mmm... summer saved for later

I know I've been gone from here for a while. I haven't forgotten about you, it's been busy. Summer is a busy time of bursting gardens, sprinklers, grassy feet, hanging laundry and late dinner. It's also a time of preserving. If only I could preserve the sweet smell of summer mornings or the sound of laughing littles as they squeal with delight at the simplest of garden sprinkler. This is a sweet season we are in.

Late last week I bought a daunting 2 1/2 bushels of peaches as seconds from the local farmers markets. My sister and I had been planning on canning peaches as our first big preservation undertaking. I don't think either of us realized just how many peaches are in those boxes.
Friday afternoon we put up 13 quarts. Lesson learned that day, canning with babes underfoot is no fun. (and not super safe).
 Last night we reconvened after the youngest of littles were all tucked into bed. We cracked open a bottle of wine, donned our sturdy aprons and got to work. My mom even stopped down for a few hours to help out and share the bits of canning wisdom that she remembers. It was very cool to be in my kitchen with 3 generations of ladies getting our canning on.
4 hours and 28 quarts later we, literally, threw in the towel at midnight. (I still have about 1/2 a box left that I will just peel and freeze.)

My kitchen has a thin layer of sticky on just about every surface. I've been cleaning and wiping all day but I keep finding little patches here and there. This is a sweet season we are in friends.
4 hours, 2 sisters, one bottle of wine, loads of laughs (some from exhausted delirium), boxes of peaches, classic rock on the radio..... sweet indeed. I hope that my babes will not remember when they learned to can or even why they love it so much but that it is simply a part of them that brings joy to their souls. I can be sure that the sore back and feet will be worth every bite of summer goodness in the midst of winter cold. More importantly though is the time spent with family and friends soaking up the blessings of one another and this season of sweetness we are in.