these days
……………….
good morning to you. this week, i am liking:
+ local asparagus! big time. i think i will roast some of it for a simple supper, and then pickle the rest of it.
+ changes in the light in my apartment
+ colorful flowers at the markets
+ the intoxicating scent of lilacs in my neighborhood (i need to figure out how to get a clipping!)
+ listening to old yo la tengo albums (even better when cooking)
+ a first restaurant meal outdoors, eating perfect oysters and spring pasta
+ drinking moscatel vinegar with fizzy water. (i first tried this at zingerman’s in ann arbor. a few of the people working there were drinking it, and when we tasted some we were blown away by how clean, bright and delicious it was. it is a perfect non-alcoholic drink, and vinegar has many health benefits. it is made from muscat grapes, and it is slightly sweet, floral and very similar to muscatel wine. look for it locally, but you can buy it online here.)
tomorrow, i think i’ll share thoughts and links about music. enjoy your day.
i hope you are able to snag a clipping! also, i second the yo la tengo while cooking and i am very intrigued by this moscatel vinegar drink. i wonder if it tastes a bit like kombucha?
huh! I was just looking at Moscatel vinegar at Garden of Eden near Union Square. Sounds refreshing (and a good reason to use our soda-carbonator.)
Hi Brian!
I was just gonna ask what Shari asked-does it taste similar to kombucha?
Sounds good, gonna have to try that one.
And I’m with you an grabbing a bit of lilacs from a neighbor, they won’t mind….Happy Wednesday to you.
you could always just ask.
that’s how i get peonies.
i am so going to try this drink.
hey friends-
so, the drink is a bit like kombucha, but less tart — because it is grape-based, it tastes more like a sparkling wine.
these lilacs are stuck behind the fence of a large apartment building, but i think i can ask the doorman (or find another lilac bush pretty easily). i’ll report back. this feels like a stealth mission now.
We had a huge row of Lilacs along our property in Winnipeg. They were decades old, gorgeous and big. We lived along a direct route to downtown just outside Osborne Village, everyone walked by and broke bunches of lilacs off. Wasn’t too kind to the bush, but we loved to share them, they are the true sign of Spring!
I always walk around with a pair of pruners in my purse. And sparking wine! Wohoo, need to try that.
Um, meant sparkling…not sparking wine, that would be bad.
I listened to Fakebook on my way in to work this AM.
The muscatel beverage sounds good! I remember drinking shrub (aka shrubb or switchel) as a kid. We would drink it a lot to cool off while we worked in the hayfields. Shrub is usually made with a fruit vinegar syrup and water. Usually it was rhubarb, apple cider, or raspberry vinegar. It is so refreshing. We made our switchel with apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and lemons. These drinks were popular during colonial times and were often mixed with rum. I love how these traditional things are coming back. Thanks for sharing this!
The beverage sounds good! Hope you’re able to snag some lilac…
it made my day when i saw lilacs at the union square market today. they smell so good! i’m having asparagus tonight too. that drink sounds really good. i’ll have to look for some vinegar. what is your recipe for pickling asaragus? i have never tried it.
i was intrigued by your asparagus and thought i would stop by.. i’ve been enjoying old yo la tengo too! tried to see them last weekend, but it didn’t work out. lovely photos and blog.
We are still a couple weeks away from the first local asparagus, but oh, I can’t wait. I’m intrigued by the moscatel+ fizzy water. It might be just the thing to take to a housewarming/potluck this weekend.
(And good luck with the lilacs…I’ve got my eye on some neighbourhood forsythia these days.)
Vinegar?! With fizzy water? That sounds so crazy I just may have to try it!
An excellent week indeed.
I have to try that drink now!