Popping lids is my jam.
I would like to say that I completely made up this phrase myself because I am infinitely clever and witty however I stole it from a friend of mine. She posted the phrase after I posted a braggy post on Facebook showcasing the fruits of my labour on the weekend: a beautiful double batch of strawberry rhubarb binger jam.
It is marvelous and I almost wrecked it due to a large amount of overconfidence by thinking that I do not have to follow a recipe. As it turns out, I probably should just pick a recipe instead of winging it and it might cause me less stress next year. What will likely happen next year is that I will blithely ignore all my previous warnings and go ahead and do what I want, because I am a grown woman and I can overcook my jam if I want to.
Somewhere along the way as I am approaching middle-age (vomit), I have developed an incredible fondness for preserving food. In the event of a jam shortage, my family is good.
And no, I'm not going to share.
I also have forty pounds of peaches, forty pounds of pears as well as a solid, five pounds of assorted pickled hot peppers which I will never touch because I have the palette of a three-year-old child.
It's back to school time for everyone including kindergarten for my daughter.It is an unsettling and empty feeling when your youngest child starts school. Particular when said child (or parents) is not happy about extended gradual entry. For an entire week, the wee children go to school for an hour a day. Then on the following week, the time gradually increased to two, then two and a half hours, then a half day and then, finally, on week three of school, we are in full-day kindergarten. Which is six hours a day. That is still two hours less than she was used to spending when she was in day care. I would love to have the opportunity to be a stay-at-home parent but it is not in the cards for me right now, nor is it an option for many (most) parents these days.
How do non-stay-at-home parents manage these schedules? It is a nightmare. I am extremely happy with my children's school and I am very excited and sad and all the feelings about my youngest being in school. They are growing up so quickly.
If only I could seal them up in a jam jar and keep them from aging, and maybe, also, myself. Happy harvesting and preserving season everyone.
May your lids always seal, your jars stay whole and your pantry remain full of delicious goodness to last you through the long winter.
