A new passion!

I have to admit I am loving making jams and preserves!! My first was cantaloupe preserves! I started them on Thursday evening and finished them on Friday night. It is a 24 hour process to make them but so worth it! Eli was the first to try them early Saturday morning on some cinnamon raisin toast and loved them. He is tough too because he is so picky. Mom dipped her finger in and didn't care for them but later tried them on some toast and like them alot and everyone else in the house loved them! I am so happy that Randy has opened my eyes to jelly making and canning. Although I am the one who pushed him into his first jelly he started with pickles and really liked the process (and the end result, of course)!

On Saturday I decided to wake up and make blueberry orange marmalade and then some peach lavender jam! I am having a blast with making all this and love being able to give a jar out to neighbors! I have so far gotten all my recipes from the bread experience blog and I want to try so many more of her recipes! They all look incredible!! I also am looking forward to making peach butter. Today though I will be roasting tomatoes from the garden and canning those!! Wow wee what an adventure!!

I be jammin!!

Well, our garden really has put out some cucumbers!!! I mean cucumbers galore!! Randy started pickling them and we were trying to figure out another way to preserve our harvest so they don't just sit there and go bad. I mean we have alot of pickles and he is still making them! Our neighbor asked about cucumber jelly. I started searching but only found one really good site with a recipe. Most people have turned up their noses, until they try it! It is awesome!! I wouldn't try it with peanut butter on a sandwich or anything but it is great with crackers and cream cheese and also would be good with a cream cheese sandwich!! We had a watermelon in the kitchen that needed to be cut and I wanted him to make watermelon jelly so he finally gave in and did. We have gotten awesome comments on that also. So now my husband pickles, and makes jellies. I want in on this whole thing. I found an interesting recipe for cantaloupe cinnamon preserves. I am now making my first batch to be canned. It is a 24 hour recipe but so far pretty easy! I am so excited!! I am also planning on trying blueberry orange marmalade. Most of what I am working with we have gotten things from the farmers market but Randy has been taking from the garden!! How fun!! I have made cucumber bread though which came from the garden. I am also planning on what do do with all these cool peppers!! I am loving our garden and living in SC where so many awesome fruits and veggies are abundant certain times of the year!!