Canned Currency

Jill just made a great observation about what she called the "Canning Culture" here. She's been busily canning strawberries, blackberries, beets and tomatoes, in an effort to preserve the fresh fruits and veggies that we have a temporary abundance of.

What's awesome about being on the farm is that we have access to all the foods that aren't quite pretty enough to sell. This doesn't mean it's not yummy enough for us apprentices to eat or preserve.

And a lot of people around us are doing the same thing. This has given rise to a sort of canned currency. We've had to borrow a propane burner to get the canning pot hot enough, Jill will repay Heather for this with blackberry jam. Our friend Kelty just visited and brought us a jar of burnt-ginger apricot jam. We traded her three of our jars, in exchange for some much needed massages.

These are just some examples of the little economy of canned goods that's springing up around here. There are some things that you just can't pay for with money.