Week 17: Jam and Jelly & Cooking!

(Photo Source)

Last week while we were learning about the moon(updated photos),

my 'nighttime' blackberry jam was a huge hit!

Lily was interested in making her own jam with raspberries.

I thought it would be a perfect lesson

for the girls (and me too) to spend the week

in the kitchen and experiment with making jam!

Books

Jam & jelly by Holly & Nellie by Whelan, Gloria.

Making plum jam by Stewig, John W.

Bread and jam for Frances by Hoban, Russell.

The giant jam sandwich by Lord, John Vernon.

Resource Books

Jam it, pickle it, cure it : and other cooking projects by Solomon, Karen.

Preserves : the complete book of jams, jellies, pickles, relishes and chutneys, with over 150 stunning recipes by Atkinson, Catherine

In a pickle : chutneys, preserves, salsas, sweet treats by Brewis, Jill

Jam and Jelly Resource Sites:

Jelly Folklore

Key Learning Points

1. All Jams and Jellies come from real fruit that is cooked.

2. Adding heat to fruit makes them change their shape and the way they feel and taste.

Crafts and Activities:

First, we will be going to pick our own strawberries...you can visit PickYourOwn.org to find out the closest u-pick places to you.

Update: The girls and I had a wonderful time picking strawberries. The farm we went to had hydroponic organic strawberries...

We picked about 6 pounds of strawberries.

I loved that the girls each got their own basket, and scissors.

It was a great opportunity for them to practice their coordination skills.

I also took this opportunity to include a little science lesson too.

A lot of the strawberry plants had flowers on them

where you could see the middle portion becoming a ripe strawberry. Love it!

We'll be doing a little computer work and learning how to print out our jam labels. Here is a site that provides free labels- Tip Nut

Since I am a visual person, here is a tutorial for making jam from the Blog- Make Cupcakes

I love this tutorial which actually has kids making the squishy jam...so fun!

Songs:

Peanut Butter and Jelly Song

Chorus:
Peanut butter — And Jelly!
Peanut butter — And Jelly!
Peanut butter — And Jelly!
Peanut butter — And Jelly!

First you take the peanuts
And you dig them.
Dig them.
(Children repeat.)

Then you take the shells
And you crack them.
Crack them.

Then you take the shells
And you crack them.
Crack them.

Next, you take the peanuts
And you mash them.
Mash them.

Then you take the bread
And you spread it.
Spread it.

Chorus:
Peanut butter — And Jelly!
Peanut butter — And Jelly!
Peanut butter — And Jelly!
Peanut butter — And Jelly!

Next, you take the grapes
And you pick them.
Pick them.
Next, you take the grapes
And you pick them.
Pick them.

Then you take the grapes
And you squish them.
Squish them.

Then you take the bread
And you spread it.
Spread it.

Now, you take the sandwich
And you eat it
Eat it.

Dig them
Crack them
Mash them
Spread it.
Mmmmmm Mmmmmm looks good.

Pick them
Squish them
Spread it
And eat it
Tastes good.

Peanut butter — And Jelly!

Snacks:

(Photo Source)

OF course we will be 'testing' our jams and jellies all week long! MMMmmmm can't wait!

Update: Here is a photo journal of our experience making jam....

Step 1- Occupy your 2 year old washing dirty dishes... and getting wet

Step 2- Exercise your hand cutting many, many, many strawberries

Step 3: Sterilize your jar... we used a 1 quart jar and boiled for 10 minutes

Step 4: Add this funny looking ingredient...oh, I mean vanilla bean..and sugar

Step 5: Get to work squishing....so fun!

Step 6: Take some time to enjoy having red hands!

Step 7: Give the 2 year old a break from dish duty, and let her squish a few...

Step 8: Have a heart attack that there is

strawberry drippings and pieces all over your kitchen...

then remember that preschoolers can HELP clean up!

Step 9: Enjoy the fruits (or jam) of your labor...delicious!

Simple Jam Recipe: I love Jamie Oliver and how simplistic his recipes are...source Food Network

Strawberry Jam

Recipe (c) Jamie Oliver 2002

Prep Time:

5 min

Inactive Prep Time:

45 min

Cook Time:

4 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

about 2 jars

Ingredients

Seeds of 1 vanilla pod
10 1/2 ounces (300 grams) sugar
2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) strawberries, washed

Directions

Run your knife
down the vanilla pod scrape out the seeds and add with the pod to the strawberries and the
sugar. Mush it up a bit with a whisk leaving some large chunks. Put on a medium heat to
bring to a gentle simmer and leave to cook for about 4 minutes. Using a ladle remove the
scum from the top and leave to cool. Place in sterilized jars and store in the
refrigerator.

Copyright 2011 Television Food Network G.P., All Rights Reserved

Thanks!