Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam ~ Dandelion and Pumpkin Seed Pesto

In 2016 I missed out on getting any strawberries put into the freezer.  Zero.  In 2015, I put up a lot, so we were lucky to have enough for 2 years.  

We are down to the last 3 bags of frozen strawberries and I wanted to use them up before this new season starts.  

I decided to make strawberry-rhubarb jam next.  We also did the taste test on this the same night.  We eat a lot of peanut butter and jelly/jam over summer (when I have zero time to cook).

Now I can't decide on which to gift for Christmas.  Hm.  

We grilled out again.  It was a bit chilly, but the sun was out all day and it got up to 60°F.  I also made dandelion and pumpkin seed pesto pasta dish so the vegetarians had something.  Truthfully, I wanted to taste the pesto myself. 

You can find the recipe here online.  I used 3 somewhat smallish cloves of garlic, so next time I'll be sure to add a bit more.  It was very good!!  The dandelions were not bitter.   A hunger/crowd pleaser for sure.  You could use any pasta or any other dish for the pesto.  I had a box of organic spaghetti noodles that worked perfectly.

It's raining again today.  It'll be a crock pot dinner, so I can attack my rainy day to-do list with gusto.  I need a clean house for a graduation party next month, and I am way behind in getting those dust bunnies to disappear. 

Then again, I need to restock my freezer with homemade noodles too.  Hm.  Tough decision.  Most likely "dust bunnies" will win today.

Rhubarb Ginger Jam

We have waited 3 long years to finally get a good harvest of our rhubarb.  I have made a BBQ rhubarb sauce in the past (and loved it), so I am taste testing a new jam recipe - Rhubarb Ginger Jam.

 I originally found the recipe in this cookbook....

...but it calls for "calcium water" and only a few specialty stores sell that specific pectin.    I just googled the same recipe online and found one that didn't call for calcium water.