I’m back!!

It’s been exactly one week since I got back from the Best Trip Ever. There will be much, MUCH more on that in the coming weeks, especially now that I finally got my baggage back. (For those of you who were following along my Instagram stories, JetBlue kindly left my bag in Morocco, which also conveniently had my laptop in it because Air Maroc doesn’t allow laptops on flights. Three days and many exasperated phone calls later, I got it back intact, but it was far from the way I’d like to be greeted back into the country.)

The last several days have been spent fist fighting jet lag and hardcore noticing the differences between Paris and SF. I’ve already taken 10 Uber rides, versus not taking a single one while traveling; my coffee here cost 5 dollars (what!); and the streets seem to have so much more….stuff.

I’m being annoying. But let this prepare you for the recap that is to come.

One thing I do utterly love about San Francisco is its ability to continually surprise me. Over the weekend, a girl friend invited me to pick wild blackberries in the park. In the city! Like, casually! This is a thing you can do! So in head-to-toe hip hop branded clothing (definitely could not do this in Paris), we spent the afternoon getting attacked by thorns and picking wild berries.

I learned a lot about jam making while in Paris, so I decided to put it to the test with a simple jam recipe here. In a proper kitchen, there are many tools to ensure technique—a thermometer, proper saucepans, etc. Not everyone has these things, so I wanted something as accessible as these berries were to pick (which is jokes because my legs look like they’ve been attacked by dogs with all the thorn scratches, but you get what I’m saying). Read through the entire recipe to see how to test for doneness, and whatever you do, DON’T skimp on the lemons! They are key in balancing out the sweetness of the jam.

I’m planning on going picking again in a month when the next batch of berries is ripe, so stay tuned for another recipe!