a day of activity

It's been a busy day. I have made 26 jars of jam, (blackberry and mixed berry), designed some labels for strawberry jam, labelled and waxed 30 jars of chutney and 30 jars of sauce. I feel pretty tired, but certainly satisfied with my days efforts.

It's been a busy day thanks to my visit to Silvan last week. I had a wonderful day catching up with Pam from Silvan Berry Estate, and her fellow berry farmers Peter and Mark Chapman. I learn heaps every time I meet up with these guys. They are so knowledgeable about their product, and very happy to share their knowledge. I would recommend talking to the grower at farmers gate shops whenever you can. They are passionate about the food they grow, and it shows through in the quality. I look forward to popping up again in a fortnight when the Wilamett raspberries should be ready again. As I have said before in this blog, Wilamett's make the best jam.

My trip to Cospak was less fun, with the cost of jars increasing by 15% since I last purchased them. That with the increased costs of fruit and rental means that as of May 1st my prices will be going up $1 per jar and bottle. Sorry folks, but I run Rie's Kitchen at cost - no profits here - just the joy of making a quality product.