A Bit of Nostalgia as Blackberry Season and Summer Wane

Each year when I start picking blackberries I think of my maternal grandmother, Flora E. Patch.  When I knew her she was a farm wife.  She and my grandfather had a dairy farm in Vermont.  She grew up in a farm family and as a young single woman she taught school.  My grandfather was the older brother of one of her students.  After they married they lived in a small town and had a coal …

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Preserving the Harvest – Jam

This time of year as the tsunami of produce arrives, it is time to think of the future in addition to the present.  Preserving that summer bounty is crucial to eating year around local food.  In addition to freezing berries and this year, peaches, I also make jam. Our jam is maximum fruit with minimum sugar, and pectin.  I searched for the recipe that gave me the least amount of cooking time and additional ingredients.  …

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