I didn’t really have anything on the schedule today, and I knew it was going to be super hot out this afternoon, so I got the early morning stuff done and then decided it would be a good day to make the black raspberry jam from all the berries the boys and I have collected. I also wanted to make some red raspberry jam, but since those don’t grow wild, that meant going to get some. I called around to some of the local fruit farms, and found a place called Triple B Farms, which I had almost gone to in years past, but never did, and decided today was the day. Gerald and the boys were busy with a project, so I asked if Breyana wanted to go, and sure enough she did.
It was a nice drive- sun was out, day lilies and wildflowers everywhere, blue skies, and a nice breeze. It took about an hour to get there, mainly because the idiot driving took a wrong turn (actually took the same wrong turn TWICE) despite using WAZE. It was ok, though, because Breyana is 11 and at the age when the little shits start to get interesting and are more like miniature people than just some pain in the ass you have to feed and keep clothed and keep alive or you go to jail. She’s a really interesting kid- I think having two older brothers has been good for her because she definitely is more together than they were at her age. At any rate, we got there, and it is a neat place:
It’s one of those pick your own berries places, with an attached market with all sorts of local products, and we eventually left with a flat of red and gold raspberries, some blueberries and strawberries for my dad, some strawberries for her mom, and some gorgeous zucchini and squash. The squash was a deep golden yellow and a color I had never seen before. It was really beautiful.
After that we headed north towards Pittsburgh because I had to go to Weirton to deposit a check and get some more canning jars, and we stopped by Costco. She had never been and was excited, and as it was about lunchtime, we had the $1.50 hot dog/soda deal for lunch:
She eats ketchup on her hot dog, but I will give her a few years for her palate to develop before I correct that fucking crime against humanity. Costco doesn’t have mason jars, so off we went to Weirton and the bank with a pit stop at Wally World because their jars are 2 dollars cheaper for a dozen than Krogers. Then headed home with a pit stop at DQ:
Got home and it was JAM TIME. Unpacked all the jars and started boiling them and cleaning the lids, and cleaned the red raspberries while the wild black raspberries I had in the freezer thawed:
Made two runs of red raspberry jam (about 24 jars), and by that time, the black raspberries were thawed and ready to go:
Got about 26 jars of the black raspberries. Took a couple hours, but a good haul:
The deal with the boys was if they pick with me, I make the jam, so 2/3 of the wild raspberry jam is for them. The rest I will keep, along with the majority of the red raspberry jam (I should add that bff Tammy insists what I have been making is actually preserves, and she is probably right because she always is, but I’m gonna keep calling it jam because I am too old to change- I still call it Czechoslovakia, people), which I will give to friends and family and the rest will go into the basement with the strawberry jam I made last month and the peas, beans, tomato sauce, peppers, and other stuff I am putting up this summer. My goal for this summer is for NOTHING out of my garden going to waste. Tomorrow we will be going wild raspberry picking again, then in a few weeks it’s time for the peaches and the blackberries. Should have tomatoes coming in soon, too.
I hear there is some sort of debate or political event starting in a bit. I’ll make sure there is an open thread. Also, bonus Lily picture:
It was a good day.
Baud
Stomp.
RedDirtGirl
My first thought was, I didn’t know John played music!
Barbara
I’m exhausted just reading about your day! A fun day for a kid, to boot.
FlyingToaster
Wait until you have to learn Flanders and Wallonia.
NotMax
Couldn’t help but notice that someone has a box with freshly bought wicker furniture on the dolly cart in the background.
As for Mason jars, first place which comes to mind to find them is a hardware store (whether big box type or otherwise).
@RedDirtGirl
Mungo
JerryJohnny?:)
NotMax
Gentleman’s bet that you don’t still call it Yugoslavia.
;)
Mj_Oregon
I put ketchup on hot dogs – always have, always will. The girl’s got exquisite taste. Sounds like you had a great day, though, and I’m envious of all that black raspberry jam. Yum!
