the pot of boiling water. Draping a towel among and over the jars, she silenced the noise of them knocking into one another as the water boiled around them.
Susan called, "Everything is chopped."
"Okay." She began checking off on her fingers. "We need cloves, allspice, ginger and cinnamon from the pantry."
"How much?" asked Susan, as she juggled the containers.
"A teaspoon each should do it." Jay tapped the gallon jug of vinegar with her foot. "You need to pour in a quart of that."
"Is this pot good to use?" Susan touched a pot on the rack that hung over the stove.
"Yeah. That Dutch oven is too small for quart jars to fit, so it's perfect for cooking the sauce." Checking her watch, she grabbed two hot pads and picked up the pressure cooker. She set it on a rack on the counter and turned away from the stove.
"Now what?"
"We wait for it to cool on its own. When you can take the gauge off and no steam escapes, then the lid can come off and the jars can be taken out." Jay went over to the door and picked up a couple pieces of firewood. She slid them into the firebox and stepped back to the door. "Man, this place is a sauna."
"How many times a season you do this?"
"Three or four for the veggies." Jay wiped her face. "Since Harmony went south, I haven't planted as much. We can do a lot more with more bodies."
"You do anything else?"
"Pickles sometimes, if the cucumbers go wild. And jam making if I get a wild hare."
"Do you sun dry anything?"
"Only during the middle of the summer. It takes too long otherwise." Jay rotated her shoulders, trying to work out some of the strain. "I get bored picking out the bugs from the tomatoes when they make it past the screens." She smiled at Doris' look of disgust. "I do dehydrate mushrooms and herbs over the stove."
"Mushrooms?"
"Sure. I've got some growing in the green house but there are a lot of wild mushrooms that I pick when I'm out wandering."
"Is that safe? I mean, I've heard such bad things about mushrooms."
"Oh, Doris. Where is your sense of adventure? I pick only what I know is safe."
"How do we know that you know what you're doing?"
"I've got field guides to mushrooms, if you'd like to confirm it yourself." Jay smiled. "Of course, some of the descriptions are ambiguous. I guess that you'll have to stay on my good side to avoid getting poisoned."
"I don't find that very funny."
"You wouldn't." Jay looked out at the horizon. When Susan cleared her throat, she turned back to Doris. "For all my talk, I'm not really likely to take too many risks, either with myself or with the lives of others."
"Where do you go when you wander?" asked Susan, trying to get the conversation back onto safer ground. "Is there much to see and do?"
"Mainly around the mountain. I like to know what's going on around the place. I go up to see the neighbors and see what trees are ready to come down."
"Are we going to meet these people?"
"Eventually."
"Why? Are you ashamed of us?"
"Not at all. But with the fishing trip planned for the day after tomorrow, the introductions will have to take place after that." Jay pushed off from the door and came back to the stove. Taking a pair of tongs, she began lifting jars of tomatoes from the pot to the towel. Lightly touching each lid, she felt to see if a seal had been made. Nodding to herself in satisfaction, she was startled when Doris spoke.
"What's for lunch?"
"Well, I figure dinner will be venison and mushroom stuffed peppers, so lunch should be lighter. Maybe rice and beans?"
"All right."
"You going to help with lunch?"
Sighing, Doris asked, "What do you need me to do?"
Jay handed her a mixing bowl. "Downstairs there are several five gallon buckets. The content labels are on the lids. Bring up about five cups of black beans." She stirred the pot of chili for a moment before getting another pot and filling it halfway with water. Placing it on the back eye of the stove, she glanced up to see Susan staring at her.
"What?"
"Nothing." At the
Susan called, "Everything is chopped."
"Okay." She began checking off on her fingers. "We need cloves, allspice, ginger and cinnamon from the pantry."
"How much?" asked Susan, as she juggled the containers.
"A teaspoon each should do it." Jay tapped the gallon jug of vinegar with her foot. "You need to pour in a quart of that."
"Is this pot good to use?" Susan touched a pot on the rack that hung over the stove.
"Yeah. That Dutch oven is too small for quart jars to fit, so it's perfect for cooking the sauce." Checking her watch, she grabbed two hot pads and picked up the pressure cooker. She set it on a rack on the counter and turned away from the stove.
"Now what?"
"We wait for it to cool on its own. When you can take the gauge off and no steam escapes, then the lid can come off and the jars can be taken out." Jay went over to the door and picked up a couple pieces of firewood. She slid them into the firebox and stepped back to the door. "Man, this place is a sauna."
"How many times a season you do this?"
"Three or four for the veggies." Jay wiped her face. "Since Harmony went south, I haven't planted as much. We can do a lot more with more bodies."
"You do anything else?"
"Pickles sometimes, if the cucumbers go wild. And jam making if I get a wild hare."
"Do you sun dry anything?"
"Only during the middle of the summer. It takes too long otherwise." Jay rotated her shoulders, trying to work out some of the strain. "I get bored picking out the bugs from the tomatoes when they make it past the screens." She smiled at Doris' look of disgust. "I do dehydrate mushrooms and herbs over the stove."
"Mushrooms?"
"Sure. I've got some growing in the green house but there are a lot of wild mushrooms that I pick when I'm out wandering."
"Is that safe? I mean, I've heard such bad things about mushrooms."
"Oh, Doris. Where is your sense of adventure? I pick only what I know is safe."
"How do we know that you know what you're doing?"
"I've got field guides to mushrooms, if you'd like to confirm it yourself." Jay smiled. "Of course, some of the descriptions are ambiguous. I guess that you'll have to stay on my good side to avoid getting poisoned."
"I don't find that very funny."
"You wouldn't." Jay looked out at the horizon. When Susan cleared her throat, she turned back to Doris. "For all my talk, I'm not really likely to take too many risks, either with myself or with the lives of others."
"Where do you go when you wander?" asked Susan, trying to get the conversation back onto safer ground. "Is there much to see and do?"
"Mainly around the mountain. I like to know what's going on around the place. I go up to see the neighbors and see what trees are ready to come down."
"Are we going to meet these people?"
"Eventually."
"Why? Are you ashamed of us?"
"Not at all. But with the fishing trip planned for the day after tomorrow, the introductions will have to take place after that." Jay pushed off from the door and came back to the stove. Taking a pair of tongs, she began lifting jars of tomatoes from the pot to the towel. Lightly touching each lid, she felt to see if a seal had been made. Nodding to herself in satisfaction, she was startled when Doris spoke.
"What's for lunch?"
"Well, I figure dinner will be venison and mushroom stuffed peppers, so lunch should be lighter. Maybe rice and beans?"
"All right."
"You going to help with lunch?"
Sighing, Doris asked, "What do you need me to do?"
Jay handed her a mixing bowl. "Downstairs there are several five gallon buckets. The content labels are on the lids. Bring up about five cups of black beans." She stirred the pot of chili for a moment before getting another pot and filling it halfway with water. Placing it on the back eye of the stove, she glanced up to see Susan staring at her.
"What?"
"Nothing." At the
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