What's a Beci?

Moldovans spend much of Sept, Oct and early Nov canning, jarring and pickling. Fruits and veggies, compared to the States, are inexpensive in late spring and early summer because they are local in the piata (outdoor market) and growing in abundance in everyone's yard; and because in winter they are expensive or in short supply.

I jarred homemade pizza sauce and Jess has become proficient in pickling cucumbers and tomatoes, making grape jams, canning peppers... Once the container is sealed you "punem in beci" or put them in the beci (pronounced betch..not kidding).

Moldovan homes don't really have basements but every Moldovan home I have seen has a beci, which is a cellar below the freezing point. Here they keep all their canned goods and most importantly, their homemade wine!

























Here also is a short series of videos of me and a neighbor apple picking at our host mom's in Cahul. What's funny about the second video is that you can here my host mom begin repeating, "domne ajute" (God help you, God help you) because she doesn't want me to go that high up in the tree. We have spent, I should say my host mom and Jess have spent many nights and weekends the last month chopping fruit and making jellies and jams... The other tree that I don't have video of us picking is a gutui tree which I never saw in the states but another volunteer told me we do have and that it is called quince?? Anyone seen it? It makes fantastic jam.