K is for Kiwi

ABC Wednesday
Sept. 24, 2014

The letter this week is K - for Kiwi

So, what can I tell you about KIWI???

Well, it depends upon which Kiwi we are talking about - shall we start with the fruit!

Native to China, the fruit was first called 'yang tao' but was changed to 'Chinese Gooseberry' by the New Zealanders who began cultivation on a commercial scale, exporting to California where the fruit was re-branded as the Kiwifruit, after the Kiwi Bird (more later).

About the size of a hen's egg it has a fibrous, dull greenish-brown skin and bright green or golden flesh with rows of tiny black edible seeds.  The fruit has a soft texture and a sweet but unique flavor and grows on a fast growing woody vine in most temperate climates with adequate summer heat.

The vines require vigorous pruning, similar to that of grapevines, and the fruit is borne on one year old and older canes.

Firm kiwifruit ripen after a few days to a week when stored at room temperature, but should not be kept in direct sunlight.  Faster ripening occurs when placed in a paper bag with

 an apple, pear, or banana.

Would you like a recipe?  I found this delightful recipe for chocolate covered kiwi popsicles at Bare Foot in the Kitchen (a blog) and it sounds easy and fun to make - and tempting....

You are going to need six large kiwis, peeled and cut into 1/3 to 1/2 inch rounds, a cup of dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1/4 cup of coconut oil and some popsickle sticks.

Slice the kiwis into rounds with a popsickle stick in each one and place on a tray lined with wax paper (or parchment).  Freeze for AT LEAST four hours, and up to 48 hours.

In a glass bowl melt the chocolate and the coconut oil over a pan of simmering water, and then dip each frozen kiwi into the melted chocolate - the chocolate will harden within a few moments of being dipped.  Eat immediately -  or re-freeze what you don't eat immediately!  A good way to get chocolate along with your vitamin C.......

Another Kiwi is the wingless bird, for which the kiwi fruit was named, and there is a marked resemblance, at least in shape.

During the Second World War there were many boys from New Zealand 

stationed in Canada with the Commonwealth Training Program, and a few I came to know.

They were affectionately referred to as 'Kiwis".

They had a wonderful accent to our Canadian ears and lots of expressions that 

soon became familiar to us.

Great was either 'choice' or 'cracker'

'Crikey' or 'Crikey Dick' expressed  surprise

'Get off the grass' meant go away, or calm down

and of course everyone has heard 'G'day mate' and 'Good on ya!'

I have heard Charles say 'I'll have your guts for garters' - no doubt

picked up from Kiwi airmen.

'Like a box of fluffy ducks' indicates happiness

and if you were 'On the pig's back' all was well and good.

'We're home and hosed'  meant successful and safe.

For more K's visit here at ABC Wednesday

with thanks to Roger, Denise and all Kool helpers.

The first day of Autumn, and still Summer lingers with us.  

A warm day and I spent the afternoon in the back garden, reading, 

and then finally stirring myself to gather up the 

great leaves of the squash and cucumber and pumpkin that I planted,

 and alas, had only a very meager harvest.  However, before the lovely leaves

 began to shred and dry they made a wonderful show at the edge of the deck.

And the nicotiana perfumed the night so intensely that the scent wafted 

through the open window, along the hall, and into my bedroom

However, I am now with Rilke, and his words about Autumn. 

I think that I have posted his poem before, 

but perhaps not this particular translation by Galway Kinnell and Hannah Liebmann.

Lord it is time.  The summer was immense.

Lay your shadow on the sundials

and let loose the wind in the fields.

Bid the last fruits to be full;

give them another two more southerly days,

press them to ripeness, and chase

the last sweetness into the heavy wine.

Whoever has no house now will not build one anymore.

Whoever is alone now will remain so for a long time,

will stay up, read, write long letters,

and wander the avenues, up and down,

restlessly, while the leaves are blowing.

The grape harvest is not yet underway here in the valley,

but the orchards are busy with apple pickers and the alders and the poplars,

 high in the hills, mark the creeks they edge with gold.

I have determined to spend this coming week in the garden.

Those beautiful but ubiquitous yellow daisies have more or less taken over

even providing fierce competition for the Chinese Underground Railway

and the bright orange lanterns they festoon their

stations with.

I hope to move the daisies to another spot (not yet determined)

to make room for the lilies which suffered under the great growth and 

shade of the hazel nut tree this summer.  I think that this side garden

is going to end up being a haven for hostas

with the poppies and the delphinium also moving elsewhere.

