Strawberry-filled dreams

The joy of summer starts with berries.  The season will not be complete if we haven't logged in enough hours driving to and from local pick-your-own farms. Who can resist the burst of colors? The sweet scent of succulent fruits? Alas! One may pass out from the heat, but with the lingering taste of ripe strawberries, it is with bliss that you fall to the ground!

Ok... That may have been an exaggeration, and we certainly don't want anyone passing out - even with strawberry-filled dreams. Technically, it's still Spring when the first harvest of strawberries occurs, and believe you me, as soon as the farms post their picking season schedules, we're already halfway out the door. Strawberry fields are always the first field trip for the summer.

 

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What to do with the remaining 12.5 lbs of strawberries when you've eaten your fill, and your shirt is dotted in red stains? Toss it in a salad of mixed greens with walnuts, make frozen berries dipped in chocolate, and... make strawberry jams!  

Canning, or making jams, isn't difficult. With the advent of the internet, it is so easy to make jams that will last you through the next picking season. I know, I know, nothing beats Fresh. But, hey, DIY jams beat the generic storebranded jams, guaranteed. Canning, or Jamming as I like to call it, requires a special kind of jars with two-piece metal lids that you can easily get from Bed, Bath & Beyond. Old food jars from pasta sauce and such shouldn't be used because you won't be able to creat a vacuum seal. Aside from that, as far as equipment go, all you need is a water bath! When you properly prepare the jam, the fruit jars are heated at high enough temperatures to kill all microorganisms and prevent the growth of botulinum spores, which can cause...you guessed it: botulism. But the first step is to make sure to wash the jars really well in hot soapy water, and keep them hot so they don't break when you put them in the hot bath.


Make jams in the summer because, you know, Winter is coming.



As much as I'd like to take credit for the wonderful jams, I confess, my hubby did all the work. Hubby jams = Wife desserts, which makes for a great partnership in our house (or any house!). We didn't have fruit pectin, so we used Agar Agar, which is the seaweed gelatin from the Philippines. (a.k.a. gulaman). It worked really well! Pectin or gelatin is needed as gelling agent to make the preserves not too runny, and spreadable instead. Hubby got very creative with the jams, and spiced some with cinnamon, some with mint and cardamom. YUM!

With 12 jars of strawberry jam, we're certainly set for the winter.  Our PB & J will never be the same again. But what else can you do with all those preserves, you ask? Well, you can warm it and serve on top of buttermilk walnut pancakes, or warmed pound cake. You can drizzle it on vanilla ice cream or you can also make a cheesecake cupcake with strawberry swirls. I'm beginning to think that a dozen jars of strawberry preserves isn't going to last us long after all...

Next up: cherries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries!

What's in a name?

This past weekend was truly fun and memorable. We celebrated the naming of our 2nd daughter with friends and families and our community. The entire weekend was spent celebrating Maya, and formally giving Maya her Hebrew and secular names while our friends expressed their wishes for her. Since many of our families could not make it to the simchat bat, let me share the meaning and reasoning behind choosing her name. (Shoutout to our family & friends: if you are wondering about how we chose Tamar's name, pick up the phone, and we'd gladly tell you about it.)

 

"Meet Maya Emie Young Silverman. Her Hebrew name is Maayan Rivkah bat Eliyahu Asher (hubby's Hebrew name) v’ Chava Eliora (my Hebrew name).
 

 

We chose the name Maya because it is a word that is meaningful in both the Jewish and Filipino cultures. Maayan, Maya's Hebrew name means "spring". In the dry land of Israel, a spring is seen as a life-giving water, and as such, is often used to represent the bible with it's endless source of wisdom. So, the name Maya connotes thoughts of blessing, purity and renewal.

Maya was also the Philippine National bird when I was a child, until 1995, when it was changed to the Philippine Eagle, better known as the monkey-eating eagle. The President at that time decided to make the change because he thought that the regal Philippine Eagle more accurately reflected the nobility and majesty of the Filipino spirit. And yet… the Philippine Eagle is now endangered, while the diminutive Maya thrives. In my opinion, the tiny Maya better represents the Filipino spirit than the Philippine Eagle: small, sociable by nature, and resilient to changes and challenges posted by man and nature. Something we wish our little Maya would be like.

