Have You Failed Today?

My first attempt at making preserves. I call this Blackberry Cement. #fail

I sure hope so! Failing means you tried something. I failed on Saturday and it was an investment in future successes.

I am a recovering perfectionist. If I thought I would fail at something, I wouldn’t make the attempt. I missed out on a lot of fun because of that irrational fear. I now see attempts as opportunities to learn.

I’ve been waiting for my blackberries to ripen so that I could make hubs some blackberry preserves. He loves blackberry preserves with the seeds and I can only find seedless in stores.

Now that my berries are ripening, I’m only a few days away from having enough to make a small jar of preserves; that is, if hubs will stop eating them as soon as I pick them. He’s enjoying homegrown blackberries so much, he encouraged me to practice making preserves using store-bought berries, lest I waste the good ones on a failed first attempt.

On Saturday I gathered my ingredients and supplies, watched several YouTube videos on the subject, then went to work. I heated my canning jar and warmed the lid just right. I measured the (store-bought) berries and sugar, and got to cooking. Everything was looking great. Then I realized I had boiled the mixture for too long and the consistency was too thick. I poured the goo into a jar in hopes hubs would later chisel some onto a piece of toast and let me know if the flavor is ok. One success of note, about 10 minutes after I closed the jar I heard the top “pop,” which those experienced in canning listen for as evidence of a proper seal.

My failed attempt at preserves cost me 1.5 cup of berries, some sugar, and some time. And for that small investment, I now have confidence that I know what to do next time. Those homegrown berries are going to go to great use.

What can you fail at today?