A heart made of pomegranates
This week I’ve been thinking a lot about routines and cycles and the circular nature of life. In the not too distant past, humans lived with the seasons, and those seasons were marked predominately by harvest and the almanac. As a Celtic heritage person I think often of those original pagan agricultural holidays that marked the solstices and equinoxes, (coming up on Samhain in October, and Yule at winter solstice.)
As a baker, talking about the weather feels essential and elemental to me, and the craft keeps me more connected to the physical seasons rather than the commercial ones (who’s fearsome horsemen include pumpkin spice lattes, rayon-polyester superhero suits and jumbo bags of snickers). I don’t want to take anything away from these modern pleasures, I just want to spend a moment breathing in the magic of this physical place, our hard working valley.
The loose dusts of the almond harvests are slowly settling, and make for some wildly colored autumn sunsets in brilliant oranges. Dusky apples and deep scarlet pears are arriving at the market. The peak season of lush grapes are being crushed into wine all around us. The yeasty magic of fermentation is afoot in the vines on misty mornings. The tomato cannery releases it’s final breaths of steam as the river of tomato trucks slows to a trickle. Bird pecked figs turn liquid inside and fall from the trees carpeting the ground. The dark purple pluots have begun to soften. Pomegranates burst and crack as they can’t contain their juices a moment longer.
In all my adult memories of halloween week, I see my kids with “bloody” fingers from gorging on those crimson arils on the front porch, and me at the stove making a ruddy tomato soup, garnished with a heavy cream spiral, embellished into a spiderweb with a toothpick. We will need more rest, and more blankets, and so much soup and tea for the colder days coming ahead. This last glut of sunshine and profusion of red and purple fruits will keep in our hearts until next October, so be sure to fill it up with the fervor of a fourth grader with a candy bag!