(no subject)
Mar. 17th, 2007 11:18 pmBecause I'm in an exceptionally kind mood, I thought I would share with you what the apples looked like that endangered Isaac Newton's brain. What I really want right now, though is to eat the Gloria Mundi variety, so I can exclaim "Sic transit Gloria Mundi" as I munch.
Why am I fixating on historical apples? Because I can't make up my mind how long before my Food in History course begins is the right time to ring the local heritage apple orchard (which has Pearmains!) and to ask if we can please have a class excursion there.
The excursion isn't on the course outline and would be entirely optional, but the apple guy knows his stuff (and has Pearmains!!) and it would be an exceptionally cool thing to do. It would be especially exceptional in May, if I have my when-apples-ripen correct and quite a few varieties are in season (my inner-apple-date is all based on Passover - we always had our first Grannies and Goldens for first night Passover when I was a child).
In an ideal world, we might be able to ask for a tour and then buy a heap and take them away for tasting or for historical cooking. Now wouldn't *that* be an excursion and a half - an orchard and then cook historical varieties in recipes from their period of earliest note. I don't know if we'd do that the same day or if we'd divvy the loot and bring recipes in the next Tuesday. I suspect I'm in dreaming mode until I ring the amazing apple guy and ask what he thinks.
Maybe it's peak harvest for him and excursions aren't possible. We shall see. It may not be possible at all. In which case I will browse on the Brogdale Horticultural site for many hours, exclaiming "Sic transit gloria mundi" for entirely different reasons.
And this post is about teaching, which is why it's on this blog. Which is daft, because it's about culinary history and should be on the other blog. I might send you all back here from there and create a closed circle. Add conceit to confusion. Or was that confusion to conceit?
Why am I fixating on historical apples? Because I can't make up my mind how long before my Food in History course begins is the right time to ring the local heritage apple orchard (which has Pearmains!) and to ask if we can please have a class excursion there.
The excursion isn't on the course outline and would be entirely optional, but the apple guy knows his stuff (and has Pearmains!!) and it would be an exceptionally cool thing to do. It would be especially exceptional in May, if I have my when-apples-ripen correct and quite a few varieties are in season (my inner-apple-date is all based on Passover - we always had our first Grannies and Goldens for first night Passover when I was a child).
In an ideal world, we might be able to ask for a tour and then buy a heap and take them away for tasting or for historical cooking. Now wouldn't *that* be an excursion and a half - an orchard and then cook historical varieties in recipes from their period of earliest note. I don't know if we'd do that the same day or if we'd divvy the loot and bring recipes in the next Tuesday. I suspect I'm in dreaming mode until I ring the amazing apple guy and ask what he thinks.
Maybe it's peak harvest for him and excursions aren't possible. We shall see. It may not be possible at all. In which case I will browse on the Brogdale Horticultural site for many hours, exclaiming "Sic transit gloria mundi" for entirely different reasons.
And this post is about teaching, which is why it's on this blog. Which is daft, because it's about culinary history and should be on the other blog. I might send you all back here from there and create a closed circle. Add conceit to confusion. Or was that confusion to conceit?