It was this blog post that first introduced me to Della Thompson Lutes (and Ruth Suckow, whom I'll be reading next), and for that, I am eternally grateful. I've just finished reading Millbrook, one of her six autobiographical novels, and it was truly a delight!  The book is set in a small Southern Michigan farming community in the 1880s; here is a sample that seemed especially timely now, at the very height of summer:

Summer was far too busy a season to allow for much visiting, speculation, or gossip. Women were in their kitchens. Bread to bake as well as cakes, cookies, and pies; vegetables to prepare; milk to care for; butter to churn.

They were in the gardens: fruit to pick for shortcakes, pies, tarts, preserves. They were in their poulty yards: young chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese to be fed, watered, housed, gathered in from storms; eggs to be brought in.

They washed: shoulder-sweated shirts and stiff, groin-sweated overalls; sheets yellowed by soil-stained, perspiring bodies. And in a wooden tub on a bench too low for comfort, scrubbing their knuckles on a corrugated board of zinc, using soft soap they themselves had made.

They ironed, sensibly, only the clothing that showed, and linen for the tables. Where there were girls and young women, of course, there were innumerable ruffles -- petticoats, corset covers, lawn and organdie dresses. The irons were solid and heavy (used in winter, tipped up sideways between the knees, for cracking nuts, and also heated for warming beds) and, even through the padded holder, seared and callused the hands.

They worked: Adelaide from the first paling of a morning sky until the bats flew at dusk and the night hawk dipped, cleaving the air with a downward noisy swish of his stiffly outspread wings; but her heart was light. (Millbrook, p. 258-9)

I'm waiting on a copy of the author's famed Country Kitchen, and will be eagerly tracking down copies of her other books as well. While all are currently out-of-print, copies can be found quite inexpensively online. Hopefully one day her work will again be back in print because it is truly worthy of a wider reading audience.

Though there is sadly little that has been published about her life, a wonderful introductory essay is: A Word For What Was Eaten: An Introduction to Della T. Lutes and Her Fiction by Lawrence R. Dawson. The following biography is an excerpt, also written by Mr. Dawson, from the Dictionary of Midwestern Literature: Volume 1: The Authors by Phillip A. Greasley, Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature.

Della Thompson grew up on a farm in Summit Township in Jackson County, Michigan, the only child of Elijah Bonnet Thompson, of New York state, and Almira Frances (Bogardus) Thompson, of Detroit. Completing high school in Jackson at sixteen, she became accredited to teach in country schools. Those years were the source of her retrospective writing. She taught in Jackson County and then in Detroit for a few years. In 1893 she married Louis Irving Lutes and had two sons, the older being killed in a shooting accident when he was seven.

She said that her first writing for money appeared in the Detroit Free Press. In October 1905, the Delineator began her six-part story, "Deestrick No. 5." Her first book, Just Away: A Story of Hope (1906) was promoted by the death of her son, Ralph, and dedicated "To the mothers who sorrowed with me in my sorrow." Impressed by this work, the publishers invited her in 1907 to Cooperstown, New York, to join the editorial staff of their journals American Motherhood, Table Talk, and Today's Housewife. In 1924 she became housekeeping editor of Modern Priscilla and manager of the Priscilla Proving Plant (a Betty Crocker-type institute).in Newton, Massachusetts.

Her writing was directed by her editorial responsibilities under the Priscilla organization disbanded after the 1929 stock market crash, her articles, pamphlets and books being mainly concerned with home-making topics. Still, her stylistic qualities of common sense and often pungent wit grew during these years.

The appearance of her essay "Simple Epicure" in the Atlantic of March 1935 began her success with a larger public. This essay and others which quickly followed provoked an unusually broad reaction from the magazine's readers, a great many of whom were men. These essays were collected and published in 1936 as The Country Kitchen; the book established her as a best-selling, sought-after writer and speaker. During her last years, her surviving sone, Robert, became her leg man, researching her last books. She died on July 13, 1942, at Cooperstown, New York. Her ashes were returned, as she wished, to Michigan for interment at Horton.

