Summer in a jar
And here comes summer again. For us passionate gardeners, it's the time of harvest, picking, and processing its gifts. I know you can buy quality preserves these days. Strawberry jam made from strawberries. Raspberry jam made from raspberries. And yet I still spend time at the stove in this inhuman heat. Stirring jams. Cooking syrups. And I'm a little annoyed in the corner of my soul... I ask myself, why don't I just laze around by the water instead? But I can't help it. I spend hours picking berries. All scratched up from the raspberry thorns. Fruit juice even behind my ears, sweat stinging my eyes... As I shoo away another wasp, I kick the bowl with what I've already picked 🤨 I scold myself: "Do you really need this?" I don't. And I do.
When winter comes and I spread that raspberry jam on pancakes, summer comes back to me. And it's no longer the scratched hands or the stings. Bundled up in a sweater and warm socks, I recall the freedom of walking almost naked, letting the skin be caressed by a gentle breeze. I smell the scent of raspberries intensified by the sun that has been beating down on them since morning, but also the scent of summer, sun, water, grass... life.
Because in that jar there isn't just fruit, there are also memories. The memory of wandering among rocks with breathtaking views of the landscape. The memory of swimming in a cool mountain river. Of standing barefoot in the moss, leaning against a tree. Bark under my fingernails. You just couldn't help yourself anymore and had to do more than just watch my hips swaying in front of you 😏 The memory of an open-air cinema. Of warm evenings and nights, when you lie under the stars and can do everything and need do nothing. That you can't buy in a store.
I still don't know what memories I'll seal into jars this year. As Forrest's mama used to say: Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get 😉
So may the tasting be pleasant!
When winter comes and I spread that raspberry jam on pancakes, summer comes back to me. And it's no longer the scratched hands or the stings. Bundled up in a sweater and warm socks, I recall the freedom of walking almost naked, letting the skin be caressed by a gentle breeze. I smell the scent of raspberries intensified by the sun that has been beating down on them since morning, but also the scent of summer, sun, water, grass... life.
Because in that jar there isn't just fruit, there are also memories. The memory of wandering among rocks with breathtaking views of the landscape. The memory of swimming in a cool mountain river. Of standing barefoot in the moss, leaning against a tree. Bark under my fingernails. You just couldn't help yourself anymore and had to do more than just watch my hips swaying in front of you 😏 The memory of an open-air cinema. Of warm evenings and nights, when you lie under the stars and can do everything and need do nothing. That you can't buy in a store.
I still don't know what memories I'll seal into jars this year. As Forrest's mama used to say: Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get 😉
So may the tasting be pleasant!