We’re excited to welcome today total Supermom (of six kiddos!) Kierste from Simply Kierste. She has one of her family’s favorite books to add to our Summer Reading Series.
Our family is in LOVE with the Frances books by Russell Hoban. That Frances is such a character, and we laugh so hard at all of her adventures… or misadventures. One of our particular favorites is Bread and Jam for Frances. The story is darling, and delivers a moral about learning to eat and appreciate different foods. It’s definitely one to have on your shelf.
It’s hard not to read this book, and want bread and jam too! One of our favorite summertime activities is picking berries, and it’s a great activity to do with your kids. The type of berry may differ depending on where you live, and even the picking time, but it usually varies between May and August. There is a fantastic farm a few miles from where we live, that has the most plump and juicy blackberries just perfect for picking. Everyone gets their own bucket, and we see how many pounds we can each pick. There is always lots of eating along the way!
If you do a search for picking farms in your area (try here or here), chances are you’ll find one that you can take your kids too. It’s wonderful for so many reasons — enjoying the outdoors, teaching them where food comes from, working together to accomplish a task, and eating yummy & healthy food. It’s also just FUN! Field trips are the best.
The best part about picking berries is coming home and making delicious jam! Freezer jam is SO easy to make, and doesn’t require any special equipment. My kids love being in the kitchen, and summertime is one of the best times to be in there together. Making jam is perfect for kids to help with — they can help smash berries, add sugar, and do some stirring.
My favorite Blackberry Jam recipe is this one from Ball — great directions, and easy to follow. Depending on your preference, you can use sugar, Splenda if you need it to be lower in sugar, and even honey. This recipe includes amounts for each one. Also here is a recipe for Strawberry Jam.
And the end result??? Yum!
Kierste is the girl behind the blog Simply Kierste, and is the lucky mom to six kids. When she’s not chasing after a teenager, two sets of twins, and a baby, she’s working on her next project, training for her next race, reading one of her favorite books, or baking something with chocolate in it. She lives in The Woodlands, TX, but is moving to upstate New York in the next few weeks!
While you’re at it, why not make butter? Put cream in a small jar and have your kids shake, shake, shake it until the buttermilk separates from the solids. If you want to save it, be sure to rinse the solids to release all the buttermilk, but that isn’t necessary if you’re just going to spread it on bread & eat it!
Bread and Jam for Frances was a favorite book of my kids – 40 years ago!! I still have it along with a 45 record – and no record player to play it on! :)
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