Poland, August 2013

It was a kind of sentimental journey for me. Time of return and re-discovery; a chance to understand what's really important in life. Almost one month has gone since we came back to Scotland but my heart is still full with the intensity of those summer days.

And now we're here, in between, getting ready for a new adventure.

From the fields (or: from my childhood)

One of those days spent in Poland we went to the fields to buy some strawberries, freshly picked up in the early morning. They were the last in season and once we get to the place, I could feel their sweet smell filling up the air. Although it was very hot, I didn't feel like going stright back home. I spontaneously decided to have a walk and I let myself run into the fields, surrounding the suburbian area where my parents live. The fields where we played and rode bicycles when we were children. So many memories came back to me.

Summer days...

summer days
so full of colors and flavours
the sweetest taste of strawberries
and smell of freshly mown grass
and cheerful moments with the little ones
in the vast garden that is like an island of bliss
and the hours slowly passing by
under perfectly blue sky

images and tastes and little moments: they fulfill
my heart and my memory
they bring me peace

the older I grow
the more I feel my own roots

I can't believe it's June.
I can't believe how cold it is outside, how uninviting.
We've been warming up ourselves with some ginger and lemon tea with generous dose of honey.

This chilly weather makes me want to have something warm and cosy around my arms. So I started a new shawl yesterday and I just can't stop knitting it... I simply love these colorful stripes...

Happy week everyone!

Sweet taste of summer.

There are many reasons I love summer for but one of the best things about this season of year is variety of veggies and fruits on the market. Having such a big choice puts me into inspirational mood and lets me enjoy my experimantal kitchen. I try preparing new things but I don't feel too comfortable in the kitchen and I always worry too much about the results of my work. Usually there is no reason to worry because my experiments turn out fine. They are edible. What's more, they are tasty.

Some time ago I made apricot jam. I's my very first jam; I wasn't sure if it was going be a success but I'm more than happy with the result.

I love its thick consistency and vivid orange color. The taste is delicious. Thanks to some lemon juice, it's not very sweet, it's just right. And a breakfast made of pancakes with this jam is a real heaven, trust me.

I think that making jams is a great way of saving a piece of summer for later, for colder and less colorful time of year. My mum used to make lots of jams for winter. Goosberries, black currants, cherries, plums, strawberries, any fruits we had in the garden were turned into little treasures of summertime, closed in jars and put away in the pantry for winter. When I was a child, we used to go to the forest to pick up blueberries and wild raspberries. The first ones were for jams, andf rom the second ones we made juice. I still remember its thick, sweet taste. My mum used to add it to my tea when I cought cold in winter.

To save some sweet taste and color of summer you need:
1.5 kg washed and peeled apricots*
330 grams sugar
half a cup water (around 100ml)
half a lemon

In a big pot mix apricots with water, sugar and juice from sqeezed lemon. Boil on a small heat, stirring from time to time, until the mixture gets jam consistency. Pour into jars and keep it safe. And enjoy!

*or any fruit of your own choice