Sunday, April 15, 2012

Jars of Jelly and Jam

Choke Cherries - ready to pick.
Choke cherries 

















Clusters of purple sunshine
Tart bites
Transform
Jars of Jelly and Jam.

Pick, wash, simmer
Empty jars, steam
Juice, sugar, pectin
Stir - a coated spoon.


Clusters of purple sunshine
Tart bites 
Transform
Jars of Jelly and Jam.


Rich molten purple
Flows
Mason jars
A water bath.

Clusters of purple sunshine
Tart bites
Transform
Jars of Jelly and Jam.

Choke Cherry jelly
Country stained glass
Purple of a rose window
Jars of Jelly and Jam.



6 comments:

  1. I like that final verse specially, that "country stained glass".  I've never made jam except for freezer strawberry jam.  I used to watch my mother make grape jelly from our grapes growing along the back fence.  You've captured the process so beautifully in your poem: "rich molten purple" & "clusters of purple sunshine"-lovely!

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  2. Ruth Ferris/StorykeeperApril 16, 2012 at 10:45 AM

    My mom would make the jelly all the time.  I especially liked when the jelly didn't take and would turn out to be syrup.  Great on pancakes.

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  3. Oh, how we loved to play in the chokecherry bushes where we had tunneled through the branches to make a house and eat the tart chokecherries while we "lived there".  We'd help gather the fruit and watch her as she made the jelly.  It was wonderful stuff, transformed from tart to sweet.  And oh, what a beautiful color!  Wow,  I thought she was the only one who ever made choke cherry jelly!  Nothing like cracking open the paraffin on the top of a fresh jar! Thanks for taking me back to that "Country stained glass

    Purple of a rose window"!  Perfect.

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  4. Ruth Ferris/StorykeeperApril 17, 2012 at 8:53 AM

    Its amazing what treasures are unlocked by memories.

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  5. Stopping in from the A to Z challenge to say hello. I have fond memories of my parents taking me and my three siblings to pick strawberries, then we would go home and make lots of jam! That was the best.

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  6. Mmmmm, I can taste it! I'm trying to visit all the A-Z Challenge Blogs this month. My alphabet is at myqualityday.blogspot.com

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