zeelemons

a site by kitty + lee

Navigation
  • About
  • On Being Vegan
  • Essential Oils
  • My Bucket List

A new tradition in the making.

November 19, 2014 by zeelemons

The older I get, the more I look to add traditions to my life. The holidays bring back a lot of great memories as a kid for me and I hope to remember these current days thirty years from now. My favorite memory is decorating the house for Christmas. My mom would put the Brenda Lee Christmas record on, serve us hot cocoa in Santa mugs and we’d bop around the living room spreading Christmas cheer. She’d let us decorate however we wanted- I’m sure she moved things around after we went to bed but I just remember feeling happy that I could help. I now have that Brenda Lee Christmas album and you better believe I’m going BLAST that thing at least once a day.

Unlike most New Yorkers these days, I like the snow. I don’t like driving in it but I like it being outside my window. Not only is it gorgeous, but I have a lot of great memories spending hours in the snow. And hiking in it. To celebrate this excitement of the approaching holidays and embracing the change of the seasons, I decided to add a new tradition: enjoy a jar of summer jam after the first snowfall.

I probably should have shared this recipe a few months ago when I made the jam and the strawberries were in season, but time passed and I forgot. Sorry about that.

photo (6)Strawberry Thyme Jam recipe from the kitchn

1 quart strawberries (approximately 3 cups chopped)- we picked ours at Engelke Farm
1 cup local honey
5 to 6 sprigs thyme- picked from our back porch garden
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Chop berries and place them in a bowl. Add honey and stir. Strip thyme leaves off branches and add them to the strawberries and honey. Stir to combine.

When honey has dissolved and the strawberries are quite juicy, scrape the mixture into your pan.

Bring to a bubble and cook over high heat for 8 to 12 minutes, until the jam is thick and sticky.

Funnel jam into two prepared half pint jars and process in a small water bath canner for 10 minutes.

When time is up, remove jars from canner and let it cool on a folded kitchen towel. When it’s cool enough to handle, remove the ring and check seal. An unsealed jar should be refrigerated and eaten promptly. A sealed jar can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to one year.

The beau and I joke that we better survive after eating this jar of jam, because I’ve never canned anything before and it could be rancid. Hopefully we’ll be able to easily tell if it’s gone bad but we haven’t checked; it’s tucked up into a cupboard waiting to be paired with a baguette. And maybe a bottle of wine. But definitely a baguette.

Do you have any traditions that you are looking to carry on or start this season?

Filed Under: christmas cheer!, holiday, summer love. Tagged With: first snowfall, holiday tradition, new tradition, strawberry jam

HI THERE!  Jona Lee is a daughter, sister, friend & the editor and blogger of zeelemons. This blog is little bits of her everyday life- exercise, eating healthy as a vegan, moments she'll want to remember forever and an occasional love letter. She lives with her kitty + beau in Troy, New York. 

Instagram post 2193999221695532394_3118033 Albany’s Last Run 5k with some of my coworkers. My first time running this race and it was a ton of fun! I’ll definitely do this one again🎄
Instagram post 2193051808910743567_3118033 Accountability time! 
I *finally* reconciled November’s budget and made a deposit/transfer to savings = $3,354.55 into the emergency fund! It’s now 68.99% fully funded = we are getting there! 
I anticipate at least 3 more months of saving to refill this account, even with Christmas factored in. From there, we can’t wait to start saving for other items for our home, including a new mattress and maybe even a vacation! We’re keeping our eyes on the prize (financial peace)!
.
.
.
#financialfreedom #financialpeace #debtfreecommunity #debtfreejourney #babystep3 #emergencyfund #goals #cashisking #fpugrad #noexcuses #budget #plan #accountability
Instagram post 2192379780033543297_3118033 Today’s smoothie: banana, very cherry berry frozen blend, cacao nibs, hemp hearts and water. 🍒 Already devoured: sesame tofu and 3 cuties 🍊
.
.
.
#plantbased #vegan #whatveganseat #vegansofig #smoothie #fruit #eattherainbow🌈 #lunchonabudget #budget #goals #babystep3
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Subscribe!

Archives

Popular Posts

  • My 23 Favorite Young Living Products
  • Oils in Our Home: and the Litter Box!
  • How we track our monthly budget
  • Hiking Allen Mountain (in the winter)
  • About

2019 Race Schedule

Helderberg to Hudson Half - April 13
SRT 30 miler - Sept. 14
Troy Turkey Trot 10k - Nov. 28
Last Run 5k - Dec. 7

Running PRs

5k - 25:11 - 2015 Get Your Rear in Gear
4 miles - 35:15 - 2014 Runnin' of the Green
10k - 50:51 - 2015 Troy Turkey Trot
15k - 1:34:04 - 2014 Boilermaker
13.1 - 2:03:15 - 2015 Saratoga Palio
26.2 - 4:23:46 - 2015 HMRM
30 miles - 8:10:00 - 2019 SRT

Currently Hiking

ADK Firetowers: 23/23
Catskill 35: 14/35
NH48: 25/48
ADK46W: 13/46

Copyright © 2019 · by zeelemons · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress