Raspberrypolooza & Globe Envy

The last few days have been the start of berry harvest.  Our 50 foot row of raspberries is broadening its reach far beyond the bed and beginning to ripen at an overwhelming rate.  We picked 7--7 oz containers worth today and have hardly made a dent in what is there. The future ripening looks to be staggering!

A few things that I have learned about fresh picked raspberries.  They are not as delicate as you think, that is unless you kneed them into a dough.  I posted here about the perfect way to freeze raspberries, I urge you to do it!  The last batch I thawed was a month ago, and they defrost beautifully. Not at all the mush that I expected, perfectly whole specimens that held their firmness.  Today I froze much of our harvest to brighten a dark winter evening.  No worries, I used a cup and a half of them in some baking as well.  

I must say that I have been both jealous and inspired by watching photos of my sister-in-law's trip overseas this last week.  She is now spending some quality time in England and her pictures from the Globe last night made me literally swoon.  Sigh..  So what was I craving this morning? Scones....raspberry ones.  I found a recipe of Martha's, that was perfect.  They are a hit with the whole family, and are feeding my soul.  As an aside, I finished reading The Bookman's Tale last night and it was lovely.  I also was transported to the Globe in the days of Shakespeare, so the timing was perfect. Ayne, read this one :)

So what next for raspberries?? Oh and the blackberries and boysenberries to follow?

Jam

Infused vodkas

Infused balsamic vinegars

And lots and lots of snacking

Martha's Fast Raspberry Scones. (Oh my, wouldn't these be good with some cardamom!?)

2 1/2 C flour

1/4 C sugar

1Tbsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 C butter (unsalted, cold & cut in pieces)

3/4 C buttermilk

1 lg egg yolk

1 1/2 C fresh raspberries

Pre-heat oven to 400.   Combine dry ingredients in food processor and pulse.  Add cold butter and pulse until crumbly.  Beat buttermilk and egg yolk together and slowly add pulsing into try mixture.  Once mixture combines into a dough our out onto a floured surface.  Sprinkle raspberries on top and knead three times (I found this a messy task).  Shape into a rectangle about 1 inch thick and then cut into wedges.  Place wedges on a cookie sheet lined in parchment paper, sprinkle the wedges with granulated sugar and bake for 15-20 minutes.  Then transfer to a cookie sheet and cool completely.  Enjoy!

#scintilla13 ~ Queen Mab and Robert Frost

Charles first grade musical 2010

Memory is an amazing thing.  I have memorized songs, lines from plays, dance steps, really any number of things.  But when it comes to long-ish memorization's  two specifically come to mind.  They are two very different yet equally powerful stanzas, coming from two formative times in my education.

When I was a sophomore(at the time a theater major) in college, I had an amazing diction coach named Jan Gist.  I have always, had a love for Shakespeare.  It was Jan who taught me to truly appreciate the nuances of interpretation.  I remember clearly the practice sessions while preparing Mercutio's Queen Mab monologue.  Jan made sure that I thought about my breath control, tone and 'chewing' my words. She also taught me the importance of  varying my voice as such to bring forth the sarcasm and pageantry in a unique way.   I still remember the words and while thinking about it this morning, realized that here, some 21 years later, I would present this speech in a completely different way, yet using all of the tools that she instilled in me.  Such is Shakespeare, the words so rich, that individual interpretation can be varied and oh so powerful.

Four years earlier, before I became involved in high school theater and was still trying to find my voice through a very shy veil,  I had to memorize and present a poem for a class.  It was here that I found Robert Frost and fell in love with words that would soon be an anthem of sorts following me through my life.  Something that I recite for comfort and inspiration.  The Road Not Taken taught me to take my own path and enjoy the ride.  A play on it is the byline for this blog.

It is funny those things that you remember and that leave lasting impressions.  Of these two distinct memories, one is composed of words I learned by, the other, words I live by.

This post is part of the #scintilla13 project.  Today's prompt: What is the longest thing you know by heart (poem, speech, prayer, commercial jingle)? Why did you learn it?

Upon Midsummer

The changing of the seasons,
this inevitable turning of the tide is important to me. 
Maybe because our seasons here are so sharp,  so beautiful, so changing,
or because of how attuned we need to be to watch the ebb and flow of the earth
while growing our own food.  Though the solstice does not have to align with heat, this year, for us anyway, it does.  When I came home last night from a meeting it was still 85 degrees at 9 pm.  This awakened fleeting dream-like memories in the back of my mind of long summer's eves when we lived in Las Vegas and relished how soothing 100 degree heat could be at midnight.   Upon midsummer, a humid heat like this leads to late nights with fireflies, and lazy dreams.  Some that you remember, some that just leave you with their essence. 


“I have had a most rare vision. I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was.”
― William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream