Currently? Navigation of a pleasant week is being nurtured. The air is warm but the arriving breezes are cool. The sky is an incredible blue with the temperature easing. The hammock never sleeps, just cradles. Nothing is feeling too rushed. Tensions eased and evaporated – perfect rainy days on the way. I have a serene affinity for September, most notably the end when fall begins. Randomly I philosophize that this may be connected to my birth, but these are only ponderings. This year my birth is a lunar eclipse – I will be barking at the moon, sweet friends. Barking, howling, yelping, crying, laughing and loving. I do hope you get to catch it where you are. The blood moon and I will conspire against the sun lightly and jovially.
The stone fruit is diminishing where I am and we’ve had a relatively inspired experience with canning this year. Preserving the harvest is necessary and totally absolute. It’s a genuine way to extend the life of your hard work or favorite flavors – and perhaps make dreams a reality when several feet of snow blanket the cold, hard ground in a few months from now. Pickled peaches are a charming venture with riveting results. Although my recipe is for a quick pickle – canning peaches is a delight unto itself. How happy the heart can sigh.
While the peaches are a triumphant song all to themselves, there’s always that slight in the back of my mind that yearns for salad. On this note, it’s quite possible to have your peaches and eat them too. Or remedy any of your heaviness with lightheartedness. Or accept the sooner darkening of hours with openness and possibility.
- a pickle for the peaches:
- 4 ripe peaches, flesh still firm
- 1¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1¼ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tbl honey
- 1 tbl crushed red pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp peppercorn
- 1 tsp mustard seed
- 4 whole cloves
- 4 anise pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- a summer salad for the soul:
- mustard greens
- minced dill fronds
- sliced raw beets
- pickled peaches
- fontina cheese
- To quick pickle: Slice peaches into wedges and place into empty jars. Add apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, honey, crushed red pepper, salt, mustard seed, clove, anise, cinnamon together in a medium stove pot. Sitr lightly and bring mixture to heat, so to dissolve the sugar and honey. Pour hot liquid over peaches and allow to cool before refrigerating. Rest the peaches a minimum of ten minutes before enjoying.
- To salad the soul: Assemble bowls filled with mustard greens, minced dill, sliced raw beet, pickled peach wedges, and thinly sliced fontina cheese. Enjoy with a vinaigrette of equal parts apple cider vinegar and maple syrup, ½ measurement more of oil, and 1-2 tbl of mustard.
