Jam and Bread

Isn't that a song from "The Sound of Music"? That is what I spent my 4th of July doing. Not watching "The Sound of Music"...making jam and bread. It just happened that I had absolutely no plans for the holiday this year. My son with went his dad and family down in KC. My significant other had to work an overtime shift. His kids were with their mom in Newton. Most of my friends are out of town this weekend. So I just had a low-key day around the house being a domestic goddess. That's okay..I am not one to be depressed about hanging out by myself. I kind of like it, actually. Don't get me wrong, I love to spend time with my family and friends, but I don't have a problem doing things by myself either.

As you can see, I made quite a mess making jam today. I was working on a highly experimental mulberry rhubarb jam. I am not used to working with mulberries, so I got juice everywhere! Also, next time I will use a much bigger pot. This mixture bubbled up a lot. Later I will be scrubbing blackened jam off of my drip pans.

Despite these appearances...I am a very clean jam maker. Everything is sanitized, and the fruit is organic, almost all my fruit ingredients are grown under my supervision. I pressure can the jam at the recommended rate, in order to kill any possible remaining bacteria.

I am actually thinking about starting my own jam and canned good business in the future. It wouldn't have occurred to me...I just enjoy making it to give to friends and family. However, some of those friends and family are now trying to pay me to make them LARGE amounts of jam, so I thought...why not? I know there are a lot of hoops to jump through to make it legal beagle...so this is a long way from reality, but it is fun to think about.
So far the things I make that I could sell are:

Cherry Rhubarb Jam
Mulberry Rhubarb Jam (two varieties)
Basil Pesto
Apple Butter

I have been playing with names...my favorite so far is Gardenmom's Jamboree. What do you think?

I just might play with names and label ideas for now, just in case. I sampled my new flavor on some of the bread I made today in my awesome breadmaker.

This is what I had for lunch.

Shrimp and Squash Tacos

1 large or 2 medium zucchini
1-2 crookneck yellow squash
2 TB olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups shrimp
1 tsp seasoned salt (I used Wahoo chili seasoning)
Jalapeno, chopped, to taste
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
6-8 flour tortillas

Chop the zucchini and squash into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Cook squashes and onion until tender in olive oil. Add garlic, shrimp, and jalapeno after squash has cooked for 10 minutes on medium heat. Add in seasonings to taste. When shrimp is cooked, remove from heat. Top with cheese and put into tortillas. Add sour cream or salsa if desired.




A very yummy dish to use up summer squash. You could leave out the shrimp and add more squash to make it vegetarian. The only bad thing was there were no leftovers. Bummer. I'm going to go hose down the kitchen. Happy 4th of July everybody.