Last month, I was feeling nostalgic and domestic. I love early fall and the abundance of produce available. So I talked my sweet mother into coming up and teaching me how to can peaches. And tomatoes.
We spent the day talking and enjoying one another. We talked about my amazing Grandma Grace (my mom's mom), who put up bottles and bottles of peaches and pears, cherries and pickles. I have vivid memories from my childhood, visiting my grandparents in Lake Tahoe each summer. Every morning my Grandma would have us set the table with her china. And she had the cutest small bowls that we would set at each place, and it didn't matter what else we were eating for the meal, there was always a jar of fruit that we would serve in those bowls. I think the cherries were my favorite.
We also talked about my other amazing Grandma Luana (my dad's mom), who canned her whole life. She even went so far as to have a second kitchen put in her basement with two stoves in it. I now appreciate how much she must have loved being able to can away in the comfort of a cool basement. Canning is hot. And takes a long time. And involves a lot of pots on the stove. Yes, two stoves would have come in handy.
Canning became more to me than just harvesting and preserving produce for the winter. It connected me to the past. Remembering my grandmothers, both of who have long since passed away. And gave me a new appreciation for their hard work. And memories of them suddenly came back.
Plus, I got to spend a lovely day with my mom. She inspires me to be a better person. She is wise and thoughtful and patient and full of grace.
