Ramsey Jamsey Strawberry Jam

This year we got a nice big harvest of beautiful, sweet strawberries.  After a few years of having a so-so strawberry patch, this year we are in full bloom.  And pretty early in the season too.  That means time for another batch of my famous Ramsey Jamsey Strawberry Jam.  

Ramsey Jamsey Ingredients:

2 Cups Strawberries Hulled and cut in half
1 1/2-2 Cups Sugar (depending on the sweetness of the berry)
1 Large Lemon Zested and Juiced
Canning Jars

I only had 1/2 of a lemon so I used that plus one lime.  Just as delicious!

In small pot combine sugar, zest and juice and cook over very low heat until all sugar is dissolved.  About 10 minutes.

You can see all the zest!

Next, add the strawberries and continue cooking over very low heat until the strawberries release some of their juices.  You can use a potato masher to speed it up a little.  It will cook this way about 20 minutes. 

Once the jam reaches a slow boil, you can test it to make sure it is ready. The jam should gel as soon as you place it on a very cold plate.  You can place the plate in the freezer until ready to use for this test.  If the jam gels up rather quickly, you are all done!  Pour jam into clean glass jars and store in the fridge.  If you are not going to use the jam right away, you will have to follow the proper canning guidelines such as heat sterlizing the jars and putting them in a hot water bath to seal the top before storing. But if it is just for your personal use, you can skip that step.  This recipe make a small batch of jam so it is manageable to be able to use what you have in your very own garden.

Ramsey Jamsey

Next time, I think I will add a vanilla bean to the boiling pot of jam.  Or some rhubarb for an even sweeter jam.  I like to shmear mine on toast with cinnamon or on a cracker as a mid-afternoon pick-me up.  Enjoy!

PS.  Ramsey Jamsey is named after my Maine Coon Kitty Ramsey

Ramsey Boy

Spring Has Sprung

Spring has finally sprung and so has our asparagus!! Asparagus takes 3 years before it can be harvested and eaten. We are finally on our 3rd year and the asparagus is delicious. We can just pick them off and eat them raw. It is that good.

Asparagus is low in calories and is very low in sodium. It is a good source of vitamin B6,  calcium, magnesium and zinc, and a very good source of dietary fiber, protein, vitamins A, C, E, & K, folic acid, iron, phosphorus, potassium, copper, manganese and selenium.  So the health benefits are fantastic as well as the taste.

I prefer mine roasted or steamed but it is also great on the grill to give that nice smoky charred flavor.  Of course you can always wrap bacon around it for a real treat but let's try to keep this healthy!  

Here is a recipe to enjoy your healthy, fresh harvest.

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Marinade

Ingredients

1 or 2 bunches of Asparagus                             1 teaspoon garlic salt

nonstick spray                                                    1/2 teaspoon rosemary

salt and pepper, to taste                                  1/2 teaspoon marjoram

1/4 cup lemon juice                                            1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/4 cup olive oil                                                 1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Lay asparagus out on a lightly oiled cookie sheet or line cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper, to taste. Place in oven.

2. While the asparagus is cooking, start on the marinade. Put the oil, lemon juice, thyme, marjoram, poppy seeds, rosemary, and garlic salt in a small blender or food processor and let blend for several seconds until it looks creamy.

3. When asparagus is done, put on a serving dish and pour marinade across.
 

Cooking time: 8-10 minutes  

The marinade on this one is a homerun and is also great on chicken.

Bon Appétit!

Fighting the Good Fight

Have you ever wondered about how fresh and nutritious your food really is?  Have you ever asked yourself how the green pepper in the supermarket got soo big?  

Well the answer is to become more self-sufficient.  Start a vegetable garden in your yard, raise chicken hens for fresh organic eggs, raise honey bees for pure natural honey.  Check your town's zoning and laws regarding this first and then go for it.  Gardening is very rewarding and a huge money saver also.  Growing your own vegetables is wonderful.  Going out to your yard every day to pick dinner for your family is a great feeling.  You don't need alot of space. All you need is the sun.  If you could have flowers or bushes in your front yard, why not a beautiful vegetable garden if that is where the sun hits your yard the most?  Live in a condo or townhome?  No problem.  Build a square foot garden box that you can have out on your patio or deck.

Raise Chicken Hens for fresh organic eggs.  Every morning you will get delicious, fresh, organic, pesticide free eggs.  Nothing packs as much protein ounce of ounce as an egg.  

A friend of mine recently mentioned to me that eggs in the supermarket come from egg manufacturers but, isn't an egg manufacturer a chicken?!?!?

Let's all start focusing on where our food comes from. Buy from local markets or farms.  Make a difference.  Change the laws if there are restrictions.  Fight the fight.  Isn't your health worth it?

  
Please read the following article:  http://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen/139201039_Chickens_and_the_law.html


For more information on raising hens in your yard visit:  http://www.woodlotfarms.com/Raising_Chicken_Hens.html


For more information on gardening, visit:  http://www.woodlotfarms.com/Square_Foot_Garden.html

Fun Winter Hobby

With the long, cold winter coming, it is time for a new hobby.  My wonderful cousin had asked me if I wanted to learn how to Crochet.  I thought, what better hobby for the winter?  I pictured my grandmother sitting in front of the TV crocheting  us all beautiful afghans and warm cozy socks.  I pictured myself sitting in front of my fireplace crocheting my little heart out and I was hooked, no pun intended.  I thought I could make matching hats & scarves for everyone because you can never have too many. 

