More than the art of preservation, it was the joy of giving a jar of something that I made in my home kitchen to someone I loved – or to a new friend – that unleashed the urge to gather the best seasonal fruits and veggies and then invent and embrace creative recipes.  It all sounds very romantic…and it is but for the reality of what it takes to make 1,000 jars in your home every year!

Buying the right sized jars is one task and they are often either out of stock or overpriced by greedy merchants.  I have my outlets and I won’t share where they are, but I am a good customer.  I have to haul them home to the dismay of everyone involved in my travels and schlepping. 

Getting the fruits is another task – knowing when the apricots are in (or going out of season), buying locally, getting great seconds (because they are half the price and just as good if not better for my purposes). Egers, in Columbia County is the source of 95% of my fruit.  Veggies come from my home garden or Katchkie Farm.  Sometimes, another local farmer has something I just cannot resist.  Hauling, storing, chopping, dicing produce is a full time job! Did I mention I already have a full time job?

Other details: Canning equipment; the right pots for cooking and sterilizing; pectin…and the right pectin; extra lids.  The list isn’t endless, it is just detailed.  This is a process that requires strict attention to detail.  Yup.  Sounds like fun…and it is….but you really need to pay attention.

Then there is the fun part of blending flavors.  For example, I had some amazing melon that just called to be added to a blueberry jam last summer.  Who would have thought that would be a match?  There are the traditional blends of rhubarb with strawberry, ginger with apricot, etc.  But then the other night, while roasting Italian plums for jam, I added some sweet tiny grapes, pears and peaches to the mix – and voila –,deliciousness!

I could go on forever about the magic of the stove top, things simmering away or roasting in the oven while the cauldrons of boiling water await; the flavors and accents that make their way to the stage; the beautiful produce that will have an extended life and travel to new homes.  My husband calls it my Laboratory.  It is my happy place.