Indian Summer

As I sit here writing, there is a goldfinch outside the window chirping. He sounds a bit like our dog, Simon, when he has one of his many squeaky toys in his mouth. It's the same demanding "See me!" kind of voice. I wonder if this little fellow is not Mother Nature's PR representative for Indian summer, reminding me to enjoy the last of the wonderful colours and tastes and smells before fall kicks in for real. I'll have to hurry and finish this column so I can get outside :)

Photo: Contributed

I love Indian Summer. I feel like I've won the lottery, gaining a prize that I really didn't expect but hoped for ardently. Summer is such a busy time for us that I'm always wistful around Labour Day, thinking, "I wish we'd had more free time to lay back and enjoy the heat". September is harvest month, and with cooler temperatures it becomes a race to get everything in jars and freezer bags before it spoils or gets frostbitten. Not to mention the garden has to be packed up for winter! With the heat we've had of late, my garden is on its second wind. All the flowers are in full blossom again - more lavender, hyssop, petunias, marigolds, pinks, cosmos, even snapdragons! The herbs are giving it one last go, sprouting more shoots. The tomatoes figure they'll try for more fruit too - I have to scold them like unruly children and pinch their sprouts to make sure the bounty I already have will ripen. I'm usually a bit worn out by this time of year but all this natural enthusiasm is spurring me on.

I have to admit, part of me is suspicious that this might mean a particularly hard winter. Are we being given a chance to stock up just so we might survive the toughness to come? Mother Nature has a way of balancing the good with the bad, don't you know... Well, all the more reason to hunker down and make the most of it! Here at Rabbit Hollow we have put up over 50 jars of jam, chutney and hot sauce so far, frozen about 20 pounds of fruit and dried another 20 pounds of fruit and wild mushrooms. (Yes, you're right - if there is a nuclear holocaust, the party is at our place. I keep the wine cellar stocked too. ) Next up is tomato sauce, Damson plum jam, plum tart, peach juice and dried pear chips. We'll collapse in a heap about the end of October probably about the time of the first snowfall.

All this work is more than most people consider worthwhile, I know. We give food gifts to Martin's clients, and to all our friends and family for Christmas. Sharing the bounty is the other great reward. We also love the decadence of opening a jar of homemade garden tomato sauce in January to have with pasta. It sounds corny, but it really is like letting loose a dose of sunshine. The flavours bring back the taste of summer, and the work is worth every tired moment when we dive into dinner.

Some people play baseball or hockey, some quilt or knit or tie fishing flies... our hobby is in the kitchen. We really do believe what Julia Child said:

"Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it."

(I also like that she said, "People who love to eat are always the best people.")

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.