"Alexandra often said that if her mother were cast upon a desert island, she would thank God for her deliverance, make a garden, and find something to preserve. Preserving was almost a mania with Mrs. Bergson. Stout as she was, she roamed the scrubby banks of Norway Creek looking for fox grapes and goose plums, like a wild creature in search of prey. She made a yellow jam of the insipid ground cherries that grew on the prairie, flavoring it with lemon peel; and she made a sticky dark conserve of garden tomatoes... When there was nothing to preserve, she began to pickle." ~ Willa Cather, O'Pioneers
Are you a 'preserver'? My husband and I laugh about the fact that I am. When we go to the mountains throughout the summer and fall, I'm always on the lookout for things to put by for the winter.
We look for currents, rose hips, saskatoons, choke cherries, elderberries, herbs, etc. Then we bring them home to preserve for later in the year when they are no longer available fresh.
Well now is that time. We are in deep winter here in the northwest. The snow and ice cover the mountains as well as our little garden plot. So now is the time to enjoy the fruits of our labor. So now while the world where we live is covered by a blanket of white, we are pulling canned goods out of the pantry for the dinner table.
I am a preserver and I enjoy the ongoing tradition that was handed down from my great-grandmothers, grandmothers, and my mom.
No comments:
Post a Comment