a little jordan family blog: Freezing Berries in Baby Food Jars

We LOOOOVE fresh berries. I go out to Smith Berry Barn because they are no-spray, so I feel fine letting the kids eat them while picking. Plus, it is so peaceful and beautiful there. I didn't dare to take the camera because it was just me with both kiddos, but Hannah brought hers and it will be fun to see the three cute cousins picking!

It's a tradition for me to go pick berries on every 4th of July, and this time I had an extra reason to really stock up because we are starting a new venture in the little J' family of going gluten-free to try and help Matt's auto-immune disorder ... but that will be for another blog entry!

Today, I'm so excited to post about our beautiful berries. Tyler was such a helper this year! He said he picked all the berries "for daddy" because Matt was working. Grandma and Granddaddy joined us too. Such a fun day!

As you know, I have a mini obsession with making baby food, and when I had Gavin, I collected dozens of jars from friends so that I could store my homemade stuff easily. I was left with all of these empty jars ... empty containers don't last long around me. I always find a good use for them. Last year, I froze tons of berries in the jars, and they were perfect!

Here are some tips ...

- As long as they are dry when you fill the jars and you seal the lids tight, they don't get any freezer burn at all.
- I use plastic boxes from target designed for storing printer paper to store the majority. I always keep a few handy in the door of my freezer so I can grab them daily.
- They are the perfect portion to toss in oatmeal or smoothies.
- For larger recipes like a batch of blueberry pancakes, you can use a small mason jar.
- Use your helpers!! The boys filled a lot of the jars ... I could not get over their cuteness :)

Try it! It's so much better than ziplocks (freezer burn, berries stick in huge clumps, boo!).

Happy 4th Everyone! ~ Jessica