Tea and Pears.

An old chapel and bell tower belonging to the church my Swiss grandmother was baptized in.

A good day for a walk. There are piles and piles and piles of wood chips from our trees. I covet them and will indeed use them as mulch, with lots of high nitrogen fertilizer. We saw a small stand of spotted touch-me-nots too, with their odd orange/yellow/brown flowers, somewhat similar to an individual hanging snapdragon. We even spotted a pretty pink mushroom and some no bigger than my pinky finger nail.




Farmers’ market day again. The local grapes - Concord and Himrod are in, as well as Ginger Gold apples. These are wonderful, but they don’t keep their flavor long and from the grocery stores, they aren’t worth much, so I will enjoy the moment, while I await the Winesaps and Northern Spy which generally arrive in October. We are close to the Cornell University farms and can get all sorts of apples from them. They let you taste before you buy, which is really nice. I got a pair of Alpaca wool socks, too. They are so soft. Amazing what you find at the market - everything from socks to fruits and veggies, flowers and pasture fed beef and chicken.


I also bought some pear nut bread, which I am having with some Pear Spice White Tea from Gay Grace Teas www.gaygraceteas.com . It is organic and contains star anise, helichrysum flowers and pear flavoring. In the packet, it is very pretty, but the tea looks overwhelmed by all the flowers and other bits. It seems some of it is bits of chili pepper. It smells rather medicinal, but also pear-like. It has a sweet taste, with some spice, but not much pear. I think it would appeal mostly to you herbal tea fans. Personally, it is not to my taste, although it seems to go nicely with the bread..

A Quartet of Curds

The ancient great bells of Meieringen, Switzerland, church.

I was very pleased to see that one of my favorite tea rooms, The Whistling Kettle Tea Lounge and Cafe in Ballston Spa, NY, is featured in an article in the newest issue of Tea Time Magazine. They really deserve mention, as everything they serve is done well and the teas they have are top notch. I gave a short review of them almost 2 years ago. If you are going to Saratoga Springs for the races or the summer music season, they are only a short drive away.


You've all heard of that wonderful cake and tart filler, lemon curd. I hope you have had some as well, it is wonderful stuff. Now there is orange curd, available from http://www.curdelicious.com/ . They also have lemon, raspberry and lime curds, for $7.95. I saw they lots of other treats and recipes.


In the tea section of http://www.bellaonline.com/ is an article about the dangers of Bubble Tea. There are no sources listed, so I don't know how accurate this is, and you may wish to check carefully before you trust it. I can take issue with the statement that wheat gluten may be bad for you. If so, we'd best not eat anything ever again that is made from flour.



Currently, there is a young, newly fledged Blue Jay sitting on the suet feeder, trying to figure out how to eat the suet without falling off. Oops, he needs to try again. I'm sure he will master it, Jays are very intelligent birds.


Today I am again having some tea from Gay Grace Teas in Natick, MA. It is from Kenya, Tinderet Single Estate Black. The small dry leaves smell of licorice, which changes to a roasted aroma as the tea is brewing. There is a roasted barley or corn flavor to this very dark brew, but on the whole it is on the bland side. At the same time it is hearty and sturdy. I guess there just aren't a lot of nuances. It would be a pleasant afternoon tea.




My Florida son called me at 8:30 this morning to say they were 4 hours from here and would see us for lunch - they were due tomorrow night. So I had best go finish the preparations for them. I will not be posting again until Wednesday or Thursday. In the meantime, drink lots of tea and have blessed days.

A Grace-Full Tea

In front of those gorgeous buttresses is a stone sarcophagus.

Our friend Marcel shared a "tea" recipe with me that I will share with you. There are no measurements, so a bit of trial and error will be needed, but it sounded delish! Make some strong chamomile "tea" and boil it down until it is very, very reduced. Combine this with a recipe of Creme Anglaise or Bavarian Cream and serve over fresh figs. Or one could make a tart with it. I am going to try it and see how it works. At least the cream part. We don't get fresh figs around here very often.


The grackles have brought their children to the feeders and the robin young are all over the lawn. The training of them to learn to eat on their own consists of example and a fine ignoring of their open mouths and loud demands. At least it is a bit gentler than bluebirds who give their young a sharp peck on the head as an inducement to independence. Our solitary turkey is also back. Very odd, as you always see them in flocks. We have one new fawn, although I haven't seen it. Most of the deer are not visiting us - they probably don't want to deal with the downed trees and the cacophony of the power saws. I must say I agree with them.


On vacation, I bought 4 teapots - I know, I should be ashamed. One was antique - the blue and white "Phoenix" pattern from China - a whole set for so cheap, you wouldn't believe. Another gently used, the replacement for the one I broke, and a new one by Bodum in bright purple. It comes in other cool colors like turquoise, red, yellow, and a funky green. It looks very modern - a straight glass cylinder with plastic fittings. The parts all fit together by means of nooks and crannies. You pop your tea into the infuser, add water and the lid and when the time is up push down the plunger as you do with all Bodum presses. The tea goes into the bottom of the infuser, which has no holes. You can find a picture on Amazon.com if you put in "Bodum tea press".

I am trying out this new toy with some tea from a new-to-me tea seller - Gay Grace Teas, http://www.gaygraceteas.com/ . It is run by a woman, in Natick MA, who decided to open a "MobileTea Shoppe" she takes to events. Apparently she has met with great success. It's nice to know that civility and grace are making inroads.

My selection for today is China Yunnan Black, which is my all time favorite, at the moment. In the packet the leaves smell fresh and vaguely spicey. They are on the small side, with an abundance of gold tips. Brewed they have that wonderful characteristic Yunnan aroma, earthy, spicey, with a touch of cocoa and fresh wash. The brew is very dark and deep looking. Oh my, this is nice tea. A good full mouth feel, quite earthy, but not a bit like Pu-erh. A touch of sassafrass, hints of spice. Altogether very, very tasty, worthy of favoritism. The Bodum did an excellent job.