Significance: Della Lute's writing is significant for its rendering of the end-of-the-century cultural period, as her readers recognized when her articles and books appeared during the 1930s and 1940s. Appealing to natives of rural Michigan and the Midwest, her books brought letters of praise from every part of the nation and from other countries, including Russia. Detailing the landscapes through the changing seasons, her stories also brought alive local politics, schooling, architecture and interior decoration, moral standards, social attitudes, and, in a unique way, the food as "prepared by late nineteenth century southern Michigan farm wives" ("A Word..." 31). Her readers commended her writing particularly for its affectionate, realistic, and accurate recording of rural family life as it was lived in America at the end of the nineteenth century.

Select Books by Della Thompson Lutes:

• The Country Kitchen (1936)
• Homegrown (1937)
• Millbrook (1938)
• Gabriel's Search (1940)
• Country Schoolma'am (1941)
• Cousin William (1942)

A few contemporary reviews of The Country Kitchen, a wildly successful bestseller which was voted "The Most Original Book Published in 1936," can be found here:

• Della Lutes and Peculiar Institution of the Box Social
• Della T. Lutes and Home Cooking
• The Country Kitchen by Della T. Lutes

By Publication Date:

1. St. John Bosco and the Children's Saint, Dominic Savio by Catherine Beebe (1955)
2. St. Therese and the Roses by Helen Walker Homan (1955)
3. Father Marquette and the Great Rivers by August Derleth (1955)
4. St. Francis of the Seven Seas by Albert J. Nevins (1955)
5. Bernadette and the Lady by Hertha Pauli (1956)
6. St. Isaac and the Indians by Milton Lomask (1956)
7. Fighting Father Duffy by Jim and Virginia Lee Bishop (1956)
8. St. Pius X, the Farm Boy Who Became Pope by Walter Diethelm (1956)
9. St. Ignatius and the Company of Jesus by August Derleth (1956)
10. John Carroll: Bishop and Patriot by Milton Lomask (1956)
11. St. Dominic and the Rosary by Catherine Beebe (1956)
12. The Cross in the West by Mark Boesch (1956)
13. My Eskimos: A Priest in the Artic by Roger P. Buliard (1956)
14. Champions in Sports and Spirit by Ed Fitzgerald (1956)
15. Francis and Clare, Saints of Assisi by Helen Walker Homan (1956)
16. Christmas and the Saints by Hertha Pauli (1956)
17. Edmund Campion, Hero of God's Underground by Harold C. Gardiner (1957)
18. Modern Crusaders by John Travers Moore and Rosemarian Staudacher (1957)
19. Our Lady Came to Fatima by Ruth Fox Hume (1957)
20. The Bible Story, The Promised Lord and His Coming by Catherine Beebe (1957)
21. St. Augustine and His Search for Faith by Milton Lomask (1957)
22. St. Joan, The Girl Soldier by Louis de Wohl (1957)
23. St. Thomas More of London by Elizabeth M. Ince (1957)
24. Mother Seton and the Sisters of Charity by Alma Power-Waters (1957)
25. St. Thomas Aquinas and the Preaching Beggars by Brendan Larnen and Milton Lomask (1957)
26. Father Damien and the Bells by Arthur and Elizabeth Sheehan (1957)
27. Columbus and the New World by August Derleth (1957)
