Jam Berries

It's April in California and strawberry stands are dusting off their shelves and displaying ruby red jewels just waiting to stain your hands and face with their sweetness.  Kendra picked up two flats of jam berries at my favorite strawberry stand and headed up for a morning and afternoon of canning.

The early berries are so brilliantly red, so divinely sweet, it's impossible not to get a beautiful jar of jam.

This was my first attempt at jamming in the Elizabethean Era.  Joseph spent a good chunk of the day at school, so the hope was that we'd be able to knock out four or five batches without problem.

HA!

Her Highness begged to differ.

You see, we're smack dab in the middle of "Separation Anxiety".  This means that as long as I'm in the room, she must be held.  She must be in my arms.  She must have her face buried in my shoulder, smelling me.  As long as she's touching me, all is well in the world.  If not...

Loud, hurt, angry cries of unimaginable pain and suffering.

Sometimes I can fake her out.  I give her a toy, food, my cell phone.  She gets distracted and forgets that I'm not within arm's length.  She chuckles, she grins, she plays until something - a quick glance at me, the sound of my voice, Maggie walking by - jolts her out of play time and into "OMG-SHE-LEFT-ME!!!" mode.

Needless to say, finishing up the jam was a bit of a process. (HA! No pun intended.)

But I'm not giving up.  I will jam with the big girls this year.  I will make dilly beans and vinegars and pickled zucchini.

I'm just going to do it after Elizabeth goes to bed.

In the meantime, ten shining, beautiful jars of jam are sitting on my counter, begging me to bake more bread.