We are so incredibly lucky to experience these unseasonably warm days here in Sonoma County. At the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market last Saturday, I spoke with a winemaker who noted that this year’s harvest has been interminable. Exhaustion had set in well before the rains we had a few weeks ago that further lengthened the harvest. The fruit of these vines can be measured by the sweat and dreams of los campesinos inmigrantes, the breathless waiting and endless care of the vineyard owners, and vagaries of the weather and time.
On the positive side, though, the same weather has given our winter vegetables a wonderful head start. The broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage plants are about three inches tall and growing every day (the clover is growing robustly as well—and not necessarily where I want it to grow). My lovely garlic (my favorite crop) have all germinated. I wonder if the excitement and delight I feel over crops we won’t even see until next June is felt by all gardeners and farmers.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote I had picked the last tomato of summer; I lied. I just picked and ate off the vine six small tomatoes that still hold the indescribable flavor of sunshine and freshness. I bought some store “vine-ripened” tomatoes that tasted like so much sawdust—where does the flavor go when they are packed and shipped? I also picked several Serrano chiles and a small bell pepper. Tonight we are going to eat a skillet meal of onions, celery, peppers (Serrano, bell, pasillas) combined with roasted chicken breast. Mmmm…..
Flowers, too, are life savors. I gather every last drop of lingering beauty, fragrance, and life-force held within the plants and take them into my heart and share them through my photos. We still have tiny butterflies, too. How do they withstand these cold mornings?
Walk in the sunshine,
Linger in the rain,
Enjoy the winter,
Until spring comes again.
Comments are closed.