Here’s a gentle, even downright sweet, segue between last week’s celebrations of International Freezer Appreciation Day and the final IFAD post that will go up on Wednesday.
Summer is already winding down up here in Dawson, so I was particularly envious of this summer-lush photo from a blog called Ceres Secrets: Musings from a seasonal kitchen.
I have yet to learn what plants grow up here between the May ice break-up and the October freeze-up, but so far I haven’t seen wild violets that would allow the performance and presentation of these floriated ice cubes. (Oh, and note that only the white and purple violets are edible, though of course the yellow ones could be used for decorative ice like the ice in your white wine bucket, if you’re a white wine bucket type of person.)
Instructions for making the violet-inhabited ice cubes (it’s more complicated than at first glance, as it involves tweezers and more than one layer of water in your ice cube tray!) can be found at at the following link, along with a recipe for homemade lemonade:
http://www.ceressecrets.com/2007/05/13/homemade-lemonade-and-wild-violet-ice-cubes/
I can’t believe I’m nostalgic for fresh plants already, but there you go. Maybe it’s because my “garden” this summer successfully produced some basil, three salads’ worth of lettuce, and one 3-inch-long zuchini…
The tone and scope of Ceres Secrets, by the way, is fun to browse for its combo of city wit and a passion for abundant gardens. The anonymous Columbus, Ohio writer says about herself:
I am currently taking a sabbatical before heading back to school full time and am enjoying most of my free time in the kitchen.I am not a chef. I do not own a trendy café or live on a farm. My gardening attempts are amateur at best, and my knife skills are downright scary.
Sounds like someone whose ice recipes I can trust.
meg walker 