Look what I got in the mail the other day!

Aren’t these the most beautiful little jars you’ve ever seen?  So unpretentious and clean and cheerfully pear. 

There is something so wholesome about canning your own preserves.  And it’s even more special when the literal fruits of your labor become a gift.

The flavor was mellow and light – not as intensely sweet as honey, but just as satisfying on toast.

My mouth puckered just as it always did when I was a girl eating pears straight off the tree in our little orchard community.  Juice would slip past my lips and dribble down my chin, making a sticky patch on my sleeve when I wiped it off.  Ripe harvest pears will always remind me of dressing up, parties and holiday baking, crisp fall mornings and childhood friends.   Times when I spent the day thinking about what to play at recess.

Thank you, Christy!  Thank you for the autumn treat, and thank you for the wonderful friendship.  I now have another happy memory to associate with pears.

What’s your favorite preserve?