Canning & Preserving

Okay, as you readers may already have noticed, I make a lot of jam. The season for fruit here in Michigan is just too darned short, and I want to preserve as much as I can of the local harvest.

I prefer to eat local food, sourced as close to the farm as possible: I get fresher food, I help support the nearby farming community, and it tastes amazing. Sometimes, though, I make exceptions. Let me tell you about my experience with peaches.

We had snow and hail last week, but it’s in the 90s today: welcome to springtime in SE Michigan. I’m working on the garden this week – first setting the chives and all the other herbs to rights, and then planting my favorite tomatoes.

Looking at my preserves cupboard, I can see it’s been a good year for jams. Let’s see … there’s cherry jam three ways, blueberry-ginger jam, spiced tomato jam, strawberry-vanilla butter, peach, and apricot jams. But there are still a few gaps!

I’m lucky to live where some of my favorite fruit can grow. Recently I brought home half a peck of dark sweet cherries from a nearby orchard.

Cherries can stain your hands, clothing, and the kitchen counters, but they’re so worth making a mess!

I love berries of all kinds, and am lucky to live where lots of them grow. Recently I bought some freshly picked blueberries at a farm stand: they were delicious! Some went into muffins, some on cereal, some were just eaten as a snack.