4 H Jam and Jelly Workshop

The first time we went to a 4 H Jam and Jelly Workshop was in 2009.  I remember this because Lily was only a few months old and I carried her around while I was helping to lead a group of 4hers making freezer jam.  I guess I never wrote a blog post though on it, because I checked and couldn't find one.  I was going to compare pictures of the children from then and now.  But anyway, back to today.

By now yes we could go ahead and make jam and jelly on our own, but it is more fun in a group, and much easier for me.  My only job for today was to be the photographer.  Also, they keep the jam and jelly and enter it in the fair so that is one less thing I have to lug up there and enter.   We did not make any freezer jam so we will be making a batch of that later in the week.  We did make peach jam and blackberry jelly.  My children do not like blackberry jam because of all the seeds, but I think they will like blackberry jelly better.  There was supposed to be a $5 charge per child for the workshop today, but the peaches and blackberries ended up being donated and the Women's Farm Bureau offered to sponsor the workshop and pick up the cost of the rest of the supplies so it ended up being free!

I had 4 children participating today: Lily, Christian, Alex, and Nick.  Emelia is too young, Anthony doesnt "do jelly", and Chelsea was still asleep when we had to leave this morning.  It took a little over two hours to make the jam and jelly plus clean up.  We got to bring home one jar of peach jam today and the others we will get after the fair.  Each child got to enter a jar of each in the fair.

I had brought some things for Emmie and Anthony to do: the iPad, a DS, coloring book, crayons, magazine, puzzles, and some small toys.  I didn't really expect Emmie to use any of them.  She is always attached at my hip or under my feet wherever we are, even at home.  I was very surprised when she stayed in the other room for well over an hour and played with what I brought.  So I took one picture from pretty far away so she wouldn't see me.