head space. Take a butter knife and run it around the edge of the jam to break any bubbles. Using a clean rag dry any jam that might have dripped off the lip of the jar, then put the lids on the jar, no need to tighten the lids super tight, just tight enough there is a bit of resistance.

Once all of your jars are filled with the jam, its now time to give them a really really super hot water bath. Take your canning pot, and make sure you either line the bottom with jar lid rings, or if you have one, a canning rack, you just want to make it so that the bottom of the jars aren't touching the bottom of the pan.

This is my beauty! Is it possible to LOVE a pot? If it is, I love this pot. My heart sings every time I look at it, and the joy it brings me is blissful. Its definitely a part of this family. OK, Ill stop being gushy now, lets move on!

Now you want to fill the pot with water, I usually use a pitcher and transfer the water rather then try to haul this heavy pot of jam and water from the sink to the stove. I thought of this after the second time I canned. I know, sometimes I can be a bit slow, I call it "mommy brain". Once your pot is filled with water, till the jars are all covered by an inch of water over head, put the lid on and turn your stove on high. And let it get to a boil. The raging boil. You will want it to be raging boiling for 10 to 13 minutes abouts. Then turn the heat off and let it sit for 5 minutes.  

This is what a "raging boil" looks like. when you say "raging boil" make sure you say it with a southern accent, its so much cooler that way.

Once they have sat for 5 minutes, take your handy jar tongs that I picked up at a local Walmart and carefully remove the jars and set on counter, I usually put a cloth down  or my wooden cutting board. This is the really awesome part of the whole process, when you take out the jars, or after they have been sitting for a bit, you'll hear a "pop". That's when you know you did it right. That little "pop" from the jars means that the lid is sealed, and its such a satisfying sound. Say it with me "aaaaaah".

Here is June and mine's latest bounty. She did most of the canning while I refereed the children and she did a mighty fine job! I think our next canning adventure will be fig jam, with the figs picked from a friends tree! So "wink wink" and "nudge nudge"  stay tuned for a post about making figgy jam! Happy Homsteading ya'all!

01 02 18

A New Dawn, A New Day, A New Life for me

The new year rung in bringing me a different look on things and alot more perspective on my life. Since my son was good I allowed both the children to stay up as late as tthey could, however they only made it till 1130 when we all headed up for some cuddles in bed. They immediately dozed off and began snoring while I sat and thought about the year that just had passed, and the year, life that lay ahead. I thought about all of my blessings and was overfilled with all of the new poeple I met the past years. However be it, none of them were in real life, but as most of my real life friends abandoned me after my mothers passing, these new friends stepped in and gave me comfort, love and compassion that was really need, God compensates. Without these friends I would have withdrew even deeper into myself and my depression and who knows what would have came of that. I still have no idea who was so kind as to send me so many much needed clothe diapers, but I think even when my kids are pottytrained and no longer needing them I will still think fondly how almost complete strangers had shown me such love and care. Now the girls that I have been close to on here, though live quite a distance from and have only speaking to on the phone and on here, are helping me out by sending me the iron suppliments i need to ensure myself a healthy delivery. 
I wish I could say that my husband and I had a stronger marraige then ever, but sadly we do not. Alot of trust has been broken over the years, and with him again, losing his job it adds stress to the household. He is not a motivated man and to me, if you cannot be motivated to take care of your family then you shoudnt have made one. After encouraging him the past two months to find a job any job, that will pay our bills and ensure we have a home to raise our chidlren in, and later have savings so we can move to our farm (my life long dream) he has not made any changes. We still have no money coming in whatsoever except for the few kind poeple that collected money at their churchs so we can have gas money and pay some bills, (which i am so thankful for) I must say my nerves are shot.
As the neighbors came out of their houses blowing their party horns and banging on their pans yelling "Happy New Year!"  I snuggled closer to my babys and felt my unborn baby kicking and flipping around in his/her own celebration. I decided that its my dream to live on a farm, its my desire and my childrens right to live financially comfterable, and if no ammount of encouraging, or examples set will make my husband change for the better and do the work needed, then I will have to grab the riegns on this too. I cant imagine my being able to make more time in the day for sewing and selling things, but if thats what i have to do, I will. So starting today, since Its winter time and my extra time wont be going to gardening or freezing or canning it will be going towards sewing and selling my dresses, aprons, quilts, decorative pot holders and soaps. Maybe Ill even start to make some clothe diapers and see how those sell. For anyone who is reading this please say a prayer, or send positive vibes my way. I will need them. Im already at the end of my energy just teaching and caring for my children, animals and this house but I know if God layed it on my heart, that it will work out. So here goes....2012 the year that I, ELLIELIZ will turn things around for myself and make my dreams happen. We only have one life! Better make the best of it!!! Did I mention that in 5 days I will be 31 years old? :)

id like to make a special note: I speepily left an important new friend that i did make in real life who has a huge heart and helped my family out alot this year. If it wasnt for her and her family our children woudnt have had much ofa  christmas, and many times would have ran out of food. She also supplies me with coupons :) You know who you are, i think the biggest help of all was just being someone to talk to, having another adult to talk to every now and then really is an uplifting thing when you spend all of your hours all of your days talking to kids and cats. Yes i talk to my cats ;) She moved a few weeks ago and I miss her so, but I know that its not the end and I will see her every now and again :) 01 02 18

Sorry for the long Pause

A few weeks ago, right after I began this blog, my children got sick. It took them longer then usual to get well,because they were unable to sleep.Did I mention that I have loud drunken neighbors? Then right after they got well, I got sick. Im pretty sure I had the plague. I was sick for a week and a half and I have never felt that sick in atleast a decade. My doctor said it was a viral infection, but I think he just told me that so I woudnt worry! After I got well, it took me a while to get back my energy. So the garden and the rest of the canning had to wait, as did this blog! But atlast Im fully myself again, and have been out working amongst the gardens and in my home.

Here are the peaches that I canned before we got sick.It was my first attempt at canning and I dont think I did so bad!! Next Im going to can beets and tomatoes in the form of sauce and crushed.


Also some of the cucumbers that came out of my garden. I didnt seem to be getting any for the longest and now Im plucking at least three a week. Im very pleased! 01 02 18