Share   Summer at the Bench Ranch is like one of those time lapse movies showing a flower opening out of its bud and in short order, after a profuse display of color and scent, the bloom begins to fade and its overblown petals fall to the ground. All of a sudden it is over. The store room cupboard is proof though that summer really happened. The shelves are stacked with armies of shining mason jars full of colorful canned produce, pickles, jellies and preserves, all of which keep us fed and satisfied through the long Montana winter. This year the apple crop was outstanding and since the ranch has its own…