Strawberry weekend

This weekend will forever be marked as the strawberry weekend! Since Friday morning our house has smelled like strawberries and even now the sweet smell lingers.

Ever since I was a little girl I have loved picking and canning or freezing fresh fruit and veggies! And...I've always dreamed of doing it for my very own family...and that's exactly what I've been doing :)

On Friday morning we picked close to 60 pounds of organic strawberries. We are so blessed that our fruit season this year started early due to a very wet spring! Lucas washed the first box and we sorted them.

I had 3 grades. Eating (the almost ripe ones or, firm ones). Freezing (the ones that were perfectly ripe leaning to over-ripe) - they will go in smoothies or other yummy things throughout the year. Canning (the overripe and mushy ones) - they were for Strawberry Jam. I dreamed of a million things that I can make or can, but I'm trying not to bite off more than I can chew in the canning and freezing department my 1st year of marriage. (Pun intended).

So, in just about 12 hours time 60 pounds of strawberries were converted, with the amazing help of my dear husband and Mother in law, to 9 bags of frozen and vacuum packed berries, 23 pints of strawberry jam, and about 3 gallons of fresh eating berries.

This is the first time I've ever made strawberry jam, or actually jam of any sort.

Next on my list is apricots and cherries. And...I'm also very much looking forward to some fresh veggies soon.