Nine Quarts

Thirty pounds of tomatoes, two people, a large handful of minced garlic, some chopped basil and oregano, and four hours from start to finish. The house smells wonderful and we have plenty of sauce for the winter. It's like stacking firewood--you feel Prepared. Even though there's a store on the corner and a functioning thermostat for the heater, there is some primal thing going on here, like the black squirrel in the yard who keeps burying peanuts.