Sweet, Sweet Summer

I wish computers had scentavision in them. I love strawberry picking. There is nothing like walking into a strawberry patch on a warm summer day. The smell is heavenly. You crouch down and spy a bright red spot among the green leaves. Your hand touches that strawberry warm and ripe from the sun. Undoubtedly one of my favorite summer activities. (I picked 16 1/2 lbs yesterday!)

Some of my strawberries had an accident and got a little bruised!

But some were JUST perfect....

Making jam is another favorite. It's one of those things my mom did every summer and I finally let her teach me. It took several summers before I felt comfortable enough to do it without her standing 10 feet away for questions or help when things starting boiling and jars needed to be filled! It's so sweet and delicious when you have a little leftover in the pan and you can have WARM on toast.

Mixing the jam. You can only use a wooden spoon.

The jars sit on the window sill and get tipped over every 10 minutes until the tops "POP."

Ready to be labeled!

Now I have lots of thank you gifts, Christmas gifts, and "just because" gifts on hand. They just need labels and they'll last until next strawberry season.