Our use of midsummer is not correct, but feels right: halfway between the solstice of June and the equinox of September. That’s what always made sense to me. Why would midsummer be at the beginning of the summer season? It is in fact astronomical midsummer, the longest day mid-way between spring and fall. Still, I like my way.
This year, summer began June 20 and fall begins September 22, so some advanced math sets our summer midpoint at today, August 7.
Anyways, we are in it, this extraordinary summer, a necklace of beautiful days one after the other. This past week we finally got some much needed rain, two days in a row overcast, below normal in the 70’s though very muggy– a welcome relief after the heat and dry.
Black raspberries are a wrap, and sour cherries, so limited like all stone fruit this year by the deep cold in February, as well. So excited to announce a new flavor, and with a fruit new to les collines. Our Black & Blue Preserve combines blueberries, blackberries, and black raspberries for a dense gem from the deep heart of summer. It is gorgeous, darling, and debuted at the Copake Hillsdale Farmers Market this week to rave reviews.
In the next few weeks, Blackberry Jelly will come on stage, and Plum Jelly, crop depending. The limited local cherry crop translated into orchards not having enough to outsource for pitting. We were glad to have cherries for les collines, but needed to get on those Montmorencies ourselves. With thanks to my friend and colleague Pascale the past few weeks for pinch hitting and helping with among other tasks a boatload of cherry pitting. Pascale, tu es formidable!!!
Since the last post we’ve been around…at among others the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, the Copake Hillsdale Farmers Market for a second guest appearance, and a super cool tasting at Copake Wine Works, where co-owner Christy Frank came up with ingenious wine, and in one case hard cider, pairings, for four les collines jelly and preserves. Brava, Christy!! It was so fun.
Here then, in no particular order, a fortnight in pictures (oops that grilled salmon a little heavy on the char!), as we head from my personal midsummer into the dog days, this is how we do it xo
