September - Month of the first cans

In autumn, the last tastes of the summer fruits are savored and winter preparations begin by preserving them. In all the children's books, in the fall, all the animals stock up for the coming winter. And the richer the autumn, the harder it is said that the winter will be.

Vica's room was always full, especially in the fall when they started to make the broth, the soup, the tomatoes in the broth, the pickled cucumbers and, last but not least, the spices.

It was a very busy moment, especially since all this had to be done until the picking of the vines, because then other appointments started.

And now I can smell the dried thyme, which is added to most tasty dishes, the dried leustean for winter soups, or the basil used at church meetings or even by us, the children, when we went to the sorcovit with sorcovit made from apple sticks and at the top having a tuft of basil tied with red string. Dill for pickles also has its charm, bringing back the specific taste of autumn in heavy winter dishes.

But of all, the most emblematic are the rows of peppers that Vica's mother used to prepare for the winter. Dried chillies have a unique taste, roasted on fire in winter with any brine or stuffed in chilli soup, unique in taste. I didn't find Olten crayfish peppers in Obor, so I bought something close in shape and color, while I'm waiting for the package from home to arrive with the two rows of peppers that my friends think they use only as decoration, when in fact I enjoy every pepper on the line in the following year... And the hot, red peppers are unique with their taste.

The aromas of early autumn in September mean something different to me. After the abundance of summer, fine, special tastes begin, such as that of the small autumn tomatoes, of the fat/capia/hot peppers and all kinds of sweeter and fleshier ones, of the new carrots that are now starting to take on an intense taste, of the freshly picked potatoes from the earth and the autumn mushrooms that fried with garlic have a taste that is difficult to express in words...

Autumn fruits also start to show their specific taste, with sweet pears and peaches, sour apples, grapes of all kinds and plums that are perfect for classic jams and jams. I still remember the taste of plum jam (like no other) with butter and tea, which soothed the winter cold and made up for the lack of sweets from my childhood.

It's a shame that fewer and fewer people make preserves and prefer to buy imported fruits and vegetables that no longer have the true taste of summer and don't taste like autumn preserves from other times... only on at the market stalls you can still find fruits and vegetables whose taste is the one we remember from the old days...

This is the first post through which we take a look at Camara Vicai from another time, as a tribute to the foods and tastes that the mother managed to prepare for her grandchildren and children... the specific canned goods will have a special label with her picture to remind us of tastes and preservation traditions... Thank you, mother, for everything....