In years past the girls and I, together with my mom, sister, and nieces, have picked strawberries and then spent the day making jam and canning it. This June we were able to pick berries and my mom helped us with the canning and pie crust! In typical fashion, we picked too many berries and couldn't process all of them in one day, no matter how many berries M3 ate throughout the day.
We closed out the day with a double batch of berries cleaned, cut, crushed, and stirred together with a million cups of sugar. It was the plan to make this batch without Sure gel according to the canning book recipe. And we left the mixture in the fridge overnight to finish the next day (not according to the recipe).
The plan was for the girls and I to return to my sisters the next day, cook the berries and process them that afternoon. My sister was at work so Makenna and I boiled the water for the hot water bath that would seal the jars, sterilized jars and lids, and boiled the berries in an effort to get them to their gelling point.
That's where the plan fell apart. I couldn't get the berries to gel and my faithful mother spent the afternoon babysitting the boiling brew with me, reading the canning book, and calling more experienced canners for advice. At one point she was napping on the couch (this was only weeks before she passed and she tired very easily from all the extra activity) but she still jumped to her feet and rescued me when the pot boiled over and caught on fire.
I never did get those berries to gel (I just canned it thinking it would make good ice cream sauce) but I will always remember how mom never stopped being my mom. Even as sick as she was she still did everything she could to help me with my crazy projects (like making jelly without Sure gel). I miss being able to call her when I can't figure out the instructions to a crochet pattern or need help with a recipe. I'm still not sure if I can make a thanksgiving turkey without her help. And I never did figure out how to get my homemade noodles to taste like hers. She still had a lifetime of advice to give me. There is still so much more I need to learn from her. And there are still so many more questions I want to ask. Like why didn't my berries ever gel, for starters.
We closed out the day with a double batch of berries cleaned, cut, crushed, and stirred together with a million cups of sugar. It was the plan to make this batch without Sure gel according to the canning book recipe. And we left the mixture in the fridge overnight to finish the next day (not according to the recipe).
The plan was for the girls and I to return to my sisters the next day, cook the berries and process them that afternoon. My sister was at work so Makenna and I boiled the water for the hot water bath that would seal the jars, sterilized jars and lids, and boiled the berries in an effort to get them to their gelling point.
That's where the plan fell apart. I couldn't get the berries to gel and my faithful mother spent the afternoon babysitting the boiling brew with me, reading the canning book, and calling more experienced canners for advice. At one point she was napping on the couch (this was only weeks before she passed and she tired very easily from all the extra activity) but she still jumped to her feet and rescued me when the pot boiled over and caught on fire.
I never did get those berries to gel (I just canned it thinking it would make good ice cream sauce) but I will always remember how mom never stopped being my mom. Even as sick as she was she still did everything she could to help me with my crazy projects (like making jelly without Sure gel). I miss being able to call her when I can't figure out the instructions to a crochet pattern or need help with a recipe. I'm still not sure if I can make a thanksgiving turkey without her help. And I never did figure out how to get my homemade noodles to taste like hers. She still had a lifetime of advice to give me. There is still so much more I need to learn from her. And there are still so many more questions I want to ask. Like why didn't my berries ever gel, for starters.
1 comment:
This brings tears to my eyes. I have been praying for you this summer girl. I lost my mom when I was 17 and there are STILL times I wish I could pick up the phone and call her to ask this or that. It doesn't matter when they leave us, it's always too soon. Hoping to catch up with you at the picnic. *hugs*
Post a Comment