I used to have a sweet poem about "putting things by" but now I can't find it.
Today I made jam out of a big pile of fresh strawberries. It took about an hour and it was kind of fun for a change. It's been a long time since I made jam, and each time I do I get a weird little thrill when I look at the filled jars all lined up. I can't explain it.
Anyhow, we're all set to enjoy the taste of last summer in the dead of next winter.
(Well, we do have at least one day usually at the end of January or the first part of February where it could rightfully be called "the dead of winter".)
Looks good. That is one of the things I have been thinking about doing again--except maybe not jam. Bobby doesn't do sugar so that wouldn't be practical. But I have been thinking about putting up tomatoes or maybe chili sauce, and possibly pickles or pickle relish. Grandma Amy Brown and I made chili sauce the fall I lived with her just before I got married. I doubt I could find the same recipe, but I do have an idea of what's in it so maybe I could come close.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about how lovely they look all lined up and sitting there, though.
I can't wait to see you in November.
Here is a poem about Apple Jelly by Margaret Atwood, who is one of my favorite authors.
ReplyDeleteApple Jelly
No sense in all this picking,
peeling & simmering
if sheer food is all
you want; you can buy it cheaper.
Why then do we burn our hours
& muscles in this stove,
cut our thumbs to get these tiny
glass pots of clear jelly?
Hoarded in winter: the sun
on that noon, your awkward leap
down from the tree,
licked fingers, sweet pink juice,
what we keep
the taste of the act,
taste of this day.
- Margaret Atwood
That's exactly it, Wendy. For me it's about the process and the experience, which of course is not sold in a store for any amount of money. Having the jam is just the icing on the cake.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the poem - I love it!