Fleur-de-DejaVu

The She Thinker

Sometimes, when I’m reading random books, they speak to me with the same message. I know it is time to stop and take notice. That happened this summer.

I bought Travels by Michael Crichton at the AAUW book sale in the spring because I love to travel—whether by jetliner or page-turner.

Crichton’s “travels” are not the basic tourist-mode adventures. In the book he goes to exotic spots like Baltistan, Bangkok and Bonaire, shoots a movie in Ireland, climbs Kilimanjaro, and swims with sharks in Tahiti. He also leads readers through his med school residencies at several hospitals and his inner-mind travels, such as attending a spoon-bending party and an aura-seeking retreat. It was entertaining. Then I hit a section of the book where Crichton began a rant on “They”. My bedside reading got very uncomfortable.

At a dinner party Crichton listens as people complained. “They don’t protect the environment.” “They don’t run the government responsibly.” “They never report the news accurately.”

Never one to be shy, Crichton speaks up, saying that when people complain, “they are the problem,” those people are in fact abdicating responsibility.

“Once you say some mysterious they are in charge, then you’re able to sit back comfortably and complain about how they are doing it. But maybe they need help. Maybe they need your ideas and your support and your letters and your active participation. Because you’re not powerless, you are a participant in this world. It’s your world too.”

This was 1983—34 years ago.

*****

Many Christmas Eves ago, I was at a small chapel in Connecticut for Mass. I didn’t know it then, but the priest always gives the same Christmas Eve sermon—actually a recitation—of “The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver”. I am sure I had heard of Edna St. Vincent Millay before but on this December night, I felt her—and the poetry of the pain and love of motherhood rocked my core. I dare you to read it without tears streaming down your face.

So, when I saw Savage Beauty, The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford on the biography table at the AAUW sale, I stuffed it in my bag.

I started reading it in August. As I was well past the midpoint of the book, the world is in turmoil. There are isolationists. There are America Firsters. It is March 1939 and Hitler storms into Czechoslovakia. America is neutral, and most want to keep it that way. By the end of the summer, he takes Poland. May 1940, Rotterdam is destroyed and Holland is over run by Nazis. June 14, Paris falls. That morning The New York Times published a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay. The original title was “Lines Written in Passion and Deep Concern for England, France and My Own Country”; by fall, it was renamed: “There Are No Islands”.

“Dear Isolationist, you are

So very, very insular! …

“…Let French and British fighters, deep

In battle, needing guns and sleep,

For lack of aid be overthrown,

And we be left to fight alone.”

*****

A friend I met at the Women’s March in January (it seems like decades ago) sent me a photo of a poster from a recent protest:

“I want my friends to understand that ‘staying out of politics’ or being ‘sick of politics’ is privilege in action. Your privilege allows you to live a non-political existence. Your wealth, your race, your abilities or your gender allows you to live a life in which you likely will not be a target of bigotry, attacks, deportation, or genocide. You don’t want to get political you don’t want to fight, because your life and safety are not at stake.” –Kristen Tea

So, as you can see, there is a lot to think about. And, I am thinking. I hope you are too. Laurie Lynch

About the Dress: One of my sisters, Lisa, is in Florence, Italy, for a yearlong artist residency program at Santa Reparata International School of Art. Lisa is a metal sculptor. I love this photo she took of a “Pasta Sculpture” in a kitchen store window in Florence. Just shows you that when politics get you down…there is always art!

Fig/Figue

Back on Track: My fig trees look good but this year I think I got one fig off of one plant—none on the other. I move them from the deck in spring and summer to the atrium in fall and winter, and that’s not the recipe for fruiting success, apparently. Meanwhile, Richard went to the fruit market in his Brussels neighborhood and bought 18 figs for 4 euro (equal to $4.75 U.S.). Check out the size of this gorgeous fig! There are more than 600 varieties of figs in the world and they come in yellow, green, pink, brown, blue, and black. But, thanks to the EUs tough food labeling standards, I know this is a Bursa fig, cultivated in Bursa, Turkey. Oh, for a bite…

Written on Slate: My candle burns at both ends: It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends—It gives a lovely light! Edna St. Vincent Millay

Fleur-de-Delicata

Lee Ann’s Peanut Squash

There has always been a competitive spirit in our family of five sisters. My recent post on Poona Kheera cucumbers resurrected some of that rivalry…from the garden soil.