John Cole
@NotMax: I didn’t even notice the furniture until you said something. Wasn’t mine. I don’t like the new stuff. I only like the old wicker you find at yard sales or craig’s list that is worn in and has character and you have to clean and paint.
FlyingToaster
@Mj_Oregon: Ketchup on hot dogs, mustard on all of the other sausages. ‘Zackly.
NotMax
@FlyingToaster
Might be alone on this – like putting apple butter on bratwurst.
BruceFromOhio
Excellent. Thank you for sharing!
Mary G
Takes me back to my childhood. Breyana is lucky.
zhena gogolia
Cute girl, cute dog.
I have no idea what relation Breyana is to you. She looks as if she’s come under spell of the Cole charm.
She looks a little like my Russian goddaughter did at that age.
Wapiti
@NotMax: Never tried that, but fruit goes well with pork. I often get apple sauce as a side with a pork tenderloin sandwich.
SiubhanDuinne
@FlyingToaster:
Dunno about that, but I know every note of the Flanders and Swann oeuvre.
[Wanders off, humming “Mud, mud, glorious mud” under breath.]
Barbara
@NotMax: Apple and sausage is a great combination. That actually sounds like something I would try. Love, love apple butter, which seems to be a true immigrant German invention.
s
Hard-pressed to say which of the pics is my favorite. Okay, no, it’s obvs Lily. But what a day you had!
SiubhanDuinne
BTW, @John, these are all good pictures, and the one of Lily is exceptionally fine. Such a little beauty, she is.
NotMax
A whole Costco pizza pie at $9.95 remains one of the great bargains. Personally don’t care for the taste of the sausage they use so always ask for a veggie pie. They don’t skimp on the toppings, at least here.
If your local Costco happens to be one of those with the food court outside the main entrance, don’t even have to be a member!
stinger
Hard-pressed to say which of the pics is my favorite. Okay, no, it’s obvs Lily. But what a day you had!
Keith P.
Didn’t Cole have a day job at one point? Did I really miss the early retirement boat by not blogging?
wvng
John, it’s prose like this that makes you a treasure: ” It was ok, though, because Breyana is 11 and at the age when the little shits start to get interesting and are more like miniature people than just some pain in the ass you have to feed and keep clothed and keep alive or you go to jail. ”
I laughed.
A Ghost To Most
Nice day, John. Much nicer than catching up on mowing the lawn after a bunch of rain, as I did. I did learn that my new Ego battery mower is up to the task of an overgrown lawn, so there’s that.
John Cole
@zhena gogolia: She’s Gerald’s daughter- sister to Dom and Taylor, the boys who always hang out here.
SiubhanDuinne
@Wapiti:
Years ago — no, decades ago (late ‘60s, so, okay, half a century or more) — I had the most sublime pork chops stuffed with prunes. I’ve tried to replicate it on a handful of occasions, but never managed to come close.
(Any oldsters who were in NYC in the late 1960s? This was a featured menu item at a fabulous restaurant, La Fonda del Sol, on 6th Avenue across from Radio City. Loved that place, which was entirely South American cuisine. Alas, it went out of business long ago.)
zhena gogolia
@John Cole:
She looks charming.
chris
@SiubhanDuinne: Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood.
NotMax
@Barbara
Instant Pot apple butter recipe, Amish style. No real need to peel if one has an immersion blender, or else let it cool down and use a countertop blender.
rikyrah
I am exhausted looking at all those jars. Great job.???
Looks delicious ?
Lily??
Your helper for the day looks like she has a great time?
seefleur
To say that “it was a good day” seems to be a humongous understatement.
Your jam/preserves have inspired me to do the same this weekend – thanks for the nudge!
Ohio Mom
@Keith P.: When I first started hanging out here (that was shortly before Rosie showed up on the road), I gathered Cole had been in the military and guessed he’d had a long enough career serving Uncle
Sam, and like you, assumed he has retired.
But over time I came to realize he has a job and a career, just keeps his work life separate from his blog life. And other parts of his real life separate from his blog life. As it should be!