28. St. Philip of the Joyous Heart by Francis X. Connolly (1957)
29. Lydia Longley, the First American Nun by Helen A. McCarthy (1958)
30. St. Anthony and the Christ Child by Helen Walker Homan (1958)
31. St. Elizabeth's Three Crowns by Blanche Jennings Thompson (1958)
32. Katharine Drexel, Friend of the Neglected by Ellen Tarry (1958)
33. St. Louis and the Last Crusade by Margaret Ann Hubbard (1958)
34. Kateri Tekakwitha, Mohawk Maid by Evelyn M. Brown (1958)
35. St. Benedict, Hero of the Hills by Mary Fabyan Windeatt (1958)
36. The Cure of Ars, The Priest Who Outtalked the Devil by Milton Lomask (1958)
37. Catholic Campuses, Stories of American Catholic Colleges by RosemarianStaudacher (1958)
38. St. Helena and the True Cross by Louis de Wohl (1959)
39. Governor Al Smith by James Farley and James Conniff (1959)
40. Kit Carson of the Old West by Mark Boesch (1959)
41. Rose Hawthorne: The Pilgramage of Nathaniel's Daughter by Arthur and Elizabeth Sheehan (1959)
42. The Ursulines, Nuns of Adventure by Harnett T. Kane (1959)
43. Mother Cabrini, Missionary to the World by Frances Parkinson Keyes (1959)
44. More Champions in Sports and Spirit by Ed Fitzgerald (1959)
45. St. Margaret Mary, Apostle of the Sacred Heart by Ruth Fox Hume (1960)
46. When Saints Were Young by Blanche Jennings Thompson (1960)
47. Frances Warde and the First Sisters of Mercy by Sr. Marie Christopher (1960)
48. Vincent de Paul, Saint of Charity by Margaret Ann Hubbard (1960)
49. Florence Nightingale's Nuns by Emmeline Garnett (1961)
50. Pope Pius XII, the World's Shepherd by Louis de Wohl (1961)
51. St. Jerome and the Bible by George Sanderlin (1961)
52. Saints of the Byzantine World by Blanche Jennings Thompson (1961)
53. Chaplains in Action by Rosemarian Staudacher (1962)
54. St. Catherine Laboure and the Miraculous Medal by Alma Power-Waters (1962)
55. Mother Barat's Vineyard by Margaret Ann Hubbard (1962)
56. Charles de Foucauld, Adventurer of the Desert by Emmeline Garnett (1962)
57. Martin de Porres, Saint of the New World by Ellen Tarry (1963)
58. Marguerite Bourgeoys, Pioneer Teacher by Sister Mary Genevieve (1963)
59. Father Kino, Priest to the Pimas by Ann Nolan Clark (1963)
60. Children Welcome: Villages for Boys and Girls by Rosemarian Staudacher (1963)
61. St. Gregory the Great, Consul of God by George Sanderlin (1964)
62. Peter and Paul: The Rock and the Sword by Blanche Jennings Thompson (1964)
63. Irish Saints by Robert T. Reilly (1964)
64. Dear Philippine: Mission of Mother Duchesne by Margaret Ann Hubbard (1964)
65. Peter Claver, Saint Among Slaves by Ann Roos (1965)
66. John Neumann, The Children's Bishop by Elizabeth Odell Sheehan (1965)
67. St. Francis de Sales by Blanche Jennings Thompson (1965)
68. Sarah Peter: The Dream and the Harvest by Alma Power-Waters (1965)
69. Good Pope John by Elizabeth Odell Sheehan (1966)
70. In American Vineyards, Religious Orders in the United States by Rosemarian Staudacher (1966)
71. Brother Andre of Montreal by Ann Nolan Clark (1967)
72. Edel Quinn: Beneath the Southern Cross by Evelyn Brown (1967)

