In
2010, Russ and I thought we were so expert at making Strawberry jam that we
forged ahead without thinking or reading clearly and ended up with a bunch of
Strawberry syrup. (click here to read about that disaster) In 2011 we had been
out of town right at peak Strawberry season, so we just skipped making jam
altogether. But this year, the
strawberries came on early, due to a very hot March, so we jumped right in and
made eight batches before the first of May. It’s in the freezer – looking oh so
good. I’ve also started my own little Strawberry patch. Perhaps it will grow and spread until I can
pick from my yard to make jam.
There
is one little jar that I save and use every time we make jam. It has a special meaning to me and is a
constant reminder of the miracle of the birth of our triplet
grandchildren. In the year 2000, our
triplet grandchildren were born two months early and it was only through
prayers, good thoughts, fasts, and priesthood blessings that they survived.
While the babies were in the NICU, their mother, Lisa, had to pump her milk, put it in little
bottles and store it in the freezer at the hospital. Lisa had so much milk for
her babies, that we also filled her freezer and our deep freezer. When the
babies finally got their feeding tubes out and were able to drink from those
little bottles we all took our turn to feed them there in the NICU. And when
they finally came home two months after they were born, we still had two
freezers full of those little bottles of milk.
So
I kept one of those bottles, and have used it for one jar of jam every year
since. It will always remind me of the
miraculous birth of the triplets, Tanner, Connor, and Sydney. The triplets are
almost 12 years old now, but I still have the jar and will keep it forever.
Love and hugs to our miracle triplet grandchildren.
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| Some of our 2012 jars ready for the freezer |
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| Comparing the triplet bottle to canning jar |
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| The baby bottle jar I'll keep forever |
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| My strawberry patch -- a beginning |
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| The triplets and their Mom, Lisa - 2012 |
