First Canning Experience and Garden Update...

My sisters and I had a big time at the farmers market.  It seems that it was a little early in the season yet.  They didn't have a lot of fresh stuff, but it was enough to make me as giddy as a kid on Christmas morning!!!

This morning, I got up feeling better, so I made strawberry jam and dill pickles.  Now, go easy on me as this is my VERY first attempt at canning/pickling.  I've watched Memaw do it, but I was a lot younger and there were horses to play with...so...I was outta there as soon as possible.  LOL!

Anyway, I got some beautiful strawberries at the market, so I started with jam.  It turned out that I only had a enough for one pint jar (and about a 1/3 of another...that one is in the fridge.  I'll put it on pancakes or waffles.)  Anyway, drum roll please...  Here is my very first, don't-be-to-hard-on-the-rookie, Strawberry Jam!!!

OK, I know I should have taken more of the froth off.  Live and learn right?   :)

I taste tested the little bit in the fridge and YUMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!  It's so much fresher than store bought.

Then, I tried the pickles.  Since it was my first go at it, I bought Ball Dill Pickle Mix.  WARNING:  They color it or something because I now have a pickle-green spoon.  LOL!  I had enough cucumbers to make 2 quarts and one pint.  By the way, in the middle of preparing to make pickles, I heard the heavenly sound of the Strawberry Jam jar sucking in the lid to create a seal.  YAY!!!!!!!  WOO-HOO!!!  Seriously y'all, the clouds parted and the sun shone through into my kitchen.  I would have done a snoopy dance, but you know how that goes for me lately...morning sickness.  So, here are my pickles:

Two lessons learned, I will season them myself in the future and you have to really cram those babies in there so they aren't floating so much.  And, yes, I heard the blissful "I'm sealed" pop three more times!!!  YAY!!!!

So, we'll give them the recommended shelf time and I'll let y'all know how they taste.

On to the garden...More exciting things going on there.  Here are the pictures:

Cucumbers, peas, tomatoes.  Yippee!  More awesome news:  D has promised to double the size of the garden next year.    The kitchen garden is also growing well.  God is blessing us.

A couple of weeks ago, D told me to buy a new oven because mine is dying a slow and painful death (read:  set to 350 degrees and get either 150 or 5,000 degrees).  Our house was built in 1982 and I'm pretty sure the oven is earlier than that.  So, this AWESOME guy at Lowe's helped me pick a new one.  Pardon me if I drool on the keyboard...It's a stainless steel Whirlpool.  Momma HAPPY!!!  Anyway, it was to be delivered on May 22nd, but they just called to say it would be here Monday.  Momma VERY HAPPY!!!  We have to get the klunker disconnected and they'll take it away.  Our neighbor, S, has graciously offered to install the new one as he had to replace his last year.  I'm even getting a bigger oven.  We currently have a 27 inch wall mount.  S said he got a 30 inch in his with just a little 'tweaking'.  I've seen it and it looks very nice.

SO EXCITED...SO EXCITED...SO EXCITED...  Someone do the Snoopy dance for me...  :)

On another note, work is planning to take me off of patrol on June 5th.  I'm very very very sad to have to be reassigned as I love my job.  But, it's just to dangerous for lil critter.  I'll get back to it soon enough.  Desk duty is kindof dull, but it's temporary...right???

Anyway, "Hi!" to my new friend Elizabeth from Six Golden Coins.  I love her blog.  There's a link here on my page.  Check it out!

Take care and I'll be back soon.