Truly I have loved the weather of this summer. I know many of my friends complained and wondered when the real summer weather would begin. I, for one, did NOT miss the muggy and oppressive days of summers past. I loved the cooler mornings, the warm afternoons and cool again nights. All of this good feeling about the weather finally led me to the farmer's market in August.
Now, I am not your regular eat from the earth, organic only kind of eater. I love McDonald's, Diet Coke, peanut M and Ms, and many, many processed foods. However, I do like to take my kids to the market on Saturday mornings and introduce them to fruits and veggies that don't normally grace our dinner table. We see things like rutabegas (is that even how you spell it?) and radishes (gasp, I know soooo out there, haha), fresh basil, cilantro, etc. We also see those things which really are part of our existence like watermelon, apples, carrots, cantaloupe, kale (for that blasted iguana that lives on in our basement), and zucchini.
It was for zucchini that I came to the market on this particular Saturday. And I did end up finding some, but that's another adventure. Matt and I strolled around with the kids, coffee cups heavily laden with vanilla creamer in hand. (Because that's how we are LEARNING to become adults and drink coffee!) We went past one booth and saw some berries I had never seen before. We kept going and then I saw that they were only a dollar! I couldn't pass up that good of a deal. So, we backed up and I asked the older gentleman, "What are these?" He told me they were elderberries and that people usually made syrup or jam out of them. Hmmmmm....okay, I'll take them.
He asked me how much I wanted and I said, "Well, as much as a dollar would buy me." And he conferred with his wife and since it was the end of the market day, they gave me all that they had. I ended up with a huge Target bag full of berries that I had no idea how to use. The gentleman told me that in order to get the berries off the stem or vine, I would need to use a comb or a fork to remove them. Okay, I thought, I can try this.
So, I waited a couple of days, did a little research, bought some Sure Jell for jam and decided to try it out. I was doing back up day care for a friend on that Monday and it was a gorgeous day, so the kids played outside all morning. And while they played outside, I picked berries. I started with the fork like he had told me to, but along with the berries came all the stems! And when you make jam, you can't have stems! Imagine these berries.....they look like teeny tiny grapes bunched together on fragile stems. Yeah, it took me forever once I decided to pick them off one by one so I didn't have to pick out itty bitty stems later.
I recruited my six year old, my four year old, and their five year old friend to help me with the berries. Needless to say, I still ended up picking out itty bitty stems after all their "help." It was really, truly great though. And peaceful. I loved every minute of it as I listened to their banter of pretend play and then their conversations as they became expert berry pickers.
"Hey Grant, did you ever hear of elderberries before?"
"No, did you?"
"Yeah, on Saturday when my mom got them at the farmer's market."
"Did you taste one yet?"
"No way, did you?"
"No way, not a chance."
"Wow, we're really good at this aren't we Gabe?"
"Yep, did you ever think you'd be an expert elderberry picker Grant?"
"Nope, but I am and so are you, Gabe."
Really, it was priceless. And then my four year old would chime in, "Hey Mama, I'm the transformer Bumble Bee, and he's really good at picking elderberries, too."
"Yep, Bumble Bee, you sure are good at picking elderberries."
Finally, with my fingers stained purple, the deck with splotches of purple also, we decided we'd had enough and it was time for lunch. All in all, we'd picked about 8 cups of berries....teeny tiny berries.
Then came the jam experiment. These berries are similar to blackberries. A little seedy and with skin that stays on. I tried to use my trusty Pampered Chef food chopper like I used with strawberries and that fateful zucchini. But it just wouldn't work with the skin's texture. So, I turned to the blender. It worked great! It was truly the ticket to getting the berries the right consistency. My little helper of the day, two and half year old friend Gracie, and I boiled the Sure Jell, sugar and water and then added the berries. When finished the jars of jam looked great! Since then, I have tasted the jam and I wish I could say that it's the best jam I've ever tasted. But......sigh.....it's not. Not that it's bad, it's just not that good. Next time I make it, I'll add some strawberries or raspberries to give it a sweeter flavor. And there will definitely be a next time.
Later that afternoon, Gabe, Grant and Ben were playing Transformers in our backyard. Which, I happen to think, is the greatest backyard in Rochester and rivals the back yard of my upbringing. Nevertheless, behind the shed I hear a screech. "Mama! Mama! I've made a discovery! You have GOT to see this!"
I come running, well, quickly walking to see what is going on. "Look Mama! We have our very own elderberry tree!" And so we did. After living in my house for 11 years, it takes my six year old to discover an elderberry tree in our back yard. Not only was our adventure with elderberries magical, it had come full circle with this find. No more will I have to pay a whole dollar for my adventure, I'll have one for free next summer. Right in my very own back yard!
