“Home work”…

Jams have begun appearing among the wares at the farmers market. Plum jam is prepared with plums only (absolutely no other additives), pitted, mashed and slow cooked for 6-8 hours before being ladled into jars and sealed. Apricot jam is similar in preparation with sugar the only additional ingredient, also slow cooked for 2-3 hours, stirred constantly in small batched to preserve flavor without sticking or scorching. Both are like eating concentrations of the original fruits. The only thing closer that I’ve made or tasted myself is freezer jam, a family favorite done with strawberries.

The preserves and bounty of sweet corn and apples bring back memories of childhood and high school years when Mom and assorted family members would gather and can/freeze the fruits of the garden: tomatoes, berries, corn, peas, beans, apples, peaches, pears, and more as each came into season. I can remember cheese-cloth sacks of crab apples hung from the kitchen cabinet doors with pans/bowls underneath to capture their juice for making jelly, apple peeling contests (to see who could peel their apple fastest and all in one continuous peel without losing too much fruit in the process) on the back stoop to make the time go faster, stripping ears of corn for blanching, washing prickly cucumbers in laundry tubs in the basement to prep them for pickles, and so much more.

What’s all this got to do with Hungary? Simpler times, fond memories, and evidence yet again of how much more alike we than different we humans truly are. Cool.