raspberry jam

We used a very simple recipe to make our jam. We didn't use pectin and only added sugar and honey. We washed and crushed all of our berries that we had collected throughout the season. Measuring out the berries we put them into our largest saucepan and matched the cups of berries with equal cups of sugar and honey (4 cups berries, 2 cups sugar, 2 cups honey as an example). Stirring rapidly as the mixture came to a boil, we watched as the mixture thickened and quickly became gelatinous. We put a dab on a plate and placed the plate in the refrigerator for a few minutes to test the jam. If the mixture gels, it's ready for canning! Canning is actually surprisingly simple and we filled quite a few jars and have been giving away our homemade jam all through the holidays. There are ways to make raspberry jam less seedy, such as running it through a sieve or food mill, but we loved our garden picked raspberries so much, we made jam with them as is. 

This was my first time making jam and it is honestly the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. There is something so fulfilling in making and canning your own foods, especially when those foods are grown in your own garden or foraged in a favorite local spot. Odin was able to help us with every step (although the collecting and end-result tasting seemed to be his favorites).

Do you make your own canned goods? What are some of your favorites? We're eager to try new things in 2014 and I would love to hear what you make or want to make!

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

picking asian pears!

I love the variety of foods we can forage on our little island. Many fruit trees, like these asian pears, are planted on properties in which the homeowners are gone for the season before the fruits are even ready.  These pears have been turned into cider and throughout the fall we'll continue to collect as trees fruit.

picking grapes

Yesterday Odin and I went alone to pick grapes and only managed to find a small handful. Today Zak, O, and I went out to Polpis to pick there and managed to find quite a bit more. I love the ability to forage on our little island and I've been finding myself very fortunate. Living on such a tiny island has its downsides, but things like this balance it out perfectly. We made the most delicious jam from all of our blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. I'm not quite sure what our plans are for the grapes, but we're pretty obsessed with jam-making currently so that may be the way we go.

To celebrate such abundance and to bring me some sort of grounding, I made a little mandala from fall leaves that I collected in Squam, the grapes we found nearby, and a couple dahlias from the garden. 

Olivia and raspberry pie

One of Odin's very good friends came over to play recently and we made the most delicious raspberry pie. Odin loves Olivia (and most other kids) and was beyond thrilled to be able to follow her around all day. For the first time, I brought a chair up to the counter for him to help with the pie and he was so excited! I have always envisioned baking with my littles when I had them and this was really a dream come true. He's pretty adorable covered in flour, am I right?

We have been letting him come up to the counter to help a lot recently. The other day, he helped with making catsup (I'll post a little tutorial soon). He loves being a part of the action, even if it means helping with dishes or cleaning up.

hello blue hubbard

So, uhh.. This beast just came out of our garden weighing in at a pound heavier than my 2T wearing 16 month old. This blue hubbard squash is a whopping 29 pounds! I'm pretty sure it could feed a small village, so we'll have to have a dinner party or something extravagant to share the wealth. Odin seemed fond of our large new friend and quickly ran to hug and kiss it (then wandered off, quickly returning just to kiss his playmate- those two are trouble!).

A Busy Week: an update

My friend from college, Hadar, visited earlier this week (which explains all the gorgeous photos lately). He left on wednesday, which was also the first day I watched the little baby Nora. I've taken on another little one to play during my "Dancey Pants Daycare." She's only three months old and ten pounds, so I'm thoroughly enjoying having Odin newborn flashbacks (he was born ten pounds). I'll be watching her Monday through Wednesday, which will be exciting but also stressful. I'm trying to save up all the cash we can so that I can travel this winter without worry. I thought for sure that agreeing to watch such a little babe would calm me ridiculously strong baby urges, but no. I've only watched her twice and if anything my "I-want-a-baby" feelings have been amplified. Oops! We'll see how watching a newborn and two toddlers goes, I'm a little nervous honestly!

Odin's starting to become particularly exuberant, which is adorable but also terrifying. He's embracing his toddlerhood whole-heartedly. He spends his days making funny noises, kissing and hugging a tad bit too hard, and learning new tricks like walking on tip-toes and spinning in circles.

For some reason, he's also decided that this week would be the week that we switch from two naps to one, which has been a little difficult. Any advice, help, or experiences you could share would be greatly appreciated! He is tired and a little cranky at the usual time (10 am) but after nursing for about 15 minutes, will spring back up giggling and jumping around. We'll do this little dance on and off for the following two hours and he'll usually give in around noon. Oy. I really enjoyed my two two-hour naps a day...

Zak did work with the bees. They're doing a little too well! We now have 3 hives. One which is very strong, one which was the swarm that Zak so masterfully captured, and the third is an experimental hive. OH! And we adopted some baby chickens! I'm so excited about these little cuties.. I'll post better photos of them soon. Odin's very gentle with them and loves standing next to his papa when he checks on them.

I've also been cooking more, which is exciting. The idea of becoming so domestic is a little terrifying for my wild heart, but we're coming to terms with it. I made a variety of pizzas this week as well as banana crumb muffins and a new favorite- black bean, red pepper, onion, and sweet potato burritos with cilantro and lime. I thank Pinterest for that last one.

So, that's about it. A little update for you all! Again, and nap-time advice would be greatly appreciated. :)