This week's topic in #52 Ancestors is "Preserve." Of course, as a genealogist, I spend most of my time trying to preserve family stories and records. But that's not what came to mind when I first thought about the topic.
When we lived in South Holland, Illinois, we had climbing grape vines. They surrounded a small patio area, which was actually quite lovely, even though I don't remember using it much. The grapes were dark purple Concord-type grapes. I suspect the birds enjoyed them, but I mostly remember the birds picking the cherries off our two cherry trees so maybe that kept them away from the grapes.
Every year, late in the summer, we'd pick those grapes, and my mom would make grape jelly. The smell of that process was wonderful and the resulting jelly was yummy. Of course, I just did the picking - I didn't get involved in the process, which I seem to recall involved the stove, lots of jars, and hot wax (in those days, that's how jelly was sealed). It must have been a lot of work.
But mostly, I remember eating the grapes as we picked them off the vines. Even today, the smell of dark purple grapes brings me back to my childhood and those wonderful grapevines.
Looking at a picture of our old house on Google Maps, it appears as though the grapevines are long gone. We might have even pulled them out before we moved—I can't quite remember. But I'd love to have a small, sheltered area these days—surrounded by those dark, fragrant grapes.
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