A new wonder has entered my life! She has me jumping and moving to her beat, cajoling and teasing me to get real with all that silly business stuff...telling me about knitting socks with names on the toes by the fire, or needle felting or spinning honey from her 6 hives to make sweet, to make lip balm and pots of luscious lavender perfume. She charms and enchants while she holds messy piles of bills and invoices, envelopes and inquiries. She nudges and laughs. She is a wonder...and she has pointed my head in a little less of a sad place than it has been and is in a very Mary Poppins-ie way, been giving me a spoonful of sugar to go with my medicine. How delighted this girl is with her new friend and her energy and desire to change and fix. How blessed am i!
Today is a day for CSA, for beets and kale, maybe a squash or two...parsley and celery and those things harvest. Maybe a brussels sprout? I have been possessed by refrigerator pickles thanks to the inspiration of my Tburg pals Leah and Cathy who are quick to pickle...and seemed to make it seem like no biggie...and so I tried too. I have pickled cucumbers, zucchini, beans, cauliflower, organic onions, and beets (red and yellow) with a soft brine, mustard seed, coriander, garlic and pepper. Not too sharp. Not sweet. The import of apple cider vinegar comes to the fore...and now I am on it....tasting and trying from the clear to the cloudy. And, I squeezed/ juiced some apples and am making my own. We will see.
The best pickle was the coriander/onion chutney I made from a book on East Asian pickles I got electronically from the NY Public Library. Jeez Louise. Home run. I will post...and you can riff on this idea...and lay on the lime juice and coriander...Divine.
Fall is on the way. Jackie and Ian Merwin are going live with their cider soon...and were highlighted in a lovely New York Times article on my NYS Cider buddies...Take a look: Sips from a Cider Spree in New York State by Freda Moon
Here is a sneak peek at Jackie and Ian's Cider Label (to the left). I love the font. So so fun and so right for this farm. Black Diamond Farm is on the old Black Diamond Railway line...and thus the name. Now the Black Diamond is becoming part of a local trail system for walkers/runners/bikers. And Jackie and Ian are amazing..so to have the top of the apple pyramid bringing out cider is something to really celebrate. It is so delightful to have another one out there along with my friends at Redbyrd Orchard Cider...and another on the way as well. And these three are all from Tburg...so backyard deliciousness.