Emie. Our daughter is also named after my aunt Emie, or Tita Emie, who passed away in 2007. Tita Emie was my mom’s oldest sister. She did not have children of her own, but was a blessing to all her nieces and nephews. When she was alive, she lived here in the US and she supported many of her families back in the Philippines, making sure that they had food on their tables, clothes on their backs, and that the kids were able to attend school. She cared for us like her children. She walked with a quiet authority and wisdom; we never heard her raise her voice, and yet everyone listened when she spoke. When I went to graduate school in Florida, she was very concerned that I, fresh off the boat from the Philippines, would not know what to do. So, she flew with me and stayed with me for a couple of days to make sure that I had a bed and a phone set up, and that I knew how to, at the very least, cook rice. It was a sweet and motherly act. She was truly the most compassionate woman I have ever known.

Rivkah. Since my aunt was not Jewish, we chose Rivkah because of its sound and who Rivkah (Rebecca) is in the bible. And we couldn’t have chosen a more fitting name. Both women share the same strength and compassion. Rivkah, in the bible, is the wife of Yitzhak (Isaac). She gave water not only to Abraham’s servant, a stranger to her, but also to his camels, showing her kindness. She was a giving, selfless individual, and wise – if you are familiar with how the family saga unfolded.

So, Maya, may you be blessed with the selflessness, compassion, and wisdom as Rivkah and Tita Emie, the purity in spirit of the spring, and have the resilience and cheer of the maya bird. May every word you speak seem like a song and brighten the days of the people you meet."

 

 

And then there were two

Wow. Shame, shame! I've been MIA from writing for over 2 months! While it was for a very, very good reason, let me amend that now.

SO... it has been a busy past couple of weeks. Contrary to the rumors that the earth has swallowed me whole, I, in fact, have given birth to my second daughter, Maya. And I've been immersed in the blissful period of bonding with my baby, albeit with frequent interruptions for diaper changes. 'Bliss' does not even begin to describe this time. I cannot stop kissing her; when I ought to be catching up on rest as she sleep, I find myself just staring at her in wonderment. 

One would think that after having a previous high-risk pregnancy and one child, I would be a pro at this point.  There ought to be no more surprises, no lessons right? Heck no! A big lesson I learned is this: there is no "by the book" even when it comes to your second pregnancy and child birth.  For one, people have said that second pregnancies and labors are a lot easier.  This was not my experience at all. Perhaps because I'm a bit *cough* older, all the bodily aches and pains, and nausea seem to be more unbearable this second time around.  As for the labor... Que horror! It wasn't fast, and it wasn't easy. I was in tears with every contraction before the epidural was administered. I was sooo tired too, and the minutes seem to drag on by that, I kid you not, I had asked my doctor for a rain check on giving birth. No dice, of course. (A special shout-out to my wonderful husband for not letting me escape, and for standing by me, and cheering me on, even as I almost broke his finger with my tight grip during the active labor!) 

On the emotional front, I've heard so many stories about how scared women are that they won't feel the same love for their 2nd as they did their first, only to (fortunately) find out how ridiculous this fear is. As for me, I never felt that fear. I knew even when Maya was still in utero that I would have no trouble loving  her.  I had other feelings - mostly guilt and inadequacy. I felt that I didn't sing/laugh/read/talk enough to Maya (in utero) as I did when I was pregnant with her ate Tamar. I felt guilty that I was so busy at work or running after Tamar that I was missing the baby's kick counts, jabs and other movements, which provided the simple joys for my 1st pregnancy. Towards the end, I felt bad that I could no longer lift my toddler because of my burgeoning belly. Seriously, I felt guilty that I didn't worry enough!! Crazy, right? Then Maya came out a healthy baby, tipping at 8 lbs and 5 oz, hungry and with a good set of lungs on her, and I knew that all those feelings were probably mostly hormonal; otherwise, they were all forgiven - by her and by me. So, yes, to expand on that lesson learned: pregnancy and child birth are such personal experiences no matter how many women you swap stories with, and in spite of sporting the same battle scars.   

Right off the bat, and even just based on a single grainy photo, everyone has started speculating on who  Maya looks like. I do see a lot of my first born's features on her. She even makes the same squeaks and snorts that Tamar used to make when she was a few weeks old. But she is Maya. She's good at sleeping and eating, and she is quite a calm baby. It's too soon to tell her eye color, but no matter if it's blue, brown, or black, she'll always be beautiful in my eyes. And did I mention she has gorgeous dimples?! 

As for Tamar?  She still takes my breath away each time she grins. I still cannot stop kissing her when she sits still long enough to let me kiss her. Now, there are two of them, and a lot of love to go around. A friend of mine put things in perspective for me when she said that having another child can be likened to lighting a second candle; It doesn't diminish the brightness of the first. 

And yes, my world just got a lot brighter.