Well, all these plans for the garden add a great

deal of enthusiasm to life

and I am not yet ready for the pile of books,

the easy chair, and my knitting!!

By the way, I didn't get to the Pepper Festival, but spent the morning yesterday
helping to provide coffee to fifty or so
Anglicans who were on a rally, visiting South Okanagan Parishes,
and the afternoon playing the organ at a funeral
for an old and dear friend I used to play hand bells with, but I heard
the music that sounded throughout the town
and it was hot and peppy!

J is for Jalapena peppper

           
ABC Wednesday
September 17th, 2014
The letter is J - for Jalapena pepper

For the last dozen years the town of Keremeos has held 

Canada's only Sizzle Pepper Fest, - in September

when the peppers are hottest,

and the Jalapena is a great favourite.

This year's event takes place next Saturday.
It is free to the public and families enjoy a great day of fun, music and lots of food.

The day starts with a pancake breakfast, with musical entertainment,
and the music continues all during the day with various local
bands playing hot music.

Vendors offer pulled pork, Jamaican patties, fish and chips, burgers, enchiladas, tamales and other Mexican flavours, and an amateur chili cook-off starts serving at 11 a.m.

There is a hot sauce contest with celebrity judges with some of wine country's top chefs
as well as local sauciers entering their sauces.

But the main feature of the day is the Sear Factor Hot Pepper Eating Contest.

Behold - a video of last year's winning contestant!

     

For those not interested in eating the Jalapeno in its raw state

here is a very nice Cheddar and Jalapeno Biscuit Recipe.

Preheat your oven to 425F and in a large bowl whisk together one and one third cups of flour, one quarter cup of polenta or corn meal, three tablespoons of sugar, a half teaspoon

of salt, a pinch of cayenne pepper and two teaspoons of baking powder.

Stir in one and a quarter cups of grated cheddar cheese and two tablespoons of diced

fresh jalapenos (more or less to taste)

Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour 

three quarters of a cup plus two tablespoons of heavy cream.

With a light hand gently bring the ingredients together just until everything is wet enough so that the dough will be sticky and clumpy.  (Maybe you will have to add a few more drops of cream)

Turn the dough out on to a lightly flour surface, knead a few times,form it 

into a disc about three quarters of an inch thick, and cut round biscuit shapes out of the disk.

Brush the biscuits with a bit of cream and top them with a sprinkle of cheese.

Bake for eleven or twelve minutes until the cheese is nicely melted and the biscuits are golden!!!

Enjoy...

For more interesting Js visit here at ABC Wednesday, with

thanks to Roger and Denise and Jolly helpers.....

What's on my camera today??

We are having a magnificent spell of warm September weather.  Cool at nights, and a kind and gentle warmth in the day time, - not summer's fierce heat - just perfect for finishing off a splendid apple crop - the sun to size the apples by day and the coolness of the nights to add colour.

I took a few pictures off my camera today, - some from a few  days ago, and a couple of still life pictures (part of an assignment to compose "family pictures" with objects that called the person depicted to mind.

Here is one that speaks a little about my Mother - a petit point picture that she did in later years when

she was confined to a wheelchair, but the picture is mainly about her wedding.

The silken ribbon that tied together her wedding bouquet, a dried rose and a bit of fern (more than ninety years old) her pearls, a random earring that she wore when I was young and one of my father's cuff links, but what I most treasure is the booklet containing the Marriage Certificate and the whole of the Marriage ceremony.

I have made a little list of other precious things I have and pictures that I can put together in remembrance, - my Grandmother's wedding ring and her gold watch, a fan belonging to a great aunt,

my Father's house thermometer that Charles kept always by his bed,  his medals and a couple of books.  Letters and snapshots and old sheet music - I am very enthused about this project.

There were garden pictures on my camera too.  Sunflowers and roses and

 yellow daisies in abundance

And family who came to visit after closing up their summer home, bring with them TimBits and a wonderful Salmon Ball made from freshly caught salmon caught in the waters off the Queen Charlottes  And crackers on which to spread the salmon!

What wasn't on my camera?  

Pictures of a pleasant afternoon spent at tea with the Royal Purple, 

celebrating their Centennial, - at which the Senior Singers sang, and everyone joined in, and it was just a perfect friendly small town affair.  When I get some pictures I will post them....

