I picked two quarts of blackberries in our woodlands on Sunday morning and was on my way to filling a third when a thunderstorm arrived, forcing a hasty retreat. I seeded enough blackberries for a quart of puree and made three 8 oz. and one 4 oz. jars of blackberry jam. Maybe it is because I seed the fruit, but I never get as much as I do when I make the black raspberry jam. I have a quart of blackberries still and plan to go back and pick more tomorrow and make more jam.

For dinner, I made a farro stir-fry using the rest of the chicken breast meat I cooked last week. The sauteed vegetables were celery, green onion, red bell pepper, mushrooms, kale, and zucchini. I cooked the farro in chicken broth. I used Penzey's Justice blend, which is what I use on the bone-in chicken breasts. It is just enough that my husband does not complain and even enjoys the spice blend. There is enough for one more meal.

Our dinner tonight was grilled salmon with a maple glaze, green beans and a cucumber from the deck, and cole slaw.

Tonight I had breakfast for supper...sausage, eggs, hash browns and a roll.

Tuesday's dinner was leftover farro stir-fry and more cantaloupe.

I checked the seals on my jam, and one of the three 8 oz. jars did not seal. The lid was stuck on, but the lid depressed and sprung back, so I put it in the refrigerator to eat now. The other 4 oz. jar did seal. That is the second failure to seal this year. I know that the first one was caused by forgetting to wipe the rim of the jar, but I do not know what caused this one.

Dinner tonight was grilled boneless pork chops, beet greens with tiny baby beets, and roasted summer squash and zucchini.