I've been picking berries with my boys all summer.  They love it for about three minutes. They stuff their bellies with their pickings, and are off playing "spies" in the blue berry bushes, or tag in the strawberry fields.  I'm picking at lightning speed before one of them gets into trouble. ( I lost 5 lbs this summer just being their mom, lol)  It's been really awesome though, filled with adventures. My boys find snakes to chase and horses to feed.  At the end of the day, when they are fast asleep, I have a little therapy jamming sesh.  It's so rewarding.  I'll share a few pics and places we love to go picking in a few posts. 

I remember my mom making jam with all kinds of berries ( strawberry and black currant was her fav).  I also remember thinking, "my gosh, that's a lot of sugar!" when she would put equal parts sugar and fruit.  So, when I started making jam years ago I thought to not use any sugar at all. Nothing, just fruit.  I didn't love that so much.  With each new batch of jam I added a little bit more sugar, until I came to a ratio I like.  I don't use pectin or any thickener in my jams, just the few drops of lemon essential oil to assist in releasing the fruits natural pectin in less time.  I don't love overcooked jam.  Grand Marnier brings out flavor in the fruit or berry as well.  I pretty much love how my jam turns out.  My favorite is black currant and huckleberry.  Huckleberry Jam on toast with a good quality grass fed better and Havarti cheese - yum - blows my mind.

So, to make jam I do

• 1/2 cup sugar to a full cup of fruit
• a few drops o lemon essential oil ( I use doterra brand)
• a table spoon or two of Grand Marnier - or a good quality rum ( gosh, saying the word "rum" makes me think of Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, "but where did the rum go?" )
• combine all the above in a pot and bring to a boil then lower the heat to low and cook for 20 min, scraping the foam on top after about 10 min into cooking
• in the mean time, sanitize glass jars in boiling water for five minutes
• .happy jamming  

I love how my little Jasper is always wanting to help me.  Here he was helping me stack the jars and play them like drums.  what a helper.

I was out with my sister and the kiddos today and wanted her to take a few pic for the blog with me and my jam.  A cute grandma saw us and was wondering where I got the jam.  I explained to her that I am a new blogger and I gifted a jar to her.  Guys, this is the best part of all the work that goes into this jamming situation - its giving it away! I dunno, makes me feel so warm inside.

Jamming makes me happy ;)