JMG
@SiubhanDuinne: I am old.I ate there. Terrific restaurant. John, I envy you your ability to be so in tune with your, well, neighborhood isn’t the right word, maybe the French word terroir is. Oh, hell John, you’re good at being country. That’s what I meant.
A Ghost To Most
T tries to neuter EPA workers rights
dlwchico
Greetings to Lily from similar colored old dog, Dino.
https://i.imgur.com/EpvOt6B.jpg
Keith P.
@Ohio Mom: for some reason, I thought he taught at the local college but I it looks like he’s managed to land a salary being his own housekeeper.
Barbara
@SiubhanDuinne: https://www.theslowroasteditalian.com/2011/08/roasted-grapes-and-sausage.html
One of many recipes that is a happy marriage of fruit and meat.
Catherine D.
@chris: So follow me, follow / down to the hollow / and there let us wallow / in glorious mud.
SiubhanDuinne
@JMG:
Yup. Nice to meet someone who shares that memory.
A Ghost To Most
@Barbara:
Pork stir fry with apples, onions, and lots of pepper is a family favorite.
terraformer
It’s the combination of dry wit, keen intellect, and a hefty dose of “what the fuck is going on in this country” from John, the front-pagers, and the commentariat in these posts that keeps me coming to this site. Love this kind of stuff, thanks John!
SiubhanDuinne
@chris:
Follow me.
chopper
@FlyingToaster:
i know flanders. in-deedely-doodlely!
Litlebritdifrnt
Will you all stop calling them Black Raspberries, they are BLACKBERRIES, and are delicious.
SiubhanDuinne
@Barbara:
That looks wonderful!
Barbara
Don’t raspberries grow in the wild? I have picked many growing along paths, in July.
M31
@SiubhanDuinne: hahaha Flanders and Swann, I just had a vivid flashback of an old girlfriend’s favorite LP from about 30 years ago— “I once had a whim and I had to obey it, to buy a French horn in a second-hand shop, I then took it home and I started to play it, in spite of the neighbors who begged me to stop” to the tune of a Mozart horn concerto hahahahahahaha
SRW1
Sounds like a fruitful day was had by you and your driving assistant.
SiubhanDuinne
@Litlebritdifrnt:
Nope, blackberries and black raspberries are two different things. Both delicious, but not the same.
chris
@SiubhanDuinne: At the drop of a hat
SiubhanDuinne
@M31:
You would be amazed at how often I sing that!
SiubhanDuinne
@chris:
That’s the one!
Keith P.
@Barbara: I saw Great Chefs of Nola the other day where they made chicken with blackberry vinegar…they stole it from a place in France
Steve in the ATL
@Litlebritdifrnt: it’s always a race issue with this crowd!
@Keith P.: or maybe school is out for the summer
@A Ghost To Most: if I were a labor lawyer, I would say that that is some fucked up shit. I at least pretend to bargain in good faith before declaring impasse and imposing my contract!
John Cole
@Litlebritdifrnt: No they are not. These are wild black raspberries. Blackberries are not even ripe until around the 4th of July.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/blackberry-black-raspberry-difference_n_3652357
karen marie
Really, John? YOU THINK IT’S BECAUSE SHE HAS BROTHERS THAT “SHE DEFINITELY IS MORE TOGETHER”?
I can’t even at this point.
Aleta
Such beautiful pictures.
It poured here. Drove three hours to meet some people from the midwest who’re camping in Acadia and take them around to the good spots. It was beautiful anyway, and three out of four had rain gear so…. And they’re fun and really nice. They especially seemed to like Thuya Lodge (I do too) although maybe they lingered because it was dry inside? Came home. Took a nap with the young cat Finn (neighbor girl calls him Huckle, middle name Berry).
Miss Bianca
@SiubhanDuinne:
So follow me, follow
Down to the hollow
And there let us wallow in gloooooooooooooooooooorious
Mud!
NotMax
@SiubhanDuinne
Ate there a long, long, long time ago.
Had to go digging into the old, old box of recipes handwritten on index cards for this close to what you mentioned dish.
