Plum Goodness

I cooked up a lot of plums this week. 

I tried a no pectin plum jam recipe.

It used 12 lbs sweet ripe plums

4½ cups white sugar 

to make 8 pint-sized jars. 

The recipe said to cook the plums with sugar on the stove uncovered until it boiled (stirring occasionally) and then simmer for 10 minutes and turn off the heat. Cool. Repeat. This recipe says to bring the plums to a boil a total of 4 times.

Well, it took a very long time, and I have to say that for all that work, I was not thrilled with the results. (pictured above).

I also tried making Jello Jam. This turned out quite deliciously. I used watermelon Jello which gave the plums a very pleasant flavor. This one is a keeper!

And then I made a batch of Plum Butter. I have always loved apple butter and am very pleased to have learned that I can make plum butter with all my plums (we have two plum trees).

Yesterday I made yogurt. I bought this yogurt maker  in 2010, and I love it.

The plain yogurt is very tasty with a bit of plum jam stirred into it.

 

Now, all I have to do is keep from eating all this yummy plum goodness!

Fun at the Fair

You already know me and vintage cars...

Some highlights of the fair...

Fun in the animal section

Talent displayed at the fair...

Sand sculpture

Some of the people that make it really fun...

~~~♥~~~

This Just In

Oh happy day, my youngest son just got his high school exit test results. He passed! He is now graduated from high school!   He took the test June 18. Up until then, we were busy with studies. So, summer did not officially begin for us until Sunday June 19.   In all the years of home schooling my five children (it all began in 1992 when my first child was nearly five years old), we never took off more than two solid weeks of summer. Over the past month, I have been enjoying summer more than ever. Finally, so much time to relax in the pool to my heart’s content and go for long walks.  Boy, am I one happy mama!

Camping at Morning Star Lake

This Delicious Easy to Make Bread Makes Any Meal Better

~ Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day ~

I have posted about this amazing bread recipe before.
It is truly delicious and easy.

One more happy summer meal enjoyed

Mountain Hike and a Climb up Round Top

 Thursday morning we headed out the door at 7:00 a.m. ~

Two hours later we arrived here.

 We hiked first to Frog Lake and then to Winnemucca Lake.

It was going to be a hot day in the valley...

 a comfortable day in the mountains.

 The trail is mostly easy going with just a few rocky patches of climbing.

Before we knew it, we had arrived at Frog Lake, one mile up the trail.

 ~ A view of Round Top from Frog Lake ~

 From the hill behind Frog Lake, you see a view of Red Lake.

 ~ Mountain Vista ~

~ Snow above Red Lake ~

Back on the trail...

Lovely purple wild flowers

More patches of snow to play in...

This is the way to keep cool when it's 104 degrees in the valley.

One and a half miles from Frog Lake to Winnemucca Lake

Round Top above Winnemucca Lake

~ Here we are at Winnemucca Lake ~

My son wanted to climb the side of Round Top...

It is much steeper than it looks.

This is as far as we got.

The rocks are loose and slippery up here...

Views of Winnemucca Lake from Round Top

~ Sitting on top of the world ~

~ Sliding down a patch of snow ~

We ended our adventure with a jaunt to see Lake Tahoe, a 40 minute drive north...

Then drove 2 hours and 40 minutes back down to the valley.

It was a lovely day, indeed.

~~~♥~~~