In two months we will be in the throes of Christmas preparations. It does not seem possible, especially after these extremely agreeable, first few days of October. Even in the evening light, the brilliant colors are visible. Between sky events, sunsets and the moon, and the changing trees, it has been quite a show. The loveliness will continue until the last leaf has fallen. As Michiganders we love the changes. Every three months we are ready for what the next season brings, even if it is not our favorite one. Everyone loves the fall, especially when it remains warm and comfortable. We revel in the Technicolor show in spite of the fact that we all know what landscape comes next. Those rain clouds are on the horizon and that Canadian cold air is itching to move south for the winter.
The Gardener has done a lot of canning this year, beginning with pickles, sweet relish and Carrie Ward’s bread and butter pickles, a family favorite. They were followed by green beans, and a lot of them. Green beans would be his choice of vegetable at every meal, if he had the say-so. He has inherited his family’s love of green and wax beans. I reckon that during our many years together I have cooked and served up a couple of rooms packed full of green and wax beans, one can or jar at a time. Back in his earlier gardening days, the Gardener grew both green and wax beans and canned the same. He has also been known to pull and dry the remaining beans for later use in soup. I am the one who is particularly fond of beans this way.
Our tomatoes came on a bit earlier than usual this season and so it was on. The Gardener canned tomatoes stewed, plain, and as juice, soup and salsa. No pasta sauce needed this year. Tomato canning will continue, right down to the very last tomato, I’m sure. Twenty pints of carrots, and more to come, are the latest addition to the pantry. Things will remain in canning mode and will continue until this year’s venison is in the jar and freezer.
The Gardener isn’t just all about tomatoes and beans. This year he turned out some excellent batches of peach and red raspberry jam and canned the kettle of fine apple butter cousin Paula cooked up. Destined for soup, he canned all of the cabbages from the garden, no fresh coleslaw this year. He also turned out some of his very popular garden mix pickles. He cannot make enough of this deer season and holiday treat to last through the year, even if he made them in a barrel.
Perhaps his most ambitious and delicious project so far this season is one he has not taken on in several years. When what he deemed as the perfect tomatoes came along the Gardener turned out 18 quarts of mighty fine, seasoned to perfection, smooth and creamy, homemade tomato soup. He first made this soup with his late friend Barry, who was not only a master canner, but a first-class soup maker.
Tomato soup may sound simple, as in it is “just tomato soup” but it is not. There are a number of time consuming steps to the process of turning a basket full of tomatoes into smooth, creamy, buttery and tasty tomato soup. Each step, ingredient and all the time it takes, are well worth the end result. As soon as those north winds begin to blow and push snow, our taste for grilled cheese and tomato soup is sure to grow! Sorry. That little rhyme was inspired by the change of seasons…and lunch.
It looks like this week will be the last for our unseasonably warm weather. Wednesday’s skies hold more clouds than patches of blue. Yellow needles are raining from the white pines on the southwest winds. Most of the early yellow and red leaves have fallen from our backyard maples into a big brown pool on the grass beneath. Once the temperature begins to drop and cold rain falls, we’ll begin looking forward to what comes next. Before we know it, it will be Halloween, deer season, Thanksgiving and Christmas tree cutting time. And for lunch we’ll have bowls brimming with steamy tomato soup.