Coming to a close

It is with great sorrow that I must report the trout season here in Thurmont is coming to an end. The Department of Natural resources has finished stocking put-and-take fishing areas and the past few days have seen temperatures in the 90's.

My favorite stream is full of fish that just won't bite. On June 1st that stream will revert back to a catch and release stream until next March. I think this year I am going to use this as an opportunity to practice my fly fishing.

Perhaps I will use this time to also take advantage of our local lake and catch some largemouth bass. Maybe I will even be bold enough to try catching a few on a fly as well.

With all of this in mind I suggest you take a look at a simple recipe on Field and Stream online. Enjoy!

Hand Me Down Memories

This time of year brings back memories; memories of picking fresh fruit with my Mom. Whether it was picking peaches and strawberries from Huber's farm or stopping on the side of the road to pick blackberries; these are the fond memories I  have of my Mom in late Spring.

What better way to pay tribute to her, then by passing those memories down to my children. So today I set out with my five year old in hopes if "capturing" enough strawberries to make some freezer jam and save some for eating later.

In years past I have taken some of my older boys to pick black raspberries or blueberries,  making them in to preserves. But although they were all good there was still something missing. Some quality that was just out of reach. After loosing my Mom at the end of January I wanted to do her proud. Then I remembered how we used to make strawberry freezer jam. It's like bottling summer in a jar.

The below recipe will make enough for three pint sizes or six half pint jars. It can be made with store bought berries but you will never quite know what everyone is raving about if you do. It will store in the refrigerator for up to three weeks (if it lasts that long!) or can be stored in the freezer for up to a year. Just take it out to thaw and enjoy!

5 cups crushed fresh strawberries (with juices)
2 cups sugar
6 tbsp of Ball's RealFruit Pectin (for no cook freezer jam)

Start off by hand crushing 5 cups of strawberries with a potato masher. In a separate bowl combine sugar and pectin. Add fruit to the bowl and stir for three minutes. Ladle jam in to freezer jars and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Done.*

* recipe handed down from my Mom is actually the recipe from the box.

Begin at the Middle

I little over a year ago I watched a new show on The Travel Channel by the name of The Wild Within. The host of the show, Steven Rinella, is a hard core hunter gatherer. But this wasn't a typical hunting show. This was a ready for prime time show on going back to our roots, back to when our grandparents learned to live off the lands bounty and provide for themselves. Growing up a product of the late Seventies and Eighties I have longed for a connection to the world around me. That show helped spark the need to find that connection. This Blog will help me chronicle how I make that connection.