Time for More Jelly

Friday evening last week I took the boys berry picking again. This time we were looking for chokecherries. And boy did we find them.

I forgot to take my camera along, so these pictures are from my phone. I didn't think to take pictures of a bush we came across later that had literally millions of berries on it. I picked 90% of my berries off that other bush within 30 minutes or so ... while holding a cranky 22 month old who was terrified to be set down in the tall grass. Since we were at a lake and there is a very nice, expensive restaurant at the lake, his screaming was not an option. The yells carried across the water like a loud speaker. I was just sure I was going to be investigated - ha. But I couldn't pick and hold him at the same time, so I would set him down, pick furiously while he screamed, then pick him up again and settle him down. It was very exhausting.

So anyway, I managed to get quite a few berries - not quite as many as the Oregon grapes - but more than I expected. I could have easily picked for days, there were so many berries up there I didn't even make a dent. But really, how much jelly can one family use?


These are so pretty - they remind me of cranberries ... the perfect fall color.

I enlisted the not-so-enthusiastic help of my teenage daughter to sort the berries last night. We will make them into juice today.


I'm thinking I'll make both jelly and syrup out of these. We have so much Oregon grape jelly that I think it will be a challenge to use it all. But I do have to say, it is delicious!