Strawberry Summer

Today, on the first day of summer, I took the kids berry picking. The strawberry fields opened for business yesterday, and let me tell you, there is NOTHING like a freshly picked berry, in all its juicy glory. Mmmmm....

The CTV happened to be filming when we got there, and wee Miss (along with Jakob's "girlfriend") were featured in a spot about summer, for the evening news! That was really exciting.

Sorry about the quality, I only had my phone on me!

I have been working non-stop since we got home, washing, hulling, crushing, chopping, cooking, canning, baking, and freezing.

Today, we made:

 Freezer Jam: No real recipe needed, other than the one on the back of the pectin pack! Sugar, this stuff, and crushed strawberries. The recipe gave exactly enough to fill all five (5) of the freezer jam jars that I picked up on sale at Save-on Foods.

The tiny berries are the tastiest!

This is the pectin I used for the jam, found it in the canning aisle.

The recipe made 5-250ml containers. I gave one to my neighbour :)

Mini Strawberry-Rhubarb Pies:  Ah, Pinterest. Thank you, for bringing amazing recipes into my life. This recipe hails from Not So Humble Pie. What a great idea - mini pies! Not just little, but mini. Absolutely perfect for a tiny dessert. I didn't have lemon, so I substituted in some lime. We don't have any Grand Marnier, so I just used orange juice. Oh, and as the strawberry and rhubarb was cooking, it smelled so good, I decided to add a tablespoon of vanilla bean paste. They are so, so very delicious.

Two-Bite Pies!

Finally a reason to use my mini muffin papers!

Strawberry Popsicles: In making the mini pies, I was left over with a substantial quantity of "syrup". I was going to throw it down the drain, but then I remembered the popsicle molds I bought a while back. I added some crushed strawberries, the syrup, and popped them into the freezer. I'm sure they will be great on a hot summer's day!
**Updated to add: They're awesome. Jakob came home from a fun time at school, and asked for one. We both had one, and they're great! The orange juice goes so well with the strawberries! I'm glad I omitted the booze in the pies!

These remind me of my childhood- we always had homemade popsicles.

Strawberry Chipotle Jam: Let me preface this experience, by telling you that I have never, ever canned ANYTHING before. Canning scares the bejeezus out of me, but I saw this recipe at Cookin' Up Good Times, and it was all I could do not to try it! Oh my word, you have, HAVE to try this recipe. It's the most amazing taste experience. It's sweet, and just as the sweet passes, it finishes with a fiery kick. It is incredible! I intend to pick up a pork roast, throw this in with it in my slow cooker, and have a delicious feast come dinner time.

Found in the Mexican section, I plan to make Chipotle mayo with the leftovers!

The hardest part - the water bath...

I have 8 cans of this amazing stuff!