Like canning. For several years now my dear mother-in-law has asked me if I would like her to help me can fruit. I've always turned her down--not enough space, not enough time, there was always an excuse. But not this year. As I've tried to pare down and simplify my life, bottling peaches and pears and all things from the garden has suddenly become quite an appealing past time.
We gathered on Labor Day and labored for our families and our food storage, laughing and talking and enjoying the warm early fall. We bottled 4 bushels of pears and split them up between all of us. We drove home that day and I was filled, not just with fruit, but with pure satisfaction. This authentic pleasure is something I would never have considered to bring so much joy.
The following week we gathered again, this time at Jacee's. The kids played and we canned. Mom told us of her early days of canning with little ones and how her mom had helped her every year. I couldn't help but smile inside, thinking of how she is now carrying on the tradition with us. It was an exhausting, but sweet day.
Without the help of husbands to watch little ones, we only bottled 4 bushels of peaches, and had to send Mom home with her 2 bushels. But now I have a freezer laden with fruit and two shelves heaping full as well. It's a lovely, simple, perfect feeling. And I can't wait for the applesauce...it, too, will bring great rewards.
