We have to start at the beginning. My favorite jelly to make is Mayhaw. For those that don’t know the Mayhaw is a type of Hawthorn that produces fruit which ripens in late April – early May. My husband and I gather the fruit, last year Katalena and Kenzi helped.
I then make the Mayhaw juice by boiling the Mayhaw fruit and straining it. When I do this the house smells heavenly. I freeze the Mayhaw juice in ziplock bags ready to make into jelly. Then I just wait for summer and our trip to Corpus Christi. While I am working on Mayhaw juice my sister, Robin, is harvesting Mustang Grapes for us to make grape jelly.
Then the time has arrived for our big adventure. I head to Houston to pick up my granddaughters. Of course, on our way to Pawpaw’s house we have to stop at Buc-ee’s in Wharton. If you don’t know about Buc-ee’s then you probably aren’t from Texas. although they have opened one in Alabama and Florida now.
When we take over my father’s kitchen the whole day is spent making jelly and pickles. We start early in the morning and usually finish in the late afternoon. Most of the time we will make the same thing: Mayhaw jelly, grape jelly, peach jelly, strawberry jelly, bread and butter pickles from zucchini and squash, and dill pickles. The kitchen takes on a conglomeration of delicious smells.
This has become an annual tradition (for the last 5 years) for my sister, my dad, Sharon, and I. As the girls have gotten older they have begun to join in. We happily share our labor of love with friends and family. Of course, this is not the only time I make jelly.
After our jelly making adventure, I bring the girls to my house to spend a week with Grandma and Pop. On our way to Grandma’s we stop at Buc-ee’s in Wharton and then again at Buc-ee’s in Baytown. Grandma better not pass one of these up or I will never hear the end of it.
I love family traditions, don’t you?