One of our favorite summer activities is berry pickin’ - spending the morning out in the summer sun, eating the fresh berries as we pick, and having the freshest of fruit to munch on all week. We love taking our field trips to the next level, too. The 25 pounds of strawberries that hubby picked this weekend have been set aside for eating, made into 30 jars of jam (great for a low-cost and delicious gift!), ice cream, strawberry bread, and sweetened and frozen for strawberry shortcake.

For the jam, we used this easy-peasey recipe that uses three simple ingredients:

• strawberries
• lemon juice
• sugar

Some may shy away from canning, but it’s much simpler than you may think.

After removing the stems and washing the berries, we mashed them up using our mixer.

Then mix the berries, lemon juice and sugar to a large stock pot. In a separate stock pot (if you don’t have a canning kit), fill with water and sterilize jars in boiling water.

One the jelly reaches 220 degrees and a sticky “jelly” consistency, ladle into sterilized jars and add seal and cap. Process in boiling water bath for 10-15 minutes (submerge jars with at least 1 inch of water covering the top). Remove from water bath and let cool. Once you hear the seal pop, you know your jar is all set. If they don’t pop, re-process, or refrigerate and use contents within two weeks.

What a great, simple way to spend a weekend with the ones you love, getting your hands dirty, enjoying the earth’s goodness.

I’ve touted my support for community supported agriculture before, and we’re excited to support those hard-working farmers in our own community. We recently picked up our first meat share from Chestnut Farms and I can sum it up in one word: variety.

Most of us tend to get in a dinner time rut - we cycle through the same chicken dishes, pizza, spaghetti, insert a healthy omega-3 rich fish. One thing that joining a CSA - meat or produce - won’t allow is ruts. To shake up your eating routine, consider joining a CSA near you. Besides being a healthier option (no growth hormones here!), this meat is better for the environment because it’s travel time from farm to table is minimal.

Here’s the goods we picked up this month (we’re signed up for 10 lbs. per month, the minimum order available):

• 2 steaks
• 4 pork cutlets
• 4 hamburger patties
• beef kabobs
• chicken legs
• 3 large breakfast sausages
• ground beef

By guest writer: Court G.

My brother is a hard-core devotee of the Simply Live concept. A fisherman and an organic farmer, he cooks exclusively with cast iron, and he gave me the all-purpose 10″ frying pan I use all the time.

What’s so Simple about cast iron?

Durability.
A cast iron pan can last a lifetime and then some. None of these guys in the landfill!

Versatility.
You can cook in cast iron on the stovetop, in the oven, or, of course, cowboy-style on your campfire.

Health-Promoting.
A well-seasoned cast iron pan requires very little oil, so there’s less chance you’ll unconsciously add extra fat to your meal in the cooking process. Plus, pre-menopausal woman or those who are slightly anemic could benefit from the small amount of iron transferred from pan to food. On the other hand, if you have excess iron issues (for example, hemochromatosis) this is undesirable.

E-Z Cleaning.
My brother doesn’t even clean his pans. and lets the grease congeal until the next time he uses it. I prefer a slightly less “authentic” routine. If the pan is still hot, a wipe with a dry paper towel usually does the trick. If the pan has cooled and food remnants have gotten stuck, I add a little water in the pan and let it boil for a few minutes. If necessary, I employ a spatula for scraping. Then, I dump the water, give a quick paper towel swab, and let the pan dry completely on a warm burner to avoid rust. Finito! (Note: Don’t use soap on cast iron, or put in the dishwasher.)

Care & Seasoning.
Check out this how-to guide.

And, Just for Fun.
In my hometown, cast iron devotees of the female persuasion embrace a whole different side of this fabulous cookware during the Skillet Toss Contest at our local agricultural fair. Might I suggest a family competition at your next holiday gathering? (Let the guys play, too, it’s a hoot!) For your amusement, I include a shot of yours truly at practice…

Paper piles seem to be many of our worst household enemies. On our kitchen counters, by the front door, in our home offices, on the bed side table - we lay paper down, and it gets lost in the shuffle.

Here’s my first piece of advice for cutting the clutter. Our mail, mostly junk mail, accounts for one part of the problem. And you can eliminate it in seconds a day.

Step 1: Grab the mail from the mailbox.

Step 2: Walk directly to the recycle bin (I have two for paper - one in the garage, one in the office)

Step 3: Automatically throw any junk mail without sensitive information into the recycling bin.

Step 4: Open all of your “real” mail (read: bills, and hopefully a nice handwritten letter from a friend) and recycle the envelopes and any advertisement inserts.

Step 5: If you don’t have time to scan through catalogs, recycle immediately. I save mine for craft projects, but they go straight to my craft pile.

Step 6: Shred any senstive info before recycling.

Seriously, doing this daily will save you such a headache down the road (and missed bill payments!)

And, when you can, carve out a few minutes to remove your name from some mailing lists. Here’s an online form to do just that. It won’t catch everything, but its a start. You can also opt out of credit card offers here.

I’m the one at the baby showers and birthday parties saving wrapping and tissue paper from the rubbish pail. I use some of the goodies in my one-of-a-kind cards, but I also reuse some of it in wrapping itself, but not without a little sprucing up. Here’s my plan for some sad-looking crumpled tissue paper…

All you need: A shredder
Tissue paper

Just run the tissue through the shredder to create colorful strips. Voila! Use these strips in gift bags, padding in boxes, or even an Easter basket.

One of the great things about Etsy is all of its various search options. You can search for a specific item, within a category, or event for artists near you! Here are some fun finds from my neck of the woods…

Pupcake Cupcake Leash by codyscreations