Jamming - Week of June 21st

Cam was born in 2007 and we just recently discovered a very cool animal park that's been around longer than he has.  And it's only 30 minutes from our home.  Miss Amanda, in her quest to visit wildlife happened upon the location while searching online.

Deer Tracks Junction, LLC is a Family owned and operated Agri-tourism business. In 2002, they started with just a few Whitetail Deer. As their family grew, so did their farm. They raise many different kinds of animals now, for many different purposes. Deer Tracks is fully licensed and accredited by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). They are proud members of Michigan Agritourism, Michigan Farm Bureau, and the Zoological Association of America (ZAA).  Deer Tracks offers getting up close and personal with the animals, buying food at the park to feed them and taking your own vehicle through a safari ride.  There is even an ice cream shop with their own homemade brand!  Amanda and Cam spent time there on Tuesday and it received a huge thumbs up.

With the calendar showing mid-June, the Michigan strawberries were reaching peak season.  Cam loves traditions.  One of our family favorites is making homemade strawberry freezer jam.  We buy a flat of berries from Heidi's Farmstand and quite a bit of sugar and Sure-Jell.  

The entire process works best with a crowd.   Cam led the charge with Amanda, Jane and Oma at the ready.  Amanda and Oma hulled the berries and then Cam and his mom began smashing the strawberries.  Once the mash up is completed, sugar is added and the mixture sits for 10 minutes.  Then the Sure-Jell is cooked, added in and a few minutes later the jam heads into the containers.  All of the effort produced 40 containers of tasty strawberry jam.  

If you stop by for a visit, you may just leave with your own sweet pint of deliciousness.  Cam recommends using it for toast, pancake topping and of course, a pb&j sandwich!

Camology Quotes:

Cam is adamant with certain thoughts but also concedes if it is discovered something is over emphasized or simply not correct.  He was talking about his PT appointment timing with Jane and indicated it was a rushed day.  His mom explained that things did seem adequately spaced out and relayed the day's activities.  

"I guess you're right, Mom.  It was just a random thought I had."