The other night I made pickled beets to go along with supper. Now, these days when I make pickled beets its just a matter of getting a store bought can of beets off of the shelf in the pantry and adding them to a bit of vinegar and sugar til I get the exact taste I want. Out of all of this came fond memories of my childhood.
My Mama & my Aunt use to have a huge garden together every year. One of the main things they would grow is beets. Now, I don't care for plain beets but when they are pickled and canned I love them. I remember us gathering the beets out of the garden, cleaning them and the grown up's canning them. That wonderful Ping, Ping, Ping sound of the can's sealing would sound through out the kitchen the rest of the day. Normally on hot days like canning days we would settle for sandwiches for supper. The beets were usually forgotten about until later in the season but I did so love those pickled beets. My Aunt had a large barn/root cellar that she kept all of her canned goods stored in and I fondly remember going "grocery shopping" off of the shelves of that old barn. There would be shelves of green beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pears, apples, pickled squash, apple butter, strawberry jam and of course my favorite pickled beets. The colors of the jars reminded me of jewels on the shelves. Going "grocery shopping" in that barn always gave me a special feeling inside and I always felt as if I was being rewarded when I was able to bring out a jar of pickled beets with me.
What are some of your fond childhood memories?
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