The Days of Lilac, Redbud, Dogwood, and Violets

I was up before dawn this morning, chomping at the bit, to get outside and pick violet and redbud blossoms before heading to the library to present today's programs.

Violet Blossoms

The first thing I did was pick enough violet blossoms from our back yard to make a batch of violet jelly. I made it for the first time last year and it turned out beautifully! Next to grape jelly, I'm pretty sure that violet is my favorite! 💗

Redbud Blossoms

Next, I picked redbud blossoms from our neighbor's tree...with her permission, of course! 😆 (We've got a redbud, but it's so tall now that I can't reach the blossoms.) 

Redbud Blossoms

I put the violet and the redbud blossoms in jars to start infusions for jelly-making.

Violet and Redbud Infusions

I've never made redbud jelly before, so this will be a first. I will post the recipe and pictures of how it turned out later. 

Dogwood

While I was out and about, I stopped to click this picture of my mother's dogwood tree. It is in full bloom and so beautiful!

Lilacs

And, last but not least, this vase of lilacs (that I, actually, cut last night) graces our kitchen table and the smell of them fills the room. Lilac is definitely my favorite scent of all time and I love the spring season! 💗

What about you? Has spring sprung where you are? If so, what's blooming? What wild edibles to you and your family enjoy? And how do you prepare them?

Until next time...
~Rebecca

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Making Pumpkin Butter

Pumpkin Butter

On the 31st of OctoberI carved a pumpkin to put out
front. Instead of putting a lit candle inside, like I normally
do, I decided, instead, to light the jack-o-lantern with
battery-operated tea lights.

On November 1st, not being able to bear the thought of letting all that fresh pumpkin go to waste, I chopped it in half and put it in a metal pan, face-side up.

Next I covered both halves with aluminum foil and roasted the pumpkin in a 325 degree oven for an hour and a half.

After it was nice and tender, I removed the foil and
allowed the pumpkin to cool. Then, I cut the pumpkin
into pieces, peeled away the skin, and put the
pieces in the food processor.

I processed the pumpkin until it turned into a
nice, smooth, creamy puree.

Next, I measured the puree out into batches, added brown sugar, honey, lemon juice, and spices and let the sweet and sticky mixture simmer on low until thick.

After that, I ladled the pumpkin butter into jars. After capping with new lids and caps, I put the jars into a boiling, hot-water bath and processed them for approximately 20 minutes.

Out of that one throw-away pumpkin, I got a total of 6-pints
of delicious pumpkin butter. I had never made it before,
but am very pleased with the results. I'm in hopes of
finding a pumpkin or two on mark-down so as to make a few more jars of pumpkin butter before the season is over!

PUMPKIN BUTTER

2 cups pumpkin puree

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon cinnamon or more to taste

1/4 teaspoon cloves or more to taste

Combine all ingredients in a heavy-duty saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat to low and allow mixture to simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until as thick as desired. Serve fresh on biscuits, bread, or toast or ladle into jars, cap, and process in a hot-water bath for 20 minutes.

Until next time,

~Rebecca

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