In Michigan, one of the surest signs of summer is the arrival of fresh Michigan strawberries at the local farmers' markets. This year, we decided to take it a step further and go pick our own berries and make a freezer-full of jam. So, this morning, we welcomed the first official day of summer by heading to the strawberry patch. I have memories of going to the patch with my Mom and siblings growing up, and I looked forward to sharing this simple pleasure with my own kids.
Kennedy loved picking and was a hard worker the whole time. She was a real helper and kept saying how much fun she was having. Hayden, on the other hand, was sick of it after 10 minutes. He spent most of his time doing two things.....laying down in the grass......
.....and eating what we picked........his face was all red and drippy by the time we left. And his nose was the cutest shade of strawberry red! In all, we picked 36 pounds of strawberries in about 2 hours. It really was an enjoyable time chatting with those around us and telling stories. It was fun to see young and old, a mom with a young baby in a sling, elderly couples and lots of families picking together. It just seemed so good and so natural and so green...it felt good to be doing something good and healthy for my family by providing them with yummy fruit and jam made from local ingredients.
After we arrived home, the real fun began. Cleaning the strawberries is always the most boring part, so I quickly worked on getting that out of the way. Then, the kids and I worked together to make and jar the delicious jam. Kennedy even made some very cute little fruit labels to put on the jars.
And it feels like such a sense of accomplishment to have over 40 jars of jam on my counter. We will be able to enjoy this for the next year until next summer, when we plan to do it again. Kennedy and I decided that this needs to be an annual family event and that we need to get Matt more involved next year.
And what better bedtime snack could there be than fresh, hot-from-the-oven bread topped with peanut butter and fresh strawberry jam....YUM!
Kennedy loved picking and was a hard worker the whole time. She was a real helper and kept saying how much fun she was having. Hayden, on the other hand, was sick of it after 10 minutes. He spent most of his time doing two things.....laying down in the grass......
.....and eating what we picked........his face was all red and drippy by the time we left. And his nose was the cutest shade of strawberry red! In all, we picked 36 pounds of strawberries in about 2 hours. It really was an enjoyable time chatting with those around us and telling stories. It was fun to see young and old, a mom with a young baby in a sling, elderly couples and lots of families picking together. It just seemed so good and so natural and so green...it felt good to be doing something good and healthy for my family by providing them with yummy fruit and jam made from local ingredients.
After we arrived home, the real fun began. Cleaning the strawberries is always the most boring part, so I quickly worked on getting that out of the way. Then, the kids and I worked together to make and jar the delicious jam. Kennedy even made some very cute little fruit labels to put on the jars.
And it feels like such a sense of accomplishment to have over 40 jars of jam on my counter. We will be able to enjoy this for the next year until next summer, when we plan to do it again. Kennedy and I decided that this needs to be an annual family event and that we need to get Matt more involved next year. 
And what better bedtime snack could there be than fresh, hot-from-the-oven bread topped with peanut butter and fresh strawberry jam....YUM!
5 comments:
What a great tradition to start! It's nice that Kennedy thinks it's fun because I know that I sometimes really hated having to pick and clean berries growing up. It was fun when we picked wild ones, made jam, and sold it from our front porch for spending money. But once we had to go to the farms and pay for it, it wasn't the same. That bread and jam sure looks yummy too!
One of my most favorite things to do is pick strawberries in the summer! Seeing your beautiful strawberries makes me sad we didn't make it out this year. Daniel did the same thing last year, he made it about 5 mins and then-ran around/laid in the field and talked to other people. Gotta love little boys!!!
I will be around all week, so I'll email you my number and hopefully we can catch up!
That looks like so much fun! I love hearing about what a little helper girl Kennedy is. She must be so much fun to be around (lucky you). Love that Hayden found his own way to enjoy the day too:)
Yum! Looks like so much fun and I have now added that to our list (we have neglected berry picking since we've been up here). I'm with Hayden today though. I would love to just lay there and soak it all in!! And, btw, beautiful photos!!
Tis' the season! I'm doing jam on Wednesday with a friend. I usually make a years worth at one time and blow the whole day. You are better than I. I depend on the farmer's market for the strawberries.
Talked with Jen K yesterday about your fun VBS expereinces your kids are having. We both agreed - we miss you. :)
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