Harvest
2004 Was our first spring here, and we had the most unexpected thing happen, we harvested tons of fruit from our trees. The idea of canning came as something of a novelty to us at first. It was a way to preserve our own organically home grown fruit for our own use while we remodeled our kitchen.
It turned out we had so much fruit and fun doing the first few batches that we decided we would can more. We would can enough to share with our friends, and try not to waste one bit of these fruits we were so lucky to have grown on our land. I think we found our new hobby!
We started researching proper canning methods for big batches, trying to find places that carry canning gear locally, and testing recipes (yum!). It was a big surprise to find out that the only place we could reliably find Ball and Mason jars locally was Walmart. Neither one of us likes to shop conglomerate stores; but we found ourselves with little choice, because shipping glass was price prohibitive.
I think that’s when it stuck us both that we were performing an act of antiquity. It was about taking the time to make something special in this crazy world instead of idly observing it through a picture screen from the sidelines.
It may be a small thing, but we think preserving fruits from the garden is a tradition that should be carried on and enjoyed as a family process. Something that allows us to be closer to family, friends, and the planet with our efforts. We thank both our families for teaching us the importance of traditions, while inspiring us to create our own.
