Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Enjoying Ancient Arts



What have I been up to? Not drawing lately! I've been finishing up the wall hanging quilt below (just hand-stitching the binding now, and I'll be done) and yesterday, making jelly and jam! I had bought raspberries at the farmer's market Saturday, and had lots that needed using up fast so I made a batch of jam. I left all the seeds and pulp in and it is fantastic! Like summer in a jar! Just for fun, I had the guys do a taste test and compare it to a store-bought raspberry jam I had in the refrigerator. No contest! We felt like throwing the store one in the trash! But winter will come, and this homemade won't last long!

I also tried out making lavender jelly from some culinary lavender I got on our trip to the lavender farms a few weeks ago. I used the recipe for mint jelly that comes in the pectin package, but I substituted 5 Tbs. of lavender heads, tied in cheesecloth, for the mint leaves, and used a little red and blue food coloring to tint it lavender. It was totally easy and tastes INCREDIBLE! Try putting a big dollop over a scoop of French vanilla ice cream - YUM! And I have lots more lavender to use, in my dried bundle.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

yumm - the rasberry looks and sounds great!!!!!!!

weirdbunny said...

Well done, loving your labels. However rassberries are so expensive, you must grow some they are so easy, then the ones that aren't quie good enough for eating you put in the jam.

Kim Carney said...

wow, you HAVE been busy. Mom is up to the same. And you all ready labeled yours. Here is what happens here ... mom makes tons of stuff and by Christmas when we start to label she has forgotten what it is, so last year we did something like "relish surprise" ;) This year, before they go into the cabinet, I am making labels!
Let's get together next week!

Anonymous said...

oh what yumminess!!!!!!! what a good hobby to pick up! and still artistic too!!!!

thank you for the kind comment (i am doing okay- sick but okay hahaha)

take care!

Anastasia said...

Looks really good!!
recipe please!!

Anonymous said...

Oh, I used to make jam, jelly and chutney too! Pre-children. My husband and I enjoyed foraging for fruit. It was fun finding clumps of wild black raspberries by roadsides or on hikes, harvesting crab apples from trees in the park: that kind of thing. (I also picked bushels of strawberries at pick your own farms, I wasn't a total scavenger!) Happy memories. Your family is so lucky! Lovely labels, too. Did you make them?