A few things I learned...
Canning can be done all by yourself, but should be done in a group of people whose company you enjoy.
There are two categories of peaches. One has the type of seed that is connected to the flesh of the fruit, and the other's seed is not. It would make for prettier canned peaches if you choose the free floating seed. My peaches were not this type, so they look a little abused.
Peaches are SLICKERY once peeled.
In order to place the peaches "cut side down" as per the directions, first, pick them up out of the boiling syrup while they are facing down and then slide them easily into the jar. Don't frantically pick at them with a fork or cuss at them, that doesn't seem to work as well.
The last thing I learned is more of a reminder.
It is something I have felt before.
When I am engaged in homemaking activities, I feel connected.
I smell the fruit or the dish soap, I see my hands cutting an onion or sewing on a button, I feel the ache in my back from mopping, or maybe throbbing feet from standing in the kitchen too long, and I feel connected.
I only feel connected when my heart is open to enjoy the activity
instead of grumbling about the work.
Brief glimpses of women, that I don't even know, float through my mind. They have done the same thing I am doing - whatever it is -and I feel that feeling of connection to them.
This lets me know I am in the right place, doing the right thing at the right time.
It is a feeling of harmony and privilege.
