Seasons Come, Seasons Go

With the change in the season, we change our expectations too. All winter long, we eat dark green leaves and bulbs that grow in the dark. These things are packed with the nutrition we need to get us through the cold times. If we have thought and planned ahead, we also have food put away for winter that helps us with the uniform production of winter.

I can tomatoes, fruits and pickles almost every year. It seems like some things I never get enough of to can. For example, I used to pickle beets. Now, I just eat them as fast as I can. I don't get it. I never can cherries but this year, I plan to can some sour ones. Last year, I made enough dill pickles for several years and despite the fact that my family devours olives, we always have yearly carry overs.

I love curing olives. I don't know why. More than any other preservation I do, olive curing really changes the state of the olive. If you've ever eaten an uncured olive, you'll know what I mean. A small black bitter and hard kernel turns into an oily, salty luscious delicacy. It's very satisfying. This year, I dry cured 2 quarts of black olives. In the past, I have cured them in brine. That process takes about 2 months with weekly water changes. Dry curing this year took 10 days!! I then packed the olives in oil that can be used in salad dressing and for cooking.

So, I'm looking forward to the next season of brightly colored fruits and vegetables, full of juices.