2010 Vintage

There is nothing like the peaceful serenity that washes over me when I am driving through the flat farm country of northern Ohio and from the highway I can see my grandpa’s white barn in the distance.  As I  get closer and pull into the driveway I habitually glance at the barn to read the words painted at the top.  The name “Fred J. Speck” appears in black lettering with painted cows on each side.  Older photographs show the name of my great grandfather “Fred H. Speck” which was changed when my grandpa took over the farm.  I am by no means a farmer (and never intend to take that up as a profession), but a rich agricultural history on both sides of my family draw me to the wholesome values of that lifestyle.  As a family we made some decisions this year to become more conscious of  issues related to our health, diet and environment. While the change might be subtle, and to some people seem insignificant each step made in the right direction is progress.  One of my goals this year was to learn to use a canner! My mom knows how to can fruits and vegetables, as does my grandma, great-grandma etc.  I decided that I did not want to be the generation that became so driven by the convenience of a grocery store isle that I  ”lost” skills that women of the past used on a regular basis.  So, will I be canning all of my own food….no!! That thought makes me laugh!! If you know me well, you are probably already laughing.  At this point in my life I have not even been able to keep two poor pepper plants alive. (Maybe that can be part of my goals for next year.)  My plan for this year was green beans, and the jelly project was really just a spin off of that.  After a trip to Huber’s Orchard I came home with 3 bushel of snap beans.  All said and done I ended up with 61 quarts of beans! Feeling pretty proud of our accomplishment Paul and I took the boys back to Huber’s to pick a few apples and that is when it happened.  The seedless concord grapes were ready, and Paul tasted his first grape fresh off of the vine.  Needless to say we went a bit overboard with our picking.  How in the world could we eat 14 lbs. of grapes before they spoiled.  I am not sure who first suggested that we attempt grape jelly, but it became a team effort and we had such a fun time mashing grapes with the kids.

Oh, and if any moms out there are interested we used the book “Secrets of the Vine – for Young Hearts” as a fun and meaningful object lesson for the boys.  It is a beautiful book and the illustrations are lovely.

Here’s to an amazing summer!

Amy