The Inga Bean and the Ice Cream Tree

ABC Wednesday

September 10th, 2014

The letter is I - for the Inga bean and the Ice Cream Tree

 

Oh, do you know the Ice Cream Tree, the Ice Cream Tree

The Ice Cream Tree

Oh do you know the Ice Cream Tree, - it lives in Peru

and all sorts of other tropical places that are warm

and damp and swampy.

Any climate that does not dip below freezing is friendly to the Ice Cream Tree
(well, that makes sense!)  It has great appeal and is found in many of the warmer parts of the world.
Definitely not a desert tree it prefers shaded spots and finds the driest months
of summer too harsh.  The monsoon months of summer are much more soothing.

And it grows beans that quite often are at least a metre long and is also known

in some parts as the Inga Bean, and in other parts as the Pacay Tree.

Wonderful beans that are naturally perfectly packaged,  ready to delight as one devours them.

To eat them 'one has to break them like snapping a stick, which is relatively easy, and then peal back the sides.  The edible wedges can then be taken out one by one and eaten.  Each wedge contains a seed which separates cleanly from the fiber around it'.  

It is light and refreshing with a hint of vanilla and a mildly sweet flavor.

The tree itself is native to the Brazilian Amazon.  It grows along river banks,
has wide spreading branches and
bears beautiful white and yellow pom pom flowers when in bloom.
very fragrant and arranged in crowded heads, rich in nectar and
most attractive to bees and humming birds.

Besides providing delectable dessert the tree is medically inclined.
A concoction of the bark is favourable in treating
dropsy and bowel irritations, and provides a lotion for arthritis and rheumatism.

It improves sight, relieves coughing, and the seeds are a good source of protein

A wonderful shade tree, it is a strong wood and provides building
material for beams.   It produces a permanent mulch which encourages rooting.

And most importantly, although lacking in potassium and magnesium,
 it is "nitrogen fixed", providing nitrogen to the soil rather than taking it away.

Truly a friendly tree!!

For more interesting takes on the letter 'I' visit here at ABC Wednesday
with thanks to Roger, Denise and all iconic helpersw.

Wonderful busy-ness

Threatening rain, but I stop on my way down to the back garden where I must rescue cushions from the dampness by stuffing them in the garage....

I have just added one more welcome visit to this week's agenda, and I am so pleased with all the little notes I have made of things to do and people to see, I just had to stop and write it all down, here, in my first 'activity' posting since summer arrived and I started to vegetate with books and knitting and keeping thirsty pots satisfied.....

Today I will go and visit Margaret after a trip to the bank, and then on to a Museum meeting.

Tuesday I will take my knitting to visit with the crafty ladies at the Senior's Centre and on Wednesday dear family from the Fraser Valley will arrive for tea and orange muffins!

And then out for prawns at the Branding Iron with the regular seafood enthusiasts.

Thursday a baking session as I make a dessert for the Royal Purple Centennial Tea on Saturday, - recipe will follow.  It was introduced to the church and the community by Mrs. C., and also on Thursday I will be meeting with her daughters to arrange music for a Memorial service for her on the 20th.  I have been practicing 'Keep me in your heart awhile' as I have had advance notice that they would like this to be part of the service, - perhaps a postlude as the family departs?

Friday is the day for church bulletins and Altar Guild duties, and Saturday busy, busy, busy with this nice tea we are hosting for the community, - everybody welcome.  The Senior Singers will also be a melodious part of the afternoon...I do not have Charles' fine, sweet voice, but it is nice to share his friends in the group.

Somewhere in the week I have the offer of a Camera Drive with #3 son and that will be a treat.  I have not been down to investigate Ginty's pond for a long while, and although I had a lovely day with #4 son recently, when he was down from the Meadow, I didn't take as many pictures as I would have if the day had been sunny when we went to Summerland.

Well there, - I am infinitely grateful for September and renewed friendships, and here is that recipe I promised you.  Always a great attraction at teas, bazaars, fairs and other gatherings.

First of all you will need two sleeves of unsalted soda crackers, two packages of instant pudding mix (your choice of flavour - be creative even with vanilla) a litre of Cool Whip, thawed, four cups of milk and a 9x13 glass pan.

Beat the pudding and milk until smooth.

Line the bottom of the glass pan with crackers and spread one third of the pudding mix over top.

Add one third of the Cool Whip,  spreading it evenly.

Repeat this twice and then refrigerate for forty-eight hours.

Cut in squares on to a dessert plate and top with a fruit sauce of your choice, made thusly.....

