So begins the preserving.

Today I spent a good hour or two in my jeans and long sleeve shirt wading through the crazy jungle of raspberry bushes. After a good and controlled pruning earlier this year, the bushes went crazy with growth. A little too crazy. I managed to find quite the bundle of fresh raspberries there this morning.

After a quick trip to the grocery store for a giant bag of sugar, vinegar of two varieties, and dill & mustard seed, I was thoroughly equipped for my afternoon of early preserving.

Exhibit one: Fresh picked and preserved raspberry jam.

 

Last night I managed to pick a few of my pickling cucumbers. Just enough for small batch of refrigerator dill pickles from a mix I found in this kitchen.

Exhibit two: Kosher Dill Refrigerator Pickles

I can't wait to make more when the plants go really crazy!