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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

The Last Fruits of Summer

I find it alarming that you can't find blackberries in grocery stores--does that mean summer is over? I made a lovely blackberry tonic by letting berries sit in water that's just been boiled for 1 day. I add a bit of agave syrup to sweeten, and have experimented with adding anise hyssop blossoms and leaves. I've been doing the same with the crab apples of Cactus Lake. I love the soft gentle heat of September. It feels good on my shoulders. Warms ones bones.

Tonight I made an homage to my dad's cousin who sent us some seeds for German beans called Nekkar Konige. I grew some of those in our garden and used them mixed with Catherine's beans and some Mayan beans from UBC Farm to make a diasporic dish with garlic, jalapeno, and olive oil. I steamed the beans first and then fried them in the garlic and pepper adding purslane at the last minute. Cousin Otto grew sunflowers from seeds mom send him and sent photos of his Canadian Sonnenblumen. Sadly, Otto passed away this spring. He must have died shortly after sending us those "King of the Nekkar" beans.  We ate them with spaetzel and roast chicken.

For dessert: ricotta, peaches, and anise hyssop florets.

I am creating a hummingbird project proposal and saving seeds. It's that time of the year when you can see me with my paper bags surreptitiously shaking or snapping seed pods in gardens around the city. Let me know if you see any worth swiping.


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