Blackberry Jam: Sky Harvest Blackberries Have to be Seen to be Believed

You had to see it to believe it - giant blackberries from Nate Youngquist of Sky Harvest Produce (Skagit Valley) purchased at the Ballard Farmer's Market. Stop a minute and look at how big this berry is in my hand! Exceptional. I bought 4 pints and turned them into a small batch of beautiful jam with the help of my FreshTech Automatic Home Canning System. 

I love this machine and regret that, due to moving and packing, I have only been able to use it twice (ever!) before this. That is a travesty. I made some funny declaration yesterday that I would use it weekly from now on and after this successful batch, I just might!

The recipe makes 6 half pint jars (only 5 fit in the canner at once, so the remainder is in the refrigerator being devoured fresh). I cut fabric circles to cover the jars and secured them with a simple rubber band. I chose unique fabrics to highlight the deep purple jam. Red & white check fabric felt too cutesy for this beautiful blend.

#jammaking #ballcanning #smallbatch #blackberryseason #finddelight

One Lucky Girl: A Friend Arrived with Pastries and Peaches

My love of ridiculous appliances continues.  Of course I could "can" my jams and pickles with the water bath method.  But wouldn't having an appliance with a "pickles" button be way more fun?  Yes!

My husband gave me the Ball FreshTECH Automatic Home Canning System for my birthday - woohoo! I hadn't used it yet, but was gushing about it with my friend Liz and she offered to be my wingman on the maiden voyage. We had so much fun! 

We chose a Thursday night after work and she arrived with Lebanese takeout for our dinner, two fancy desserts (my birthday!) and an armload of peaches to turn into jam.  What a friend.

We followed these instructions for reduced sugar peach jam word for word and we created a new tradition (obsession?).  It was so easy we started plotting what else we could can/jar/preserve/pickle.

I'll tell you more about the machine, process and results later. Just know that I love it and don't feel ridiculous at all. Small batch canning is just my speed.