Another month has flown by and it’s time for an In My Kitchen post. Thanks to Celia over at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for hosting this awesome monthly event.
In My kitchen this month we had strawberries. LOTS! We picked four gallons the first weekend in May and besides shoving them in our mouths I made strawberry vanilla jam and strawberry sauce. Not pictured is another strawberry jam sweetened with honey and flavored with thyme.
In my kitchen is this pot. It’s called a Fourth Burner Pot and is made by Kuhn Rikon. I got it a while ago, probably after Christmas. It is great for boiling eggs, making small amounts of pasta etc. This time of year it comes in handy for small batch canning. I can fit three short half pint jars in it, or two short pint jars. The basket lifts right out so you don’t need a special canning rack!
With the hot weather here in full force I am now able to enjoy fresh cut flowers in the house. Nothing fancy, just enjoying the great outdoors while we eat at the table. It’s a great chance to use all my colored Ball jars! The one disappointment this year is that my blue hydrangeas don’t have any blooms. Not a single one. We had a late frost and I suppose that did them in.
Finally, in my kitchen this month is this cookbook, How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. I received it as a birthday gift and have been reading it. I still haven’t finished but love it already. Sometimes I get stuck in a food rut and this provides great inspiration. I’ve already made an eggplant dip and lasagna based on recipes in the book.
We’ve had much more going on in our kitchen, especially at the beginning of the month. It was too hectic though to get any photographs. During Teacher Appreciation Week I made an Apfelkuchen, Mandelkuchen, blueberry jam bars, chocolate chip cookies and double dark chocolate chipotle cookies. Plus swim practice started so we’ve been busy keeping active boy bellies full, not an easy task! Today I picked our first zucchini from the garden. The tomatoes are green, can’t wait until they are ready. What has been happening in your kitchen? Hop on over to fig jam and lime cordial to see what is happening in kitchens across the globe.
Feeding My 3 Sons 
Those flowers are only gorgeous but I can imagine that the blue hydrangeas would have made it even more stunning!
I am upset about the blue hydrangeas, but I suppose I could always go “steal” some from my parent’s house! They had several blooms. Thanks for stopping by.
That sounds like a plan!
Summer for you and winter for us, the coldest start we’ve had for decades. Your flower posies are like little sunbeams to my eyes!
Ah yes, I remember during our winter being jealous of all the summer posts from the Southern Hemisphere. Each season definitely has benefits. Your cooler months now are great for comforting hearty meals.
Ooh, I like the idea of that Fourth Burner Pot, very handy I’d guess. Those flowers would sit beautifully on Kim’s (A Little Lunch blog) bench she is thinking of painting in these or similar colours. So many strawberries, envious. 🙂
Yes the pot is quite wonderful. As for the canning jars they would definitely look great in Kim’s kitchen. She may well have some already. The strawberries were fantastic! Now we are looking forward to blueberries and blackberries coming in soon. Thanks for stopping by!
Wow so much Gretchen, love the strawberry jams!! I have seen that pot and was like I should buy one but never did 🙂
And I love Gerber daisy’s my favorite flower!!! Enjoy June!!! Cheers 🙂
You should definitely get the pot, it is awesome! Strawberry jam is a classic, the boys and I love it! Of course picking a favorite is impossible, blackberry and blueberry jams are also fantastic.
I love the shape of your Fourth Burner pot – what a great idea! I have Mark Bittmans book, too – he’s very useful to refer to. I must get one for my daughter.
Mark Bittman’s book is definitely a great reference. I’ll have to remember to give my boys a copy when they move out! The fourth burner pot is fantastic. Thanks for stopping by and peeking in our kitchen.
Your strawberry jam with the honey and thyme sounds terrific…perfect on a biscuit to go along with a piece of fried chicken. 🙂
We had some on biscuits and it was delicious!
Hi Gretchen, I love the look of that pot. I am bit of a Kuhn Rikon fan. Strawberry jam sounds so good. I don’t think I will ever be able to grow enough strawberries to make jam out of them.
We certainly can’t grow enough strawberries either, thank goodness for a nearby strawberry patch! The pot has come in handy for so many different things. Thanks for popping by.
Gretchen, your strawberry jam with thyme & honey sounds soooo good. (ALL of your jams do!) That’s a nifty pot with the removable rack. Glad to hear your garden is growing and that you’re keeping up with those hungry boy bellies. 🙂
I do so love homemade jams! I am looking forward to blueberry and blackberry next, then cantaloupe and peach. The pot is great, so versatile. As for the garden I am excited watching things grow. We just had our first zucchinis and the tomatoes are everywhere, ripening soon enough. Saw my first baking pumpkins the other day too! Thanks for stopping by.
Can’t go past a Mark Bittman cookbook and there are so many uses for your sauces! YUM! WISH I could come through the screen and try!
Thank you also for this month’s kitchen view!
Thanks for popping by our kitchen! The Mark Bittman book is a great reference and inspirational, definite keeper. We have been enjoying the strawberry sauce quite a bit.
Gretchen, you’ve been so busy, I hope you get some downtime soon. Take it easy, lovely! Your jams look amazing, and that little boiling set up is very sweet.The fresh flowers are a delight! xxx
Some things have calmed down, others are more hectic. Such is life! Now we are in the routine of three boys on swim team, thus big appetites. Plus two meals a week at swim meets. The biggest issue is figuring out a sourdough routine since I’ll be gone at either 4 or 8 most week nights, trying to figure this one out so I don’t have to stay up too late!
Thanks for sharing. Really enjoyed reading. Emma xx
Nice pot, I teach preserving a keep meaning to get one of those baskets. Such a good month for IMK!
It really is a great pot! I’ve already used it for summer preserving, now just waiting to pick some more blackberries. Thanks for stopping by.