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The Birds & the Berries
This is my happiest time of the year. Everything has come alive and is an affirmation of the goodness of life. Our 10 day vacation in Hope, post Elliott’s conference in Cape Cod, happily coincided with the advent of fresh berries, baby robins, Elliott’s birthday, and our 32 anniversary!
My friends the Meneguses, who have a fantastic farm down the road, shared some just picked raspberries, currants, and black raspberries which, together with newly ripened N.J. blueberries from Silver Lake Farm made a blissful lunch.
I also made a large batch of lemon curd from some of those yolks frozen with sugar from the angel food cakes for the NYU Molecular Gastronomy demo. I also was able to use up all the lemons leftover from a test for the upcoming book. A spoonful of lemon curd mixed into 0 fat Greek yogurt, together with some blueberries, is shear heaven.
This has not been a good year for sour cherries but Maria shared 2 pounds of her harvest so that I could make my father’s 94th birthday pie with fresh cherries. Since I only needed 1 ½ pounds for the pie, I made us a little half pie with 6 ounces of frozen pie dough leftover from Woody’s visit several months ago when I made him a Concord grape pie. I cut out the scraps with a biscuit cutter and though it looks a bit homely it was fabulous. The main reason is that I blind baked the shell and the decorative pieces, cooked the filling on the stove top for about 5 minutes until nicely thickened, put together the pie and baked it for another 5 minutes. The crust was perfectly crisp and the filling nicely set—holding together but very slightly runny (I don’t like an overly jelled filling). Using up all these leftovers made me feel like the virtuous country housewife I’ve always longed to be.
But the greatest joy of the vacation was getting to watch the baby robins nested in the rhododendron bush just a few feet from the bedroom window. I had seen the 5 little eggs nestled within a few weeks before and squelched the omnivorous thought ‘omelet’ before it could take root in my brain! When we returned from Cape Cod I noticed that all 5 eggs had hatched and watched the scrawny little necks swaying frantically as the parents appeared with food, their beaks open impossibly wide, screeching to be fed. I watched one parent trying to stuff a large worm down the throat of the biggest baby, failing and trying it on a smaller baby, then going back to the bigger one and finally succeeding.
During a rain storm I watched as the mother robin sat on the nest with her wing outstretched to protect all 5 of the babies and understood for the first time the literal meaning of “taking someone under your wing.”
Robin parent Camouflaged.
Within days the biggest baby robin was walking all over its siblings and perching at the edge of the nest flapping its wings to keep its balance.
It was so fat it seemed puffier than its parents and yet it became the last to leave the nest. I found myself wondering if it was too fat to fly. But next thing I knew there it was perched on one of the rhododendron branches, still being fed by its parents. I’m sure he’s destined to become king of his own territory come Fall. The others had all flown off except for the littlest one that had fallen out of the nest and sat on the ground chirping helplessly. (Actually I considered the possibility that his big brother had inadvertently pushed him out.)
I wondered if the parents would give up on it and contemplated returning it to the nest but when I got close they started chirping loudly in alarm so I decided to give it a few hours and see what would happen. To my relief they continued to feed it on the ground and it started to half hop half fly, never getting more than a few inches off the ground. By the next day it had gone and I like to think it learned how to fly. What an amazing thing it must be for them to discover their ability to take wing. I’m more than a little envious.
I miss my bird’s eye view of the nestlings and hope they return next summer.
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Comments
that's such a great story it gives me the chills! i always think it's a high honor for a wild animal to come to you.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | August 2, 2008 1:09 PM #
So sweet about the baby robins!
I had the amazing experience of having a baby robin land on my arm earlier this summer. We saw the parents fluttering around making a big racket and realized a baby had just left the nest. We whisked the cats inside (much to their displeasure) and were then trying to encourage the baby to flutter away from the open grassy area and into a nearby area with lots of tall plants, small trees etc. I was standing still while my husband was moving, and the baby apparently mistook me for a tree and landed on my arm! I stared at it and it looked back at me with one small, black beady eye.
It sat there for quite a while, but as soon as I moved, it took off again -- fortunately ending up in the brushy area. We left it and the parents alone after that and kept the cats in for 24 hours.
Reply to this Posted by: Barbara | August 1, 2008 10:00 PM #
reeni, we are in TOTAL agreement!
Reply to this Posted by: rose levy beranbaum | August 1, 2008 8:36 AM #
It is definitely one of the finer pleasures, a peach galette in peach season. The 5 hours of making it sound like an ideal way to spend the day. I once spent a rainy Saturday making chili, spoonbread and chocolate chip cookies for no occasion, and was all the more happy for it.
The microwave cake just made me laugh because even though you can have chocolate cake in 5 minutes, it is worth the planning and the time to execute, with the same ingredients, a much more satisfying and delicious chocolate cake (from the Bible of course)that can be stored and savored bit by bit... Predictably microwaving a chocolate cake is pretty sad for its texture...!
