Smug

I'm feeling pretty smug. You see, in the event that I am snowed in for weeks on end this winter (they are apparently predicting a very snowy winter) I will have packed away provisions. Mostly in the form of jam.

Elderberry jam made using this recipe, only quartered, because that was all the berries I had. It made just one jar of jam, which I didn't even bother to can. Elderberries (at least in this form, which is the only way I've had them) have a very dark flavor. I bought them on a whim from the farmer's market this week, never having had them before and set about finding out what to do with them. It turns out, people pretty much make only three things: pie, jam, and wine. So, jam it was.

And then yesterday I went raspberry picking with a friend. It was a cool, foggy morning, and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The berries practically fell off the bushes into our jugs. Seven quarts later (seven! quarts!) I had a little raspberry processing factory going in my place last night. Two and a half quarts made 8 jars of jam, one quart is in the fridge for snacking, two and a half more are frozen, and the last quart made Raspberry Custard Kuchen. So good. I made it with skim milk instead of cream, and it worked just fine.

Smug, smug, smug. I think I feel Christmas presents coming on, because I don't think I can stop jamming and canning!