Issue link: http://hvparent.uberflip.com/i/528876
34 Hudson Valley Parent ■ July 2015 By LARA KRUPICKA P icking season is in full swing — and it can be hard to keep up with the bounty. With prices at their cheapest, and local fruits and vegetables in abundance, it's a great time of year to be making and storing jam. For the canning novice, the easiest place to start is with homemade jam. It's not very expensive, it's simple, and once you've made one kind of jam, you will know how to make all the different flavor combinations. Making homemade jam may sound daunting, but anyone can do it using basic kitchen skills. And children can take part in the process, too. Try these steps with your family to enjoy your own homemade jam, this works for blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and boysenberries: Buy or pick your fruit A visit to a pick-your-own farm brings you directly to the source. It also ensures the freshest produce for canning. Most farms are kid-friendly so everyone can take part in picking. Visit hvparent.com/upick-berries for a county-by-county list of the region's best berry farms. If you are short on time or live too far from berry farms, take a quick trip to a nearby farmer's market or the lo- cal supermarket. You'll need about 2 ¼ to 4 ½ pounds of berries per batch of jam. Wee jammin' Making homemade preserves is easy — even with kids