Friday, June 19, 2015

More Pickles and Jam!

It was a rainy, wet Friday, and we've been talking about the pickles and jam we made in Week 2 since we tried them.


Jonah's mom (3K) donated some pickling cucumbers from the Agriculture Center's Farmers Market
earlier in the week, so today we went to work!


We measured and mixed our Kosher salt (1 Tbs), sugar (1.5 Tbs), peppercorns (1/4 tsp - heaping), mustard seed (1/4 tsp - heaping), diced garlic (1 Tbs), vinegar (1/2 cup - white), fresh dill (approx 3-in. feathery piece) and 4 pickling cucumbers.


We gave a quart-sized jar to Mrs. McCoid (Jonah's mom) and kept a jar to taste-test at camp next week! We tweaked the recipe a bit, learner from our first experience, using a little less garlic.

Meanwhile in the 4K1 classroom we recreated the jam recipe from WK2 - using blueberries instead of strawberries this go round. 


We mashed the berries (1 2/3 cup)...



and mixed them with sugar (2/3 cup) and pectin (2 Tbs).


We put all three ingredients in a quart-sized glass jar and shook them, and then stirred, simply b/c I didn't bring a large bowl or spoon with me, so we made due. As my grandmother would say, "Necessity is the mother of invention."


I poured the jam into little jam jars and put them in the fridge to chill.
Next week, we'll enjoy our jam on bread and read the classic, Blueberries for Sal, by Robert McCloskey.






Birdfeeders for the Garden


Today, several of our older students made bird feeders using prickly pine cones,


shortening, and bird seed.



Students smeared the pinecones with shortening using big popsicle sticks.
and then rolled them in birdseed to complete the feeder.


It was messy, but fun!


Another fun, fine motor activity included 


stringing Cheerio's on pipe cleaners,


molding the finished product into interesting shapes to hang from the trees 
to feed our feathered friends.