Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Dinner in a Nest of Thyme


The fog lifted later in the morning making it possible to stroll in the garden and forage for dinner. It's like solving a mystery and thinking about what is possible.
A large green pepper hanging from a sturdy, rugged, dark green plant is the first of many possibilities for the dinner table. Peeking beneath large leaves are 2 "garden eggs" in all their blackish purple splendor pleading for my attention. Attached to spiral vines and among the bright yellow blossoms are two prickly cucumbers which make my mouth water for their crispy fresh snap of their flesh. A few peas remain on withering plants and I snap them from the vine imagining their sweetness. The basil needs a trim and my fingers and thumb pluck a fresh bouquet. The last of the romaine lettuce is clipped and ready for salad. The blueberries are just beginning to ripen and I roll them into the clay bowl. A few zinnias brighten this gray morning and inspire me. Now, that I've gathered the gifts of my garden my creativity goes to work - a whole wheat pizza with chopped peppers, eggplant, basil, and tomatoes from the local farmer's market. A salad of romaine, basil, blueberries, peas, and cucumbers, a little dill & thyme, will be tossed in one of Becca's clay bowls with a little olive oil and lemon. The Zinnia's join daisies, day lilies, and black -eyed susans in an old blue canning jar in the center of the table. Even this gray muggy day is an opportunity to imagine and create and for that I'm grateful.

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