A Timeline of Vision Books
(Note: If I wasn't sure about a title's placement, it is listed in italics)

• The Bible Story, The Promised Lord and His Coming by Catherine Beebe
• Peter and Paul: The Rock and the Sword by Blanche Jennings Thompson
• St. Helena and the True Cross by Louis de Wohl (ca 245/6-330)
• St. Jerome and the Bible by George Sanderlin (347-420)
• St. Augustine and His Search for Faith by Milton Lomask (354-430)
• St. Benedict, Hero of the Hills by Mary Fabyan Windeatt (480-547)
• St. Gregory the Great, Consul of God by George Sanderlin (540-604)
• Saints of the Byzantine World by Blanche Jennings Thompson 
• Irish Saints by Robert T. Reilly
• Francis and Clare, Saints of Assisi by Helen Walker Homan (1181/2-1253)
• St. Dominic and the Rosary by Catherine Beebe (1170-1221)
• St. Anthony and the Christ Child by Helen Walker Homan (1195-1231)
• St. Elizabeth's Three Crowns by Blanche Jennings Thompson (1207-1231)
• St. Louis and the Last Crusade by Margaret Ann Hubbard (1215-1270)
• St. Thomas Aquinas and the Preaching Beggars by Brendan Larnen and Milton Lomask (1225-1274)
• St. Joan, The Girl Soldier by Louis de Wohl (1412-1431)
• Columbus and the New World by August Derleth (1451-1506)
• St. Thomas More of London by Elizabeth M. Ince (1478-1535)
• St. Ignatius and the Company of Jesus by August Derleth (1491-1556)
• St. Francis of the Seven Seas by Albert J. Nevins (1506-1552)
• St. Philip of the Joyous Heart by Francis X. Connolly (1516-1595)
• Edmund Campion, Hero of God's Underground by Harold C. Gardiner (1540-1581)
• St. Francis de Sales by Blanche Jennings Thompson (1567-1622)
• Martin de Porres, Saint of the New World by Ellen Tarry (1579-1639)
• Peter Claver, Saint Among Slaves by Ann Roos (1580-1654) 
• Vincent de Paul, Saint of Charity by Margaret Ann Hubbard (1581-1660)
• St. Isaac and the Indians by Milton Lomask (1607-1646)
• Marguerite Bourgeoys, Pioneer Teacher by Sister Mary Genevieve (1620-1700)
• Father Marquette and the Great Rivers by August Derleth (1637-1675)
• Father Kino, Priest to the Pimas by Ann Nolan Clark (1645-1711)
• St. Margaret Mary, Apostle of the Sacred Heart by Ruth Fox Hume (1647-1690)
• Kateri Tekakwitha, Mohawk Maid by Evelyn M. Brown (1656-1680)
• Lydia Longley, the First American Nun by Helen A. McCarthy (1674-1758)
• John Carroll: Bishop and Patriot by Milton Lomask (1735-1815)
• Dear Philippine: Mission of Mother Duchesne by Margaret Ann Hubbard (1769-1852)
• Mother Seton and the Sisters of Charity by Alma Power-Waters (1774-1821)
• Mother Barat's Vineyard by Margaret Ann Hubbard (1779-1865)
• The Cross in the West by Mark Boesch 
• The Cure of Ars, The Priest Who Outtalked the Devil by Milton Lomask (1786-1859)
• St. Catherine Laboure and the Miraculous Medal by Alma Power-Waters (1806-1876)
• Kit Carson of the Old West by Mark Boesch (1809-1868)
• Frances Warde and the First Sisters of Mercy by Sr. Marie Christopher (1810-1884)
• John Neumann, The Children's Bishop by Elizabeth Odell Sheehan (1811-1860)
• St. John Bosco and the Children's Saint, Dominic Savio by Catherine Beebe (1815-1888; 1842-1857)
• Florence Nightingale's Nuns by Emmeline Garnett (1820-1910)
• St. Pius X, the Farm Boy Who Became Pope by Walter Diethelm (1835-1914)
• Father Damien and the Bells by Arthur and Elizabeth Sheehan (1840-1889)
• Bernadette and the Lady by Hertha Pauli (1844-1879)
• Brother Andre of Montreal by Ann Nolan Clark (1845-1937)
• Mother Cabrini, Missionary to the World by Frances Parkinson Keyes (1850-1917)
• Rose Hawthorne: The Pilgramage of Nathaniel's Daughter by Arthur and Elizabeth Sheehan (1851-1926)
• Katharine Drexel, Friend of the Neglected by Ellen Tarry (1858-1955)
• Sarah Peter: The Dream and the Harvest by Alma Power-Waters
• Charles de Foucauld, Adventurer of the Desert by Emmeline Garnett (1858-1916)
• Fighting Father Duffy by Jim and Virginia Lee Bishop (1871-1932)
• St. Therese and the Roses by Helen Walker Homan (1873-1897)
• Governor Al Smith by James Farley and James Conniff (1873-1944)
• Pope Pius XII, the World's Shepherd by Louis de Wohl (1876-1958)
• Edel Quinn: Beneath the Southern Cross by Evelyn Brown (1907-1944)
• My Eskimos: A Priest in the Artic by Roger P. Buliard (1909--)
• Our Lady Came to Fatima by Ruth Fox Hume (1917)
• Good Pope John by Elizabeth Odell Sheehan 
• Modern Crusaders by John Travers Moore and Rosemarian Staudacher

Not Classified:

• Champions in Sports and Spirit by Ed Fitzgerald 
• Christmas and the Saints by Hertha Pauli
• Catholic Campuses, Stories of American Catholic Colleges by Rosemarian Staudacher 
• The Ursulines, Nuns of Adventure by Harnett T. Kane 
• More Champions in Sports and Spirit by Ed Fitzgerald 
• When Saints Were Young by Blanche Jennings Thompson 
• Chaplains in Action by Rosemarian Staudacher 
• Children Welcome: Villages for Boys and Girls by Rosemarian Staudacher 
• In American Vineyards, Religious Orders in the United States by Rosemarian Staudacher

No notes today, but lots of pictures...