Two cups of fruit (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or any other berry or fruit your heart desires)

One cup of water, one half a cup of sugar and two tablespoons of cornstarch, cooked until thickened.

The texture of a French Napoleon and an enticing sweet sauce - bound to be a hit, and so easy!

September

"Summer ends now; now, barbarous in beauty, the

Stooks arise

Around; up above, what wind-walks!  what

lovely behavior

Of silk-sack clouds!  Has wilder, willful-waiver

Meal-drift molded ever and melted across skies?"

Gerard Manly Hopkins, Hurrahing in Harvest 1918

and here is Hopkins with his marvelous poetic language and rhythm

and  above, the 'silk-sack' clouds that September

has brought with her to the Similkameen.

Today yesterday's clouds have all been blown away

and that special magic of blue skies and cooler air lures us outdoors,

me and Callie, the cat.

In the early morning the dew glistened 

in the light from the rising sun, but now the fading pots of flowers

are tired and thirsty, and they make me wonder if a trip 

to Don and Anna's nursery for a few plants to perk them up

and see them through Indian Summer would not be a

lovely way to spend the afternoon!

What wonderful energy September brings with it!

When we have tired of the heat and lethargy of August

September bursts upon us and suddenly even its first day

is full of anticipation.

Yesterday I made beautiful golden apricot jam first thing in the morning,

and then  finished spinning all the rolags I had prepared,

made more, spun them, reeled them off the wheel on to the swift,

tied the skeins, washed them and hung them to dry,

and this morning I wound them into a lovely ball,  full of plans for

comfy green socks, or an emerald scarf????

I have gathered together all my Wallace Stegner books to re-read,

starting with 'The Angle of Repose'.  Such a fine writer and one who 

has been an inspiration, I think, to others, such as Ivan Doig, and

probably even Wendell Berry.

Looking at my blank September calendar pages I begin to fill in dates

for a Royal Purple Centennial Tea, regular Wednesday morning singing 

and Tuesday afternoon knitting afternoons; dates for prawn suppers at the Branding Iron

and lunches with friends, monthly meetings - oh, it really

is a sweet and fulfilling month and one that lifts my spirits right into October

and then through the somberness of sad November.

I do not know if the seasons remember their history or if the days and

nights by which we count time remember their own passing.

I do not know if the oak tree remembers its planting or if the pine

remembers its slow climb toward sun and stars.

I do not know if the squirrel remembers last fall's gathering or if the

bluejay remembers the meaning of snow.

I do not know if the air remembers September or if the night remembers

the moon.

I do not know if the earth remembers the flowers from last spring or if

the evergreen remembers that it shall stay so.

Perhaps that is the reason for our births - to be the memory for creation.

Perhaps salvation is something very different than anyone ever expected.

Perhaps this will be the only question we will have to answer:

"What can you tell me about September?"

"September Meditation"  Burton D. Carley

Honey Dew and Horseradish

ABC Wednesday
September 3rd, 2014

The letter is H
and the subject is Honey Dew and Horseradish

Such a contrast in taste - the honey dew so smooth, so sweet, so delicious -

 and the horseradish (to me, anyway) so challenging, so sharp, 

so satisfying to those who love it as the perfect condiment to roast beef!

Tewkesbury mustard, - favoured in the United Kingdom; a mixture of grated horseradish root and mustard.

In the United States Horseradish is combined with mayonaise, or with sour cream
 and served au jus with roast beef.

Common as well in Bloody Mary cocktails!!!!

In Japan Wasabi is now often made with Horseradish due to the scarcity of the Wasabi plant.

I find that there are 'Horseradish People' who love it with a passion,
 and 'Non-Horseradish people' who would just as soon pass it by and enjoy their roast beef
without its accompanying sharpness.  

The passionate people, however,  have a medical advantage as the Horseradish root 

contains great quantities of Vitamin C.......

On the other hand - who could not love the Honey Dew!!
The sweetest of all melons, 

with a hint of the taste of honey.  

Perfect as a dessert, sliced, or diced in a fruit salad.

 Or even in a Smoothie

1 1/2 cups of Honeydew

1 cup coconut milk

1 banana

1 tsp lemon juice

1 cup of ice

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

For more takes on the letter H visit here at ABC Wednesday, 

with thanks to Roger, Denise and all helpers.

The last afternoon in August

I look askance at the sky.  There are clouds, but there is also blue sky and sunshine. 

 The air is cool and inviting.

