Morning Time Jelly Making

Matt gets up before me just about every single day.  I am sure there have been a handful of times in all our years together where I've beaten him out of bed, but just a handful.  He is some sort of wonder that can operate well on what seems to me to be a terribly small amount of sleep.  I am jealous a bit, I must say, of this ability.  But, I don't lose any sleep over it....

Matt also is some sort of wonder that starts working on one project or the other the minute his feet hit the floor.  Not me.  I like to ease into my day a little more than that--maybe a cup of tea, read a few pages from my book, or do some yoga--something like that.

So, while I was still snoozing, two back-to-back days this week Matt's morning project has been jelly making.  I've awoken to a house smelling of sweet goodness and a table covered in jewel-toned jars of preserves.

Its the first time he's ever made grape jelly--using up some jars of juice we pressed in 2012.  He also made gooseberry jam, and sour cherry, apple, and peach jellies.  These join some other flavors he's made so far this year including peach marmalade, strawberry jam, and persimmon jelly.

The apple failed to set properly, but as luck would have it apple syrup is my second favorite pancake topping.  So, that is just fine by me.

The peach juice Matt used for the peach jelly was blended with a little bit of apple juice because there wasn't quite enough peach for the job.  I think I like it even better.  The peach flavor is milder and sweeter and the jelly has a lovely hue.

We've been sampling the spreads on homemade sourdough bread, Matt's newest venture, and all have passed the test with flying colors.