Quick, but "sweet" end of school year teacher (or insert other occasion) gifts!

Our school year runs to almost the end of June and yet, still, I was caught flat-footed when it came time for a final acknowledgement of thanks to these wonderful teachers.  The morning of the last day (Of course. You wouldn't want to plan ahead for this. You know, be prepared and not run around like a crazed person prepping and printing while simultaneously getting your children ready for the final day. But, I digress.), I pulled out the jam that was #2 on every one's list, Plum Jam, printed out labels and curled some ribbon. While this is a simple gift, it is a universally happy gift for teachers. Let's face it, flowers die, gift certificates are a bit on the cold side and if you bring a teacher one more apple themed piece of flotsam made in China, they might commit Hari-Kari with a sharpened no. 2 pencil. Or so I've heard. But, this gift will literally sweeten their day with your homemade time and effort. And bonus, you will be able to use up some of your stock just as the new season of fruit is producing! AND, it costs you practically NOTHING.
  
SUPER DUPER TIP: Print out at least one label with a generic "Thanks!" because you WILL forget someone important and this will save you from that sinking "Oh no" moment. I know, I know. You're welcome.

The details:
Ribbon: Buy the large, super size roll of curling ribbon when on sale. You'll use it endlessly and save a ton of money over the long haul.
Labels:
Better Homes and Gardens is offering free downloads of various attractive labels for organizing your home. Here is the link. http://www.bhg.com/decorating/storage/organization-basics/free-printable-storage-labels/
Jam:

ORGANIC PLUM JAM
(Adapted from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)
Makes @ eight 8 oz. jars

6 c Plum pulp (made from organic plums)
1 pkg regular powdered Pectin
8 c organic granulated Sugar

1) Prep canner, jars and lids.

2) Make the plum pulp by combining 8 c. of pitted plums and 1/2 c. of water in a large stainless steel stockpot.  Bring to a boil over med. heat, turn down heat to med/low and boil gently while stirring to keep the bottom from burning. @ 5 min. Then, whip out your handy dandy immersion blender (the angels sing when I use this) and blend until smooth. 

TIP: If you add 1/2 t. of butter at this point, you won't have as much foam to skim off...

3) Whisk in pectin and stir until smooth. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Really.

4) Add sugar all at once, returning it to the boiling point. (Still stirring, right?) Let it do a FULL BOIL for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off foam. (This stuff still tastes good, it just doesn't look pretty!)


5) Ladle the hot marmalade into hot jars, leave 1/4 inch of space, remove air bubbles, pop the lids on, and screw the band finger tight.

6) Place the jars in the canner, completely covered with water, and boil, lid on, for 10 minutes. Remove the canner lids, wait 5 minutes, the remove and cool the jars.

7) Label them. You can either use the labels that came with the jars or print out pretty ones using one of the many labels available at the link above.

TIP: Use this for housewarming, hostess, get well soon, birthday, Christmas, etc. gifts.  Give individually or make a basket of assorted jams and goodies. A little ribbon, some tissue, a $1 basket from the dollar store and you have a pretty awesome and unique gift!

Finally, take a victory lap. You did it. Well done.

Happy Father's Day!

The girls made a cake for their Dad and picked strawberries from the garden to decorate it! Chocolate and fresh picked strawberries...who knew? Unbelievably delicious!

I hope your Father's Day was filled with love and laughter!

Speedy Strawberry Lemon Marmalade

After I made the Strawberry Lemonade, I was left with quite a bit of lovely organic lemon peel.  What to do? I was able to use them up in three different recipes.  This is the first. 

Strawberry Lemon Marmalade
Makes @7 or 8 Eight ounce jars

1/4 c. thinly sliced Organic Lemon Peel
Water
4 c. crushed hulled Strawberries
1 T Lemon Juice
1 package regular Fruit Pectin
6 c Organic Sugar

1) Prep jars, lids and water canner
2) Place the lemon peel in a stainless steel stockpot and just cover with water. Bring to boil over med-high heat and boil for 5 minutes to soften the peel.  Drain and discard liquid.  (Or add honey and drink...)
 TIP: DON'T zest the lemon like I did. Otherwise, the lemon peel disappears in to the marmalade. But, per usual, I have a hard time following directions.
3) Add strawberries, lemon juice and peel in the same stockpot.  TIP: If you add 1/2 t. of butter at this point, you won't have as much foam to skim off...)
4) Whisk in pectin until dissolved.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Really. Scorched strawberry on the bottom of your pan is not fun and it ruins the taste.
5) Add sugar all at once, returning it to the boiling point. (Still stirring, right?)  Let it do a FULL BOIL for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off foam. (This stuff still tastes good, it just doesn't look pretty!)
6) Ladle the hot marmalade into hot jars, leave 1/4 inch of space, remove air bubbles, pop the lids on, and screw the band finger tight.
7) Place the jars in the canner, completely covered with water, and boil, lid on, for 10 minutes. Remove the canner lids, wait 5 minutes, the remove and cool the jars.

This marmalade is very jamlike- not sure what the difference is. I didn't taste the lemon at first but then it burst in my mouth... VERY YUMMY! 

This recipe was adapted from book below.

Make your own Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate!

Summer arrived with a vengence last week! We had temps over 100 and everyone, including the chickens, were begging for relief. So, we blew up the new pool (it's a yearly investment- we have a bet for how long before it's punctured..) and made lots of pink lemonade.  But the ingredients list on the can are a Mommy nightmare. High Fructose Corn Syrup? Mommy Guilt Alert! Danger, Danger...  I've been wanting to try this recipe for eons.  After our "Speed Strawberry Picking event", and the two bags of Organic Lemons on clearance at my local store were languishing on my fridge shelf, it seemed a perfect time to try something new.  This recipe is adapted from Ball's Complete Book of Home Preserving.

Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate
Makes @ 7 pint or 3 quart jars

8 Cups Hulled Strawberries
4 Cups Fresh Lemon Juice
6 Cups Organic Sugar

1). Prep your Canner, Jars and Lids.
2) Puree the strawberries. I would recommend an immersion blender. BEST GIFT EVER! Otherwise use a food processor or blender.  Place in a large stainless saucepan, add the lemon juice and sugar. Stir and  combine. Heat to 190 degrees over med-high heat, stirring continually.  Don't boil.  Turn off heat when temp is met.  The instructions say to skim off foam but I had very little so I just left it.
3) Ladle into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch space, and screw tops on.
4) Process in water canner for 15 minutes. Remove lid and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove, cool and store.

The recipe calls for reconsituting on a 1 to 1 basis with either water, tonic water or gingerale! Yum!

Strawberries!

First fruit of the season, oh, how I love you!  On Saturday, we indulged in a little Speed Strawberry Picking.  What in goodness gracious is that?  Well, you take 2 small children to a U-Pick strawberry farm, grab 3 buckets, and pick strawberries as fast as you can while the other two meander, eat, question, and squabble.  Yes, it is possible to pick ten pounds of strawberries in half an hour.  And so, we will be making a variety of strawberry items and posting pics and recipes. Stay tuned!

Like I don't have enough things to do...

Why am I doing this?  I have a house, husband, 3 girls, 1 cat, 5 guppies, and am a full-time college student.  But, each time I take a trip to the grocery store or read about the growing issue of food insecurity, I think that, perhaps, I should try to improve my skills. Besides, this stuff is FUN.