I had the opportunity to spend time with a friend last week, which enabled me to make this Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce. I tend to avoid jams while home alone with my 7-month-old son as they are extremely hot, sticky and messy. Another set of hands in the house, though, gave us the chance to catch up with each other while making this treat. An added bonus was this was her first time making jam and/or canning.

The reason I titled this post as "Sauce" rather than "Jam" is that our jam didn't quite set. We followed the recipe from Food in Jars, but I'm sure it was user error on my part. I'm not the biggest rhubarb fan, but the flavor on this is a nice combination of sweet strawberry contrasting with the tartness of rhubarb. We sampled the leftover sauce that didn't fit nicely into jars drizzled while still warm over lemon curd ice cream. My friend described it best, "There's so much going on inside your mouth, and none of it is bad."


Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce
2 cup chopped rhubarb
4 cups chopped strawberries
3 cups sugar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 packet liquid pectin

Prepare jars and lids for canning prior to making the sauce. To make the sauce, stir the rhubarb, strawberries and sugar together in a large non-reactive pan off the heat. Once the sugar has begun to dissolve, place pot on burner and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, add the lemon juice and zest to the pot, and let it bubble gently for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. As the jam cooks, use the back of a wooden spoon to mash any large pieces of fruit. Add the pectin, stir to combine, and let cook for a few more minutes. Cook until sauce reaches desired consistency, testing using the plate method.

Remove jam from heat, and ladle into prepared jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Tighten lids, and boil 10 minutes in a hot water bath. Remove from water bath, and cool completely. Store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator. Makes about 2 pints.

Some of the flowers that are blooming at the orchard right now…

This is one of those posts that I’m overlapping between blogs.  I had to share the amazing work our face painter this past weekend did!

Capri was so, so, so happy with her face – you rarely see her smile and show her teeth!

At this weekends Apple Blossom Days we had a wonderful face painter – Angela from Be Bold and Amazing.  The girls had such a wonderful time getting there face painted, getting tattooed, and of course, watching her every move.

On Saturday night, the girls INSISTED that they get a bath so they could have there faces washed off for a NEW one the next day…

So – here’s the girls on day 2 of the Face Painting Bonanza (maybe I need to rename Apple Blossom Days and more people will show up?)

Savannah ended up having her face painted both days too!  I just love how a little paint brings out whole new kids!

Here’s my friend’s son Gavin giving me his Spiderman ‘pose’.  Love it!

And here’s our local chicken whisperer – Sarah – all painted up like a dragon!

Hopefully we’ll see Angela at the orchard again this fall!

When you stop by the orchard this weekend – be sure to grab a copy of the newly out – Wisconsin Splash! magazine.  It’s a great resource for happenings in the area – places to visit, special events, etc.  Jared and I already started a list for our family!  When you’re browsing through the magazine – you may recognize a few faces in the article on Barn Quilts… And…you may recognize those mouth watering caramel apples – and if you don’t the part of the article on us will remind you!  This is a super fun article that tells you about the local food favorites – a must read!