I must can it all!

My how the time flies.  It has been a very long time since I sat down and blogged anything.  I meant to, just never did.  I have been super busy with subbing, and crocheting (or trying to get stuff crocheted) and taking a LOT of pictures with my new camera, that I have not tried any new recipes.  Until today...

Last week I went with my neighbor to Sam's Club.  I got a large pack of plums.  Who doesn't love a fresh plum?  Well my plums just didn't want to stay fresh.  And I was not about to eat the seven remaining plums in one sitting.  So I spent an hour or so yesterday dicing up the plums, I was not about to just let them go bad...then I bagged them and froze them because I wasn't sure when I would have time to make jam.

Today Mr. Fish and I went to the store and I got the half pint jelly jars, and the 4 oz jelly jars so I could make a LOT of jam.

I started with the plum jams. (Recipe here)

There is one recipe with several ways you can make it. Each starts out the same, plums and water.

I tried a small batch with anise and honey for sweetener, and the larger batch got cloves and sugar, and I hit it with a teaspoon of vanilla after I removed it from the heat.

The third batch I made Sparkling Grape Jelly.  I used the recipe from the Ball website and substituted Grape Juice for the Raspberry Juice.

I am still waiting to see if the Grape sets up, it's my first time making it, and the it tasted divine when I licked the spoon, and the measuring cup, and the funnel...I will give it 24 hours to see if it set up...

The jars are very pretty to look at.  Each kind looks different, even between the two kinds of Spiced Plum.

From Left to Right: Spiced Plum (Cloves), Sparkling Grape Jelly, Spiced Plum (Anise)

As soon as spring gets here I'm going to plant some strawberry plants so I can make a different kind of Strawberry jam...Until next time...ENJOY, and create something!