Made from Scratch

There's just something about naturally homemade.  

From my own youth, I recall September Sundays spent in the kitchen with the aroma of spaghetti sauce cooking down and the fruit flies leading the way to sweet smelling Concord grapes awaiting their jam or juice destiny. The memory of the oppressive heat from the hot water bath and canning jars, in the absence of whole house air conditioning, comes swirling back each humid, summer afternoon.  Despite the heat and the long hours of hard work, we knew there was goodness in each of the resultant jars.

Earlier this summer, my husband and I embarked on a little homemade of our own and spent this past weekend preserving our harvest.  Although, I shouldn't really say "our" harvest!  Let's just say we'll be enjoying a lot of fried green tomatoes!  But, my dad had a wonderful crop of plum tomatoes and a beautiful crop of Concord grapes. (Whew!)

So, with kids-in-tow, we went picking.  

Then, we. . .

Cleaned

Cut

Squeezed

Cooked

Canned

It was a wonderful, fulfilling weekend.   With the "wait a minute honey's" and the "not now honey's," even our youngest knew that this was something special.  In these moments of time spent with family and immersed in the glorious bounty of our earth, I couldn't help but know God's presence.  And you can't box that!