Preserve the Morning

The thermometer outside my office window is registering 30 degrees this morning. For the first half hour of wakefulness, I grumbled about the 40 degree decline in temperature. (Yesterday, we were near 70.) I was prepared to be cranky about it all day but then two things altered my predisposition.

I had just come from the kitchen with (1) a cup of my favorite caffeine concoction, tea brewed with a slice of apple, a cinnamon stick, two cloves, and a half a star anise, and as I sat down at my desk and looked out the east window, I noticed the (2) sunrise.

It's a bucolic scene from where I sit, grassy slopes of land dotted by trees and fence posts, a small barn behind a neighboring house and further back, a fixed line of timber representing the horizon. Just above this jagged black row, the sky glowed peach in color. I believe it was a pivotal moment of focus. I could rue the tactical of imagined physical discomfort or appreciate the visual of a fine fall morning. And, there was the added bonus of not having received the hard freeze last night that had been predicted.

I had expected to see slimy, black piles of frozen foliage dangling from flower pots and instead, my Martha Washington geranium is still upright and blooming. Bravo as well to the purple supertunia and the yellow angel trumpet, tender annuals enduring the chill without giving up. As amazed as I am at the resiliency of these flowers, I'm equally impressed by two of my neighbors, guys 70 years plus. The sharp, north wind is no deterrent as they go about, one idly strolling across his property while the other is tooling around in his golf cart. I guess over the years, they've developed a thick Midwestern hide that makes them impervious to the cold.

And me?

Since my change of heart at sunrise, I'd be right out there with them if it weren't for the brussel sprouts Dave and I harvested yesterday.

I've got eight gallon bags of jade cross brussel sprouts to put up. Priorities, right?

Preserving tip: The preferred method of preserving brussel sprouts is to blanche (immerse in boiling water) for 3-5 minutes and then immediately plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking action. Then the sprouts must be drained well before putting them into a freezer bag for storage. Personally, all that water dunking is a bit of a pain in my opinion. A couple years ago, I had an abundance of cabbage. I successfully preserved it by steaming. Using a large pot equipped with a steamer basket, bring water to boil and steam sprouts for two minutes. This is efficient enough to stop the enzyme action. Then the sprouts can go directly into a freezer bag, eliminating all that bathing and draining. Set bag aside until its cool to the touch and then pop it into the freezer. Easy!