Pioneer Woman at Heart

Pears are about ready to be picked.  Hubby brought in 5 or 6 and some were hard as a rock, so we have time yet to pick them.  Thank goodness. Two of them were ripe however, so I used one to can carrot cake jam for the first time.  Using our homegrown carrots, a home grown pear, and a few purchased ingredients.  I used this recipe:  Carrot Cake Jam. It uses the same amount of sugar that most recipes online require, but a mix of white granulated and brown sugar.  I have wanted to try this recipe for years, but put it off.  We didn't get any carrots last year either.  I can't remember why, but we didn't get beets or carrots.   Anyway....

First, I have to tell you about the strawberries.  We have one plant that survived last year's monsoon, so we have zero strawberries.  Some years it's just how it goes.  We plan ted everybe aring, and we did not like them anyway (small harvest, small berries, and never enough to can jam). There is a place about 25 minutes or so from our house which sells very good strawberries.  This place is known for their strawberries.  They are huge and tasty. I called, and found out that they were selling for only for one more day, and were picking that morning, and were to start selling at 9am.

The thought of blueberries and onions peeked my curiosity.  So, in honor of my Aunt, I picked a recipe from the Country Woman magazine she sent me.  I chose "Savory Blueberry Onion Jam."   The recipe uses a lot of red onions and some blueberries.  It even uses honey. 

I made a batch of caramel apple jam yesterday.  The grocery store finally got in some organic granny smith apples.  I used organic ingredients, and my homemade vanilla.  Yum.   I apologize for the poor photo.  As fall rolls in, the lighting in the house gets worse.  Here is the recipe:

Each year we purchase 20 pounds of blueberries, and it gets us through winter and spring.  I make blueberry syrup, jam, jelly, freeze some, and bake some.  This year I am doing something new - dehydrating some.  They will be wonderful in baked goods for after school snacks and lunch packings.  I will use them in my homemade granola bars too.

I recently made a jam with cantaloupe fruit and vanilla bean.  This jam has such an interesting combination of flavors, I had to try it.  If I were to make this again, I would can it in 4 oz. jars, and give as gifts, or sell for $4.00 for the small jar.  In the end, I did not get 3 - 1/2 pints, but 2 1/2.  I followed the recipe exactly, but if you are interested, there is one on-line  -

The other day, hubby and I went in search for the person who sells his own honey in a nearby town.  We started by eating breakfast at a small diner that was still in business, and asked around.