Lee Ann, the middle sister, sent an email photograph of her never-to-be-forgotten plant in their Connecticut vegetable garden—Delicata squash. Then, when she visited over Labor Day weekend, she brought a Delicata for us to try. It was a football weekend, our house was full of out-of-town guests, and the Delicata, a little smaller than a football with pale yellow skin and green stripes, got lost in the kitchen.

Then I got a newsletter from Plowshare Produce, our winter share farmers, which included a recipe for Baked Delicata Squash with Cream & Parmigiano (from Domenica Marchetti’s book The Glorious Vegetables of Italy). A light bulb turned on, and the other night after work, I found the squash, tried the recipe, and my mom and I sat down to a simple dinner.

Delicata squash, botanically known as Curcurbita pepo, was most likely grown by the American Indians and introduced to Europeans when they arrived in the “New World”. In 1865, a Scotsman named Peter Henderson wrote Gardening For Profit, the first book written on market gardening in the U.S. Four years after Henderson’s death, The Peter Henderson Co. of New York City is credited with launching Delicata squash seed to the trade—the year, 1894. The squash was popular into the 1920s, and then it all but disappeared for about 75 years, perhaps because it was prone to disease and its “delicate” rind didn’t transport or store as well as other winter squashes. In the 1990s, Cornell University developed a disease-resistant bush variety and the Delicata returned to market gardens and home kitchens.

Delicata squash, which ripens from pale green to yellow in the garden and sports snazzy dark green stripes, is available from August through October. It keeps in cool, dry storage for up to three months (a little less than some winter squash due to its thinner skin). This thin rind, however, allows you to roast the squash without peeling and to consume every morsel, a huge plus in my book of living.

Baked Delicata Squash with Cream & Parmigiano

2 Delicata squashes, halved lengthwise, seeded, each half cut in half crosswise to yield a total of four pieces per squash

¼ cup heavy cream

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange pieces of squash, cut side up, on a rimmed baking sheet or in a large baking dish. Drizzle heavy cream on the squash pieces or use a pastry brush to spread it around. Season with a little salt and a few grindings of pepper. Sprinkle a little nutmeg over each piece (I grate the nutmeg directly over the pieces), and then sprinkle on the Parmigiano. Bake the squash for 30 to 40 minutes. Baste squash once or twice during baking. The squash is done when the cream is thickened and lightly browned, and the flesh is tender and easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Serve immediately. (Serves 4)

Lemont Mailbox

As we were eating dinner, I thought Delicata squash also would be a good chunky addition to Richard’s Coconut Milk-Curry Stew, or perhaps, cut in scalloped rings, coated with olive oil and dusted with turmeric (our newest favorite spice), salt, and roasted until tender.

I’ve read that Delicata squash goes by several other names: sweet potato squash, Bohemian squash, and peanut squash. That last nickname made me chuckle. You see, Lee Ann was a “preemie”. I fondly remember my dad telling everyone she was so tiny when she came home from the hospital he could hold her in the palm of his hand. He called her “Peanut.” Laurie Lynch

Twofer Vegetable: Delicata squash also has tender, delicate seeds. Scoop them out, wash well and pat dry. Place on a cookie sheet in a single layer and dry completely so they will crisp up when baked. Toss the dried seeds of one Delicata with a teaspoon of olive oil and return to cookie sheet. Season with sea salt and bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes until they turn golden brown–a nice snack or salad topping.

Written on Slate: Let my words, like vegetables, be tender and sweet, for tomorrow I may have to eat them. Author Unknown