Friday 23 September 2011

Fruits of the season

The cold rain, usually so dreary, feels like the perfect way to usher in fall. The yellow-green leaves flutter in the swaying poplar trees outside. We have spent this quiet week with my mother-in-law, just the kids and I, enjoying the space of the country and the slower pace of a small town.

With the start of a new season, I think on our traditions - our birthday celebrations, our summer solstice dinner at the beach, other family traditions that are slowly, one by one, working their way into our lives and memories - and I wonder about fall. How can we commemorate this season each year?

Fall. A slowing down, an exhalation after the excitement of summer. A season of preparation for the winter ahead. A pull towards the comfort of home.

Slow...preparation...comfort...home. I know.

We spend a day peeling, cooking, mixing, scooping, pouring, boiling, sealing. Mother-in-law patiently instructs as we fill the jars just so. Lids seal with a satisfying pop, summer's riches stored for the less bountiful months ahead. Jars sparkle like jewels on the counter. I breathe a sigh of satisfaction every time I walk by. Perfect.

And so a new tradition is born.

Pasta sauce, salsa, and cinnamon peach preserves

4 comments:

  1. ooh, lovely! Canning is a new tradition of mine too, and I do love it. I've done it three years in a row now and each year I try something new. Bread and butter pickles are this year's star. :)

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  2. What a great idea, trying something new each year! Every year I tell myself I'll can something, but then I chicken out. Last year I got as far as making a bunch of applesauce and freezing it in glass jars - which, hey, was better than nothing! I just needed a little canning instruction to boost my confidence; thank goodness for awesome mother-in-laws. :)

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  3. Last year was my first canning year. This year I really stepped it up... Honey packed peaches, salsa, dilly beans, tomatoes, apple sauce, and other weirder things...so looking forward to eating all these things this winter. :)

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  4. I've always wanted to can. Maybe after we move I'll be brave enough to give it a go.

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