I was startled to realize this morning that the new school year is nearly upon us and I have given zero thought to my plans all summer long (that's a first!). I haven't been on my favorite homeschooling websites or blogs, I didn't attend the local convention, and I haven't so much as glanced at any of the curriculum catalogs that have been arriving in the mail. Yikes!

Last year, I had optimistically assumed that we would school year-round, straight through the summer, yet once again that didn't happen. My husband lost his job in May and having him home all day, plus dealing with the garden and having to work extra hours, etc., has made school work rather impossible. We've done some Math this summer, and lots of other little 'odds 'n ends,' but we'll clearly have a bit of catching up to do next month. 

We'll be returning to school full-time on August 17th; since I'll have two back in public school this year, it seemed easiest to plan according to their schedule.  In many ways I'm anticipating an easier year, since I've relinquished my two more challenging students. I'll have Maddie and Jaymon home with me - in fifth and sixth grades, respectively. Nevertheless, I wanted to keep our work as simple (for me!) as possible, with very little pre-planning required - though room to plan if I should so choose. You see, I've come to the conclusion that I cannot be trusted to plan consistently. Sometimes, I'm very enthusiastic about it (too enthusiastic perhaps, and not entirely realistic!) - other times, it's just a big headache and I want something easy. Too often, I leave myself no room for "easy." I think, or at least I hope, that this year I've found the perfect solution, at least for our core subjects.

Religion

• Our Holy Faith, Book 5
• Schuster's Bible History
• Baltimore Catechism
• Angel Food for Boys & Girls (coordinated w/Baltimore Catechism here) 
• Lives of the Saints by Fr. Hugo Hoever

Language Arts

• Voyages in English 5
• Voyages in English 6
• Handwriting 5 for Young Catholics (5th/6th GR)
• These Are Our People and Book of Gratitude (5th GR)
• This is Our Heritage and Book of Valor (6th GR)
• Word Power for Spelling 5/6

History

Science

I'm going to force myself to do a formal science program this year. It's my least favorite subject (well, aside from math), and the one that is most often neglected - yet my kids love it. Last year, I fell in love with Real Science-4-Kids at a homeschool convention, so I've decided to use their Chemistry Level I. I'm not sure how many of their "Kogs" we'll realistically be able to manage, but I'm going to try to utilize all of them.

Math

• Singapore Math (the only thing that has remained constant!)

"A culture of peace will be achieved when citizens of the world understand global problems, have the skills to resolve conflicts and struggle for justice non-violently, live by international standards of human rights and equity, appreciate cultural diversity, and respect the Earth and each other." – Hague Appeal for Peace, Global Campaign for Peace Education Statement

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."- Martin Luther King, Jr., "Letter From Birmingham Jail", in Why We Can’t Wait, by same author.

"Peace demands the most heroic labor and the most difficult sacrifice. It demands greater heroism than war. It demands greater fidelity to the truth and a much more perfect purity of conscience." - Thomas Merton

Core Texts

• Great Peacemakers by Ken Beller and Heather Chase: Tells the inspiring true life stories of twenty great peacemakers from around the world and offers insights for creating peace in your own life. The website includes a free study guide. An alternative option would be Paths to Peace: People Who Changed the World by Jane Breskin Zalben (GR 4-8).
• The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace by Howard Zinn. (I've already purchased the Zinn book, but have since learned that Approaches to Peace: A Reader in Peace Studies by David P. Barash is a better option.)

Supplements

(The titles marked with an asterik* are books that I am certain to use, while the others are under consideration.)

