Preserving Food

Last week my mom, who is 83, called to see if I wanted 3 buckets of peaches, or did I want to go to her house to help her can. As I live in an apartment with a bigger kitchen, and I helped her finish
Canned Peaches
canning over 125 quarts of peaches, 14 pints of applesauce and 8 pints of peach jam, all in less than 24 hours. Then we drove the two hours home.

I have helped my mom can fruits and vegetables since I was little. We stand side by side, peeling, cutting, cooking, and stuffing vegetables or fruit into pint or quart jars, and almost all the food has come from their garden. Mom and dad are in their 80s and still grow a big garden to can and share with their kids and grandkids. Each year they say they don’t plan to grow as much next year, but they always do.

Throughout history men and women have grown gardens and worked to preserve the food for the the seasons when things don’t grow. I am certain Eve began her life on earth picking food to preserve for those cold or dry seasons when food isn’t growing. Much of her life during the growing season was spent much like it is for my mom, picking and preserving food for her family to enjoy during the year.

A big difference for Eve was her methods of preservation. During those first years, all she had was woven baskets and gourds. No glass jars, no pressure cooker, no water bath. How could she preserve enough food for her family?

She learned to dry the foods she needed in the sun. She would need to protect the food from insects and animals. I’m sure she learned to use smoke to help dry things and keep the flies away. It still had to be a challenge for her until her children grew old enough to help.

Sometimes I think life is difficult, and it is. When I remember the difficulties our ancestors had, just to survive, I am grateful for all they did, especially Eve.

Ancient Matriarchs: Eve, First Matriarch coming soon.

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