In a Jam with C.H. Admirand!!
When Jocie McKade asked about a hobby, I immediately thought of making jam. Although not traditionally a hobby when I was growing up, none of my friends’ moms made jam. Mom was all about organic gardening, getting back to nature and natural healing. She was always ahead of her time…or was she—like me—a person out of time, feeling they were born in the wrong century?
Making jam became known as more of a hobby as the years went by, instead of a necessity as it was in Gram’s and Grandma’s day. Over the years, I’d put up jam, jelly, pickles, or relish and always felt so accomplished, but never as proud as I was the day our daughter sent a text and a picture of her first batch of jam! I felt Mom, my Grandmas and Great-Grandmas smiling down on us from Heaven that day!
My Mom remembered helping her grandmother making jam, putting up vegetables, fruits, sauces, etc. and wanted to teach my
- In our kitchen, it’d blow out the flame on our old gas stove.
- Sterilized jars need to remain hot as you’re filling them with hot jams, jellies or veggies, etc. FYI, your mason jars could crack if there is a radical change in temperature. One of the reasons, Mom taught us to inspect the jars we were about to sterilize very carefully, looking for chips, nicks, cracks or imperfections in the mason jars.
- Once filled and sitting on the counter (all lined up in a row with the afternoon sunshine streaming in the West window illuminating the fruits of your labors) you CANNOT have a draft on them. I think it has to do with the temperature change messing with the cooling down process…when you get to listen to the musical “pinging” of the jar lids as they seal. *sigh* My brother, sisters and I loved to count the number of pings we heard during dinner. Oh, and don’t do what I did one time. I touched the top of a lid that hadn’t sealed, and it pinged—but Mom wasn’t sure if it was about to seal or if it was my little pointer finger. Lesson learned.
Faves so far: Nectarine/Plum; Rhubarb; Concord Grape; Raspberry; Red Currant and Sunshine Jam to name a few.
Over the years, my part-time secretarial job, writing, and full-time mom-job mean less time to create in the kitchen (my favorite room in the house). Mom was still alive then and suggested that I put up “freezer jam.” Now why hadn’t I thought of that? I can still remember the day their new Sears freezer arrived, and she gleefully started to fill it with the bounty from the garden.
I’ve been making freezer jam (small batches since we don’t have the luxury of a Freezer…or anywhere to put one) ever since. Nothing tastes as glorious as warm-out-of-the-oven cream scone topped with freshly whipped cream and a dollop of homemade jam (any berry/fruit will do) with a hot cup of Barry’s Irish Breakfast tea while in the garden communing with the songbirds and puppies as the sun rises.
I’m hoping to get back to the water-bath canning method this year, but I’d have to clear out a section of shelves in our basement to store the jars of pickles, jams, jellies, relishes, etc. My “to do” list gets longer every day. *sigh*
If you’re interested in learning how to make jams, jellies, etc. you can rely on the same publication Mom and my Grandmas used…The Ball Blue Book…a how to for “canning.” Whenever a new version of the Ball Blue Book came out, Mom would pick it up. She gave me the 1979 version (the year I married the love of my life,) and I picked up the 1987 and 2003 versions as well.
Today, I’m going to drop off books for our darling grandsons for finishing Kindergarten and Third Grade while being home-schooled during the pandemic along with the 2003 Ball Blue Book for our daughter. IMHO, passing on traditions is another way to show the ones you love just how much you love them. Although, homemade jam on fresh-out-of-the-oven scones or bread works, too!
The latest release from C.H. Admirand
Amanda McIntyre and C.H. Admirand’s common love for home, family, tradition, and overcoming obstacles is the true inspiration for their fiction writing. In this special cookbook dedicated to gathering our families close and getting through this global pandemic together, East Coast meets the Heartland with a delicious collection to inspire making your own memories and in the process bring you a Taste of Gratitude & Joy!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Connect:
Website: http://www.chadmirand.com
Newsletter: C.H.s Newsletter
Amazon Author Page: C.H.s Amazon Author Page
Book Bub: C.H.s BookBub Page
Facebook: C.H.’s Facebook Author Page
Amazon UK: C.H.s Amazon UK Author Page
Goodreads: C.H.s Goodreads Author Page
Links to current releases:
C.H.’s 3rd book in her Sweet Small Town USA Series ~ Available in Kindle Unlimited, Amazon e-book and trade paperback and large print: