Every spring I make an effort to go strawberry picking. It doesn’t always happen though. But, this year I managed to pick the right day, time, and number of children to bring along and I got to Jones Family Farm https://www.jonesfamilyfarms.com/ at 8:30-ish this morning to go picking.

It was a BEAUTIFUL Saturday morning in Connecticut! 75 degrees or so and sunny! we rode on the tractor out to the fields and I just knew this was going to be great! The strawberries were simply beautiful and there were just SO many! The children helped pick (something that is a rare experience since they always seem to want to eat more than pick and just fool around). 12 pounds and one hour later we were back on the tractor to pay and head home.

After a few stops around town in search of mason jars and fruit pectin we were home and the fun began.

MAKING STRAWBERRY PRESERVES!

I am no pro at this. I just learned a few years ago from reading the directions in the box of pectin. But, this year I consulted my new favorite cook book “The Joy Of Cooking” (I LOVE this book) and explored a few new recipes and took some time to learn about liquid versus non-liquid pectin and canning methods. I wont bore you with the details but I will share some before and after pictures

Helper #1 – “Mr. Oh So Helpful!”

12 pounds of fresh picked strawberries – YUMMY!!!

So, once I was home and read the directions on the pectin, I got everything ready.

Getting Ready to Get Started

My first batch of preserves

24 Jars of YUMMY Strawberry Preserves

So, while I am by no means a pro at canning or even making preserves. I am pretty good at it (If I do say so myself). I really enjoy making them and luckily it was quiet and peaceful in my kitchen (Children were outside playing). So, it was just me, my berries, my cooking music and God this afternoon.

We will try them out tomorrow morning. Stay tuned!