This is probably my favorite time of the year. I love the change in rhythms and routines, the fall work, and seeing springtime and summertime work finally come to fruition. Whether it was something I nurtured from seed or a wild thicker of fruit I kept my eye on or the plum trees planted by previous owners of the ranch, it is delightful to finally find ripening fruit, and to begin to metaphorically water at the mouth imagining what lovely delicacies will result, when summertime is a memory.

So, plums. Usually I am just chomping at the bit to start canning, but I’m being a little more moderate this year, partly because it was a weird growing season so harvest is a little low, but partly because I actually really enjoy having fresh-frozen fruits to make into pies and purée for things later. Thus, the three sacks of plums I picked yesterday are now chopped and pitted in the freezer, right 5-cup bags. Plums make the most succulent pies and crisps!

And I can’t help but reflect on the fact that someone else’s foresight is why I am now enjoying (and sharing with others) a harvest. It is rather poignant, isn’t it? What a blessing.