Howdy Gals! I shared one of my older posts on Facebook the other day and it got me so excited about the summer fruit season coming up! Every year I look so forward to making my Sugar-Plum Jam! It brings me back to wonderful memories of the summer’s I spent visiting my cousins, Aunt Gen, and Uncle Al up in Northern California. Oh, the fun we had laughing and fellowshipping around the big dinner table eating the most scrumptious homecooked meals, playing hide and go seek, and picking plums at the fruit orchard. The aroma of the freshly chopped plums bubbling into jam on the stove was heavenly and the taste was even more out of this world! You can read my Plum Jam blog post HERE! If you haven’t tried making plum jam you’ve just got to!
With plum jam the secret is to pick out the plums that are red inside…the black plums with the yellow flesh, not so good. The other thing that I do is to get all the things I need to make my jam ready-to-go the day before. The canner, jars, lids, funnel, jar lifter, knife, sugar, pectin, etc. I have everything set up so all I have to do is fill the canner with water to sterilize the jars, chop the fruit and start cooking. It never fails that when I don’t get everything out ahead of time before I start a cooking project I end up frustrated while rummaging through cupboards and drawers looking for that one utensil that I need. I now try to create a delightful experience by being as prepared as I can. Music, a cute apron, a tidy kitchen and everything I need set out and ready go a long way to add grace and joy to the atmosphere!
This is the canning equipment that I use and love! You can find it here!
Also, if you’re wanting to make preserves this summer look for some jam cookbooks for recipes of course but also so that you can study to get familiar with the jam canning process. You can find some delightful canning cookbooks here! Another resource is to search on YouTube for jam making videos! I’m a visual learner so those videos are invaluable!
In my blog post about making plum jam I also talk about vintage homemaking. Simple things you can do to bring the charm and goodness of old-fashioned ways into your life and home. In a world that’s become so wild and crazy, we need to make our homes a safe, loving, and joyful place for our families! If you’d like to read all about it click here!
I’d love for you to leave a comment below and tell me what you plan on canning this summer! Or if you’d like to try your hand at making homemade jam! This week I’m going to make strawberry jam!
God bless you, dear sisters, as you keep the home fires burning!
Bless your family…make home sweet!
Aunt Ruthie
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