can what we can't

Today I made real jam, for the first time ever. It perhaps wasn't the best choice of days to do so, because the process involved boiling water on all four burners of the stove simultaneously; the breeze coming in the the window from the 90° temperatures outside felt wonderfully cooling. I understand all the more now why folks in the old days, who had to cook and make preserves no matter how hot it got in the summer, had kitchens detached or removed in some way from the rest of the house. Leah wished that my jam-making was detached, certainly, instead of ten feet from where she was trying to work.

But despite the discomfort the jam seems to have been a success (it better have been!!). All four jars sealed up the way they're supposed to, the product is already jelling well, and the congealed foam I skimmed from the top is delicious. Up next: pickles!!