I have brought the spinning wheel out of the corner it lives in, into a place of prominence.  It is draped with the icy green roving I bought from the Knotty Knitter,

 begging to be made into wispy nests of rolags to be spun.

The spirit moves me, - it even moves me with a yearning to be outside on this lovely last afternoon in August. So I gather lengths of roving in a basket, pick up the telephone and some music and put the 'out in garden' sign on the front door, - and I make myself comfortable on the rocking seat.  I tease out the first length of green fleece and roll it up into a pretty nest...

It starts to sprinkle, - only small drops and scattered.  I have faith, - surely the rain won't continue. 

Look at all that blue sky!!  Ah, but look at the dark cloud right above me.

It starts to rain more.  I gather up the roving and the phone, cover the pillows on the rocking seat with a small tarp, and retire to the garage to watch and wait. 

 I pull open drawers on Charles' work desk, where small things still remain, - I pick out a couple of tiny screwdrivers, a little hammer, a combination tape and level and a leather case with a pair of fold up steel pliers.  I place them in my basket to keep them/him closer and look again at the sky.  The shower has moved on, but will it be replaced by another??

Oh well, - perhaps I will spend the afternoon of the first day of September in the garden instead and continue with teasing my roving indoors.....

Two poems that today catch my eye and settle in my mind and heart.......

the first by Mary Chivers, entitled   'Late August'

It's as if we're always preparing

for something, the endless roll of the earth

ripening us.

Even on the most tranquil

late August afternoon when heavy heads

of phlox bow in the garden

and the hummingbird sits still for a moment

on a branch of an apple tree-

even on such a day

evening approaches sooner

than yesterday, and we cannot help

noticing whole families of birds

arrive together in the enclosure,

young blue birds molted a misty grey,

coloured through no will of their own

for a journey.

On such an evening

I ache for what I cannot keep - the birds,

the phlox, the late-flying bees -

though I would not forbid the frost,

even if I could.  There will be more to love

and lose in what's to come and this too: desire

to see it clear before it's gone.

And the second I find in the 2010 edition of 'The Best Spiritual Writing' ----

A Measuring Worm

by Richard Wilbur

This yellow striped green

Caterpillar, climbing up

The steep window screen,

Constantly (for lack

of a full set of legs) keeps

humping up his back.

It's as if he sent

By a sort of semaphore

Dark omegas meant

To warn of Last Things.

Although he doesn't know it,

He will soon have wings,

And I, too, don't know

Toward what undreamt condition

Inch by inch I go.

I have exhausted the stash of dinners put away in the freezer.  Too many lazy days, -
 but tonight I am going to cook!

Baked Salmon with celery, tomatoes, lemon and mushrooms

Potatoes Anna, and creamed cauliflower - well, maybe just cauliflower with a bit of cheese on it!

Depends upon how the spirit moves me - I

go a lot by 'spirit' these days!

G is for Ginger

ABC Wednesday
August 27th, 2014

The letter is G for Ginger

I love ginger - it is my favourite spice.  

I love ginger-ale, ginger beer, ginger tea, gingerbread and ginger cookies, orange and ginger chicken, my ginger headed great grandson, the ginger skin refresher that lives in my bathroom, Ginger Rogers, ginger cats and just any kind of ginger that has that wonderful exhilarating scent and soothing to the stomach quality. 

And candied ginger - my passion!!!

When the children were all home and we were a growing family it was our custom to make dozens and dozens of bottles of ginger beer in the summertime, and everyone took a turn at capping the bottles.  When one batch was finished we made another, and so it went through the summer - everyone nicely gingerized!

When I was a child ginger was a remedy my mother counted on for settling upset tummies, and I still keep it handy to use for that purpose.

Ginger is lovely in the garden.

Blue Torch

Singapore Gardens

Unfortunately as a tropical or sub tropical plant you are not going to be able to carry it

 safely through the winter unless you live in Zones 9, 10, 11 or 12.  

However it is possible to grow ginger in pots and if you are interested here is a good source of information and guidance.  The plant can't tolerate temperatures under 50 degrees F.  It grows best in well drained rich soil, and spots that receive partial or full shade and would be happy

spending the winter indoors, away from sunny windows.

Considering that we are fast approaching September and apple picking time.

 here is a nice gingery pie recipe for you, from the pages of Canadian Living

In a bowl stir a quarter cup of flour with two tablespoons of packed brown sugar, and cut in two tablespoons of butter until crumbly.

