Last week a sister in our ward posted that she had apricots on her tree that she would not be using. I jumped on that opportunity and made Justin load up and go pick apricots with me. It was a good thing I brought him because it was the biggest apricot tree I've ever seen. He climbed on the roof and got most of them. I had to stand up high on the ladder to be able to just reach the very lowest branches hanging down. Matthew was bummed that he didn't get to help do any picking, but we did let him climb up on the ladder and grab a couple. I got 3 grocery sacks full, thinking that was a decent amount without going over the top. Boy am I glad I didn't take any more than that! On Saturday I finally tackled the job of preserving all those apricots. And I would like to add that I did it without Justin home all day. Which, if you knew how clingy Landon was to me, you would appreciate this feat. It was a long day of canning and my body was sore and tired from standing and stirring all day, but it was worth it. I ended up with 30 jars of jam!!, some freezer and some cooked, one oven full of dried apricots, which all fit into a quart jar when finished and took oh...about 14 hours to dry, and two large bags of apricots that I pitted and froze to use in smoothies or ice cream. I think we are set in the apricot division for a while!
Canning things is something that makes me happy and I feel so good about life when I do it. There is something genuinely wholesome about canning food; and it brings out my inner Little House on the Prairie. The apricots were such a beautiful color that I just couldn't help but take a few pictures:
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| Zoom in so you can't see the sink, and blow that picture up, and I think its worthy of hanging up in the kitchen. I warned you that canning brought out my weird sentimental side. This beautiful sink full of apricots just speaks goodness to my soul. |
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| The picture doesn't quite do it justice, but can you get a sense of the beautiful orange color? |
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| These didn't turn out as great as I wanted, but they are edible and don't taste bad so I can't count them as a failure. |
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| These will be yummy someday down the road |
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| The cooked jam |
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| The freezer jam |
Delicious!
2 comments:
Wow! You are a domestic goddess Carissa! The love you have for your family shines through in all of your posts, but especially this one! I've always been so amazed by the canning skills in the Jones family. I have never attempted the feat myself - or even seen someone else do it. But maybe someday when we live closer I could help you and soak in some of that goodness myself :) It looks wonderful! P.s. why not blow up that gorgeous picture and put it in your kitchen? It goes along with your darling chicken coop doors perfectly! I'm all about decorating our homes with meaning :)
Enjoying the simple things in life ensures you will never be sad, bored, or unfulfilled! Carry on little girl, carry on!
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