• Being Peace* by Thich Nhat Hanh (I will be reading selections from this book.)
• Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Journey to Change the World...One Child at a Time (The Young Reader's Edition)* by Sarah Thomson (Adapter), Greg Mortenson (Author)
• Peace Tales: World Folk Tales to Talk About by Margaret Read MacDonald
• Lines in the Sand: New Writing on War and Peace by Mary Hoffman (GR 4-6)
• Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea by Mark Kurlansky (I will have to pre-read this, but I believe it is typically a high school/college text)
• Books That Teach Peace: A (long!) list from the Peace Study Center

Other

• Material World: A Global Family Portrait by Peter Menzel
• Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel
• Americans Who Tell the Truth by Robert Shetterly (The really excellent companion website contains curriculum + helpful reading lists)
• The Kid's Guide to Service Projects: Over 500 Service Ideas for Young People Who Want to Make a Difference by Barbara A. Lewis
• The Kid's Guide to Social Action: How to Solve the Social Problems You Choose-And Turn Creative Thinking into Positive Action by Barbara A. Lewis
• Skipping Stones: An International Multicultural Magazine
• For Mom/Older Students: Passion For Peace: The Social Essays by Thomas Merton, William H. Shannon

Curricula

• Peace Lessons From Around the World from the Hague Appeal for Peace - Lesson plans designed for high school students, could be adapted for younger students.
• Learning to Abolish War from the Hague Appeal for Peace - Lesson plans for elementary, middle and high school.
• Americans Who Tell the Truth
• Peacemakers and Biographies of Peacemakers at 42Explore
• Peace Education at United Nations Cyberschoolbus
• Family Peace Workbook ($15.) from Zen Homeschool

• The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
• Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee
• A Much Married Man by Nicholas Coleridge
• The "Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter" Series by Susan Wittig Albert:  
• The Tale of Hill Top Farm
• The Tale of Holly How
• The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood
• The Tale of Hawthorn House
• The Tale of Briar Bank
• The Tale of Applebeck Orchard
• The Tale of Oat Cake Crag
• The Chronicles of Barsetshire by Anthony Trollope:
• The Warden (1855)
• Barchester Towers (1857)
• Doctor Thorne (1858)
• Framley Parsonage (1861)
• The Small House at Allington (1864)
• The Last Chronicle of Barset (1867)
• The Barsetshire Novels (29 books) by Angela Thirkell
• The Fairacre Series (18 books) and Thrush Green Series (12 books) by Miss Read
• Tales from Turnham Malpas
• The "Make Way for Lucia" Series by E.F. Benson  
• Queen Lucia (1920)
• Miss Mapp (1922)
• Lucia in London (1927)
• Mapp and Lucia (1931)
• Lucia's Progress (1935, also known as The Worshipful Lucia)
• Trouble for Lucia (1939)
• The "Allways Trilogy" by Bevery Nichols:
• Down the Garden Path
• A Thatched Roof
• Village in a Valley
• The "Appletree Saga" by Mary Emily Pearce:
  
  • Apple Tree Lean Down (1973)
  • Jack Mercybright (1975)
  • The Sorrowing Wind (1975)
  Other novels by Mary E. Pearce:
  
  • Cast a Long Shadow (1977)
  • The Two Farms (1985)
  • The Land Endures (1978)
  • Seedtime and Harvest (1980)
  • Polsinney Harbour (1984)
  • The Old House at Railes (1993)

• Haweswater by Sarah Hall
• The New Rector by Rebecca Shaw
• A Month in the Country by James Carr
• Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
• Our Village by Mary Russell Mitford
• Lark Rise to Candleford: A Trilogy and Still Glides the Stream by Flora Thompson
• The Cranford Chronicles by Elizabeth Gaskell
• Ulverton by Adam Thorpe
• Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
• Diary of a Country Parson: 1758-1802 by James Woodforde
• The Darling Buds of May by H.E. Bates
• Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
• Nonfiction: Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village by Ronald Blythe

Authors

• D.E. Stevenson
• Jane Austen
• Barbara Pym
• Miss Read (Dora Jessie Saint)
• P.G. Wodehouse

For so many years I've wanted to learn how to can or preserve fruit, but have never tried until this past weekend. Needless to say, I'm now completely hooked! Already I've found that I prefer small batch recipes that allow me to experiment freely without getting bored. That said, I was immediately drawn to the recipes of Christine Ferber, the Alsacian "Queen of Jam" who is well-known for her superb confitures. Thus far, I've tried two of her recipes (see below) and plan to try more very soon. They were extraordinary!

