Raspberry Jamming 2012

From the City...
Well it's that time of year again, our annual raspberry jamming weekend.  This year we harvested and jammed all in the same day.  Our third year and we seemed to have a nice flow about us, that and Laura came long to help...you remember Laura right??? the other half of the HKS...

We picked 25 quarts from Sweet Scent Farms in Lindsay and made about 20 various sized jars. We also froze about 12 cups of berries for jamming in the winter, which is just straight up genius! Kudos to Meg W. for that one.

Here's some pics:

Ripe and ready for the pickin'.

There's a whole team of us out there; 5 adults, 3 kids and 3 toddlers! 

We can now breath a collective sigh of relief because the raspberry jam shelf is stocked again.

 ....and in other exciting news, we found this deluxe scrabble board on the street!  It smells a bit like your grandma's rec room, it has a swiveling base and little grooves to keep your letters in place, which is handy when your son enjoys whipping bits of play doh at it.

...ah yes, Theo loves playdoh. 

-amelia

What we have been up to

From the country...

The new kitchen

Seed organizing and ordering

cookies of the play dough variety...

fresh batches of soap (lavender and oatmeal/tea tree)

I have been trying hard to be productive this month. I do have a slight case of the January blahs though, so needless to say I have been a bit slugish. I have spent some time planning and organizing the new growing season, taking trips to the second hand stores to purge the house, making countless batches of play dough for the boys (in baking colours), and I had a chance to invite some friends over for a soap making session. I hope to have all our soap made for the year (and for some gifts) in the next few weeks. 

We have been playing around with the new kid's kitchen that I bought for Millie at Christmas. I know she may be a tad young, but I found it here, it was fifty bucks AND it was hand made to boot! It is a really great little prize and I hope  Millie plays with it for many years to come.  

The seed order is done and the decisions have been made for this up coming season. We plan to go big on growing onions, which is exciting for me because they are one of my favourite vegetables to grow. Also on the new list is more culinary herbs, and some more early lettuces to accompany the fiddle head harvest in spring.

We have also been dancing around the kitchen to our advanced copy of My Father and The Hunter by the Strumbellas (one of the perks with being related to a band member).

So with spring in mind, I am trudging along.

Super Great Play Dough Recipe

From the country...

Yesterday my youngest, Luca was longing to play with his bro, Nate (who is in Kindergarten). Luc was struggling with a cold, which in his case leads to asthma and I was looking for a mellow low energy activity for him to do. I was on top of the fridge fidgeting with something and I came across a crusty, dried up ball of homemade play dough. What a great idea! I will make him some play dough! That will tie him over until Nate comes home so they can snuggle on the couch and watch some television (they do it almost every day- it is super cute!).

This play dough recipe is really easy and only takes a few minutes to make. I pick up bulk ingredients for the recipe at the bulk store when I can remember that our supplies are low. It will last for a long time when wrapped in a plastic bag. If you use gel food colouring you can really get some great vibrant colours.

The kids play with it for hours. They like to pretend to make cookies, breads and pies while sticking their concoctions in their wooden play oven to bake. Luca dropped his ball of dough in the real oven this morning and then raced to the bathroom to wash it off, returning with a slimy ball of goo. It is great fun for these guys and a nice diversion when all they want to do wrestle and throw toys (although right now they have made a fort in the living room and Nate is reading Luca a book about monster trucks..too cute)

Stove Top Play Dough
(adapted from Feed Me I’m Yours by Vicki Lansky)

1-cup white flour (I didn’t have white so I used whole wheat which worked out fine…)
¼ cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1-cup water
1 teaspoon food colouring (or less if using gel food colouring)
1-tablespoon vegetable oil

Mix flour, salt and cream of tartar in a medium sized pot. Add water, food colouring and oil. Cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Mixture will look like a globby mess, and you will be sure it is not turning out, but it will. When it forms a ball in the center of the pot, turn out and knead on a lightly floured surface (you can add more flour if dough is sticky, a little at a time) Wrap in plastic to store.

…and voila a culinary masterpiece (well the kids think it is). This is a great alternative for birthday gifts etc. I am personally not into the culture of buying cheap toys made of plastic, so if I can make something as an alternative all the better. I have been asked for this recipe before by other parents, so enjoy! (I know the kids will…)