Stir in one tablespoon of finely chopped crystalized ginger.  Set aside

On lightly floured surface roll out the pastry to fit a nine inch pie plate.  Sprinkle one and a half teasoons of chopped crystallized ginger over the bottom.  Peel six apples (preferably pie apples) core and cut them into eighths, or thereabouts.  Toss with one third a cup of packed brown sugar and if you are really trying to be classy arrange the wedges upright on ends at 45 degree angle in concentric circles in the shell.  Otherwise you can be more casual about how they lie....

Pour one quarter cup of whipping cream over the apples and sprinkle them with the streusel, which you set aside.

Bake in 425 F oven for 15 minutes, and then reduce heat to 375F.  Bake for one hour or until apples are softened and topping is golden.

Delicious....
This is bound to earn you Brownie Points!

Here is a Ginger that is new to me - Ginger Wildheart, a UK rock guitarist, singer and song writer, and the leader of the band which bears his name, - the Ginger Wildhearts.  This is one of his quieter numbers.....

Tip toe gingerly over to ABC Wednesday and see what else Roger and Denise have

 for you on ABC Wednesday!

The Fig

ABC Wednesday
The letter is F and F is for Fig

A recipe for enjoying this most ancient of fruits. - a gift of pleasure and necessity to humans and wildlife alike;

a main role player in the story of Adam and Eve (with what would they have covered themselves if the fig leaf had not been available? Rhubarb?  I think not.) and in my memory a wonderful delicacy at Christmas time.

The purple, green and white hues,

Tender, succulent.

Cato advocated the conquest of Carthage

to make them the property of Rome.

Sliced on plate, balsamic vinegar

drizzled across their mauve interiors

wrapped in prosciutto di Parma,

as a babe in its blanket,

diced and spread within the salads of the garden

on a platter with goat cheese, thin crackers,

dried,

with sweet spices, ginger, cinnamon and cloves,

the sharpness of lemon and orange,

figs and ricotta crostini,

grilled with some tenderness

sprinkled with olive oil,

vanilla pistachio fig tart,

all of this, yet I prefer to sit beneath the tree

my white handkerchief unwrapped

my harvest nestled in my lap

my mind at ease

the fig -

thankful that God did not deign this tree

the forbidden one.

Ray Brown

For more entertainment and to find out things you never knew, pop over here to ABC Wednesday, with many thanks to Roger and Denise and everyone who helps them visit....

Catch-up

The week has flown by - a little gardening, a trip to Penticton, two sessions in the Bargain Centre and a lovely day in the kitchen,  canning and creating.

Sunday morning, and a quiet, lovely day ahead of me with no commitments
(we have church every second Sunday)

Early in the morning I got waylaid on my way to the compost bin by the sad state

the bee balm was in, after blooming in such a gorgeous fashion

and providing many a sip for the tiny humming birds that have

visited the garden so regularly this past few weeks.

Once started on the Monada, cutting and tidying and noting with pleasure

small new plants just beginning to bloom, I got led along the fence,

appalled at the vines that have grown up from the neighbour's yard,

covering this handy support and sending vigorous tendrils to capture

the roses and wrap themselves around the second growth delphinium 

and the remains of the summer lilies.

The Mister Lincoln has been blooming quite nicely, and Abraham Darby is in his second flush,

but what is most apparent is that the garden is being taken over by

sunflowers and yellow daisies - Rudbeckia?
They are cheery and showy and flourish, but require a fair amount of dead-heading.

I noted that the apricots which are draped over the garden gate and on the roof of the
shed that belong next door have reached that stage of absolute perfection
and are beginning to fall into the narrow space that divides the house from the adjoining building
and I cannot bear to see them go to waste!!!!

I pick two buckets, and then go in to contemplate how I will save them while
I have my breakfast......  Definitely I will fill the ten small jars I have left over from
my last canning session, and I consider drying the rest.  However, the weather
forecast is for rain, and I lost my last attempt at drying when the sun decided to hide awhile
behind last week's storm clouds (the first batch is magnificent though!).

I didn't have any pectin to make jam, - just a couple of lemons, - but I did
have some brown sugar that had stiffened up somewhat, as brown sugar is inclined to do
if you ignore it for too long. And I had a little of the honey syrup I had
been using for canning - and a mango that I bought on impulse last week......

So I chopped up the apricots and put it all together, and sat and knitted on my new
lacy scarf  (that's another story) while it simmered and thickened a little.
It didn't turn out to be jam, but the most delicious apricot and mango sauce
for ice cream and pancakes.

