WORKING KITCHEN HARD AT WORK

A Working Kitchen comes in two versions in my experience:

One: A place to make food.

Two: A place to show off cooking gear.

Who’s hungry?

It began with a box on one Oregon day.

A box of peaches at the end of the season where the U-Pick is over and what’s left are growing riper by the minute.

Working Kitchen says make canned peaches.

The supervisors approve.

What about the cans for canned peaches?

Needing more jars for canning, the crew went to BiMart and found the last case of pint jars.

Working Kitchen Gets To Work

Here comes the boiling water.

There goes the peach skin.

Dip fruit in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds until skins loosen. Dip quickly in cold water and slip off skins. Cut in half, remove pits and slice if desired. To prevent darkening, keep peeled fruit in ascorbic acid solution.

The supervisors approve.

When the crew is a wife and daughter in-law, the supervisors pay special attention.

“What Are They Doing Now?”

Who gets the urge to can peaches? To can anything?

Hot pack – In a large saucepan place drained fruit in syrup, water, or juice and bring to boil. Fill jars with hot fruit and cooking liquid, leaving ½-inch headspace. Place halves in layers, cut side down.

Raw pack – Fill jars with raw fruit, cut side down, and add hot water, juice, or syrup, leaving ½-inch headspace.

Keep in mind what canned peaches look like at the end of the day.

Does this look like sunshine in a jar?

This is sunshine in a jar.

In my house we think of others and we think hard.

We belong to a winery with wine so good it’s only meant for others.

But if we want to avoid turning the whole place into a wine cellar we’re going to need more friends and events to celebrate with a bottle of gift-wine.

Me: What are your plans for the peaches?

Wife: Give them as part of gift bags for the holidays.

Me: Are you sure they’ll last that long?

Wife: That’s why they’re called preserves.

Me: So they won’t go off like wine goes off?

Wife: The trick is to not open them and leave them out.

Me: So if I open a jar of canned peaches I should eat them all at once?

Wife: Better yet, don’t open one.

Me: Then who are they for?

Wife: Special friends.

Me: Anyone I know?

Wife: Yes. Our friends.

Me: Like our wine-present friends waiting for their wine gift?

Wife: Peaches are different.

Me: Are they supposed to float at the top?

Wife: What?

Me: How about glass of wine?