Strawberry Season!!!!!

So its that time of year again when strawberries are in full bloom. My daughter Elise is in love with them and eats them every day. So all that I spend in the grocery store I figure why not just go pick them myself. So we did just that yesterday! We went with my MIL(Bryce was in school). It was Elise and mines first time. We had so much fun!!!!!! I was really surprised at Elise! She was picking red ones right along side us! Not eating any till we were done. It was so grown up her.

So I got a little over 10 pounds. That came to 3 2quarts. Now there is no way we can eat all of those is there? So I wanted to learn how to make preserves. I have never canned a thing in my life and wouldn't know where to start! Well my MIL came to the rescue on it! She makes the best ever pickles by the way!!!!! So I grabbed Bryce and trotted over the river and thru the woods and off to Grammy's house I went. She's an amazing teacher and I learned a lot. I'm not to comfortable yet posting directions. Want to do it one time on my mine before I do that. I will post up pics and her recipe though. It was simple really. She swears by Sure Jell and that's what I used. The directions are on the box. So the math is easy as well. 2quarts of strawberries(stems cut off) when mashed should make 5 cups(if not add more mashed till it does). 7 cups sugar and Sure Jell(pectin). That's all I needed! Now that will make 8 half pint jars. I made 2 half pints and 3 pints. I have 2 quarts left I put in the freezer. I will be using that and also making grape at Christmas. At that time I will give full directions.

So here is Bryce taking care of the drippings on the plate. which brings me to leftovers. I can't stand wasting anything! So the little bit in the pot that wouldn't fit in the last jar was put to good use. My SIL (sister in law) left some cream cheese in my MIL's fridge(thanks Kelley!), So we softened some of it and added what was left in the pot. It made a great dip for crackers and the strawberries!

It was so yummy!

So far I have picked,jammed, and dipped strawberries! Do ya think I could do anything more? You bet I can! Now there are some i froze for jams later and a bowl sitting in my fridge. So I still have to take Bryce next week. I won't get 10 pounds again(I hope). I do have something Bryce wants me to do with those, so here are those basic recipes:

Frozen Fruit Bars

2 cups strawberries

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

Puree fruit in a blender, add in a tbsp of water or two as needed. Add sugar and lemon juice and blend. Pour into small cups and insert stick. Freeze until solid. Just before eating,remove cups by running warm water over them.

Red strawberry Smoothie

1 cup strawberry yogurt

1/2 cup cranberry cocktail juice

1 1/2 cup strawberries

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Coolest Strawberry I picked!

Natural Remedies

I was looking thru a mag the other day and ran across this. Some this will apply to you and some to others.

 

Morning sickness(for my pregos)

Fresh ginger,go figure! To make a tea just boil a few slices. Also another cool trick was to slice some pieces and throw them in a ice cube tray add water and freeze> then you can just suck on them. Also another one was lemon balm. Now I grow this in my yard. It spreads like crazy every year,so plant some! You can make a tea out of that as well. Maybe even kick it up a notch and combine that wit ginger. Also simple lemon drop candy also works> now this may be for morning sickness but can also work for an upset tummy as well.

 

 

Hiccups

We hear tons of fixes for these, so hear is one more. A tsp of sugar. It says the grains will stop the reflex. Worth a shot.

 

Sleeping

If your having a tough time falling asleep try a hand full of fresh cherries! Not hard to do before bed. They are high in melatonin which is a natural sleep aid. same thing in turkey that helps you sleep. I don't think this is to hard to swallow.

 

Coughing

Always a hard one. It can get really out of hand. Cough drops don't seem to work but so well. So try this, dark chocolate. So not hard to swallow either! It contains theobromine in it. Which is much more effective then codeine.

 

So that's what I found. Some you may already know some you may not. Either way this all good info to have on hand when needed. Why not try these things first before using things that could harm you and are pumped with stuff that you have no idea what it is. With a little online research you can find tons of natural remedies! I invite my readers to leave comments of all the ones they use! I love learning! Also other people might find use from them as well.