Saturday, July 16, 2011

Making our first batch of jam

In case you are under the impression, from all my huzzah-ing and woohoo-ing, that my children do not bicker or disagree or say ridiculous things to each other just for the sake of causing an argument, let me assure you that THEY DO.  Because, like, they are humans.  Very different humans.  Not "different" like "Wow, so unusual!  Someone should do a study on them!".  Just different from each other.  And during these magical weeks since our first real Michigan summer vacation started, I have learned, or re-learned, that the best way to keep peace in this house is tasks.  Lots and lots of tasks.

Sometimes the tasks are inocuous (Hey, can you go put this book back on the bookshelf?); sometimes they are loathsome (Under your bed and in your closet really are parts of your room.  So yes, they have to be clean too!); and sometimes they are the lovely, glorious things that I share with you here.  Lovely and glorious things like making jam for the very first time out of the black raspberries that grow wild on our property.

With the help of a great new blog find, Food in Jars (thanks for the recommendation, Jordan!) we were able to make an entire batch in less than two hours.  Much less.  Our only modification was to ignore the last bits about canning properly in favor of making freezer jam.  But guess what?  The jam was so hot and we had put the jars through the hottest dishwasher cycle to disinfect them "just in case" that the lids done de-poppified themselves anyway.  So now we have real preserves that don't have to be kept cold!  ACCIDENTAL WINNING!

Just check out this gorgeous finished product:
click to watch snazzy photo slideshow of the entire jammin' process
If you'd like to take a gander at our handiwork, feel free to click right there ^ for quick pics set to jaunty flamenco guitar music.  It'll be fun, I swear!

Oh, and I have to throw out this little teaser: we've made a very important, exciting decision at la casa Borobia which we are uber stoked (grown ups talk like that, right?) to share with you.  Very soon.  As soon as I finish eating this jam with a spoon and washing it down with this Cabernet Sauvignon.  Hah!  Just kidding.  Everyone knows that when you are spooning preserves straight from the jar, you wash them down with Riesling. 

EDIT: if you would like to win your very own little jar of Black Raspberry goodness, (*prepared in a home kitchen not inspected by the Michigan Department of Agriculture*.) say so in your comment and you'll be entered to win!  Selection will be made at 9 p.m. EST next Saturday, July 23rd.  And you do need to live in the U.S. to win (mama can't be sendin' no food overseas).

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33 comments :

  1. How cool! I have no domestic instincts to where Icould ever direct my chidren in a task like that...but I sure would love to try some! Enter me! :)

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  2. Oooh homemade jam!! Yummy!

    Have more for me, since I will never taste this goodness. (sigh)

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  3. I remember the time I made grape jelly with my girls, we boiled the grapes and "hung" them in a pillow case to get the juice extracted, if only I video-ed it back then,(prob 25 years ago)But it sure was good!!

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  4. Heck yeah I'd love some homemade jam :) And I've never had black raspberry so that would be make it even more exciting! I once had a co-worker who didn't believe me that raspberries come in colors other than red...she just couldn't believe there were black, golden, etc!

    Heather

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  5. My friend Jessica Thonen wanted to leave this awesome comment but couldn't, so I'm doing it for her:

    "Please enter me! I would love to have anything from the Borobia household, let alone jam! BTW, I have been dreaming (literally) dreaming about "canning" jams (why do they call it canning really? It's in a jar!...I mean, I know why they call it canning, but you have to admit it's a little silly not to call it "jarring") ever since Martha Stewart did a show on canning preserves while I was on bedrest with Lucy, and considering that she just turned 8 months, that's a lot of "jarring" dreaming!"

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  6. I can't eat jam, but I'll enter on behalf of my husband who loves the stuff!

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  7. Enter me! I live in Michigan so that should get me 2 entries, right?

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  8. Sure, I'll take a chance on the jam. :)

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  9. I love it Dweej! I can't wait to make some. Except our berries will be coming from the store seeing as I have zero in my yard!

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  10. Enter me, i'll have to try this :)

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  11. I love home canning! Good for y'all.:) Here's a link to a wide-mouth funnel that I use for canning. It's pretty cheap & I bet you'll love it.;)
    http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Stainless-Steel-Wide-Mouth-Funnel/dp/B00004UE88

    BTW...our kids would love a jar of that jam.:)

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  12. Oooh, that funnel looks awesome. Thanks for the link!

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  13. i make jalepeno jelly every year - this year i'm hoping to can some banana pepper mustard!

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  14. I would like my own jar of black raspberry goodness.

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  15. Ooohhh,ahhhhh..i want some home made jam!!! Ld

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  16. Awesome and congrats! I ended up making jam today too. In fact, some of it even has black raspberries in it. I also made cherry preserves which is basically cherry jam so I don't know why they call it preserves. Weird prairie people.

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  17. Mmm. I want to win jam. Who doesn't?!

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  18. Yum! Wish we had black raspberries growing on our property . . . I'm hoping there'll be enough wild raspberries around this summer so I can make a batch of wild raspberry jam too. I LOVE raspberry jam; my favorite!

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  19. Holy crap, Dweej! You made jam? From berries GROWING in your yard probably near your homemade chicken coop?
    I can barely make toast to squeeze store bought jelly on to from one of those plastic squeeze it containers.
    You are a domestic goddess and I enjoyed dancing in my computer chair to your delightful flamenco music. Love that adorable voice of reason and the do rag!

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  20. That sounds delicious! Definitely entering myself in this!!

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  21. Oooh, I would love some black raspberry jam!! Growing up we had lots of raspberries, black raspberries, black berries, strawberries and wild version of most of those growing on our property and the surrounding area. We never canned them, though.

    I'm determined to learn to make jam this year. Should be interesting, as the raspberries tend to start to ripen in mid-August. Baby #2 is due in later August. :-D I guess we'll see!

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  22. I want to enter to win some noms!

    Looks absolutely delicious! My future mother in law does cool stuff like that--making homemade salsa, yogurt and even beef jerky--but it just looks like so much work. I'll just live vicariously through her...and your blog, of course!

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  23. Can family enter to win awesome black raspberry goodness? If not, I would be happy with the recipe! (and/or a jar for Christmas) :o)

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  24. Thanks for the link to Food In Jars - I'm going to have to can something myself one of these days; maybe reading about it regularly will push me more in that direction. And I'm super excited that your jars magically sealed themselves - that's fantastic! Now, of course, if you wanted to send one my way... :)

    Happy Sunday!

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  25. @Paula- yes, family is allowed to enter! And this will be an EASY Christmas. Hope everyone likes toast :D

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  26. Yummy! I want to win! I grew up in SW Michigan and I miss all the peaches and blueberries.

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  27. I want jam. Please and Thank You.

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  28. I want some jam so that I can do a jam photo shoot. Oh yeah, MORE publicity for your jam.

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  29. A jam photo shoot????? Amy, you are such a hoot!

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  30. Oooooh, pick me! pick me!
    I would love to have a jam jar, and looks like you all had super fun. Jamming is such a gratifying experience, and always makes me feel very little house on the prairie-ish.

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  31. Yes! And I love that we can call it "jamming". Makes me feel cool...

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  32. We are nearly to the end of picking our wild black raspberries in our Minnesota backyard. I didn't have enough for jam, so please enter me in your give-away. I would so like to win, which could inspire me to make some jam next year, if we have enough berries for jam that is.

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