Fruit Slinger

I'm glad that's over. Peter has returned.

Shuttling back and forth between the farm and the markets left me feeling faded and frayed.

Yesterday I was at the orchard no more than two hours before I turned around and headed back to the city. My house keys, however, decided to spend the night in Michigan. Oops.

* * *

The conversations have gone something like this:

I'll say, "Hey, I'll trade you a jar of that jam for one of mine!"

And she'll say, "Sure, what do you have?"

Um. What do I have? 

I have, like, three cabinets full of jam. But hell if I know what's in there.

Today was jam inventory day. It's becoming a bit of a bittersweet fall ritual.

Probably I'll make a few jars of apple butter, but otherwise this is going to have to hold me until next summer.

• Sour cherry preserves: 1
• Strawberry preserves: 1
• Sour cherry and rose petal preserves: 5
• Sour cherry and almond preserves: 3
• Pear butter with vanilla bean: 5
• Grape jam: 7
• Spiced peach butter: 4
• Peach preserves: 5
• Lightly sweetened peach preserves: 3
• Peach preserves with vanilla bean: 3
• Peach preserves with pinot noir and cinnamon: 1
• Black raspberry preserves with chocolate: 2
• Ground cherry preserves: 2
• Apricot preserves with vanilla: 3
• Peach-raspberry preserves with cardamom: 4
• Black currant jam: 3
• Strawberry-rhubarb preserves: 2
• Red currant jam: 1
• Fraise des bois jam: 1
• Strawberry-raspberry preserves with balsamic vinegar and black pepper: 1
• Whole strawberries in very light syrup: 3
• Sour cherries in very light syrup: 1
• Peaches in medium syrup: 6 

Now, obviously that's not everything. There are the non-fruit items, as well: three jars of spicy tomato sauce, four jars of pickled asparagus, four jars of red tomato jam, and three jars of honeyed yellow tomato butter.

That's everything.

I think.

I hope.