Prettiest color

One of the prettiest colors I’ve seen is in jam making.

The red, pink, blue, or yellow from fresh fruits are transformed first into somewhat translucent, then intensified by heat, then the colors always change—-always for the better. A new hue is either added or the hue becomes more saturated.

At last, now the colors are melted from solid into liquid form, they swirl and twirl, they bubble up, they jell into a ring at the edge of the pot (use stainless steel. Never cast iron because the acid will erode the iron and make the iron “bleed” into the jam.)

It is constantly changing in front of your eyes. A true live performance. It is a big pity that my jam sessions so far have always been alone. No one was there to witness the prettiest colors with me. Sigh…

It is very hard to describe. You have to do it yourself. The fruit has to be ripest and freshest.

At last, each patch always has some subtle variation, even the plums picked within same hour from the same tree.

Some years ago, the deepest rich rose-pink-red from my first strawberry jam making mesmerized me. It was a color I had never encountered in life. I could not take my eyes off it. I don’t even eat that much jam. Today I realize that my biggest motivation to make jam is to enjoy the color that cannot be found anywhere else; to create and enjoy the somewhat magical process of transformation. Second is to conserve food. Third is to share with others. Only very last is for eating the jam.

To capture the fleeting spring, summer or fall, in a jar is magic.

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese & cucumber Salad

Refreshing, healthy, pretty and 0 carb.

This dish, almost a meal in a salad, take 3-5 minutes to make!

It says “summer”. You can serve it for brunch, lunch and dinner.

Cut cucumber into small half moon slices.
First Slice the whole cucumbers lengthwise, then cut at width into slices.

Mix in small amount of salt. If not sure, add less because cheese has some salt too.

Use ball shaped mozzarella, for shape,flavor and time-saving!
Use kitchen shear to lift each ball onto the bed of cucumber, then cut each cheese ball into halves.
Add a little bit of extra virgin olive oil.
Add Italian seasonings (a blend of dried herb). If you have fresh basil and/oregano, use shear to cut them into very fine pieces
At last, add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Serve immediately.
Let each diner mix themselves so they can stir and smell the mixture of cucumber, olive oil and herbs!

6/25/2022

Angel Hair

Before I thought that

I enjoy cooking first and foremost because

I enjoy eating

But today I realized no longer the case

A friend was coming during lunch hour

I asked her “how about I make this for you?

I won’t eat because lunch slows me down

On a busy day”

The recipe

Was composed last night in my dream

I could not wait to try it

It uses the most delicate pasta

Named angel hair

Angel hair cooks quickly in water

So I waited until she was seated with a glass of water

When water was being heated

New harvest of sweet pea was vibrant green

Organic tomato sauce simmered down to deep crimson

Asparagus sautéed with it in olive oil quickly

Cured ham or prosciutto translucent pink

Mixed in the now golden angel’s hair

In her bowl

Serve and eat

Inhale and taste

I didn’t have a bite

But friend’s happiness fed me so richly

I could enjoy food without eating?!

“I haven’t had something this fancy for a long time!”

“But it is so easy!

No more than 10 minutes of cooking

Start to finish!”

Maybe genuine love and care

Is not a huge greasy pizza

But angel’s hair in small portion

thin and barely visible

But enchanting

Like angel’s hair

Like drizzling rain

Like tiny breeze of wind

Like summer’s beginning

06/17/2022

Show of a Plum Tree

This Santa Rosa plum is delicious of course, but the colors are even more rewarding. It becomes more and more beautiful moment by moment.

Watching several hundred fruits turn from deep green to pale green, then tinted with blushing pink, pink turning into crimson, crimson sinking into purple, eventually deep purple, I feel this is a slow dance of several months, or witnessing a master finish a giant painting of 15 feet.

这棵李子树好吃不说，颜色特别美。看着几百个果子由青而浅绿，淡淡挂红，染为深红，沉淀为紫，最后变深紫，犹如一场几个月的慢舞，也如亲眼看到一位大师用几个月完成一幅五米巨作。

06/14/2022

Tent for Tree Peony Transplanted in Hot June

I knew everyone in the family would laugh at me when I saved the broken bedsheet. “Mom, you never throw away anything!” So I secretly stashed it away like a shy squirrel.

However, I knew, in this high quality piece of cotton, there is another glorious second life!

The stretch band is perfect thus no ties or knots or flippers are needed.
Even the holes, is a brilliant way to let wind pass.

Now (broken) Italian cotton is protecting (precious) peonies from China, away from (unrelenting) Californian sun.
How about that?!
Universe has a plan for everything.

So if one day I am as worn as a broken bedsheet, I’d know that there is still a purpose for me. 😂😂😂

Begonia’s Meeting

The plant was bought at a botanical garden.

The green pot was a curbside bounty. What fool to throw away such an exquisite pot?! Can you believe my luck!

The saucer was a thrift store find.

The dark green rock was from Eel river.

It took quite some years for this piece to assemble.

If it takes so much energy and luck for things to meet? What about people?

物物相逢尚需如此机缘，何况人乎？

06/04/2022

Landscape Design Week

Let’s see how this draft on paper works out in real soil. I am still tweaking it every day. Although most were measured and decided quickly for I knew each one intimately. It took me about a week to finished this draft, but new ideas and variables keep adding, bringing new adjustments and changes.

For example, a neighbor gave me a vine which should have white flowers l; another neighbor told me how much they enjoyed the white tall flower bush already was between our houses. So now my Chinese hibiscus (芙蓉) with white flowers may be relocated to the side of the house.

Another example, I asked my beloved ones what fruit they like, then plant it accordingly. For those who don’t live on this street, I plant it in front yard; for neighbor, I plant it at the property line; for seniors in the family, I planted it right out of the patio door, so if one day he o she is in wheelchair, they can still easily wheel under the tree.

Rare but so spectacular tree peonies should be in the front yard, so each spring all those pedestrians and dogs can be introduced to something worth gazing at.

Fragrant osmanthus tree will hide behind drought tolerant local bushes. In the fall its peerless fragrance will bring passerby to a time and place in their distant memory because the tree is somewhat hidden and its fragrance goes far. Very far. Yet gentle.

The grape, after considering the direction of sunrise, I changed it from West edge to the East; now it will have duel benefit of reducing afternoon heat in the hot sunroom.

Gardening is an art of constant changing, failure and surprise. Too fluid and unpredictable. If other arts somewhat inevitably bloats the artist’s ego, gardening and farming inevitably trims one’s ego or even comprely decomposts it. Thus one feels the boundless treasure from the earth, the universe and this life.

06/1/2022