Jam for Lowie

I am leaving for my annual visit to my best friend and her husband on Tuesday.  I traditionally take raspberry jam to Lowie.  I consider it me paying my "rent" to them for letting me inflict myself each year.

Lowie is very fond of raspberry jam, so that's what I make him.  This year I was worried because our local raspberries were late, and making the jam for my "rent" payment two days before departure is cutting it a close.....

Finally, at the Saturday Market yesterday, local raspberries were available, in all their red, succulent deliciousness.

So I mashed.....

....and I stirred.....

...and I stirred some more.

And then I poured the molten, thick jam into jars.

I made enough for Lowie to have a nice gift and I made some more for DH and me to have for the next year.  There may even be a few jars that will reach other friends as small tokens of my esteem.

Summer in a jar.

Raspberry Season

At the Edmonds Summer Market today were some perfect raspberries. Now, I am tired today. Really, really tired. My darling Annie and family left for home at 8 this morning and I will admit that the two weeks they were here were wonderful, delightful, precious....and tiring. I love my daughter, my son-in-law and my Alex and my Ian, but I'm tired. A good tired but----well----tired. Do not, Dear Reader, think this is just whining. It is not, I promise. I'm just explaining why I walked past the booth with the perfect raspberries several times without buying any. I tried to ignore the siren song they were quietly singing. I tried not to see how red and plump and juicy they looked. I tried really, really hard not to smell that delectable perfect raspberry aroma. I finally just had to admit that I was going to go buy three half flats and that I was going to go to the grocery store and get pectin and sugar and more jars. I had to make raspberry jam. I had to!

So I went to the grocery store and bought what I needed. And went to the EAF Hen party and had a fine time with my friends, sippin' wine, chatting and eating some amazing food. Then I walked home. I put off making the raspberry jam because I was tired. I asked Nonie to come eat left overs with me. She did. We did. I still didn't make the jam.

Nonie went home to let me go to bed early. I tried. I really did. But there on the counter were three half flats of perfect raspberries....singing the "oh, we would make such perfect jam if only some lazy soul would get up and make some jam!" So I did.

I got eleven pints of jam from the three half flats.

And I made some really, really, REALLY perfect raspberry jam. I did. And won't I be glad in November!

Sigh.