Fruit n' Fire

We went to a barbeque this past weekend, to some friends that live just around the corner from us, and I was asked what I'd been up to of late. My response went something like this...

Well, we've been:

picking pears

dehyrating pears

juicing pears

making pear tarts

dehyrating more pears

making pear and blueberry pie

delivering pears to neighbors and the studio

....I can hardly pear the thought that there is a ton of fruit still up in the tree! To tell you the truth, I wouldn't say that I'm even all that fond of pears but it has been fun to seek out a couple new recipes this year from last year. Robin has enjoyed the taste testing as well as some others at the studio and in the neighborhood. And it looks like we'll have enough dried fruit to last until next year I am sure of it. 

Not sure if pears are stamina food, but they seem to have been keeping Robin going this weekend with all the hours he's been putting in at school. They fired off the train kiln last night. The firing crew included this suspicious looking pair, Bobby and Christa. 

The three of them filled the kiln on Saturday morning with their functional wares, bowls, cups, bottles and a whole whack of teapots. Robin has a crit coming up in the next couple weeks, his first of the year, so it'll be great to have some finished work for that. 

After a slice of pear and blueberry pie and a glass of two buck Chuck last night, I headed off to bed and Robin headed back to the kiln to throw a few more logs on the fire.....