2nd week of August 2007

A billowing storm swept through last Storm Frontweek with a beautiful display of clouds. Olin captured a picture before most of us headed to safer shelter during the tornado warning. The only damage I noticed from the wind was some sweet corn that was blown over but our meals of sweet corn have still been quite tasty. Sweet corn is at it's best when you start a pot to boil, gather the corn, shuck it quick and toss it in the pot so that the sugars stay intact. The heirloom tomatoes are beginning to ripen and my plates of tomatoes, basil and olive oil are quite colorful with Cherokee Purples, Persimmons and Green Zebras. Another recent harvest was a Tigger Melon which is a larger size of the Queen Anne pocket melon or smelling apple. It's flavor is bland but the smell is incredible and makes you want to keep rubbing it and sniffing. It is something that ladies long ago would carry in their hankies or pockets for easy smellling

We attended a calling hours recently and Local Bouquetas I admired the line of beautiful flower arrangements I realized that the bulk of the floral ingredients were probably flown in from Central America. How sad that during August when many flowers are at their peak (zinnias, snapdragons, sunflowers,...) we still so often rely on long distance flowers. I passed an idea on to a friend about coming up with a seasonal florist business that would make use of local flowers. If we are working at eating local food in season, why not include flowers in that vision. I was encouraged by having a customer come get edible flowers for her daughters wedding cake and having a friend order a bouquet for church to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary -- below are the results.

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