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12 1997 i a k 31 w ii scdrink batch party is fun and fruitful 4 from cookie exchange to potluck suppers people have long come together to celebrate special occa sions and to enjoy good times this years popular trend is the batch party its a terrific idea which teams good friends with their favorite recipes for jellies jams chutneys and relishes the stars of the party can be any kind of fruit in this case luscious blueberries and raspberries and certo pectin products novice and experienced preservers can make a variety of preserves to enjoy now and all winter long here are some guidelines to ensure the success of your first batch party decide on recipes beforehand make a list of all ingredients and other equipment needed make the host responsible for all essential equipment ie measuring cups jars lids utensils etc designate one person to bring the ripe berries put another friend in charge of bringing certo liquid or certo cry stals sugar lemon juice etc follow the certo guidelines for making foolproof preserves what a joy it is to savor the aroma of homemade preserves in the kit chen imagine sharing the experience with your best friends and enjoy ing the fruits of your labor call it a jam session call it what you will your batch party will be fun and fruitful the delectable blueberry is a truly delicious and simple fruit this ver satile fruit can be used in a wide vari ety of menu items cheesecakes pan cakes drinks muffins and much more not to mention preserves and nows the perfect time to pick or buy fresh ontario blueberries and raspberries late july marks the beginning of the blueberry season in durham and york region the season lasts throughout the month of august and into early september whether picking your own blue berries or purchasing them ready- picked the berries should be plump dry firm and free of stems and leaves advises the durham farm fresh marketing association the blueberries should be clean and of even color and size blueberries are best stored in a shallow and wellventilated container and placed in the refrigerator they will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks if stored this way if you wish to enjoy the taste of blueberries all year long you can freeze them place them on a flat baking sheet in a single layer place in the freezer until frozen then trans fer them into freezer bags and return them to the freezer in ontario raspberries grow in sin glecrops during july or fallbearing varieties produce berries in mid- august through to early september to locate berry growers or country markets nearest you look in the yel- fabulous fruit ruth and vince flood know berries raised on farms they inspect the rasp berries at whittamores berry farms on 11th concession and steeles raspberries and blueberries are ripe for the picking right how at local farms photo by steve somerville low pages of your phone book making delicious jams and jellies following these 10 quick and sim ple tips before embarking on a jam- making venture will help ensure per fect results all the time even if youve never made jam be fore you can impress family and friends with your jammaking prowess follow recipe directions carefully begin by reading recipe thoroughly to make sure all the necessary equip ment and ingredients are on hand follow recipes step by step check the expiry date on certo package outdated products may cause jam to not set properly pick fruit carefully using under or overripe fruit impacts the flavor and way a recipe sets use the specific certo pectin pro ducts recommended be sure to use the pectin product liquid regular crystals light crystals specified in the recipe to ensure the proper set of your jams and jellies use regular granulated sugar sugar substitutes and sugar blends with dextrose fructose and other sweeteners can spoil recipes which were tested with granulated sugar avoid reducing the sugar in recipes sugar acts as a preservative not just a sweetener it also inhibits mold growth and gives jam a brighter color there are certo light recipes or no sugar recipes using certo regular or light crystals for jams and reduced sugar contents avoid doubling recipes this can result in the mixture not setting fill and seal jars correctly imme diately fill cooked jams and jellies to within a 14 inch from the top and freezer jams to no more than 12 inch from the top to allow for expansion for more tips or ideas call the certo hotline at 18002686038 monday to friday 9 am to 4 pm and saturdays during august kids dont forget to send us your favorite recipes for snacks or quick meals for publication on this page in september mail it by aug 25 to kids recipes 9 her itage rd markhant l3p 1m3 or fax them to 2941538 breakfast is most important meal studies have proven it everyone needs to start their day with a complete breakfast people who miss the most important meal of the day tend to suffer from a number of problems teachers have observed that their students are inat tentive have poor memorization skills and on the whole learn poorly said susan oram a clinical dietitian from markham stouffville hospital its hard to learn and feel good with an empty tummy but children learn by doing and if their parents arent eating breakfast chances they wont either she said if parents cant be home for breakfast they should make it as convenient as possible for their children children will be more inclined to eat breakfast if the cereal is in the bowl and the juice is in the glass said oram breakfast is just as important for adults some researchers have found that serious accidents occur between 10 am and noon by workers who skip food for thought lisa cartmright breakfast and often dinner the night before said oram thats because employees who do physical work without eating are prone to fatigue low blood sugar and low hydra tion while everyone should eat a complete breakfast three of the four food groups having a glass of juice and a piece of fruit is better than nothing at all starting the day with something is better than noth ing said oram but people dont have to stick to the traditional breakfast foods like cereal and bacon and eggs they can have a sandwich pizza spaghetti rice and even fish if it is good food at lunch it is good food at break fast