Ancestors

I've never been close to my family. The ones I knew before they passed, weren't the kind of people whose memories I'd want to honor. On the other hand, my family genealogy has been traced back to the 17th century, so I have a decent amount of knowledge to draw from as far as areas of the world where people I'm related to used to live.

I'm basically a mutt. My ancestors came from England, Ireland, and Scotland, but mostly I'm French and German. In researching traditional winter foods, I discovered a lovely-sounding German dish called rumtopf... It's fruit preserved in rum, added to a pot over the course of the year as each fruit comes into season. Little too late to start it for this winter, but I'm definitely going to get some going come spring. The idea reminded me of another fruit dish, compote, which is French. (The word actually has the same root as "compost," which amused me.)

So, into the crockpot went dried figs, plums, cherries, and raisins, with some raspberries and red currants, and when it was done I set out a plate for them, along with a glass of mead that I made, sweetened with my goldenrod-infused honey. (I actually did all this on the solstice. Just a little late posting...)

I was pretty nervous. I felt a little presumptuous, hoping for a good reception when I've basically spent most of my life trying to avoid even thinking about my family.  It was good, though, and I'm glad I did it.