Whispering Leaves

The trees are whispering their autumn song. They swish, rustle, murmur, as they sigh and dance close to each other, then twist and twirl to the ground.

Hey Sharon, I see you picking up fallen apples...don't you want to share with a friend?

I always have plenty of harvest to share with friends, especially friends with such gorgeous brown eyes.  These were all picked in the last couple of days. Those Brown Turkey figs are the best, the Feijoas (the green fruit in front), are commonly called pineapple guavas. They do have that great taste. I eat them straight from the trees, freeze them, juice them, and include them in apple crumbles. These are the sweet  fruits of my childhood. My playhouse-hide-out was in a huge guava tree where the picking and eating was always good in the autumn.

And at the hundred year old ranch of our dear friends Susie and Ellis Bassetti (you saw Susie and Ellis in my last post with Sue Branch and Joe Hall at our house), the sugar in their award winning grapes is perfect, so yesterday was a harvest day for us. 

Really? I am responsible for totally picking every ripe fruit on one of those rows (which stretch out of eyesight). 

How long are those rows?

And, though I love the big leaves, no big leaves or stems to ruin the crush. I filled this first trug, but then I had to spend ten minutes pulling out my artful displays of leaves.

You didn't necessarily see the person working across the vines from you, but you had great conversations, as juicy and rich as the grapes.

Trug filled till we couldn't move them.

Workers picked up our trugs (like they were feather light), and tossed them into the big bin behind the tractor.

The big bins were loaded onto a truck. We picked 23 of these big bins, which equals about 11 tons!

Where Ellis (the owner of the ranch), Matty, and Bruce offer their two cent$ worth of input.

Cindy Steidel's kale, brussel sprout, and almond salad.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, (as has been the tradition for eons), the talented women cook up goodies for all of us hungry workers.

Ginny gives things the taste test.

Fallen pomegranates for decoration.

Vito and ChaCha look for anything we drop from the serving table.

Susie Bassetti (ranch owner) is perhaps the best hostess I know. Next month Susie and Ellis, Jeff and I are hosting a book celebration for Sue Branch here at the ranch. Hopefully, if it is a nice day we will be able to eat outside under the arbor.

The grape and wisteria arbor is our favorite outdoor dining room. Ellis and Bruce made the twenty foot table and used four empty wine barrels as legs. Pretty nifty, huh?

Ellis Bassetti, our host and the consummate grower.

Ginny (left), Susie, our hostess, Matty the willing grape slave.

So now dear friends, you've seen some (tip of the proverbial iceberg), of the work and love lavished on a crop. This is done daily by a huge force of farmers and ranchers across the countryside. Bless them all.

May the fields, the vines, the trees, and the workers take rest. (Beautiful banner by talented artist Victoria Greene of Cambria).

AND THE WINNER OF SUE BRANCH'S NEW BOOK IS???

Lucky number 104-CHRIS MORGAN.

Chris, please send us your mailing address so we can ship your autographed Susan Branch book. Congratulations!

Joys to all,

Sharon

Sunday to Sunday-Rise and Shine!

On Sunday, the Rise & Shine rests in the Eastern Gut

Jeff and I  work together six days a week, but on Sundays we kick back and enjoy lounging in our screened porch and reading The New York Times. Afternoons are spent exploring, reading, and soaking in the beauty of Maine. I never take a minute of our time here for granted. It is always an adventure.

The little red house belongs to one of my best friends, Virginia. Ginny's home and lifestyle appeared in Country Home magazine about 10 years ago. It was a huge spread shot by my friend Lynn Karlin. 

Rutherford Island is connected to the mainland by this swinging bridge, the busiest one on the coast of Maine. That is Craig Plummer, bridge keeper, who is waving to us.

Approaching the bridge from the eastern side. Ginny in the bow as we approach The Gut. On the left is our friend Diane's house (it used to be an old dance hall). Diane's house was featured in Coastal Living a few years ago.

 The span between the island and mainland is called "The Gut." Waters on both sides are referred to as either Eastern Gut or Western Gut. I always lower our car windows as we approach the bridge so that I can drink in the scents of the waters and hear the singing of our car wheels as we pass over the old bridge. On one of my birthdays, Jeff hired a lobsterman to usher me under the bridge and around the island. Also, the bridge keeper let me ride on the bridge as it opened and closed. Loved every minute.

