September 2015

I love everything about this image; to me it conveys what is best about summer, from those fat bolsters to the surrounding green to her bare, brown calves. My hope for all of us is that, during this last weekend of the official season, we find the time, place and inspiration to capture a few moments of true peace and reflection. I'm going to share with you some wonderful reads, but just file them away for later if you're going to get outside and unplug. I'll be camping out at the lake with my husband, fortifying myself with a big dose of nature. Fall is on its way, and with it comes that rush of energy and a bittersweet longing that begins now.

Traces of my recent trip to Greece still echo through my kitchen. The Greek salad simply does not grow old, and I now crave the strong herbal presence of fresh oregano, something I previously shunned. Another very particular flavor I discovered and adore is mastiha, "mastic" in English. This natural sap that weeps from the lentisc tree (Pistacia lentiscus), known as "the tears of Chios" (pronounced "hee-os"), is found only on that particular Greek island. Sun-dried into brittle, translucent bits of resin, mastiha becomes soft and gummy when chewed. In fact, its name derives from the Greek word meaning "to gnash the teeth," and is related to our "masticate." Used since antiquity for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, mastic has a sharp, piney aroma that reminds me of the rosin string players use to treat their bows. Its flavor is equally pungent and strangely compelling.