lots of food in jars as of late. still to come, more pickled hot peppers, possibly a last batch of tomatoes, some apple rings, and maybe a late batch of jam made with frozen berries.
we still have a jar or two of last year's salsa on the shelf, but it is going fast- especially now that we have more. last year's dilly beans and okra were finished long ago. there are still a handful of jars of last year's hot peppers, some pear chutney, a jar of blackberry jam, a jar of curried zucchini pickles, some roasted tomatoes.... one jar of lavender-peach jam and one jar of wild blueberry jam from our trip to Maine last year that I'm saving for a rainy day..... oh how I loved that trip (aside from papa getting quite sick, of course).
here's to the tedious, meditative, sweaty, fun, and sometimes overwhelming act of putting food in jars to be enjoyed at a later date. there are 3 well-stocked grocery stores and 2 natural food stores within 5 miles of our house (and all but one of those are within a bit under 2 miles). I do not need to stock my pantry shelf with colorful jars of sweet and spicy and jammy and briny foods each August and September. but I kind of can't help it. there's something in me that is made happy and safe and calm by doing so. there is something to the process, to each deliberate step, that makes me feel like I am tapping into some expansive, solid, good thing that is bigger than me and spans centuries. like I can reach into the windows of far away and long ago worlds and greet far away and long ago women (and maybe men, but probably mostly women) in some simple and important and satisfying and very elemental way.
and that is magic, for sure.
This time of year is certainly magical, I too am a fan of preserving food for the winter months. I don't need to either but I love the process and the rewards of the harvests from all the hard work.
ReplyDeletethere really is something about opening those jars and remembering the growing and/or harvesting and the process of getting the goods into the jars...... love it. happy fall to you!
DeleteLooking awesome! Keep it up! I pickled a bunch of jalapenos this summer along with radishes, beets, and green tomatoes. For a change, I roasted tomatoes and then froze them. Every year I try to be a little more productive in my efforts to preserve our harvests.
ReplyDeletethanks so much, Maggie~
DeleteI LOVE pickled jalapeños for topping burgers, eggs, noodles, rice dishes....... such a tasty and versatile little pickle. I have never tried pickling radishes, though- or green tomatoes. I'm intrigued.
I totally agree. I think about that all the time as I grow food for my family. Why am I doing this when there is a natural food store down the street. Because it feels good. It taps into something primal.
ReplyDeleteyes, exactly. I feel like it is a fairly easily accessible way to tap into that something primal. and I need that, for sure- I thrive on it.
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