Summer :: Day #24

I caught the canning bug last summer and have been jones-ing for fresh picked berries ever since.  This weekend I had my chance, as I pulled to the side of Highway 12 in Sebastopol and bought half a flat of red, juicy strawberries from the strawberry guy.

I unearthed the kitchen tool to hull them with...a huller?  I don't know, but I owned it and had never even used it once.  Feel like a semi-professional after my hulling duties came to an end.  Such a great little device and saved a good portion of the berry that I would have lopped off with a knife otherwise and thrown to the chickens.

I followed the standard strawberry freezer jam recipe on the Sure Jell package and was happily surprised at how super easy it was.

And while this won't keep as long as regular cooked jam (up to a month in the freezer), I plan on sharing a good majority of it and using a jar or two for the daily PB&J my kid consumes.

Strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, loganberry and raspberry.  What an amazing bounty we have here in Sonoma County.  I just bought a 10 pound bag of sugar and I'm not afraid to use it!