Yesterday I went on a food preservation bender. It’s blackberry season! It’s blueberry season! The first corn is ripe! Since yesterday was farmers’ market day in my suburban enclave, and since I went on a berry-picking frenzy on Friday, my pantry was stocked. It was time to put some away for the winter – or even just enjoy it now by adding sugar and baking it in pastry. So, while at home alone with two children on a Sunday afternoon, I took to my kitchen.

I made blackberry jam.

I blanched and froze corn.

I made blueberry sorbet.

I baked blueberry pie.

Hannah was “the little chef”. She wore an apron. She took her job very seriously. Jacob licked the spoon. He did not wear an apron. He took his job very seriously, and his clothes have the stains to prove it. I sampled my first refined sugar in two weeks. I will write more about that tomorrow.

Today, though, I will rest. I think it has been well-earned.

Have you done any canning, freezing or preserving yet this year? Tell me all about it!

A couple of weeks ago I bought apricots at the farmer’s market. This is not really remarkable. However, when I got them home, I was so struck by their beauty that I had to capture it. Their colour, their shape, their texture – they all just spoke to me. Each one was like a stunningly perfect work of art.

It’s not surprise that I find food appealing. After all, we’ve all evolved to appreciate food. Hunger is one of our most basic instincts, and the desire to satisfy that hunger is strong. When I’m hungry, I can hardly think about anything else. Somewhere, in the deep, prehistoric recesses of my lizard brain, someone is yelling, “Eat a sandwich already!” at top volume, and it makes it really hard to concentrate.

On top of the way that hunger drives us, plants themselves benefit by looking appealing. When I pick a piece of fruit and carry it away from a tree, I’m scattering its seeds. Okay, I’m not scattering its seeds, I’m most likely putting them in my smelly green bin, but most animals are not me. Most animals just drop the seeds wherever, allowing the tree’s progeny to grow in a spot that the tree could never reach on its own. So the colours, the flavours and the smells are all designed to appeal to me.

This time of year, I think, is especially rich with food art. Blueberries, blackberries and tomatoes are ripe. I bought the first apples of the season at the farmer’s market last week, and I recently harvested the garlic from my garden. If fruit is nature’s artwork, she’s in the midst of a creative frenzy. I am loving every moment of it. You could almost say (at the risk of making a pun) that I am eating it up.

Before I consume or preserve each little masterpiece, I pause for a moment to appreciate its beauty. It’s an exercise in delicious mindfulness, and a reminder to embrace the season you find yourself in. While fall is lovely, and winter has its charms, there won’t be fresh ripe apricots forever. You need to appreciate them while you can.

What’s ripe in your garden – or at your farmers’ market – right now? What are you enjoying?