The main difference between Crocheting & Knitting is the use of one hook in Crocheting vs. two needles in Knitting.  Most patterns will give you directions for both methods so you can virtually make the same things.  I prefer Crocheting over Knitting.  The two needles threw me off.  You just have to test for yourself which you are more comfortable with.  You may be able to grasp both and then you are limitless to the products you can make!

Another obstacle I had to overcome was the fact that I am a lefty and my teacher (said cousin) is a righty.  However, being lefty in a righty's world, there are many obstacles we have to overcome, (my lefty readers know what I'm talking about).  

The easiest way to learn is to look in the mirror while the teacher demonstrates the stitches.  I decided to learn righty and then I could just reverse it once I understood the whole concept. It actually wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be to hold the hook in my right hand so I decided to just stick to it as a righty!

For my first project I chose to make a simple wool hat and scarf for myself.  It was surprisingly fast once I got the pattern down and was very relaxing too.  There are many tutorials on You Tube if you ever get stuck with how to learn a new stitch or how to finish off your project or how to incorporate your second scane once you run out of the first one.  It is very helpful. The patterns you find will also tell you the type of yarn to get and the hook you will need.  Also helpful for a beginner.  

I had so much fun with this project, that I went to the library for inspiration to expand into other things like dish towels, pillows, and shawls. I now have a basket full of yarn, a folder full of patterns and tote full of hooks.  

I just know this winter will fly by. 



 

 

All Day Apple Butter

Every year, my husband & I go apple picking and every year I try to make something new with our harvest.  This year was Apple Butter.  I wasn't entirely clear on what apple butter was or what I would use it for but I figured I would give a try anyway.  Recently all the magazines and online recipe sites I frequent were all showing their take on this since it is apple season.

The recipe I used called for 5 1/2 lbs of apples, no problem since we probably had 3 times more than that from our excursion.

 

The hard part is next.  You have to peel, core and finely chop all those apples.  You can use a food processor for the chopping but of course, I couldn't find my slicing blade, so I did it all by hand. 

Once that is all done, place all the apples in a slow cooker along with:

2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 cups white sugar

I know it sounds like a lot of sugar, but, you can cut it depending on the sweetness of the apples.  The first time I made this, I only used 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup of brown sugar.  Since my apples were fresh off the trees I didn't think I would need to add too much to them.  To my surprise, I actually missed the sweetness.  It needed more!  The second time I made this I used 2 cups white sugar and 1 1/4 cups brown sugar and it was much better.  So you will have to just go with your gut on this one!

Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for one hour.

Reduce the heat to low and cook 9 to 11 hours, stirring occasionally until the mixture is thickened and dark.  I never really let mine go this entire time.  I just kept stirring it and when I felt it was the consistency I wanted, I lowered the heat and let it go that last hour.

Uncover and continue cooking on low for 1 hour.  Stir with a whisk, if desired, to increase smoothness.

Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate or freeze.

  

I jarred mine and froze it to use as homemade Christmas Gifts for my loved ones.  They make excellent gifts and are much more personal than a store bought something or a gift card.  All the time, effort and love (sweat and tears, if I'm being honest),  that went into making this will surely come through when your loved ones open that delicious jar and shmear it on their morning toast.

Oh for those of you, like me, who were wondering what Apple Butter is, it is not butter at all!  It is really like an apple jam.  It tastes like Apple Pie in a jar so it is delicious on toast for breakfast or on a cracker for a midday snack.

And for those of you who feel like this may be too much work for you or you don't have a slow cooker or the time, just make apple pie!

Very Cute Handmade Wristlets

After recently finishing my first Bohemain Style Skirt, (read about it here), I was so proud of myself, I couldn't wait to make my next creation.  

As a beginner sewer, I am always looking for new fun projects that I can try to do and keep the creativity flowing.  A few google clicks later and I found this great Wristlet Tutorial and just knew this was the project for me!  Plus I thought what a great handmade Christmas gift that I can give to every woman on my list, including myself!  Handmade is a major WOW factor.  You can find the tutorial I used here.

My first thought after seeing how small the sizes were was "hmm, is everything I need going to even fit in there?"  You will notice on my finished version that I am able to fit my cell phone, my wallet, my camera (not in example because how else would I get the shot?, LOL) and a lipstick. So I knew it would be just perfect!

I think you'll find the tutorial very easy to follow if you are up for the challenge.  Of course I have a few tips to share, I think will be helpful.

Tip #1:  Do not be discouraged with this project just because there is a zipper.  I know alot of people are zipper-phobic but don't be.  On this project you attach the zipper to the lining first so it is much easier to work around.  A lot of problems I always had with zippers was trying to add it on and getting it to lay perfectly after I had already made all my seams.  So this way makes much more sense to me.

Tip #2: Regarding the strap.  You'll want to double enforce it so it is nice and strong.  After all your hard work it would be a shame if it broke the first time you used the purse. And don't forget once you fill the wristlet with all your necessities, it  is going to be heavier so you really want to make the strap strong.  I folded both sides in about 1/8 inch, ironed it so I got a nice straight line and then sewed down each side, then I folded it in half and sewed the edges together.  This also gives you a clean line on the strap instead of a rough edge.

Tip #3:  When it is time to turn the lining inside out, it can be frustrating.  The 2 inch opening you left seems like a very small opening.  But take your time, go easy.  You may need to put it down and try again later.  Don't give up.  You'll get there.

Once you are all done, you may want to iron it.  Mine was all wrinkly from working with it so much.  And that's it.  You are all done!  How does it look?  I would love to see your creations so send me your photos or questions.

And remember, "Make it Work!"