HEAVENLY HYDRANGEAS

Summer gardens = hydrangeas. Beautiful blue hydrangeas. This blue is pure magic. Blue bliss. Only once a year these blue bloomers adorn gardens almost everywhere you look. And I look. I even go out of my way just for a glimpse of some of my favorites. The hydrangeas in my garden bloom to a beautiful almost periwinkle all summer and fade to a soft pale blue-gray as the weather cools. So beautiful. I love that you can preserve the blossoms, capturing a summer moment, always ready to arrange in a basket or pitcher to chase away the winter blues.

Drying hydrangeas. A simple technique that as it slowly dries, preserves a slightly faded, papery flower that will last years if cared for properly. Who doesn’t like a little summer in the winter?

This is what you will need-

Hydrangeas

Pruners or Floral Sheers

Glass Jars

Water

Welcome to my garden...

There is less stress on the flower with a greater chance to dry if it is cut early morning from the plant. Choose and cut your flowers any length you like. I usually snip the stem about 10 to 12 inches down from the flower. Place immediately in a container of water. Take the container inside and place in a cool dark room, with as little light as possible. Let sit overnight.

Wash and dry your glass jars. Any jar will do. I have these family milk bottles that I use. I like the narrow opening and they are tall, perfect height to support the cut stem.

The next morning, fill your jars with about 6" of water.

Check your container for wilting flowers and discard. If you look close to the top, there is one flower that is starting to wither away. This flower probably would not have dried correctly anyway. Survival of the fittest. The rest of the hydrangeas look perfect.

Take one stem at a time out of the container. Remove all leaves down the length of the stem. You can leave a few leaves up close to the flower, if you like. Just make sure leaves are not in the water once placed inside the jar.

Hold the stem up next to the glass jar to measure the length where your need to cut the stem. Ideally you would like the flower to rest on the lip of the jar, for support.

With your floral sheers or pruner, snip off the bottom of the stem at a sharp angle. This will allow more water to be drawn up into the flower as it slowly dries.

Place the flower in the jar. I like to have no more than two flowers together so there is a little space around each flower.

Place all your jars/flowers in a dark, cool place. The darker the better. My hydrangeas go right the basement, as unattractive as that is, there is no light, it is very cool and room for air to circulate around the flowers. The three elements that you need to correctly dry hydrangeas.

All you have to do now is wait. That’s it. As the stem slowly absorbs the water from the jar, the flower will gradually dry. I like to check on the progress daily, just to make sure the blossoms stay clean and dry and that mold is not growing. Yuck. Once all the water is gone, the blossom should be light and papery. It might take a week or two for the flower to completely dry. 

Once dry, the hydrangeas will last for a very long time. I have some that I dried five or six years ago. I do take care of them, when not in use, they are carefully placed in a box away from heat, sunlight and left undisturbed. They are fragile, but beautiful. Perfectly dried.

Heavenly...

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JUST JAM

Traditions. They are the ribbons of life, they string and twist and loop and tie us together in a beautiful bow. They are who we are. Where we came from. Some traditions are passed down from generation to generation. Some are so old and some brand new. Others have become folk lore, history passed on between so many hands that the story is what you make from it. But one thing is sure, it is a gift from one to the next.

Making jam is one of my favorite traditions. Red raspberry jam. Who knows when or where it was started, but for sure it is alive and well and ready to be passed on in my world. And I love red raspberries, my favorite summer fruit. Second to wine, but is that really a summer fruit?

If you never made jam before, you need not run out and buy a kitchen full of new of equipment. You probably have what you need already. A few mason jars, some pots and pans and you are ready to go. Super simple. Super fun.

Basic tongs, large mouth funnel, half pint mason jars with matching lids (rings and seals).

Mason jar, ring and seal.

Back side of the seal.

This is what you will need-

6 Half Pint Mason Jars (with matching rings and seals)

1 Stock Pot and 1 Large Sauce Pan

5 Cups Red Raspberries

1 1/2 Cups Sugar

Juice From One Lemon

1 Tablespoon Fruit Pectin

Wash your rings, seals and mason jars.

Bring a large stock pot full of water to a full boil. Place your jars (with out the rings and seals) into the water. Make sure there is an inch or two of water over the tops of the jars. Bring the water back up to a full boil. Start the timer for ten minutes.

Remove with tongs one jar at a time and place in a clean dry tray.

Place the rings and seals into the boiling water and let boil for ten minutes.

Remove rings and seals and place in tray with jars.

Fill the stock pot back up with water and bring to a full boil.

Wash and dry raspberries. Remove any leaves and stems.

In a sauce pan, place all 5 cups of raspberries. With a wooden spoon smash the raspberries.

Place pot on stove and cook over med to high heat, stirring constantly.

Just as the raspberries start to boil, add 1 tablespoon of  pectin to the raspberries and mix in. Pectin is a natural fruit derivative that thickens jams.

Add the sugar and mix well.

Continue to stir until the mix comes up to a full boil. Cook and continue to stir for 8 minutes. You may have to reduce the heat a little to keep it from burning. There will a soft light foam that forms on the top. 

Remove from the heat and stir in the juice of one lemon. The lemon juice will reduce the foam from the jam once it is poured into the jars.

Pour all the hot liquid into a large measuring cup. Place the large mouth funnel over each jar and carefully pour the jam into each jar. Fill the jar up to ¼” from the top of the jar.

Place the seal then screw the ring onto each jar.

With your tongs, place one jar at a time back into the boiling water. Make sure the lids are covered by an inch or two of water. Bring the water back up to a full boil and start the timer for ten minutes.

Remove each jar one at a time with your tongs to cool.

You will hear a “pop” as they start to cool, a sign that the jars are sealed correctly. If you look closely, you can see the little indentation of the top of the seal on the upper right jar.

Let sit on counter to cool. Once completely cool, tighten lids again. The jam can be stored on the pantry shelf for a year. Refrigerate once the jar is opened.

Raspberry jam isn't just for breakfast...

Maybe spread on your favorite cookies...

Or between layers of a yummie cake...

Start your own tradition...

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