MAKiNG JAM

THE SONG OF THE BLACKBERRY FAIRY

By Cicely Mary Barker

My berries cluster black and thick

For rich and poor alike to pick.

I'll tear your dress, and cling, and tease,

and scratch your hands and arms and knees.

I'll stain your fingers and your face

And then I'll laugh at your disgrace.

But when the bramble-jelly's made

Your find your trouble well repaid.

Today I made my first attempt at jam making. We picked blackberries over the weekend, and at Violet's request they were turned into jam. I found a recipe for mixed-berry jam on Epicurious.

We made one jar of blackberry jelly, and one jar of blueberry blackberry jam. The mixed berry set up a little better and was my favorite. I think Violet prefers the blackberry jelly in which we strained off the seeds. We made sure to get it up to the jelling temperature (220 degrees F) as was recommended in the comments section.

We also made the Basic Bread recipe from the Tassajara Bread Book. I found out about this whole foods cookbook over at SouleMama. It is filled with lots of delicious recipes. The Basic Bread makes a wonderful loaf, perfect for slicing. For the flours, we used a mixture of Golden Buffalo Wheat, Whole Wheat, and a small bit of unbleached white flours. This was the ticket, as it made a lovely light and wholesome loaf. The Golden Buffalo Wheat was recommended by the head baker at Serenity Farms Bakery in Leslie. They sell flour by the pound. It was a very satisfying way to buy flour, and I have been very happy with the results.

They went together beautifully. Warm bread and fresh jam has to go on the list of simple luxuries.

Enjoy Your Weekend!!!