The Sweetest Thing We Brought Home

Growing up, the fruits in our family kitchen were often tropical. They found their way into the foods we cooked and baked, and into the traditions I remember.

After I moved to Massachusetts and had children of my own, our family made new memories at orchards and farms. We went apple picking and pumpkin picking, enjoying the time together as much as anything we brought home.

But one of my favorite memories is from when my children were in elementary school. We picked strawberries together, then came home and made strawberry jam. That was the best part: taking something we had gathered together and making something we could share at our table.

Recipes have a way of holding onto days like that. A jar of jam may be enjoyed and emptied, but the recipe—and the memory of all of us making it—can stay in the family.

What food brings back a day you spent together with someone you love?

Preserve the handwriting. Preserve the story. Preserve the person behind the recipe.

—Eyvette’s Heirloom