Connie, Julie, and Ginny in the bow of the OLIVE, the oldest pleasure boat (still owned by the same family and named after Olive Prescott) in Christmas Cove, where she has always been moored.

Goudy and Stevens are still in the business of building some of the best boats on our coast. The OLIVE was boat number 1 for them.

Approaching the historic town of Damariscotta (which is Native American for gathering place of the alewives) on the river of the same name. Our "Comfort Found-Literary Lodging" faces this little harbor. Damariscotta is an easy walk about town with many restaurants, a specialty bakery,  a great library and bookstore, and wonderful galleries and shops. I love it here and look forward to spending a few nights in our place when it is finally finished. Yes, we will be posting photos, but right now things are piled high, the kitchen is in an uproar, and much more needs to be done.

On Monday a big surprise arrived in the mail. My pal Elizabeth Murray (author and photographer of Monet's Passion) sent the antique yellow pitcher to me as a gift; she called it the "sunshine pitcher." She said that when she was in my kitchen looking around at the yellow pottery she thought to herself, "my pitcher belongs here in this kitchen." I love the pitcher and will use it for one of my favorite cold summer soups (recipe to follow), and it will always remind me of Lizzie and our times together. By the way, I did make the avocado soup for her when she visited, and she pronounced it "the best soup I've ever tasted."

Jeff and I used to roam throughout Maine before we found our cottage. Once we settled in here, we began to dread leaving our home. Last week, we drove 3 1/2 hours north (downeast as it is called here) to the wonderful town of Winter Harbor on the Schoodic Peninsula where I gave a program for their public library Summer Author Series. A lovely couple offered this tiny, but PERFECT, cottage as our home away from home. I loved every minute in this enchanted little place.

As we approached the cottage, we discovered a series of faerie landscapes and houses.

A view out our window that included a great vegetable garden, swing, shoreline, and in the distance, Mt. Desert Island.

I loved this sign that was on the wall in the cottage. So true.

Visiting with children in the Winter Harbor Public Library.

Some of the children I worked with a couple of months ago mailed a few books of drawings and poems they wrote for me. The one on the right side made me tear up. "I say thank you more than the flowers say thank you to the sun. I like you as much as birds like worms." The nicest words ever written to me.

I can't live without 'Heavenly Blue' morning glories in the summer. My first encounters with them was on my dear Gram Mc'Kinstry's kitchen porch in Kokomo, Indiana. They self seeded and were as dependable as the perfection of Gram's pies. They covered an old trellis, and when I walked outdoors they greeted me like hundreds of blue windows. Gram had a "redbird" (cardinal) who thought he owned that trellis of morning glories. He used to scold us when we stepped out to admire them. These flowers always remind me of Gram. 

And on Sunday night-well, who needs words to describe this?

Marilyn's Summer Soup

(this will go into Liz's sunshine pitcher)

Trust me on this one; this soup stops conversation. As people take their first sips, all you will hear is moaning. The recipe was shared with me by my dear pal Marilyn. I've tweaked it and use a different vinegar than was originally called for, and I've added a bit more dill.

Make this 1 hour before serving–no sooner or it will darken–I've sometimes blended everything except the avocado, then added it an hour before serving.

3 ripe avocados

2 cups buttermilk

1 cup half and half

1/3 cup walnut pieces

1/3 cup fresh dill

1/3 cup diced red onion

1 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. sea salt (flaked)

Put all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Chill for an hour. Top with fresh dill.

This is heaven, clouds, a dusting of stars!

Thanks for visiting me and thank you for your comments, book orders, letters, and surprises. 

All joys to you,

Sharon

P.S. Please stop by Lowe's Garden Grow Along for a short visit and leave a valued comment. Wonderful ideas are posted by 8 passionate gardeners. I love the Mimi Glavin chair of succulents. Visit Mimi and her great garden store The Playful Garden if you're ever in Napa, California

P.P.S. A bonus for you. This last Friday I found out that my friend David Berry, proprietor of the Market Boat, will no longer be delivering his organic foods to our Christmas Cove town landing. This link is a tribute to David. I hope you enjoy seeing the photos and reading the story of the Market Boat.