Earlier this year a dear friend of mine who had recently graduated from college took part in an art exhibit. She had spent the summer working on an organic farm and learned all she could about canning. Her focus was the beauty in the process of canning and to explore how food and art are related. She reflects on the growing, harvesting, processing, cooking, and eating of food as a part of a long creative process.
Her canning was pure beauty. She took great care in every detail to ensure a good balance of color, texture and variety.
I love that her grandfather helped built the display shelf. And that she also included the stained towel she used in the process (like an artists rag for wiping the brush).
Let those December winds bellow 'n' blow
I'm as warm as a July tomato.
Peaches on the shelf
Potatoes in the bin
Supper's ready, everybody come on in
Taste a little of the summer,
Taste a little of the summer,
You can taste a little of the summer
my grandma's put it all in jars.
-Greg Brown, Canned Goods from "One Night"
More beauty in canning:
- Ali's crab apple and chili jelly
- From the Library of Congress, this lovely sampling of vegetables from the 1940's
- this gorgeous pantry
- andsweet pickled golden beets
I usually freeze all my autumn's harvest, but I'm inspired to give canning a try.
