I’m a bit of a “Foodie”.  I love food, always have.  I like to try new recipes and try techniques I’ve not tried before.  Over the years though, I’ve learned how to “put up” or “can” various foods.  Many a summer evening was spent preparing snap beans for canning, trimming, cutting, washing, packing into jars, tending the pressure cooker and roasting in the heat of a house that had no air conditioning during those hot stretches of July and August when the beans always seemed to ripen.

One of the things I really enjoy doing is making jams and jellies, pickles, relishes, chutneys (I love Indian food) and salsas.  I spent nearly six hours on Monday preparing for and making three batches of strawberry jam.  The first recipe from Simple Bites was Honey-Strawberry Jam was the first time I’ve used honey instead of granulated sugar in the making of canned goods.  I like strawberries and I like honey; the two together should be great!  I’ll have to let you all know how it turns out.  Incidentally, I have to point out an error in the original recipe title – “Sugar-free Honey-Strawberry Jam” – let’s just state the fact right now that honey IS sugar – so therefore the recipe is not sugar-free… you just don’t use any granulated/refined white sugar.  My plan is that if it turns out as good as I hope, I will make it again with local honey and berries (I was out of local honey… and the berries are from an hour plus north of here).

Batch number two was Sure-Jell‘s basic, cooked strawberry jam recipe, tweaked with 5 cups of crushed berries and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (the online recipe is different from the recipe in the box of pectin).  Batch number three was the same, but I added less than a cup of pitted sour cherries that we got from our cherry tree.  Altogether I have 15 – 12 oz jars and 8 – 8 oz jars of delicious strawberry jam.  It’s Mine!  ALL MINE!!!  Okay… I’ll share it with others, and they know that the rule is, if you give me back the jars – the jars get refilled.

Tuesday was also my first adventure with making Sourdough Bread… from scratch – including the starter for it which I made on Sunday and had to let sit and ferment for two days on the counter (you cover it with a cloth to keep stray hairs and critters out).  I only mixed the dough in the bread machine.  I prefer to bake my bread in regular loaf pans.

AND, just when you thought I was finished…. NO!  Tuesday also marked my first attempt at Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas!  I’m on a roll(ing pin)!!!  The tortillas are going to be filled with some shredded, spicy chicken (Monday nights roasted chicken tossed into the slow cooker and mixed with tomatoes, spices and some dried chipotle peppers) and it will be served with Spicy Sweet Corn Casserole (my own adaptation of Fresh Corn Casserole from The Pioneer Woman) and Mexican Rice.  The cocktail accompaniment?  A Cranberry Margarita from Drinksmixer.

And, in my Facebook news feed, up popped a message from Brennan’s Market:  It’s Fresh Peach Season!!!  Peaches in syrup.  Peach Jam.  Peach Butter. Peach Salsa. Peach Chutney… Guess what I’ll be doing this weekend!?