I spent most of June anticipating the 4th of July. It's not that I harbor a particular love for fireworks, crowds or parades. I was looking forward to it because it was was a Friday off from work that I could use to go berry picking. I got up early and drove out to rural New Jersey to Mood's Farm Market to pick blueberries. Sadly, the berries weren't quite as ripe as I would have liked (I imagine they are absolutely perfect today) but I still managed to pick 8 pounds of sweet, spicy and tart berries.

While at the market, I also picked up 2 quarts of tiny plums, half a dozen super-fresh ears of corn, several pounds of new potatoes (destined for a quick trip through the oven with rosemary and garlic), a dozen fresh apple cider donuts (possibly one of the best treats ever created), a whole mess of Kirby cucumbers and half a bushel of small, sweet white peaches. Details about how I used all this wonderful, fresh abundance is after the jump.

I'm still working my way through the potatoes, although the corn, cukes and donuts are long gone. The bluberries became jam during an episode of Fork You. The plums I also turned into four pints of jam (the recipes for that will be coming soon) and the peaches got processed into butter. I peeled and sliced them until my 6 quart crockpot was filled within an inch and a half of the top (nearly the entire half bushel). I cooked them on low overnight with some cinnamon, half a grated nutmeg and the juice of two lemons (the one problem with cooking with white peaches is that they need extra acidity to counter their sweetness).

The next day I pureed the fruit, added a cup and a half of sugar and turned the slow cooker up to high (leaving the lid off so that more liquid could evaporate. It cooked like that for another four hours (this is definitely a weekend project) until the volume in the pot was reduced by nearly half. Then I ladled it into sterilized jars and screwed on the lids. All the jars sealed, but using so little sugar means that it doesn't have a hugely long shelf life. I'm planning on taking these jars to my next family gathering and distributing them among my aunts, uncles and cousins, as a summertime treat. Of course, I have a couple of jars already stashed away in my fridge, for spooning into plain yogurt and eating on top of toast. Yum!