Tale of the Preserve Making

Georgians are known storytellers. We love spinning tales about our ancestors from creaking old rocking chairs, while sizing up the spread at family unions, or while sitting in the grass under huge old trees. The following is a lovely story about two southern ladies, my Mama and Aunt, and the preserve making.

It is 1965. I'm underfoot in Mama's kitchen clutching the red autograph book I received for my birthday. Each page is a pastel color. I am waiting impatiently for Aunt Sara to sign her autograph. Finally --she chooses a soft blue page and along with her name writes "Remember this night and the preserve making." I would be in my forties before I followed her advice. Mama held the paring knife and Aunt Sara measured out the sugar. Aunt Sara would tell the gossip and Mama would say, "I swannie." Just like that.

They washed, peeled, and cored the pears. Aunt Sara would retreat from the room and come back with a pinch of snuff - only folks that carried her shopping actually knew she dipped. She'd wipe at the corners of her mouth. Mama sang something pretty until the awkward moment passed. Then they'd start back to work. By the end of that day's doings, the pears were cut into slices, stacked and covered with sugar. These sugar-crusted slices were left to soak overnight.The next day Mama cooked the pears down and Aunt Sara came back to help clean jelly jars. One of them poured the mixture into the jars while the other stood ready with a cloth just in case some spilled.

When all the work was done, we all sat down together and ate warm hoe cake covered with an ample serving of pear preserves. I have always felt my heartaches lift when fall finally comes after a long hot summer. I've known that fall is the season of warmth. It is the time of mellowness. A time when one can take in long deep cleansing gulps of air. I just didn't know why I felt that way. Not until I stopped and breathed in the smells of rotting pears and took the time to take the path across the yard to meet back up with two 100 year old pear trees holding delicious memories.

The following sites will give you a few tasty facts along with recipes for pear preserves and hoe cake.

http://www.ldscn.com/pioneer-cooking/oth... preserves

http://www.ldscn.com/pioneer-cooking/oth...

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