Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Tools

This household is pretty low-tech. We use a french press coffee pot because the only maintenance involved is a dishwasher, occasionally. We did fork over some money a couple of years ago for a cast iron cherry pitter. It is about 8 or 10 inches long and makes cherry pitting a not too terribly arduous chore. We also have a heavy duty apple peeler slicer corer machine. Both of these low tech tools clamp onto the edge of the table and work with someone spinning a handle. Our friends, the Thomas family, gave us a big box of June apples. Thomas wants to make a pie, so he has great incentive to work the apple tool. All of us have been taking turns pitting cherries. We will make apple pie and apple sauce. We have made cherry jam and pie and tart and are now putting cherries up in the freezer for future pies. I would like to make around 20 more pints of jam.

The girls shelled peas and pitted cherries last night as I read Mrs Piggle Wiggle to them. Then they retired and Patrick and I continued to shell peas. Wish we had a tool that made shelling peas a little bit faster. Oh well, just makes us appreciate them all the more. Patrick and I have been getting in some great conversation time lately. Not just quality, but quantity as well. Shelling peas and picking garden are great times to chat. So are cherry picking afternoons.

Some day the kids may no longer want to talk with me. I hope that won't be the case, but you never know. It seems like this farm is providing some pretty great low-tech conversation tools. I hope that they will remember. I hope that I will remember.

1 comment:

CountryDew said...

The great thing about rural living is it slows life down to where you can breathe. It's great that you and your family are connecting over chores. Those connections will hold you in good stead, I think.