Making jam and muffins

Serviceberries are amazing! The trees in town are carrying a bumper crop this year and the berries are large and sweet. I have made three early morning trips to gather these and will probably get a couple more trips in before they disappear.

What's a serviceberry you ask? Its in the apple family and its Latin name is Amelanchier. It looks a bit like a tiny tiny crab apple but it is very soft and not tart like a crab apple would be. It tastes -- like a serviceberry. I'm in a hurry right now so I don't have time to think of what a serviceberry tastes like. You either already know or you need to find out on your own.

While I was out foraging I came across the coolest little patio entrance I have ever seen in St. Louis. As you can see, the door features a rectangular bare wood theme, has recessed lights over the door and is topped with repurposed window panels. The little garden to the right is just formal enough to make the whole thing look special. But I digress.

Here is what I brought home:

and....

This was quite a lot of serviceberries. I ate a ton while picking (as one does), made a couple batches of muffins, five pints of preserves and froze eight quart bags of them. I think I'll make jelly next.

And lest I forget, here are the jars of mulberry syrup. The half-full jar had olives in it and I decided to repurpose it after finishing the olives. I washed it carefully and let it air out for a couple weeks so I thought it would be OK. Sadly, that bit of mulberry syrup is inedible. Mulberry and pickled olives do not make a good combination. Lesson learned -  if you can't replace the lid with a new one, don't reuse the jar for canning.