It's Berry Time!

Our Local Arlington Berry Farm!

The Strawberries were late, too much rain & not enough sun - but the Raspberries were about on-time & we decided to go get some!  I love making jam, it comes from the summers in IA helping my Grandmother.  Peeling, cooking, stirring & those incredible smells!  All part of the memories she made with me.  

We were surprised to find one half flat of Tayberries!  They were a little pricy - but we LOVE them & are determined to find a bush & plant it this fall!   The Raspberries look fantastic!  Huge, bright colored & really tasty!  We came home with both.

Tayberries - darker in color & larger

Raspberries - a brighter red & a little smaller

 Next, making jam!  I've moved away from sugar in the last year, at least as much as I can without feeling too deprived.  I started using & really enjoying Agave Nectar.  More expensive than sugar, you use less & get a lot of flavor!  Cup for cup - roughly the same as honey - about 1/2 what you would use in sugar.

Two great products

 I'd been doing some reading regarding pectin products & decided to look for Pomona's.  I found it at the Arlington Health Food Store.  Some of the low-sugar recipes, or those using Agave in place of artificial sweeteners etc., also mentioned using the all natural pectin.  I'm not making it to sell, just enjoy - so decided to work with all new ingredients.

Finished products - Raspberry on the left, Tayberry on the right~

 I ended up with a batch of each, both tasted very fresh & seemed to have just enough sweetness, without overpowering the taste of the fruit.  Fancy lids will make nice gifts for the girls at Christmas :-)