On peeling walnuts, it definitely makes a difference in bitterness vs actual walnut flavor. Pistachios, it's mostly a color thing! Sicilian pistachios are already peeled and the most vibrant green. Tiny but more flavorful than California pistachios. Yummy in... well, almost anything! but i use them for pistachio cake.
Reply to this Posted by: reeni | August 1, 2008 8:33 AM #
i peel toasted walnuts too. and have just finished making a peach galette that has taken about 5 hours start to finish. just peeling and slicing the peaches is time-consuming. and licking my fingers from the syrup not to mention smelling those peaches and cream cheese pastry i know it's going to be worth every second and yes...heavenly!
Reply to this Posted by: rose levy beranbaum | July 29, 2008 2:52 PM #
Reeni, great to hear from you. And thanks for sharing the ultimate 5 minute chocolate cake, and totally made from scratch.
This puts me to shame, really. I was making some pistachio creme anglaise last night and I am glad my aunt decided to visit and stop my work. I already spent hours peeling those pistachio skins!
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | July 29, 2008 2:46 PM #
butter fly!!!!!
we are all genius spy and can decode hidden meaning in words... on in the cake bible.
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | July 29, 2008 1:15 PM #
matthew, my husband told me schmetterling was the name for the german war planes in WWII. but i think they were named after the butterfly and not visa versa. yes mariposa is lovely--i always think of pine trees though. the sound of the words butterfly are perfect if you don't think of the literal meaning. did you know that die fleidermouse (the german opera) means bat or flying mouse? now that's prettier than bat don't you think?!
Reply to this Posted by: rose levy beranbaum | July 29, 2008 12:32 PM #
i guess you could say my style is the exact antithesis of the link one!
yes i knit, crochet, weave, and these days mostly mend.
i never saw little house but i come from a family of crafts people. i used to say my father worked in wood and my mother ivory (dds!). my dad gave me a book i treasure called home life in the colonial days and after reading every word decided i had been born in the wrong era (except for modern day anethesia!)
Reply to this Posted by: rose levy beranbaum | July 29, 2008 12:29 PM #
I vote for mariposa!
Reply to this Posted by: hector | July 29, 2008 11:38 AM #
A virtuous country housewife was what you long to be? That really strikes a chord, it must have been at least partly those episodes of Little House on the Prairie. At least that's what I blame for wanting (not succeeding or even close to it) to make everything my family eats and wears. Obviously Universal Baking and Food Chemistry Icon/Idol suits you much better as a career title.
On that note, I saw this and thought of you, Rose; it is cake and microwave-cooking at its most down-and-dirty fast and evidence-free.
http://www.dizzy-dee.com/recipe/chocolate-cake-in-5-minutes
Actually you are a knitter so you might appreciate that I saw it on Ravelry which is a knitting/crocheting community.:D
Reply to this Posted by: reeni | July 29, 2008 8:39 AM #
I always chuckle when I hear the word schmetterling, because it seems like such a harsh word for such a delicate creature. I suppose butterfly isn't that nice either if you think about it. I always think the French have it best with papillon, although mariposa is beautiful too!
Reply to this Posted by: Matthew | July 28, 2008 11:53 PM #
this was 2 years before I started baking at the level I bake now! but, thank you.
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | July 28, 2008 8:06 PM #
hector, your finches are so amazingly beautiful. i don't know how on earth you have time to do all the many things you do and all so well.
Reply to this Posted by: rose levy beranbaum | July 28, 2008 7:45 PM #
I've been to the Venetian Hotel a few times, but the one time I went after been in the real Venice, I learned to appreciate the Venetian Hotel even more. It is amazing how can man power replicate amazing architectures.
HOWEVER, when at the Venetian Hotel's "outdoor" restaurant at their St. Mark's Square, I freaked out when the waitress asked "would you like an indoor or outdoor table?" I looked at their painted outdoor sky and said "isn't everything indoors?"
blunt.
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | July 28, 2008 6:03 PM #
Thanks for the quick reply,Hector.
My error,oops I thought you worked in Lahaina.
I love these blogs,I have met and learned so much from the nice people that share our passion.
We have stayed in Oahu,but we return to Lahaina,when we get the chance..
Here in Vegas I can not find people who cook,sadly just make reservations.
Honolulu cookie companys store,will soon be at the Venetian.so that cool.
Have a nice summer.
Enjoy,
Andi in Vegas
Reply to this Posted by: Andi Fishman | July 28, 2008 5:33 PM #
it's amazing how much noise even a little squirrel can make when you're alone in the woods!
the funniest thing this past week was when i saw a chipmunk from the kitchen window and started clicking to it. it reared back on its hind legs and kept looking around to see where the 'other chipmunk'was located and finally gave up in disappointment.
Reply to this Posted by: rose levy beranbaum | July 28, 2008 4:23 PM #
Must have been a very big squirrel ;).
Reply to this Posted by: Patrincia | July 28, 2008 4:20 PM #
Andi, do keep in touch. Lahaina is the U.S. Mainlanders retirement paradise! Work on it.
I live in the neighbor island of Oahu, in Honolulu. Ask your airline for a Oahu stop!
