By Shelley Bennett
Labor Day has always been a signal to me that Summer is on her way out. We still have warm temps and sunshine-y days to soak up, but the leaves will be changing colors soon and the pumpkin patch is calling.
For the last nine Labor Day weekends, the Northern California Cancer Advocates have held their annual golf tournament. The funds they raise go to cancer fighters in Lassen and Plumas counties. Founder, Rachelle Surian, started this non-profit when she realized that local people were having difficulty accessing funds from some of the big charitable organizations.
Last Saturday, 30 teams took over the Diamond Mt. Golf course to enjoy a day on the links, while many others visited the clubhouse to purchase raffle tickets. The team of Julia and Bernard Barnetche, John Weir, and Kevin Farwell shot 56 ½ to take first place. They generously donated their winnings back to the NCCA, as did the second and third place teams.
There are countless volunteers and sponsors who help make this tournament a reality every year. Thank you to everyone who played a part in its success! The final numbers aren’t in, but tens of thousands of dollars were raised to help out locals in need.
Yesterday was a productive day as my friend Becky and I made a batch each of dill and bread and butter pickles. There is something so satisfying in creating pickles by cutting up cucumbers, combining the slices and spears with vinegar, fresh dill, jalapenos, garlic, and other spices, then processing in a water bath. It’s like magic, but more work.
This year, Sofia packed the jars with pickle spears, peppercorns, dill, and garlic cloves. We teased her about getting the perfect “blue ribbon” jar. It has to be visually appealing with no extra space. Maybe this will be the year that we actually have a jar of pickles left to enter into the Fair. They are usually eaten long before July.
It reminds me of summers spent in the kitchen at my great grandma Speake’s house. She had this tiny apartment with an even tinier kitchen. Right before school started, we would take some time to can and pickle any of the fresh fruit and produce that we couldn’t eat.
Quart and pint jars would be filled with peaches, pears, apricots, green beans, and tomato sauce. Pickled crabapples, green tomato pickles, zucchini relish, and jams and jellies of every kind would be stirred and simmered over the hot stove before being processed. It was meal prepping at it’s finest.
There is nothing like opening a jar of peaches or pickles in the middle of winter or spreading raspberry jam on a slice of sourdough toast. It takes you right back to that warm summer day with the promise that it will soon return.
Remember when news was ‘newsy’? When you read about weddings, family events and engagement announcements in the newspaper? If you have something that might be newsworthy, please submit it to [email protected] and I’ll do my best to include it here in “The Good Stuff.”
