Rhubarb jam made this morning on the woodstove.
I post pictures of foods to FB and to here. Mainly because:
(a) I've lived long enough
(b) I never really had the chance to delight in food preparation for so very many years.
Meals were all need driven. A single mom, two kids, a full-blown career very much in a man's world, long hours. Free time was dedicated to making ends meet: sewing the clothes, making the curtains, knitting the sweaters, freezing the fall vegetables, preserving, rushing through food preparation and lunch making. Catching my breath in between. Juggling mostly. Not really having a good time with it all.
Now?
It's a never ending delight. One of the attractions in my choosing to live here was the distance from restaurants. I ate out a lot in Toronto. It was the lifestyle of many of my friends and I fell into it.
Now I delight in prepping food, creating my own recipe book, feeding friends and feeding myself. Making my own bread, freezing meals for those days. Making jams, preserves from home-grown fruits.
I freeze rhubarb among other fruits in the summer and then take it out in batches and make jam after soaking it overnight with sugar on the woodstove. Like this morning.
And I take an inordinate amount of pleasure in this never having to rush, enjoying the textures, the colours, the scent of something happening in my kitchen.
Bliss. We need more of it in our lives.
Jenny loves cooking and she experiments with new recipes all the time. Most of her meals are beyond delicious, just as good as the local restaurants, if not better. And all I have to do is wash all the pots and pans afterwards!
ReplyDeleteAs I'm sure I've mentioned before, unfortunately my own cooking skills leave much to be desired....
Lovely post, your contentment shines through and inspires me.
ReplyDeleteYour jam preparation sounds delightful.
ReplyDeleteI started enjoying preparing food when it stopped being a necessity and became instead just plain. I fix what I like to eat and not what everyone else doesn't. I don't have to please anyone but myself and I think therein lies the secret.
ReplyDeleteRhubarb jam! It would be worth swimming across the pond just to taste it! Do you think I'd make it for elevenses? ;)
ReplyDeleteNick:
ReplyDeleteNice labour divide there!!
Given my druthers I'd prefer the cooking anyday.
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Cait:
ReplyDeleteWell thank you so much!!
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There is a huge sense of accomplishment for very little labour Sandy!
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Irene:
ReplyDeleteWell sort of for me as I do cook for others regularly and some have dietary restrictions but that just gets my creative juices flowing :)
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GM:
ReplyDeleteI think you'd adore it on my bastible loaf!!!
Yes, worth the swim, we must try and get you a currach with a little motor on the back for the rough bits....:)
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Love all your post....
ReplyDeleteThanks Anon!
ReplyDeleteXO
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Me, too. When I have the time to really work on food in a leisurely way, it's not work at all. It's a joy.
ReplyDeleteI love cooking and baking
ReplyDeletebut now most is on a smaller scale. Fill my freezer with a favorite Zuchinni for a special bread that everyone loves.
Like you
this gives me a lot of pleasure.
Many years ago
4 children and working
and not the time I have now...
We're re-adjusting our palates to the food we eat here after being on the Mainland, where we ate out a lot. I love cooking, too.
ReplyDeleteA single dad I too love to hustle up things in the kitchen and did exactly that for lunch today much to the delight of my captive clientele of son and daughter in law!
ReplyDeleteI hope I enjoy a similar transformation when time permits.
ReplyDeleteI hope I enjoy a similar transformation when time permits.
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