Cherry red has always been my favorite color :)

The cherries have arrived - lovely organic cherries sold through a fundraiser for our kids' Aikido Dojo.  Last year was our first year for freezing cherries - I had no idea how well they freeze!  Most fruits just get sour in the freezer - not cherries tho - oh my are they are lovely in the middle of winter - so decadent!

Lots of helpers and a handy dandy cherry pitter are making the job go smoothly - unlike last year when the entire town was sold out of all but the hand held pitters - I sat for several days pitting cherries, and while I was really glad to have them come winter, it was a royal PITA at the time ;)

I always find it so satisfying putting food away - even if I at times find it overwhelming - it's always satisfying overall.  I love it when the kids get involved too - I have such vivid memories of helping my mom and Grandma in the kitchen as a child, whether it was baking pies with my Grandma, or canning with my mom - it was a special time.  I really believe that it's important to bring children into the kitchen - so many kids these days can't even heat up a can of soup - that's crazy!  Kids are absolutely capable of helping out and eventually holding their own in the kitchen.  So much emphasis is placed on education and yet so many children - and teens and even adults - are incapable of carrying out the most basic of tasks in the kitchen.  No wonder there is such a disconnect with food - so few people have experienced or even witnessed the joy that can be created in the kitchen.

And so begins the season of putting food away - with peaches and tomatoes, and apples - so many lovely foods yet to come :)  I love the way it marks the seasons with all these traditions - something to look forward to, a comfort knowing that at least *some* things stay the same :)