Fruit Memories

I know I've mentioned apricots but they are just a part of Mom's love of fruit. She ate fruit, grew fruit, and canned fruit. I have a jar in my kitchen window that says, "Summer, 1979." (just the jar-it's empty!) Mom taught my sister canning and the two of them canned hundreds and hundreds of jars of fruit, jams, jellies, and butters (like apple butter, pear butter). Dad built shelves over the washer and they were full three layers deep and two layers high.

Did I learn any of this? No, but sis would teach me if I asked. Sis canned quite a few dozen jars of apricot jam with the apricots from my backyard. Mom loved that jam. We put it on toast, in oatmeal, over ice cream. Mm, Mm, Mm.

Apricots were some of the last food that Mom ate-pureed. I still have 2 quarts frozen apricots, blanched and peeled, in my freezer. Oatmeal season is coming and I think I'll eat it up this winter.