Bruce has
been picking berries every day….. starting with raspberries, a rare and
precious fruit, then wineberries, and now on to blackberries. I rarely pick, leaving the plowing through
brush and brambles to him, but once the berries come inside the house I am on
deck.
This week I
made a batch of blackberry jam. Boiling
the jars to sterilize them, boiling the mashed berries with sugar and pectin to
make the jam, boiling the water in the canner to process the jars……at times I
was boiling as well.
Canning
brings to mind the memory of my mother working in the relative cool of the
basement over an old gas stove, the best spot to do a hot job in the days
before air conditioning. Like she did, I
wear an apron to protect my clothes and keep a tea towel to wipe the sweat from
my face .
But the
final result is worth the effort. Little
jars of summer, jewel-colored, giving a happy “pop” as they cool from the water
bath. Little jars of joy.JPG)
Warm and fuzzy Grandmama June memories. Can't wait to learn to can to pass on the tradition.
ReplyDeleteI too have done some canning, no jam yet but have canned my fair share of chow chow. I am well aware of the heat and work involved but it's well worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteThank you both for replying. It is a sweaty business doing this but well worth the effort...Elaine
ReplyDelete