Yesterday I drove into Pienza to mail some things and to buy time for my cell phone. On the way I noticed how the scenery is changing. Fields have been tilled, grapes have been harvested, and the vines are now taking on many shades of yellow, gold, and even some crimson. Although there are not many maples here, there are a few trees now sporting the reds, oranges and golds of autumn.
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The leaves on the chestnut trees are all a rust colour and many have already been shed. The nuts litter the ground beneath the trees and stain the streets where they have been crushed by passing cars.
In the olive groves nets are spread on the ground so as not to lose any of the precious fruit. It is interesting that some of the olives have already ripened to black while others on the same tree are still green or green with a purplish tinge to them.
In some groves I saw large crates and many ladders in preparation for the day’s picking. It can take several weeks to harvest the olive crop, depending on the weather, maturity of the olives and the size of the grove. It is all done by hand here.
I plan to participate in the picking on some local farms. I also noticed how much darker the cypress trees seem against the colours of the tilled fields and yellow leaves. They seem to look even more majestic now stretching up to the autumn sky.
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The leaves on the chestnut trees are all a rust colour and many have already been shed. The nuts litter the ground beneath the trees and stain the streets where they have been crushed by passing cars.
In the olive groves nets are spread on the ground so as not to lose any of the precious fruit. It is interesting that some of the olives have already ripened to black while others on the same tree are still green or green with a purplish tinge to them.
In some groves I saw large crates and many ladders in preparation for the day’s picking. It can take several weeks to harvest the olive crop, depending on the weather, maturity of the olives and the size of the grove. It is all done by hand here.
I plan to participate in the picking on some local farms. I also noticed how much darker the cypress trees seem against the colours of the tilled fields and yellow leaves. They seem to look even more majestic now stretching up to the autumn sky.
It is windy here again today and the sky is dark with clouds. Back home you would think they were carrying snow or freezing rain, but here they are just pushed along high above us by the strength of the north wind. They cast shadows on the ground below making the fields seem as if they are alive and dancing to the music of the wind whistling and the rustle of many leaves. The grey skies give the impression of coldness but the temperature is quite pleasant. You might even call it balmy. It is amusing to watch the people in town, bundling themselves up, as if against a cold winter night, when the temperature is actually quite warm. Is it the wind or the dark sky that signals us to believe in a need to bundle up?
The sun sets earlier and much faster now, and the temperature drops quickly once the sun is gone. I like being out in the evening though, the smell of wood smoke in the air and the crunch of leaves under my feet is somehow both invigorating and calming. It is this type of weather that inspires me to cook hearty meals of stews and soups served with warm homemade bread. Fall is such a bountiful time. Fresh fruits and vegetables, especially apples, pumpkins and other squash, and of course root vegetables like beets, turnips and carrots tempt me to roast, stew, bake and sauté them. The time of apple crisp and pumpkin pie is upon us and I have no one to cook for. I will have to make up for that when I get back home. I love baking and cooking but it’s not the same if it is only for me. Last year I baked dozens of cookies, all of my favourite varieties, filled numerous cookie tins, tied ribbons around them, and gave them as Christmas gifts to my friends and family. I also made homemade truffles and packed tins with them too. I enjoyed that immensely and I find that for me, giving something I have made myself feels more genuine than going shopping. I make shortbreads, sugar cookies cut in Christmas shapes, gingerbread, molasses cookies, chocolate chip, oatmeal with raisins; thumbprints rolled in chopped walnuts and filled with jam, almond stars with apricot jelly, and chocolate macaroons. I love the smell of something baking in the oven and when I bake I usually have joyful music playing, mulled apple cider to sip and a song in my heart. I spend days that way in December, preparing for Christmas. I enjoy that so much more than shopping. I remember my mom making donuts for Christmas, plain ones, and my favourites, rolled in cinnamon and sugar. She used to buy flour in gold pails which she kept once they were empty, and every Christmas she would fill one with plain donuts and the other with cinnamon ones. When I helped by shaking the hot donuts in a paper bag filled with the sugar mixture, I would get a reward of some donut holes rolled in sugar and cinnamon. To this day I can’t pass by that type of donut without my mouth watering. It is one of my fondest memories of my childhood. So many wonderful memories are attached to specific foods for me. Is it like that for everyone, or is that the reason I have a weight problem???
Time for dinner.....
Ciao
Diane
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