As to the scarf, - one of my dear daughters-in-law came and fetched me on
Thursday and we dallied along to Penticton for an appointment with the
optometrist.  Not that I have been having trouble with my eyes, but I wanted
to make sure that I was going to be able to read the chart when I go for my driver's
medical examination, - something legal and in writing, to foil the young
beaurocrat who will look at my records and say in horror "Ninety years old!!!!
This woman should not be driving"!!!

Since having my eyes lazered a dozen years ago I have not had to wear glasses, and was
pleased to discover the situation has not changed.  So lucky.

But I digress, - the optometrist's office is just two doors down from a dangerous
establishment just started up in Penticton last year - The Naughty Knitter's store!!!
I had vowed I would not go there, but my DIL pressed me............
They have the most gorgeous roving for spinning,
and silks, and cashmeres, and wonderful pure wools of all shades
and thickness.  And how can one resist????

I came away with a beautiful varigated mohair roving to spin, and some lovely
Himalayan dyed silks - two skeins of purple and one of naples yellow.  And two balls of
black silk and wool, very fine, to make this intricate lacy scarf.
Heavenly........I can see ny dear one rolling his eyes!

And then we went to the Used Book Store!!
Stegner, Doig, Berry and a couple of nice beginner's music books
for the great grandson who shows his delight with the piano.

Oh, a most satisfying day.......

Friday afternoon I spent at the Bargain Centre, clearing racks and packing clothing
into bags to be sent to the Gleaners, and from there to places where these
things are needed.  Saturday I was on the cash desk for a couple of hours.

These are all donated items we sell at the Bargain Centre, - it is an Outreach for the Church
and also helps support other things we do, like paying the power bills
and the minister.  We had a couple of sleeping bags whose zippers were broken
but we put them out anyway, as blankets for the many itinerent orchard and vineyard workers
who come in.   A young man approached the desk with one of these bags.  He spoke with an accent,
and explained to me that he only had a large bill, which he extracted from his passport.
It was not one I could change, and so I suggested he just take the blanket/bag.  When he
was reluctant to do this I suggested that if he was in again and had the dollar (which was
the price of the item) he could pay it then.

He was back within half an hour with the dollar, and built a little fire under my esteem
for him, and his colleagues.

And on that nice note I think I have covered most of what has been happening
in my life since I last wrote about Ethelbert Nevin, - except that I have been
practising crossing my hands as I play Narcissus.

And Barb, - yes, I have been playing the organ since May, but am really
retired and just fill in when the regular organist is away, - and I love it!

I remember a picture I saw once of a ninety year old organist, - oh my, I must stop doing this!

Ethelbert Nevin

ABC Wednesday
August 13th, 2014

The letter is E

I couldn't think of any really exotic fruits that begin with E, or any commonplace ones that would be of interest..  And Mister Google was not much help when I went to see what he had to offer.

So I left off thinking about fruity E's and went back to sorting my music, which was the BIG plan for the day. I was really looking for a copy of Nola, being in a nostalgic mood, but instead found just one page of Narcissus  from Water Scenes Op. 13. No. 4.composed by Ethelbert Nevin.  This was equally nostalgic, being a piece that both my husband and I played in early years.

I can remember being thrilled when I got to the point in piano lessons when my teacher introduced a few more interesting pieces than what could be found in the Toronto Conservatory books, and Narcissus was one that really appealed to me, - the idea of playing with crossed hands seemed terribly sophisticated and exciting at the time!!!!

You will be asking why I am going on about Narcissus, - no E's there!  Ah yes, it was written by Ethelbert Nevin, a short lived but very popular composer of the late 1800's (he died in 1901 at the age of 39 - probably from a stroke although it was reported as apoplexy ).

Ethelbert Nevin wrote romantic salon music for piano and other instruments - among them  Barcarolle, Ophelia, Water Nymph and Narcissus all from Op. 13, and many songs - The Rosary (my mother's favourite), and most famous of all, Mighty Lak a Rose.  Listen here to Paul Robeson sing it - sends shivers up my spine.

He was also a gifted concert performer and in recognition of his talents and his contribution to the musical world of the late 19th Century a 1940 ten cent stamp was issued in his honour.

.

Here is a nice performance of Narcissus, - at least I think so.  Many, I found, play the piece much too mournfully but this is a more lively rendition.  There is another Youtube performance by a young Asian girl which I found very endearing, but Youtube didn't present  this as an option, alas.  She crossed hands with much elegance and presence and reminded me of how impressed I was with that technique!!!

