Peaches with Cream and a Sprinkle of Sugar

One year ago in 2013 I called a friend of mine and asked her if she would teach me how to can or bottle fresh peaches. I had canned with my mother as a child but was uncertain if I was ready to take on the detailed task alone for the first time. My friend happily agreed and I spent one happy afternoon learning how to bottle sweet peaches. Some of my peaches weren't quit ripe but I think I recall my friend reminding me that this wouldn't matter once the sugar was added the peaches would taste delicious. She was so right but I wouldn't discover the truth of this statement until one year later. 

This summer in 2014 due to my cancer treatment; the radiation treatment making it nearly impossible for me to swallow anything without pain and the chemotherapy treatment causing most everything to taste and smell bad. There were few foods that I could eat without great difficultly. One of those foods was sweet, bottled, peaches; either plain, with cream or made into peach smoothies. I had only canned 12 bottles of peaches last summer and noticed that I was on my last bottle with still several weeks of treatment left to complete. I shared this information with my friend who had volunteered to drive me to treatment once a week during my 6 weeks of radiation treatment. I let her know that the peaches she taught me to can were helping me survive my eating woes! I think I also mentioned that I was on my last bottle of peaches.

A few days later I was coming home from treatment and there on my front porch was a case with a note. I opened the box and found 12 beautifully, bottled peaches with a homemade note from my friend. She had taken the time once again to teach me this time about giving and serving. It takes a lot of time to can food but her efforts were such a sweet blessing to a friend that could eat very little.  She enabled me to continue eating as I finished my treatment. Friends who give so much make the challenging times taste a little sweeter like you are adding a sprinkle of sugar and little extra cream to delicious peaches!