Roast Pork with Prunes
9 lb pork shoulder, bone removed and butterflied.
1 lb prunes, soaked in hot water
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
1 tsp. ginger
¼ cup chopped parsley
Lay meat flat, salt & pepper on both sides.
Drain prunes well, then chop finely.
Add garlic, rosemary, ginger and parsley. Work all that into a paste.
Spread the paste on the inside surface of the meat.
Roll meat into a log, tie with butcher string in four places.
Place on rack in a roasting pan and bake at 350° for 2½ hours. If getting too browned on top, tent with foil for last 30 minutes.
Steve in the ATL
@karen marie: I suspect you are grievously missing the his point, which is pretty much the opposite of “boys are better than girls”
Steppy
Dude! Two dozen each of the red raspberries and the black caps. That is more than a couple of hours to process and can. I know. As you well know, there is not much better than jam (or preserves or tomatoes or sauce or pickles or whatever) in the dead of winter. There is also not much better than giving jars of your stuff away and having your friends raving about it. Blueberries are coming in too.
TaMara (HFG)
@karen marie: Jeezus. I’m sure his point is, older siblings have an effect on younger ones. Case in point, I’m much older than my brothers, and I’m pretty sure their wives will attest to the fact an older sister was a good influence on them.
You know, not everything is slight against women. Speaking as a woman here.
John Cole
@karen marie:
That’s probably for the best since you completely and totally missed my point.
Tim C.
John, just so you know, you seem like you would make one of the best uncles in the world.
Keith P.
@Steve in the ATL: Oh, shit, I was completely oblivious to the time of year. I knew “self-employed housekeeper” was too good of a job to be true.
A Ghost To Most
@Steve in the ATL:
I thought you are a labor lawyer. You don’t travel to all those crappy places for fun, do you?
Kristine
What a great day you gave that little girl.
J R in WV
Regarding the EPA and its employees, and a “collective bargaining agreement” aka contract.
I always though contracts required an agreement between at least two parties. If one party doesn’t agree, you don’t have a contract at all, you may have an offer on the table, but it isn’t a contract at all.
And of course a “collective bargaining agreement” — in all three words, required collective action, bargaining, and agreement. None of which we appear to have here.
Typical Tsar-like behavior, everyone in Trump’s administration appears to believe they are Lords of all they have been told to survey, and no one may interfere with their intent, lest they anger the Lord of all in charge of that specific arena.
Steve in the ATL
@A Ghost To Most: yes, I am, and no, I don’t. Though I am near the Lodge factory and its outlet store, so if you want some cast iron pans, let me know!
J R in WV
@J R in WV:
Just to add, some really fucked up shit !!! A shame I know some of the people who now have to deal with that fucked up shit…!!!
dp
Allsome!
Seanly
Why does everyone bust on folks who prefer ketchup on their hot dogs over mustard? I love a good spicy mustard on pretzels, but can’t stomach the taste of regular radioactive yellow French’s mustard. I just put ketchup on my hot dogs and that’s the way I like it.
HeartlandLiberal
Breyana is right about ketchup, perhaps her young wisdom and good palate will influence John Cole. Ask her if she has tried ketchup on scrambled eggs with cheese! Only way to go.
Ked
Ketchup on hot dogs is acceptable, despite the sneering efforts of you elite bloggers. Mostly.
If you have lots of other condiments on the dog, don’t use ketchup.
If the hot dog AND bun are of sufficiently awesome quality, ketchup is not always worthwhile.
For the love of god, don’t use equal amounts of mustard if you do use ketchup and not that glowing yellow stuff.
Sadly, most of us don’t get that quality of ingredients most of the time (also, 7-11 buns blow), so a controlled line of Heinz (never Hunts) adds a nice, balanced set of flavor dimensions to a very basic reprocessed food.
karensky
Kinda late but wanted to say that your post made me very happy. You and Breyana are a terrific team.
TomatoQueen
What a splendid, delicious, and productive day. This I believe is because, as the bonus pic shows, this is Lily’s universe, and such fortunate ones as Mr Cole live in it.