The girls have been helping me with jam and canning the last couple of years, but this was the first year where I really stepped back and just kept an eye on things. Which meant I got to take pictures of the process.
I follow the instructions from Bernardin, the Canadian answer to the Ball Company. I use regular pectin and white sugar. I know, I know. But remember that I’m fulfilling two purposes today – I’m stocking my larder with homemade jam for the winter, but I’m also training my girls to be able to this themselves, someday for their own larders. I want guaranteed success at this stage, not the up and down results of experimentation. And some of what they learned today made them ask questions about the ingredients. Hands on is the best way to learn.
Washed berries
taking turns mashing the berries
Really, they love each other
Wow Mum, there’s a lot of sugar in jam! Yup…
Rolling boil for a full minute, are you serious?
Does finger tight mean your fingers or mine?
Science at work, creating a vacuum
10 jars of jam, 1 didn’t seal, guess we’ll just have to eat it!
Sailors Small Farm 