I went to the garden on the weekend to pull a lot of my vegetables. Rain was predicted, so I worked on fall production - roasted tomato-garlic slices and pasta sauce.
I processed the sauce two jars at a time in a tall kettle. That way, I kept the project manageable...no heavy lifting. This year we are going to take most of our plums to the food bank, or give them away to friends. I still have enough good syrup from last year to last another year - even with my kids snatching a jar or two. However, I'll still make one batch, just to see the color and experience the incredible taste of fresh syrup.
The Baha'is had a wonderful Arts Institute at Brighton Creek; George played music and camped for three days - in the rain. Taraz and Rahmat brought friends and had a good time.
But, I stayed home in my warm kitchen, 'putting food by' as the early settlers would say. A quiet house, being alone for the weekend, allowed me some solitude. I cooked, read survival books (more on that later), and enjoyed listening to Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" while I puttered with my projects.
Bourdain says that eating, for him, is an act of submission, not a process of 'controling' diet and paying attention to healthy food habits.
I like an attitude of experimenting and being open to new ideas, new combinations, like fusion cooking. Some of the most exquisite flavors come from the unexpected blending of cuisines. My only rule is "use olive oil"; it is good for you. And, take time to really savor the richness of what is offered, especially since you grew it yourself.
These tomatoes are completely ripe, an unusual type given to me by a Ukranian woman at Franklin Park Garden Community.For George's lunches:
Zucchini Boats - everyone who has huge squash do these boats. These are filled with vegetables, cooked red wheat-berries, onion and garlic, and a parmesan and shredded potato topping. 
Green-beans with orange/coriander sauce. Sorry, George, those beans were over-cooked. 
Spanish potatoes are cooked then fried in olive oil; seasoned with deep red paprika, crushed cayenne, coarse salt and pepper.OK. Survival books. Like "Deep Survival - Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why" by Laurence Gonzales. And, "Bear Attacks - Their Causes and Avoidance". The data on that last one proves what I've always figured: You can do everything right and still get chewed up by a bear! (This was not a great book to read right before going to bed. I was so unsettled I had to leave the light on in the den all night. )
Gonzales's book is very good - he describes various accidents and what went wrong, explaining the science behind survival, the psychological and neurological impulses that motivate our actions. All survivors go through similar psychological transformations and have the same spiritual journey, experiencing fear and hope, reason and emotion, despair and correct action. Surprising outcomes occur, beyond reason and logic.
He writes: "We think we believe what we know, but we only truly believe what we feel".