                                       Grace Notes, in drag, also plays Narcissus on Youtube, 
                   but more in the style of ragtime, which is rather naughty, but you might enjoy the nice swing.

For more interesting E's visit here at ABC Wednesday and give thanks to Roger and Denise and all 'elpers.

Summer's Day

While out in the back garden this morning I caught the lowly Barn Flower

looking splendidly gorgeous, don't you think!

It was a lovely morning, - still a cool breeze and the sun barely up and stirring up the fire he

plans to roast us with later in the day.

I don't have an apricot tree in my garden any more but the neighbours on both sides

have wonderful trees that very generously lean their branches over on

my side of the fence and drop the fruit as it ripens with a rather

disastrous splash. 

To avoid this, and because they are both nice neighbours, they

are also very generous and bid me help myself...

which I do!!!

I have canned a couple of dozen small half pints, just enough for a wintery dessert,

and made three apricot pies yesterday, as well as a crisp.

But this morning I was thinking about our youngest son's passion for dried apricots

and how he used to split buckets and buckets of them, laying them

on the roof of the chicken house (amongst other places)

until they dried in the hot summer sun and were a wonderful

soft leathery morsel to set aside for winter.

I decided I would try my hand at drying apricots again, found a wire cage that

Charles had conveniently included in our move down town.

I picked a pail of beautiful tree ripened cots, hanging over the picket fence

and I sat in the shade, split them and laid them on the wire, in the sunshine.

They are covered with cheese cloth to keep the flies and ants away, and I even saw a small green

grasshopper thwarted by the thin covering.

However, considering the skunks that are growing up under various back yard sheds,

and their night time perambulating,

I think I should probably put the drying cots to bed in the garage tonight.

Hopefully they will dry nicely and I can do more, and more and more,

as long as the sun continues to shine so energetically!!!

We had a lovely sunset last evening - I took my camera when I walked to get the mail

and here is what I saw....

 

In addition to the wonderful light reflected by these clouds

I walked back through it from the post box with a small parcel containing

five Wallace Stagner books that I am replacing on my shelves.

All the Little Live Things,   Crossing to Safety,

Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Spring, 

Angle of Repose and Wolf Willow

All books that I have read before but have a great yearning to read again, 

along with some of  Ivan Doig's and more of Wendell Berry.

Besides being wonderful reads, they take me back in time.......

D fruits

ABC Wednesday
August 6th, 2014

The letter is D and I had to think long and hard before I could come up 

with fruits that begin with the letter D.

All I could think of at first was Dragon Fruit. and I have only tried that once and didn't think it was worth the money I had to pay for it at the Super Store.

So I had to turn to Mister Google, and he came up with all sorts of suggestions.  I was immediately drawn to the Dangleberry (sometimes called the Dingleberry) but when I began to research the Dangleberry I found all sorts of rude allusions to it. 

But here is a Scottish group of musicians known as The Dangleberries, dressed in kilts and playing the kind of music my grandkids go for.  (Except for this one which I really like....)

And besides, I discovered the Dangleberry is known as the good old Huckleberry on this side of the Atlantic, and I'm not sure if huckleberries make good pie and jam or if they are just good for painting fences as in Huckleberry Finn.

Dates seemed quite sedate, and then I thought of Damson plums.  Lots of recipes for Damson jam but I suspect they are not all on the up-and-up as they talk airily about cutting them in two and discarding the stone, and we all know the Damson Plum is a clingstone and the devil to part from it's stone.

However I did find a recipe for Damson liquor that seemed to have a way around this nasty stone business.

What you do is lightly stab your Damsons (with a straight pin, a hat pin, or a rusty nail and put them in a sterilized jar (scratch the rusty nail!) of sufficient size to hold both damsons and alcohol.  Choose your poison (alcohol);  brandy, vodka or gin, according to your taste and pour it over the fruit.

Seal up the jar and set it away in a cool dark spot for a month or two.

Strain it,- discard the plums, taste the liqueur and add as much sugar as seems good to you.

Somewhat the same as making Sloe Gin.

This information came from a blog entitled 'Seasonal Ontario Food' and contained a few more precious tid-bits about Damson plums if you want to expand your knowledge.....

For more about the letter D visit  here at ABC Wednesday with thanks to Denise, Roger and all their darling helpers.