Oh what do you do in the summer time...?

With the curtains, diapers, nursing cover, sling (which was a fail by the way...not completely and utterly...but a note to self:  make it AFTER the baby comes so the measurements are accurate), freezer meals, the crib and rocking chair corners organized, and one novel (Great Expectations by Dickens, a little slow at the start but the momentum picks up as it goes), finished I've been at a bit of a loss as to what to do while we wait for petit bebe to arrive.  I see Spencer off to work every morning and then pretty much have the day to myself.  I've started creating little day projects here and there to keep from going crazy.  I try to keep it simple so as not to get into anything I won't be able to finish.

So...I started working on THE bEsT , Top Secret, stamped in red CONFIDENTIAL, need-to-know basis Christmas present ever for my family.  I officially finished it last night (it only took two days...probably should have tried to drag in out a bit....but I was on a roll!) and I can hardly wait for Christmas!  The hardest part is that my parents will be here in one week and I'm determined not to spoil my own surprise (as I usually do).  But I know this is going to be good so I will control myself this time.   Christmas present for my family (check!)...now what...

Cook of course!  I love cooking and baking...not so much in the middle of summer...but it's such a satisfying way to spend my time.  I enjoy how meticulous measuring and chopping can be.  It's therapeutic.  Baking/Cooking also has a definite beginning and end which means I'm not getting myself into something I can't handle.  Aside from the usual breakfast, dinner, and loaf of bread I made Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies (froze half the batch for later) and then embarked on a new culinary adventure:  freezer jam.  Last summer I made cooked apricot jam with my mother-in-law.  We're still enjoying the fruits of that labor.  I'm just not keen on standing over pots of boiling sugar and water right now, thus enters freezer jam.  Spencer landscapes in the summer and the other day he brought home a lunch box full of apricots from a yard they worked.  The owner was frantically trying to harvest all the fallen fruit before it started to rot and generously shared with the crew. I now have plenty of apricots to give my first jamming-on-my-own a go.

The first time I (knowingly) tried freezer jam was while I was student teaching.  My friend/roommate Madison brought three containers of freezer jam from home.  I believe we ate through two of the delicious tubs by the end of the semester (maybe more, who knows?). It was a great companion to our adventures in finding the best way to make toast without a toaster (remember this?).  I've read it's difficult to ruin a batch of freezer jam (you don't cook freezer jam so it's not as sensitive as the canned version).  The only catch is that it doesn't last as long as jam that has been cooked and bottled (one year in the freezer, about 3-4 weeks in the fridge).  My solution  is to store it in smaller batches so we don't waste.  Freezer jam is so simple, I can't believe I haven't tried making it before!

Here is the process in photograph:

 Acquire fruit

 Wash and, in this case, pit the fruit (apricots just peel apart...too easy!)

 Mash (I used my glorious Kitchen Aid) just enough to break up the big chunks, no need to pulverize.

Then add pectin and sugar as directed. 

(I used Mrs.Wages Freezer Jam pectin but you can use something like SureJell.  Mrs.Wages was cheaper, called for 3x less sugar than the other brands, and the box said 'freezer jam'; I went with that).  

Stir together for the amount of time directed on the pectin box (3 mins with Mrs.Wages).

 Spoon into jars or any container with a tight fitting lid.

Store in the freezer for up to one year and in the fridge for 3-4 weeks.

That's it!  It only took an hour from start to finish.  I can't wait to try it on some homemade bread.