Enjoying the strawberries from our garden

I've got to take a moment to brag on my garden a bit. I planted a 3' x 3' plot of strawberries in a raised bed four years ago and just let them spread to the rest of the raised bed and then let them spill out over the sides. The patch is approximately 10' x 6' now and filling in nicely.

Since June 10th we've been picking a quart of strawberries or better each day. It's been nice to head out there and pick strawberries to make fresh strawberry shortcake or even just to add to the morning cereal.

Quick Strawberry Recipes: Easy Strawberry Freezer Jam Strawberry Butter

In other garden news - our tomatoes, pole beans, cucumbers, and red potatoes are doing quite well. It's been a bit on the dry side the last seven days so I've been watering everything. My next project is to get my rain barrel put together and then wait for rain ;).

I'll post instructions on how to build your own rain barrel whenever I get mine completed.

Happy Gardening!

Easy Strawberry Freezer Jam

My wife makes the best strawberry freezer jam. I hoard it throughout the year and am just now nearing the end of the last container of last year's jam. I love it so much that I wanted to share her awesome recipe with you. When I asked her for the recipe this morning she chuckled. She brought me the package of freezer jam pectin and told me that she just uses the recipe on the back. All this time I thought she was using some old family recipe! ;)

Of course, anyone making freezer jam is most likely using the same or at least a similar recipe. I do think that the quality of the strawberries is the key, though. Everyone might use the same recipe, but you have to use quality berries.

So, without further ado, here is the strawberry freezer jam recipe from the back of the Ball Freezer Jam Pectin package.

1. Measure 2/3-cup sugar into bowl. Add package Fruit Jell Freezer Jam Pectin; stir until mixed.
2. Crush strawberries. Combine 1 2/3 cups crushed strawberries with pectin mixture. Stir 3 minutes.
3. Ladle jam into clean jars (Ball makes great plastic jars with screw-on lids) leaving 1/2-inch headspace; apply lids. Let stand until thickened (about 30 minutes).
4. Serve, Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or Freeze it for longer storage.

Yields 2-8oz. jars

P.S. If you are at all like me you won't have to worry about storing the jam in your fridge for more than 3 weeks. It just won't last that long :).