

[I drafted this post several months ago; it became lost for a while. But the photos are so lovely, and I am still enjoying the bounty of this valley harvest - it seems a shame not to share, even if it's rather tardy.]
The boys and I took a quick trip over the mountains to visit my mom and forage for blackberries. We had a mission and we did not disappoint. I returned to Bend with two very tired boys and a trunk full of produce. To wit: a lug of peaches, eight pints of blueberries, ten cups of blackberries, a gallon-sized zip lock bag full of cracked filberts (non- native Oregonians call them hazelnuts), two acorn squash, twenty-eight pounds of tomatoes and at least thirty-five pounds of pears.
Lofty intentions are a thing of mine - I had visions of sauces, chutneys, jams, and preserved fruit. I very nearly started a fruit fly farm in my kitchen instead. During this economic downturn, there has been a lot of talk about preserving and canning (certainly I've done my fair share of squawking here and here) as a means to stretch your dollar. If you do a lot of canning and are able to get good prices on your produce, or better yet, grow your own, I believe you can save money. But you are going to spend a decent amount getting all the necessary supplies first.
Then, you begin the task. For me, the process of peeling, packing, covering the fruit with a light syrup, then processing them in the canner was overwhelming. And that was just the peaches. It was far too much pressure to be under and I had to have a good cry before I could find some perspective. First, save the canning until the small children are sleeping. What one needs is focus and peace during this time. Second, peeling and stuffing tomatoes into quart jars is immensely satisfying. They went directly into our new freezer. As did the blueberries and blackberries. The acorn squash was roasted and eaten for dinner. Finally, every peach you eat is a peach you don't have to can - and nothing is more perfect than a peach eaten out of hand.
The pears remain an issue. After a huge batch of pear butter, three pear crisps (one cooked immediately, two frozen), a pear and chocolate upside down cake for friends with a new baby, and a too-plain custard pie, we still have a few left in the fridge. To be eaten out of hand, with the juice dripping down your arm. Which is really no issue at all.