My berry picker is home from his sleepover; I can't wait for the day to cool so we can head out with long pants and sleeves to harvest the crop. This weekend we have a wedding to attend of my college roommate, so it looks like the jam making will have to wait until Monday. I like to make blackberry jam by first letting the berries juice and drip and then I add just enough pulp to make it chunky, but not excessively seedy. There's nothing better than blackberry jam on homemade bread, toasted, on a chilly fall or winter morning. Last night on a canoe ride I discovered what looked like very large blueberry bushes all along the old dike in the reservoir. I picked a branch and brought it home to key it out and found out that they are most likely huckleberries. They are quite seedy, but I plan on making a batch of jelly next week. Something else to look forward, too.
Tonight it's pancakes and scrambled eggs. And here's a household tip: Save old sport socks. Turn them inside out, so that the bumpier side is out and use them to dust, wash walls, wash the van, etc. They work great and can be tossed without guilt or washed. Windex works great for getting old sticky tape marks off painted bedroom doors, especially when used in combo with the sock.
--
