Attention Mother Nature…you may think you’re super smart, the mastermind of earth and all her bounty, but I’m on to you. Sure your plants are busy all summer, like a video editing machine at the RNC, but I know the truth. I may make fun of those folks playing poker with sunglasses, but I have learned to recognize a bluff when I see one. And winter is yours! I knew my years of watching Little House on the Prairie and The Waltons would not be in vein. I have captured your sunny, sweet flavors, your ripe fruits and your succulent vegetables. I am canning.
Cunning, I am. Witty? Well, thank you sir. A decent cook? Better than decent. But I needed some help on the beginning of this journey. My Fodor’s? My Frommer’s? My Bible: the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. True, many a fruit and vegetable are not in plentiful enough supply to start canning like a madperson yet. I started this odyssey after the blueberries came and went (I was actually perfecting my blueberry pie recipe – cream cheese crust – a toddler couldn’t mess it up!) and, minus the fresh fruit, I hate all things strawberry. But keep the faith! Peaches are coming, zucchini are growing, and cucumbers are right around the corner.
While waiting for the harvest, I have been practicing. Lord knows, I’m not going to mess up on a 20 pound batch of peaches! Today, I tested a yellow tomato and honey butter – hard to find yellow tomatoes? Yes! But they won’t be in a few weeks. And if you’re afraid of the canning process…testing gives you the opportunity to perfect your technique. It can be intimidating. The heat, the sterilizing, the crazy amounts of sugar! I realized very quickly I need a larger pot. And more canning jars. Luckily, the jars can be purchased at any Walmart or True Value these days.
Do I really know if the rich flavor of that gorgeous peach will be preserved in a glass jar when I pop the seal on January 16th? I have no clue. But I’m an optimist and believe in the power of Mother Nature. And I can be sure they’ll be better than the peaches I find in Giant on aisle 9 drenched in a sweet syrup. I dare you to try it. I’m sure there are a bunch of secretive canners out there – be proud, be brave, and in the winter, when roots vegetables are the kings and queens of our dinner tables, the peaches, plums, and preserves of summer will be the envy of all our dinner guests.
AEK
