08 October 2013

Into the arms of fall...



Hello again (after so long). As I returned to the draft for this blog entry, which has been awaiting attention for quite some time, I wondered if maybe I was procrastinating because I didn't want that last entry—about cherishing those last days of summer—to be replaced...

Yes, autumn has definitely reached Florence. We're living in that unpredictable balance of passing the day in a shroud of clouds & trying to take in as many hours of breathtaking golden light as possible. I think often of my early visits to Florence, which were at this time of year. Leaves are changing to yellow, beginning to fall, and the produce stands display a whole new palette: the deep purples, dusty greens, rich oranges & variegated reds of figs, grapes, plums, pears, persimmons, pomegranates & apples.

After a few months of inactivity, the oven is back in use again. We've made scones (recipe in this entry), fig tart (using the sweetened version of the crust in this entry) & (twice!) a lovely rustic plum cake from my friend Tessa Kiros' first cookbook, Twelve. Unfortunately it's now out of print, but she's had several others out over the last decade. I treasure my copy, as it has the black & white cover from her original self-published version.

On the subject of books, the one shown in the image at the top of this entry (along with the fig tart) is a lovely adaptation by Peter Sis of The Conference of the Birds. I first came across it in the US during the summer, and was compelled to order several of his beautifully illustrated books once I returned to Florence, including this one. I remember some of his children's books from when my daughter was younger, but The Conference of the Birds is his first adult book. I love the story itself—a metaphor for the journey that this life is & the many ways people choose, or are destined, to live it—and the illustrations eloquently complement the text. (Details on the original poem, written in Persia in 1177, can be found here.)

Returning to the fruit... Shown in the apothecary jars below are the small green 'Claudia' plums & uva fragola, 'strawberry grapes', which are deliciously sweet. Their brief season has already finished, but now is the time for the intense little grapes found in schiacciata all'uva...a sweet flatbread with a bit of crunch from the little seeds, which remain among the sticky, semi-caramelized grapes.





 

And it's already time for the olives to be picked, so we can expect new olive oil soon—the first pressing always produces the most fragrant & flavorful oil. And on that note...

Below are some more 'story strips' from last month, using fallen olives from my favorite olive tree up at the rose garden. I was attracted to the intense purplish-browns & rough texture of these random olives, which had shriveled on their stems and then dropped to the ground. The leaf at the top of the right-hand 'page' (second image) is unusual for an olive leaf, but somehow they occasionally end up with irregular edges. I can hardly wait to get back to the rose garden again one day soon...I'm sure that its palette has also undergone quite a transformation.






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And here are a couple of shots of the Arno—the view looking east(ish) from Ponte Vecchio, and then a detail of the reflections. The colors seem to convey the feeling of autumn around here right now...





One reason for my absence in Blogland lately is that I've been immersed in working on a new line of items for my online shop, PaperSynthesis. You may also have noticed a new addition in my sidebar—an 'Etsy mini'—as I'm in the process of moving items from my former shop to this new 'space'. I'll post more about the whole process once things are a bit more settled/organized. And one of these days I will reestablish the pleasant ritual of visiting all of the blogs I have been missing in the last couple of months...


So, to conclude this long-overdue entry, writing the words "deep purple" earlier in the post made me think of Deep Purple and, consequently, a song I re-discovered through my daughter earlier this year: 'Perfect Strangers'. I love the rhythm (and it's truly ingrained in me after hearing my daughter playing it on the drums for the last several months!). Enjoy...





6 comments:

  1. Yum! and yummy autumn light! I love these story strips and again the beautiful still lifes. I've been feeling a bit out of touch with blogland myself...but good to see a post from you...always so loaded with info and edibles which I wish I had time to recreate (and eat!!...well actually, I could definitely find the time to eat them...just not create them!).

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    1. Hi Julie ~ thanks for your lovely comment...I'm glad you had a chance to visit despite your crazy book deadline. I hope you're getting through it okay - and still finding time to enjoy your autumn too. This season is a good one for working (I find)...
      - Lisa

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  2. Letting out a huge sigh of awe over here. Your photos always have me sitting and sighing and dreaming of visiting. One day, perhaps. The notebook page with the olives and their shadows is priceless. Now...back to viewing and sighing...

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    1. How nice to hear from you, Jennifer! I'm happy to hear that the photos have inspired some sighing & dreaming...I'm sure you will make it here one day. Everything in time. I'd love to see your ROY G BIV with an Italian slant - I really enjoyed the London-inspired ones (and how your travels around the US have also appeared in your monthly color selections).
      Speaking of the search for ROY, I'm looking forward to starting over again in January.
      Take care, and thanks for your comment...
      - Lisa

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  3. What's not to love - food and recipes, book recommendations, images of Florence, story strips and music! I could almost see our home away from home in Florence in that photo - Hotel Balestri. Sigh. We have been lucky enough to stay there twice in the top corner room with great views! I love how locally grown food and making the most of the seasonal things is so good and so delightful. Go well...

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    1. Hello, Fiona ~ Yes! Hotel Balestri is indeed a perfect place to stay (I haven't stayed there myself, but it's my top recommendation for those planning a visit to Florence in recent years). It sounds as if you & Barrie had the best room!
      Thanks for stopping by for a look at my long-overdue post...I'm glad you enjoyed the melange - and the familiarity of the view of the Arno.
      - Lisa

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