Gargoyle At Chartres Cathedral

Crying out for rain and cooler temperatures! What a hellish summer we are experiencing yet again.  All of the new three year old blueberry plants I recently planted are scorched.  My new baby apple trees are losing leaves.  The new growth on my recently purchased avocado tree is toast and our grass is like the kind you find in easter baskets.  I could go on and on.  Did I mention that I am constantly watering?

This gargoyle photo was taken at Chartres Cathedral on a day-long foray into the Loire Valley; a two hour drive from Paris.  Decorative, yet functional, the rain spouts would be a welcome sight functioning around here.

Long Island Then and Now

Found this old oil painting at a flea market years ago.  On the back is a stamp Salamagundi Club, 1956, the annual exhibition of oil paintings.  The painting is by Otto J. Kurth.  It was painted on Long Island at Mattituck.  He titled it Sundown On Tutthull's Farm.  I've heard the light on Long Island is the best for painting.  I wonder if the old farm is still standing or replaced by mansions.  The soil there is also supposedly wonderful for farming.

Williams Sonoma's New Pitch

Williams Sonoma is pushing the home garden and canning movement.  I think it is great.  They are selling seed packets, the Beekman Farm included, and twelve different kinds of canning jars.  I am not familiar with the Kilner brand from France, but have used the German Weck jars before. Having recently had to look for the regular Ball and Kerr jars, I assume many more people are canning now.  If you don't garden, go to your farmer's market and get started.  It's a very good thing.

Crab Apple Juice

What do you do when you've got gallons of crab apples and can't bear to let them go to waste?  If you remember, I have made liqueurs with them and jelly.  This time I decided to gather them and make crab apple juice.  It turned out good.  I froze the juice for later use.  I could have put more sugar in it, but it is sweet enough as it is. If truth be known, I don't think I added the sugar as it was just right, but the recipe did call for it. 

CRAB APPLE JUICE

8 quarts crab apples

10 quarts water

4 cups sugar

4 tsp. cream of tartar

Wash crab apples and cut into quarters or chop up.  Bring water to a boil then add cream of tartar.  Pour over crab apples.  Let sit over night.  Next day, drain liquid through cheesecloth.  Add sugar.  Water bath, can or freeze juice.  This made a lot of juice.  Oh, and the cute kitty and birds glass came from Anthropologie.