Strawberry Lime Jam ( Tutorial Tuesday stand in)

Strawberry Lime Jam
(I totally went 100% organic on this one and used no pectin as well...
it worked astonishingly well!)

4 baskets ripe strawberries-cleaned and cut up
4 cups sugar
1/3 cup lime juice
zest of one lime
1 tbsp butter

Sterilize your jars and keep hot in boiling water in your canning pot or time your dishwasher to end just before the canning part. I have to start mine about 15 minutes earlier than I start my stove. Heat your rings and lids in a pot of water and put 2 small plates in the freezer.

Place the berries in a big pot and mash them up with a potato masher or slotted spoon. Pour in all the sugar and stir. Put on medium high heat, add lime juice and zest and stir until all the sugar is dissolved . Stir often, and watch for any signs of burning. As the mixture begins to really boil put in the butter. This is optional, but it cuts out the foam, which I really like. Let boil (stirring quite often, or constantly if you are a worry wart, like me.) If you have a good thermometer, you want the jam to get to 220 degrees, but you also can check to see if it leaves a thick coating on a metal spoon when dipped in.

When it seems like it might be ready, do the plate test: take a cold plate from your freezer and dribble some juice, letting it sun down the plate. Count to 5 and then draw a line with your finger through the line of juice keeping the plate tipped up. If the lines don't reconnect, you are ready to can.
Fill a clean sterilized jar with jam, leaving a 1/4 inch gap at the top. Be sure to wipe the rim and place a lid and ring on and finger tighten the lid. Fill all your jars and then put in boiling water in the canning pot for 5 minutes. Remove with tongs and check for seal. If they don't seal quickly (1-3 minutes.. ) double check that the ring is tight and the turn upside down. Turn over after 10 minutes. If it still doesn't seal, refrigerate, and eat that one first!

Here are some more beautiful "artichokes in bloom" pics.
( click to enlarge.. it's worth it.)

I really can't imagine why all this deliciousness was allowed to turn into all this beauty, but I sure am glad I got to see it! (almost as glad as if I had gotten to eat it!)

The etsy update is coming, with lace necklaces, utili-obis, and sign language sampler kits but it has been delayed by a combination of a power outage, internets failing, and photography class homework. The Bitter Betty Industries prognosticators are guessing sometime between tomorrow night and Friday... Stay tuned to this blog for further info!

What's Happenin' Wednesday: How to fill some days off blogging.

So what do I do when not updating the world at large with my generalized craftiness?

1) Make 24 jars of ridiculously delicious organic strawberry jam. Flavor some with lime, flavor some with basil, flavor some with mint. Make labels and wrap for Christmas presents. But keep many many jars for personal consumption as well. Need the recipe?


2) Do some new landscaping. Lots and Lots of it, actually. Hardscaping is, in fact, rather hard.
3)Pull Weeds... A Lot. 100 gallons of them.
4) Keep the clothes off the bedroom floor for 8 consecutive days. And make the bed before noon.
5) Try your hand at some weak attempts at spring cleaning. Don't surrender the hope, but make only a little headway.
6) Do Mystical Artichoke Experiments; force an artichoke to bloom with no water after being cut and drying out for 3 weeks, simply by moving it to the cookbook area.


7) Embroider more sign language samplers.


8) Finish some cool jewelry.
9) Enjoy the first days of summer by torturing your sweet kid by doing "summer home schooling".
10) Make ginger lemon cookies with same kid for father's day present.
11) Ruin your husband's birthday cake. Total flop.
12) Plant drought tolerant flowers. ( I'm cheating here... I think this actually falls under the landscape listing.)
13) Make really yummy dinners from the Farm Share veggie box.
Pasta with tofu sausage, spinach, pine nuts and dried cranberries.
Grilled pineapple, shrimp and tofu salad with mint over spicy peanut noodles.
Heavenly omelette's with asparagus, scallions and smoked salmon with goat cheese and spring potatoes and carrots roasted with oregano and lemon,
and eat well but don't photograph a single one.
14) Clean off the deck. (Including putting the Christmas Tree stand away. OMG!)
15) Take 6 boxes of stuff to Goodwill.
16) Bring 3 bags of stuff back.


17) Go to the spa with a group of lady friends.
18) While you are there, drink too much before dinner and swipe a bike-surrey thing with your sister as accomplice.
19) Put it back where you found it, after a joy ride around the parking lot, because you're rowdy- not evil.
20) Get completely addicted to "Lost" on dvd.
21)Craft here and there in an attempt to decrease the stash and finally update the poor languishing etsy shop.

22)Finally finish the limoncello and decide to try a different recipe next time.
23) Feel a little guilty for not keeping up with the blog.

PS: To the sweet people who asked about the lace necklaces: They will be in my Etsy shop. Monday is my goal date.

WIP: More Tatter's Necklaces and the summer reading program

under construction

shades of white

wild flowers in the orchard

Summer is Upon Me.
And I never even finished spring cleaning.

What a summer this looks like it will be. Busy. Hot. Interesting.

I am definitely going to have to admit to myself that I need to adopt my "Summer Blogging Schedule". I will post about once a week. Twice, if I'm lucky.

But that's bound to be okay with you folks... I bet you will be busy too.

Anybody reading anything good this summer?

I have:
"The Fig Eater" by Jody Shields
"prep" by Curtis Sittenfeld
and
"Crossing to Safety" by Wallace Stegner,
as well as, all of "His Dark Materials" by Phillip Pullman.

I just finished "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. I really liked it.
I have been really obsessed with stories that are set in the depression.
This one is just resonant and brutal and a real page turner.

Come on... what's on your list?