Fall Provisions

Sterling Silver and Botswana Agate Ring $132.  Size 7

A Big Luscious Statement Ring

Fig Preserves

Canning and Silversmithing.   An unlikely pairing but together a lovely multitasking event for a Saturday morning in July.  Both require multiple steps and some waiting so in the summer I often find myself doing them together.  Filing a piece of jewelry while I wait for the water in the canner to boil so I can sterilize my jars.  Making preserves and filling jars while my just soldered ring is spending time in the pickle bath.  You get the idea.  I'm a Mom of three, multitasking is a job requirement.

In the midsummer my sights turn to preparing for the fall.  Preserving the bounty of our garden and the beautiful produce at the local farmers' markets. Of course, it is also time to begin making jewelry for the busy Fall and Christmas seasons.

These are the start of my fall provisions.

The sterling silver ring with a bezel set Botswana Agate cabochon is a bold "right now" piece that will take you through the fall and winter.  The perfect thing to wear with black, gray or a rich plum color.  I LOVE this stone....a gray, taupe background with hints of purple and sharp white swirls.  At a whopping 15mm by 25 mm it is the perfect size for a statement ring and really needs no further embellishment, just a simple shank forged from 18 gauge silver.

Those pretty fig preserves pictured above are one of my favorite things to can.  It's like candy in a jar but with a really complex deep flavor.  Just the right thing on an autumn evening with some goat cheese and flatbread.  Or maybe just on toast...or just a spoon for that matter...they are that yummy.  The recipe I use is from a southern cooking website and is super simple.  For every 4 cups of whole figs you add 2 cups of sugar (I reduce this a little bit usually) a pinch of salt, a half cup of water and 4 lemon slices.  On medium heat, cook the mixture down until it is thick and syrupy.  Stir often because it burns easily.  Ladle into sterilized jars and process for 10 minutes.

The next couple of months are going to be filled with a lot more mornings like this- canning and creating.

Here's to a tasty and gorgeous fall...