Strawberry Jam

So I have been a little MIA, sorry.

The kids and I took a little break from the Vegas world and spent a few weeks up in St. George visited my parents.  It was a much needed get away.  The kids just love to run around outside for hours on end and tinker with wood projects in the garage with grandpa.  It was great.  So needless to say, our little getaway really set our garden back.  Really your garden just doesn't plant itself, as I was hoping it would, while we were away.  So we got things in really late.  But the weather this year was crazy.  It was way to cold to plant things before we left and way to hot to after.  But crazy weather produces crazy produce.  Check out these Chia Pet Strawberries we picked.

 Our strawberry plants put on fruit, then it dropped cold enough that it froze.  So all the seeds on the outside of our strawberries sprouted.  Crazy!  If you know how hard it is to sprout strawberries from seed you can really appreciate it.  I know my pictures are not the best but I don't think anyone would believe me if I didn't have pictures to back it up.

 Even though our strawberries were off to a rough start this year, we have had a ton of berries.  I planted 25 plants last year and 25 more this year.  This years plants haven't set much fruit yet (as to be expected) but last years plants are berry making machines.  This is the first year the kids have had enough to eat to their hearts content AND I was able to make jam.  I am over the moon that I didn't have to buy berries at the store to make jam this year, Whoo! Whoo!  I think I will be able to get another batch out of them too.  I can't wait to see how many berries we get next year off of all 50 plants.