Some history from author Madelaine Bullwinkel: "Evidence of the first cooked fruit preserved in sugar comes from the early years of the Italian Renaissance. The fruits are described in Boccaccio's fourteenth-century writing as luxurious fare for the aristocracy living a romantic lifestyle. At that time, sugar was from the Near East through Venice; it remained rare and quite expensive through the eighteenth century."

Here's what I've made:

• Rosewater Plum Compote (amazing over vanilla ice cream and these sweet biscuits)
• Strawberry Basil Jam
• Strawberry Lavender Jam 
• Strawberry Jam with Black Pepper and Fresh Mint (Christine Ferber)
• Strawberry-Raspberry Preserves with Balsamic Vinegar and Black Pepper (Christine Ferber)
• Borage Jelly

I still need to find some good peach recipes as we have a peach orchard nearby and they're ready to be picked. Here's a few other recipes that I want to try (though, of course, not all at once!):

• Banana Jam with Cinnamon, Vanilla, Ginger and Rum
• Apricot and Almond Jam
• Cherry Tomato Cinnamon Jam
• Meyer Lemon and Vanilla Bean Marmalade or Honey Lemon Marmalade
• Wild Blackberry and Earl Grey Jam Recipe
• Carrot Apple Butter with Cardamom
• Persian Carrot and Cardamom Jam
• Decadent Banana Split Conserve (See Below)
• Grapefruit, Rosewater and Vanilla Marmalade 
• Plum, Raspberry and Rosemary Jam

Christine Ferber Recipes (See also: Mes Confitures: The Jams and Jellies of Christine Ferber):

• Rhubarb with Acacia Honey and Rosemary Jam
• Strawberry Lemongrass Jam 
• Green Gage Plum and Vanilla Jam 
• Blueberry-Lemon Jam
• Bitter Orange Jam
• Raspberry with Chocolate Jam (See Below)
• Wild Blackberry Jam 
• Pumpkin Jam with Vanilla Bean

Raspberry Chocolate Jam (Posted at GardenWeb)

2 3/4 lbs raspberries, or 2 1/4 lbs net
3 1/2 cups sugar
Juice of one lemon
9 oz bittersweet chocolate (68% cocoa)

Pick over the raspberries. Omit rinsing them so as to keep their fragrance. Put the raspberries through a food mill (fine disk). In a preserving pan, mix the raspberry pulp with the sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes, stirring gently and skimming carefully. Add the chocolate, grated. Mix and then pour into a ceramic bowl. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and refrigerate overnight.

Next day return the mixture to a boil. Continue cooking on high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring and skimming if needed. Return to a boil. Check the set. Put the jam into jars immediately and seal.

Notes:

I used 4 oz bittersweet chocolate and 1 oz unsweetened. I used a mix of red and black raspberries but I think you want whatever berries have the richest, deepest flavor.

Also, you should process this in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (use half-pint jars). Good on ice cream, or swirled through yogurt, or spread on popovers.

Decadent Banana Split Conserve (Posted at GardenWeb)

4 cups thoroughly mashed bananas
5 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup bottled lemon juice
1 teaspoon Fruit Fresh (absorbic acid)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 package liquid pectin -- (3 ounce)
3 tablespoons pure cocoa powder 
2 tablespoons light rum or rum extract
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

In a medium stockpot, combine the mashed bananas, lemon juice and Fruit Fresh. Gradually add in the sugar, cocoa powder and butter. Over medium heat, heat the mixture stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved.

Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly so it will not scorch. Stir in the liquid pectin and return to a full rolling boil for 1 more minute, stirring constantly. Skim off any foam. Remove the stockpot from the heat, stir in the walnuts and the rum. Ladle into sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Wipe rims. Cap and seal. Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes for half-pints or 15 minutes for pints. Yields 9 to 10 half-pints.