We have been swimming in strawberries lately as our transplanted patch is growing amazingly well. It’s hard to get out there and pick with a baby on my hip, and she never seems to nap when I need to get all the things done. I know this is only a season, (one I have been in for about 16 years!), so I am enjoying every baby holding and snuggling moment that comes my way.

I have been ever so thankful for my helping hands around the farm. Something happened this last Saturday that I can’t quite explain. I made a to-do list with the chores we had for the day and everyone selected one and got to work. It was some kind of miracle. I hope this cheerful helpful attitude towards helping out around the place continues, but if not I will still be thankful for this past sweet Saturday.

I’ll admit that I felt a little mommy shame when I received photo texts with family taking their kids to the park and the zoo, and all I had to offer was a pic of my little one stuffing her face with strawberries.

strawberry helper stuffing her face with berries faster than I can cap them

I made sure to make yummy strawberry desserts for the crew and afforded them some free time. I also took my little one swimming, as that seemed to be the only thing on her to-do list for the day.

Speaking of yummy desserts, I added this new recipe below for Pretzel Jello, my mom’s dessert/side dish summer picnic staple, to my strawberry page.

Pretzel Jello

I grew up with this classic strawberry dessert or side dish being served at many summer family picnics. This recipe has a great salty and sweet combination.

Ingredients

Crust

2 cups or more pretzels
3/4 cups melted butter
3 Tbls sugar

Middle Cream Layer

8 oz cream cheese
1 cup sugar
8oz cool whip

Strawberry Jello Layer

1 large 6oz box of Strawberry Jello
2 cups boiling water
20 oz frozen strawberries

Instructions

Roll and crunch 2 cups or more pretzels and spread out in a 9x13 glass dish
Pour 3/4 cup of melted butter over the pretzels.
Sprinkle 3 Tbls of sugar over pretzels and butter.
Bake at 400 degrees for 8 mins, then let cool completely.
Beat 8 oz cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar.
Stir in 8 oz of cool whip into cream cheese mixture, then spread over cooled pretzels.
Dissolve 1 large 6 oz box of strawberry Jello with 2 cups of boiling water.
Stir 20 oz of frozen berries in the Jell-o mixture, let this set until it starts to thicken then pour over cream cheese mixture.
Refrigerate until the Jello is completely set.

Notes

Pretzel Jello tastes best when made the night before.

The strawberry page includes our adventure with planting and transplanting our strawberry patch as well as some other recipes and preserving tips for all things strawberries farm-to-fork. If you haven’t checked out my recipes before, you can find them all on the vittles page.

This past Saturday, while the crew headed out to their assigned chores, I strapped the baby in the stroller and we visited them all around the yard. Then later we had a jam session inside. There is nothing like homemade jam.

It’s so delicious and no wonder with the amount of sugar involved in the process! I have toyed with pectin products that allow for lower sugar additions or sweetening with honey, but none of them seem to keep their rich red color and amazing taste as well as the full-sugar Sure-Jell recipes.

I love to gift this beautiful jam, and this year I made a super cute label to go atop the jam jars. If you would like to print some of your own cuteness, I made a generic jam label for 2021 Strawberry Jam and have it available in my free resource library.

If you own a Cricut and sticker paper, then go to town! If not, these can be easily be made with Avery Labels 22807 and a printer. Feel free to use my image or get creative and create your own unique label.

Also, I thought I might mention that there is a canning lid shortage! So plan ahead if you are new to canning or need to replenish your supplies, because you may need to order online. Some stores have full sets of jars and lids for sale, but there are not many with just the lids you need to properly seal canned food for preserving. This shortage started last summer and continues on. It seems like such a strange thing to be in short supply. Some stores even have buying limits…craziness.

Our last strawberry adventure for the weekend was an attempt at making strawberry wine. Once you have the wine-making equipment you can make wine out of most fruits. I guess I was inspired by my country music roots with Deana Carter’s Strawberry Wine song. Winemaking is a long process – this batch won’t be ready to bottle until July. Next, I will have to work on my strawberry wine labels, but the good news is that I have plenty of time!

As the craziness of the end of the school year winds down and the summer garden begins to grow, I find myself in the calm before the storm. When all the kids are home all day without schoolwork to occupy them, my time is no longer my own. But I also find myself with 4 helpers, one of which can drive. I feel like a conductor of sorts as I manage the roles I play in our family. I am hoping we can strike a balance between fun and productivity this summer.

As more people are vaccinated and states are opening up, we will probably (cautiously) head out of town a bit this summer. I feel like we have a lost summer to make up for from last year, but at the same time, I so enjoyed staying home too. I need to find the right balance this summer between staying home and our social schedule & outings.

So, as you head into your summer, I hope you can find your balance too! And as you get your crafting or gardening on this summer, let me know if you find something that would be helpful to see on the site. I love working on custom jobs and figuring out new projects. In the meantime, hobby on!