This time it started when our neighbor invited us to pick cherries. 8 colanders full of cherries to be exact.
So of course I made cherry preserves. About 8 pints, sweetened with 3/4 cup of honey per batch rather than 3 1/2 cups of sugar. After doing the math I realized that following the traditional jam recipe would result in just shy of a cup of sugar per pint of jam (which equals half pint of sugar per pint of jam). Thank goodness for no-sugar needed pectin.
We had nothing to put the cherry preserves on besides spoons, so I made a few loaves of bread. One loaf didn't turn out quite right, so it became overnight french toast, with cherry preserves.
Not to be left out, the ants staged an invasion in hopes of a little toast and jam, and I staged a little chemical warfare. Should you run out of the cardboard Terro bulls eyes, these plastic bread things work great.
Between boiling batches of jam and baking batches of bread, I also tried a few new summer salad recipes, which I'll share after some fine tuning. Turns out George loves garbanzo beans; who knew?
A few other non-domestic news items from mollyland:
I'm reading my first Stephen King book, On Writing, and loving it; not scary at all. I might just spend the rest of my days reading books of an autobiographical nature.
I got a little excited after reading this article. Little Miss Avery wants them both to win, because her skin is dark and she is a woman. Goes to prove the importance of being able to relate to those who seek to lead us.
Apparently my friends are quite hip but not very original. We're going to shoot hoops this evening at the local school playground.
One final warning: If you happen to come across an heirloom tomato that looks like a watermelon, it tastes nothing like a watermelon.
Hope your weekend is filled with tasty treats.
Oh yum! You mean I can do something with cherries besides eat them until I make myself sick? What a concept! ;)
ReplyDeleteYou've inspired me. Can you share the hone jam recipe?
ReplyDeleteAnd when I say hone I mean honey!
ReplyDeleteHippness is a collective consciousness thing. All hip, no originality.
ReplyDeleteSure had fun at b-ball with you (and the bike ride that followed).
ahh domestic bliss! I have been in the same boat these past few days.
ReplyDeleteToday, though, I have been busy making cakes and 2 kinds of potato salads and cutting up fruit and veggies for my Oldest's sixth birthday party tomorrow. I am trying to avoid doing any cooking so I can stay off my feet and enjoy the party, too!
Our cherries aren't ripe yet, and am looking forward to when they are! A local orchard less than 5 miles from us is just about ready to open the gates for PYO!
Love the sour face!! :o)
I wonder, with the low sugar content, how will they stay preserved? I thought it was the acids from the sugar that keep it from molding. I would hate to see that delicious ambrosia go to waste. You can always freeze it, if need be.
ReplyDeleteI hope this doesn't sound like a know-it-all kind of comment.
mmmmmm! I'll be right over!
ReplyDeleteThose cherries look heavenly! I finally broke down and bought a cherry/olive pitter this year. We get lots of local cherries from the farms in our area...yum! Enjoy your goodies!
ReplyDeleteI'm a little jealous of the cherries. I planted four dwarf cherries this year, and I'm hoping, someday, I'll have to harvest 8 colanders worth. That would be very cool :).
ReplyDeleteThe S. King book you're reading is really great. I loved it. And I second the autobiographical/non-fiction as being a great genre. I've been in my non-fiction phase for a while now, and I have to say that I'm really enjoying exploring the incredible diversity of interesting books. Truth is stranger than fiction - and even much more interesting :).
welcome back. domesticity rules. it looks like your break had engendered a lot of creativity and joy. i am not using capitals today. and you should proudly call yourself molly, not martha, cuz really, i doubt that woman cans anything these days. in fact, to me, you're kind of a counter-martha, in the best way possible. inspiring and resourceful without being at all big-budgeted and causing want for intangibles i can never afford. oh stop now amy! i think i missed you.
ReplyDeleteYour preserves look amazing, Molly! One day I may try preserving something myself, for now...I'll admire your efforts!!
ReplyDeleteYour cherry preserves look so yummy! There's nothing like fresh bread and warm preserves!
ReplyDeletelove your new banner - and had a refreshing giggle when I saw that your kitchen counter looks just like mine.
ReplyDeleteComment about the post concerned with low sugar...you can preserve cherries with just hot water or a light sugar syrup in your hot water canner so these should be fine as long as they processed long enough. I've been experimenting for a few years with our cherry trees with various recipes and never had them mold. I'm curious about the honey recipe too. I've just used scaled back sugar in mine.
ReplyDeleteI love Stephen King, both the fiction and nonfiction. I've read them all. :) I loved On Writing, he has a nice writing style for nonfiction.
ReplyDeleteOK I'm going to find cherries and make jam, that looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteI ran across an odd sounding but delicious recipe for a summer salad - I made it for a group and it was a huge hit. Cut chunks of watermelon, put in a wide bowl, layer with very, very thin slices of red onion (yes, red onion). Then sprinkle Feta cheese over the onions (yes, Feta cheese :-)), then layer more onions. It was incredible, if you like all 3 ingredients, of course. For easier eating, I'd probably cut the onion slices into quarters next time.