Clara Endicott Sears bestowed many admirable gifts to the town of Harvard, the Canning and Evaporating Club being one of them. She created this Club as an outreach organization back in 1918, sending canned fruits and produce, as well as dried food, over to the soldiers during World War I.
Canning and preserving locally grown fruits and produce is a timeless process – both meditative and, when done with friends, full of comraderie and that sense of going back-to-basics. When we read about the Club, and realized this year marks the 50th anniversary of Clara’s death, we thought it would be nice to reinstate the idea of gathering together in a kitchen and preserving our own fruits of the land.
Sooooo……We invite community friends and neighbors to gather to either learn or teach the art of jamming…or to just enjoy the company of local folks. Bring your equipment and ingredients with you (See post below) Plan on a good hour and a half for jamming. We hope to meet once a month through harvest season. Follow our Facebook page for information on meeting times and location.
We are also searching for any of Clara’s old canning or preserving recipes; any suggestions on where to look are most welcome. Also special thanks to Fruitlands Museum for providing us with these beautiful old photos and information about the original Canning and Evaporating Club!
Looking forward to a bountiful harvest season and new adventures in the kitchen this year!