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Savoring life in the Berkshires

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Next Stop, Jam

Published on July 21, 2012 By Emily. Updated on February 18, 2013

From time to time I get an idea in my head that I just can’t let go of until it’s completed.  A few years ago I decided we had to have a buffet for our dining room and I spent multiple weekends driving up and down Berkshire County looking for a suitable, inexpensive piece of furniture.  I finally succeeded, finding a piece within walking distance of our apartment.

My most recent “must be accomplished” obsession has been blueberry jam.  I am officially down to only one jar of canned goods left on the shelf from last year, which makes me kind of sad.  I’m well aware that it’s the middle of the July and it won’t be long until berries are out of season.  If I am going to put food in jars, it needs to start happening soon.

blueberries

Last week was finally calm enough to make canning a possibility.  I ventured to a local farm stand to get some berries, only to discover they were being sold for $4.19 each.  The recipe I’m intending to use calls for 8 pints and I wasn’t about to spend over $40 on blueberries.  There’s only so far that I’ll go for homemade.  So I returned home, adjusted my expectations to the fact that I was not going to be canning on Thursday afternoon, and searched the internet for pick your own sites.  Soon I came up with Mountain View Farm.  Friday afternoon Brian and I ventured down there for my first ever time picking my own blueberries.

blueberry bush

picked blueberries

The almost 10 pints we picked cost us about $17. Much better than $40.

I’m not planning on making jam until tomorrow, so Brian rinsed the berries in a water and vinegar solution to keep them from getting moldy then laid them out on towels to air dry.  Later in the evening we measured out the total number of pints and placed them in produce bags each containing 3 pints.

drying blueberries

Next stop, making blueberry jam.

Related Posts

Great Food in North County: NoCo Pastaria
Getting Carried Away with Canning
Maybe Winter Won’t Be Completely Miserable
Exploding Applesauce
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Filed Under: food Tagged With: Berkshires, canning, Massachusetts

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Trackbacks

  1. Jam Making Success » Relishments says:
    July 26, 2012 at 9:20 pm

    […] you may recall, we picked nearly 10 pints of blueberries last Friday with the intent of making blueberry jam.  I used the recipe posted just days […]

  2. Scenes From Blueberry Picking 2015 says:
    July 24, 2015 at 8:52 am

    […] in Lanesborough for blueberry picking.  Mountain View Farm has been our go-to in the past (see this post from 2012), but we didn’t make it there last year.  Blueberry picking was high on my agenda for this […]

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Emily
New on the blog: a 2 week menu plan featuring the New on the blog: a 2 week menu plan featuring the vegetables from our CSA share at @mightyfoodfarm. Link in my profile.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
We finally made it to the @berkshiremtdist tasting We finally made it to the @berkshiremtdist tasting room in Sheffield today after years of talking about it. The indoor and outdoor atmosphere was lovely and we took advantage of the complimentary tasting to try some of the products we haven't had before. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area and enjoy distilleries.
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#BerkshireMountainDistillers #igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #DrinkLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #SheffieldMA
On Friday we headed to Springfield for an appointm On Friday we headed to Springfield for an appointment and made a day of it by visiting @forestparkzoo afterwards. For us, the Zoo in Forest Park's size, layout and number of animals (over 225 exotic and native animal residents) is the perfect size for our 2 and 5 year old kids. We went in the afternoon, when day camps were wrapping up and it wasn't busy overall. We were able to easily view all of the exhibits and let our children move at their own pace without interfering with other people. Despite the heat, the animals were pretty active and it was a joy to see my kids spot, identify and appreciate them.
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#ZooInForestPark #SpringfieldMA #igers413 #WesternMass #WesternMassachusetts
Brian and I had lunch at the @firehousecafebistro Brian and I had lunch at the @firehousecafebistro in Adams today. We enjoyed falafel bites, cocktails, papas bravas, and a buttermilk chicken sandwich. All of the food was really delicious and the service was excellent, despite very limited staffing. The patio seating was fun for people watching and enjoying the sunshine. I highly recommend the Firehouse Cafe and Bistro if you're looking for a more upscale lunch or dinner in the northern Berkshires.
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#igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #AdamsMA #FirehouseCafeAndBistro
It's blueberry season in the Berkshires! My favori It's blueberry season in the Berkshires! My favorite girl and I headed to @mountainviewfarm413 this week to pick ours, as is our tradition. We had a great morning resulting in 7 pounds of berries. Some blueberries will be frozen and others turned into muffins, but most of them will be eaten just the way they are. The season is short, enjoy it while you can. @whitneysfarmmarket and @seconddropfarm are doing picky-your-own as well. 🫐
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 #igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #blueberries #BlueberryPicking #MountainViewFarm #LanesboroughMA
We're back from vacation and back to picking up ou We're back from vacation and back to picking up our weekly share of @mightyfoodfarm produce. My latest menu plan using these vegetables is live on the blog, link in my profile.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
Tomato season is my favorite season. If there is t Tomato season is my favorite season. If there is the opportunity to eat something that features a combination of tomato, mozzarella and basil, chances are good that I'm ordering it. Yesterday I needed to make a dish to share for a church gathering so I put together this incredibly simple pasta salad. I hope it's useful to you during this time of summer heat and summer gatherings.

RECIPE:
1 lb pasta (I used bowties) 
7 oz fresh mozzarella
1 pint grape tomatoes 
30-50 fresh basil leaves 
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste 

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and place in a large bowl. 
2. Prep the other ingredients: cut the mozzarella cheese in bite size pieces if needed, quarter the grape tomatoes, finely cut the basil with scissors or a knife.
3. Add the quartered tomatoes, mozzarella and basil to the pasta. Drizzle the olive oil into the bowl and miX well.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Enjoy!

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#igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies #caprese #CapresePastaSalad #PotluckFood #SummerFood
I could watch birds on the beach all day long. We' I could watch birds on the beach all day long.
We're wrapping up our time in Wilmington, North Carolina with lots of time at Wrightsville Beach. The ocean never ceases to impress.
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#WilmingtonNC #WrightsvilleBeach #BeachBirds #Beach #Sandpiper #NorthCarolina
This @smittenkitchen Zucchini and Ricotta Galette This @smittenkitchen Zucchini and Ricotta Galette is one of my favorite summer recipes. The crust is perfectly flaky and the mix of squash and cheese is delicious. I always use summer squash and my husband, who does not typically like summer squash, loves this galette. Though it takes a bit of planning ahead - the crust dough needs to rest in the fridge for an hour and the squash needs to be salted for 30 minutes, the recipe is straightforward and the final produce always impresses. I expect it will make another appearance on my table before the fall.
Link in my stories.
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 #EatSeasonal  #SmittenKitchen #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies  #ZucchiniAndRicottaGalette #SummerSquash #galette #BakingFromScratch
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