My Way of Living + Story

Pint sized preserves

In the best rendition of “my eyes are bigger then any stomach… ”
I went a bought a entire case of peaches.
Actually I sent my beloved to get them.

Peaches and cookbook

But the sentiment is still the same. Oh foolish, silly me.
NOT.
Peaches have to rank up there as the one of the best summer fruits to make you rhapsodize over sweet juice dribbling down your chin.
Piquant taste bursts in your mouth.
Is this not summer in a round sphere?
Oh my goodness yes, kind of thing?
So no, not foolish me… not silly at all.
In fact maybe I should have bought two cases.
I’m planning on living on the wild side here folks.
But peaches have one drawback, when they are ready, they are ready… come what ever may be, they need to be seen to.
The fact that we were to help our friend move another trailer full of his household goodies into his new place.
Along with a minor a one day heat wave will not deter the peaches from declaring “we are ready.”
And so they were.
And I was not.
But did they care?
Nope.

Peach cookbook

They didn’t care that I got home sweaty, and tired in the mid afternoon, that the house was heating up, just as my love for peaches that were perfectly ripe and needed to be processed TODAY was cooling down.
They needed to be dealt with, and deal with them I did.
No languid afternoon nap in the summer heat, with the Boo snoring gently by my feet.

Peaches piled on cookbook

I processed pints of peach jam, jars of peach barbeque sauce, and I even am in the middle of dehydrating peaches, and freezing slices of them for later.
Now who’s in charge here? Take that you pastel pouting perfect peaches.
Well, most of them I guess, there are still about 15 sitting on my counter, sulking, sassy little spheres that they are… but they are destined for greatness tomorrow.
And the root of all this inspiration?
Preserving by the pint, a new book by Marisa McClellan, who in her adult hood while living in a high-rise, so this works for all of us… rediscovered canning. And thank goodness for that.

Peach BBQ sauce

The best part is that Marisa has broken down the heavy handed vintage recipes into something that any one loving small batches can easily manage. She works with small amounts.no case of peaches required, unless of course you wish to have peach perfection, flowing and over flowing on your counter. Then go for it, and make more then a few recipes like I did.
I’m inspired, and rediscovering the joy of canning through this book.
My childhood memories of canning involved my mom, peeling endless batches of peaches in a hot steamy kitchen which yielded golden gems that glistened on the counter tops until they were secreted away somewhere cool for winter.
Oh so sweet, succulent, but so much work, they were her gift to us in the dark days of the cold season. We loved the cherished jars of sweet treats, and they were doled out carefully… I vowed not to be a slave to summer fruit.
Especially since all of her hard work paid off with the severe allergies to stone fruits that she suffers from now.

Frog and peaches

Marisa’s blog has recipes that will inspire you to create your very own small batches.
From honey sweetened peach vanilla jam, to cranberry marmalade with apricots, and strawberry lavender caramel… stop drooling over the screen.
Get those canning jars into the dishwasher, grab that fruit, and go to town!
I mean get canning.
Now will it be Brown sugar salted peach jam first, or peach sriracha jam?

MBD 100 organic

Blog, Dream, Home, Inspiration, Seasons, and more:

Pint sized preserves + Story