Honolulu Cookie Company is popping up everywhere, very successfully. But I am certain you can bake better at home and with Rose's help.
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | July 28, 2008 4:14 PM #
Oh Hector,I love ALL your PICTURES,FOODS NATURE,etc...AND OF COURSE,loving Rose's blog!!!!!!.........
The birds just amaze me,like life itself....so much beauty and possibilites....
I was so sorry I never looked you up when my husband Barry and I were in Lahaina in May....I was the one raving about the Honolulu Cookie Company....YUMM,We buy them for everyone..
Next year,Please God, if we visit Lahaina again I will defintely say hello..We almost bought a condo in Lahaina to retire in..We love Lahaina for year......Our kids would love it we retired there...
....We had no one to tell us about Hawaii other than a strange realitor....
Hector EAT cookies,and enjoy the birds,my friend...(me 2)
Andi in Vegas
Reply to this Posted by: Andi Fishman | July 28, 2008 3:55 PM #
i dropped carefully picked rare wild blueberries this weekend when i thought i heard a bear but it was only a squirrel!
Reply to this Posted by: rose levy beranbaum | July 28, 2008 3:46 PM #
Oh Rose ,you always remind me of myself...I knew we were sisters in another life**.........
I was with my husband in Hong Kong,riding in a car up to the new territories..I asked to stop the car,because I saw little monkeys in the trees...so fearless me,I got out and naievly fed them peanuts,one monkey grabbed my leg,I was SO terified,I dropped the whole bag.((SMART MONKEY))dumb tourist ..YES MY FRIENDS TOOK THE PIX.....SOOOO FUNNY SO TRUE...
pic SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS...
xoxo
Andi in Vegas
Reply to this Posted by: Andi Fishman | July 28, 2008 3:25 PM #
I've just looked at Rose's birds eye view and how bird nest inspirational her stunning little cherry pie turned.
About 5 years ago, I reached climax raising birds, breeding quite a few of them. Today I only have 1 breeding pair, but I look forward for the future. Below are the pictures, 5 years ago. I keep these pictures next to this little tabletop rotating family photo album together with my late mother's last pictures.
An old life always brings new life, and plenty of it. The biggest miracle I feel, is when in a bird cage I have one pair of birds, and in about 2 months, 4 or 5 more birds appear, without me having to do anything except feeding more seeds and giving them some privacy. (Rose, you can't take pictures of baby birds in the nest, unless you install a permanent webcam or such, which is how I do.)
My finches spend near 2 months in the nest. 1 week to lay eggs, 2 weeks to incubate. Then 1 full month after hatching, with lots of loud chirping, so loud it wakes up my neighbors. Then the "fat" babies leave the nest, so big already and full of feathers, they look almost like adults except without the proper coloration yet. Outside the nest, you see these big babies begging for food, so loud chirping, and little by little the parents show the babies how to feed on their own. These creatures had no prior family raising education, no computers, no video tapes, no magazines! And somehow it is programmed in their genes.
Please show these pictures with your proud Dad on his Happy Bird-day!
http://www.hectorwong.com/roselevy/finches.htm
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | July 28, 2008 1:49 PM #
During a rain storm I watched as the mother robin sat on the nest with her wing outstretched to protect all 5 of the babies and understood for the first time the literal meaning of “taking someone under your wing.”
this line had my heart on my throat!
that photo of the camouflage is lovely. at first glance, it does look like just another leaf.
Reply to this Posted by: kayenne | July 28, 2008 10:36 AM #
andi, having a hummingbird land on your finger is one of life's most amazing experiences. it reminds me of when i was at vin expo in bordeaux a few years ago and at an outdoor lunch in the german pavillion someone said: "there's a schmetterling on your head." not knowing what the word meant i reached up and felt this 'thing' and screamed get this off me! my friend said: ït's a butterfly! regretting i had tried to pry it off to my astonishment it was still there--a monarch butterfly that stayed in place through a 2 hour lunch and when i rose from the table it flew off. i felt blessed. i do have a photo but it's hard to see the buttefly clearly. i may try to post it!
Reply to this Posted by: rose levy beranbaum | July 28, 2008 8:52 AM #
AWESOME photo!!!
Reply to this Posted by: Hector | July 27, 2008 3:11 AM #
"Rose" we live over a park here in Vegas...so many beautiful birds....I was filling my Humming bird feeders and a Hummingbird flew right on my finger..OMG...I was in heaven.So sweet.
Love your idea for the lemon curd,I make tarts but I am going to mix it with Greek yogurt and berries..Thanks 4 the idea...Happy Belated B/D to your sweet dad,and Happy B/L anniversary,we made 45 this year....I still look five....
Love you,
Andi in Vegas
Reply to this Posted by: Andi Fishman | July 26, 2008 10:52 PM #
Delish! My new favorite way to enjoy lemon curd is spread on a slice of toast - Yum!
Reply to this Posted by: Patrincia | July 26, 2008 4:54 PM #
How sweet! I'm glad you didn't make omelets.
Reply to this Posted by: Kitt | July 26, 2008 11:57 AM #