I've been preserving more this summer than I have in the past few years, at least since the kids were born. The products have been relatively simple: mostly jams, a peach barbecue sauce, and some peaches in juice. I made a successful batch of Elderflower Champagne (third time's a charm). The jams, though, ohhhh the jams; rose petal, rose petal strawberry, strawberry fig, fig with cardamom and vanilla, chunky peach mint, and the others I can't remember off the top of my head. The jams make me wax poetic, though I'll spare you the actual poetry.

What is it that's so satisfying about canning and food preservation? Somehow it stirs my self confidence, knowing I can provide delicious foods well after the plants are finished producing. Certainly the colors appeal to my artistic side. Perhaps even the productivity of a quick exercise of making appeals to my artistic side as well. Whether it's one of those things or a combination of many, canning is a satisfying experience, though I wonder if my enjoyment is a stark contrast to those in the past (and certainly still some families today) who rely on the hard work of preservation to feed their families. In which case, my own jam-making is one of luxury or entitlement.