Saturday was the first day the blackberry fields opened, and we were out first thing in the morning, since the temps were to climb in the upper 90's with a heat index in the 100's! It only took us about 30 minutes to pick a bunch, and a few for the mouth while we picked! The rest of the hot day was spent inside in the A/C making berry-related goodies. I might add that it was only $10 for all those mouth watering berries the kids are holding...
Here's Finnegan "helping" to make the jam.
Thanks to the kids playing with my camera, you get to see a picture of the happy homemaker with the finished jam! (Like the dumb headband?? Gotta keep the hair out the jam...)
Still, lots of berries left...so I made some blackberry lemonade. Kids thought this was awesome...probably because it wasn't watered down like I normally do to their store bought juice!
We also picked up some blueberries at a roadside stand on the way home, so I made blueberry muffins. This was the first time I had made them from scratch, and they were incredible. If you look up "To Die For Blueberry Muffins" on the web...that's the recipe I used, they even had a yummy crumb topping.
Finally, kids were off to bed and I thought that was a good occasion for a mommy drink - that's Blackberry Lemonade with a splash of vodka - YUM!
That brings us to today, which was pretty uneventful considering it's my birthday and Father's Day! We are minus the father, the kids are too young to really do anything for me for my birthday, and we don't live near family members, so I mowed the lawn and weeded the garden for my special day. Don't feel bad for me - I actually got ALL THE WEEDING DONE (for now) and my yard looks spectacular all freshly mowed and dog poop scooped...woohoo! The kids and I barbequed and ate dinner outside this evening and it felt so good to look at the backyard and garden and not be filled with the thoughts of drudgery! So it ended up being a great birthday after all! Tomorrow I still have plans for the garden, but for once all they are is to plant some of my flowers and sow some seeds, pleasurable stuff!! I will probably take some pics of my new container trees and what's blooming and update on that stuff for a change!
Happy Birthday!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you had a great day! Love the picture of you with the jam!
Judy
Happy Birthday! It sounds like you had a wonderful day, despite all the working. Props to the berries! I will try that next weekend, maybe, if I get my act together and buy a muffin pan before then. :D
ReplyDeleteHappy Day after Birthday Erin! Glad you had a nice day.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good thing we don't live close. I'd be makin' myself at home in your kitchen with all those yummies you made. :)
If that picture was in black and white it would make the perfect cover to a 50's cookbook (well maybe sub in some heels for the flip=flops), love it! I can't get over how reasonable those berries were, so envious of all your yummy food & beverages, I would be right behind dani- with more vodka!! And what a cool kitchen you have....looking forward to those promised pics. 8)
ReplyDeleteThought you might get a laugh out of this gem...this was an email I got this morning from my husband who's still out on the aircraft carrier:
ReplyDelete"Wow, You look hot in that apron… I was just checking out your blog sounds like your birthday wasn’t to bad after all."
I think that would be typical man-speak for "I love you and miss you"?? LOL
Erin, belated happy birthday! I don't know why your blog didn't show up on my reader until today :-(
ReplyDeleteThe berries look delicious, the kids look adorable, and yes, you look like a fifties mom in the photo, LOL!
Scooping the dog poop has to be the greatest achievement of the day. Do you hire out? I keep hoping ours, with two dogs who are full of it, will just vanish into thin air. It never happens.
I am now canning and it is all your fault, I have been in no mood to do such a thing, however, I did have a few recipes tucked aside to try....Jalapeno Strawberry Jam and Sweet Onion Preserves. Between you and EngineeredGarden (also doing jam) I just couldn't stay away from the Ball jars.
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