Watering my herb garden one recent evening, I realized how quickly the tail end of summer is coming upon us.The angle of the sun had changed, ever so slightly. I grabbed my camera and captured the tall grasses near the old horse barn. My mother and I planted them 13 years ago on my birthday, along with false indigo, lavender and thyme. Today, the patch is filled with brown-eyed Susans and goldenrod, surprise visitors from some other garden or wild spot. They are welcome in my scruffy little back garden.
Did I mention the goldenrod was turning yellow? I hear crickets all day long and in the morning, I can hear the low rumble of traffic in the morning. It sounds different than it does in, say, May or June, and it is a sound I associate with this time of year, when the pace of life begins to pick up. I have no idea what causes it, perhaps someone reading this will tell me.
What this all means for me, year after year, is that I want to make ratatouille, stuffed peppers, and anything containing basil, thyme or rosemary. I make frequent visits to my herb garden and become heavy handed with dried herbes de Provence.
I forget about the lighter salads I crave in spring. Strawberries begin to bore me; so do grapes. Blueberries remain a favorite, but I start thinking about the tangy bite of apples, too.
I look ahead to crispy mornings and cooler nights and burnished woods and the lambent light of September, but part of me mourns the lost spring, that season of such hope. It will, God willing, come again.
For now, autumn awaits. And I am making ratatouille tomorrow night.
16 comments:
Oh, Mimi. You are a gal after my own heart. I love how the light changes, the air changes and the sounds change in late August, a sure sign of autumn approaching. Please post your ratatouille recipe!
Mimi, for me in Australia the light is getting longer and spring should be around the corner. I want to do salads .
I love autumn with its colours but I am so tired of winter and cannot wait for my spring.
Christine, I will do that as I am always experimenting. Ratatouille is my dish! BTW, did you see the movie? I loved it.
LadyJicky, I can identify! Last March and April, salads were all I wanted. I know your seasons are the opposite of ours, but for us, September equals the start of fall and is inextricably linked with all the fall images and flavors and smells. It is hard for me to see the word "September" and conjure up spring!
I can't even begin to imagine autumn. It is 103 here in the shade, without adding the effect of the humidity to the heat index.
It's a beautiful image and time, though, beautifully described.
We have so many apples this year - for the first time! I keep looking at them trying to figure out if they're ripe....willing them to be ripe.
I agree about the strawberries but this is grape time for us. Soon I'll be able to pick a handful to nibble on my way to the garden... Fall has always been my favorite season.
Lovely, thoughtful post, Mimi. As usual. Like you, I love the heartier dishes of cooler weather. Of course for me, anytime is the right time for herbes de Provence! Used some last night with some turkey scallopine, mushrooms and brandy, served with some bowtie pasta.
Just this week, I noticed it was a little bit darker when I woke up in the morning (I am a very early riser). Am I ready for Fall? No. Though I love the Fall weather best, it also signals that my herb garden will not be lively for too much longer. Time to start drying some of the herbs while they are at peak.
As much as I love spring and the sight of green grass and trees starting to bud, I am ready for fall. Fall is my second fav time of the year and we have had a hot hot summer and cool days/nights sound pretty inviting. I just hope we don't get as much snow this winter. I've been thinking too that it is time to bring in some herbs and fill my freezer with goodies. And I am ready for a good ole apple pie!! Of course the peaches/plums have been outstanding but there weren't as many from the western slope this year because of all the weird weather which was sad. I'm glad you are posting more often again, I've missed you. Have a lovely weekend.
Laura, we've had our share of humidity this year. Each summer is different, though; this one has been consistently warm.
It is blueberry time here, Katie. I think a blueberry crisp tonight...
TerryB, that sounds great! I will be over for a peak.
Lydia, thanks for the reminder. Any tips on herb drying?
Mimi! I just did ratatouille last week on my gas grill...it was fabulous! A nice sort of smoky flavor, plus no heat in the kitchen! We are getting lots of eggplant from the CSA, and this Tuesday picked up 14 of 'em! I have a couple of new cookbooks, with lots of eggplant recipes..."The Roasted Vegetable", by Andrea Chesman, is quickly becoming a favorite.
Cyn, great minds eat alike and all that stuff.
I'll have to try it on the grill!
I am looking forward to the change of the plate this time of year, as I've become quite tired of salads and grill food. Yet, I really hate to leave summer behind. I love summer and spending it with my kids doing absolutely nothing, being lazy on a whim.
Today we'll be canning pears- definitely an end-of-summer activity.
A good weekend for canning! It is so cool here today, we have closed windows and we took out sweatshirts and sweaters.
I love how our cravings change with the seasons. It gives the year such a beautiful rhythm, doesn't it? Beautiful post.
Thank you! I am loving your blog, BTW
This post of yours has been plagiarized by the owner of fish creek house, a bed and breakfast in Montana. She steals writings from many authors, and today she has stolen yours. Here is her post:
http://etchedbystone.wordpress.com/2008/09/27/subtle-seasons/
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