Pomona and the Poet's Rose

Should you turn right when you leave our house and follow the path you would find yourself on a hillside amongst the rolling Vouvray vineyards.  Here the whirring crickets perform an ostinato to the melody of joyful birdsong while the green, tightly packed, ripening grapes surrender to the beating sun and the drone of wasps.  Dotted around are small châteaux with bright blue painted shutters which are often closed by late morning to ward off the heat.  There are also pastures in which all manner of fruit trees grow: quince, apple, cherry, peach, and walnut some of which are cultivated while others grow wild.

It's a blissful area to wander through but you have to watch out for adders.

If you were to walk down the steep road you would reach our village which nestles in the Loire river valley.  At the heart of the village is the eleventh-century church in which a remarkably dishy young priest preaches most Sunday mornings to a gaggle of unruly children and their sleepy parents.  It is behind the church where I head to when I need to escape from the pressures of family life for there, along a narrow path, are dozens of allotments - or jardins d'ouvriers (workers' gardens).

The earth of these plots of land is dry and cracked; more so this summer than usual.  There is no local irrigation system despite the proximity of the Loire.  The gardens are, however, beautiful.  When I observe the gardeners lugging their heavy watering cans back and forth from neighbouring houses I marvel at their labour of love and the beauty of their gardens.

Hollyhocks are abundant now.

There is, however, a surprise to be spotted among the blooms.



This cardigan is called 'Roses are Pink' (for obvious reasons ;-)) and was inspired by a rose named after our local sixteenth-century poet, Pierre de Ronsard. It was made with Cascade Ultra Pima. The design is my own.

Hollyhocks and roses aside shades of blue are dominant during high summer: purple-blue, blue-grey, the porcelaine-blue starry flowers of'Heavenburn' or Tweedia caerulea, and the pastel-blue Nepeta with its grey-green foliage.  Of course there is lavender: Lavandula dentata and the more aromatic Lavandula intermedia, 'Dutch Lavender', which flowers until Autumn although its flowers are deep violet rather than blue.  Each bush is a den of thieves, as dozens of plump bees, dressed in yellow sweaters, fumble the flowers.

Here is Peony posing in pink

There are fruit trees here too most of which are heavily laden with ripening fruit.  This morning as I sat under an apricot tree observing a woman down on one knee weeding -it can be enjoyable to watch others working hard- I thought about Pomona, the Goddess of gardens and fruit trees, who, being fearful of uncultivated nature and men, would remain in her walled orchard while virile woodland gods would lust at her from afar.

Then I thought how after a long day of tending trees Pomana must have been terribly thirsty and hungry so perhaps, I imagined, it would be a good idea if I baked her some sort of cake.  As I looked up at the apricots and sniffed the surrounding lavender I knew exactly what I would make her:

Lavender Shortbreads with Apricot Coulis

or

Pomona's Summer Tea Break

So home I scuttled and if you are remotely interested here are the recipes:

For the Lavender Shortbread you will need:

150g plain flour

100g slightly salted butter, cut into pieces

50g golden caster sugar

a few lavender flowers

Preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas 2/fan oven 150°C.

Put the flour in a mixing bowl, add the butter and rub together to make the crumbs.  Stir in the sugar and the lavender flowers.

Work the mixture together until it forms a ball.  Cover it in clingfilm and put in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Flour a work surface lightly and roll out the dough.  Use a cutter to cut out rounds; I like to make mine quite thick.

Place onto an ungreased baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.

(Although British Shortbreads are pale in colour I have been influenced by the French Sablés which are darker in colour.)

For the Apricot Coulis I have lifted the recipe from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros but instead of using vanilla essence I prefer the indulgence of using a vanilla pod.

100g sugar

1kg apricots (around 15)

a vanilla pod (or a few drops of vanilla extract)

Halve the apricots and remove the stones.

Spilt the pod lengthways and remove all the seeds with a knife.

Add the sugar and seeds to a saucepan with a bowl of water.  Boil while stirring with a wooden spoon until the sugar has disolved.  Leave to simmer for a few minutes. 

Add the apricots, cover and simmer for around 10 minutes.

Blend and chill.

Yum!

In a few days I will be back to show you the completed Cardigan Rose.  I was overjoyed by all the responses to my flower name/button dilemma.  It has been such a delicously difficult choice to make and so much more fun than thinking on life's real problems, I'm sure you will agree.  Pomona (not the deity but the next best thing) was absolutely right when she suggested I had already subconciously made my choice; lavender coloured buttons. However my heart has since gone along a different path.

I cannot wait to show you.  Until then I wish you a peaceful and joyful weekend.


ps Do you use flowers in cooking? I would very much like to know.