Summertime in Maine is not ideal weather for glass-blowing, which is why this year we scheduled regular shop maintenance for June and July. We figured going to shows hanging out in the gallery with friends and gardening while the weather is lush was a seasonal approach that could work out just fine...
Our experiment has been pretty fabulous! We are available when people come into the shop, and spend time cultivating a big garden, organizing, and oh yeah: ripping out more lumber from of our space and (groan) renovating the studio...
The daily schedule has revolved around a long coffee hour in the morning, finishing up engraving work, getting to know our new galleries, chatting with people and ...gardening. There are some very inspiring things coming out of not just the engraving studio or the garden but the compost pile! It's gorgeous right?
unknown (but tasty) squash variety
The little tendrils get knotted up sometimes when they search unsuccessfully for something to hang onto and climb...I think they would make the most amazing jewelry....
and of course I loooove the color.
Here you can see that inspiration in my recent lights, inspired by the capillary structure of plants....
Being that we are up to our eye-balls in zucchini, cucumbers etc. we are contriving all sorts of ways to eat, pickle, and freeze vegetation. While an Anise Hyssop Mojito recipe may be tantalizing I think the zucchini pancake which can be frozen now then popped into the toaster (to be enjoyed single serving style sometime in february) may be more practical to those of you out there drowning in a sea of zucchini boats (pontoons?)...
I like Alice Water's recipe (she calls them zucchini fritters) but I pretty much mix it up with whatever I've got in the spice cabinet (adding cheese is always super good too)...Her recipe calls for potatoe starch. I like to substitute chick pea flour for a pakora like flavor... this is her recipe below from Chez Panisse Vegetables:1 pound sm. zucchini
salt & pepper
1 clove garlic
1 sm. bunch chives
Zest of 4 lemons
1 tblspn potatoe starch
1 egg
2 tblpns olive oil
Grate zucchini and salt them. Let stand for 30 minute in a colander. Squeeze the zukes dry w/ your hands or wring them out in a towel. Peel and chop garlic fine, chop fine about 1 tblspn. chives, and grate the zest from the lemons.
In a large bowl combine the zuks with garlic, chives, lemon and potatoe starch, and the egg lightly beaten. Heat olive oil in a non stick saut'e pan over a medium heat. for each fritter pour a generous tablespoon of the zucchini batter into the pan. They will look like little pancakes. turn after about 3 min. or when golden. Cook 2 minutes on the other side. Drain on paper towels.
Its really good w/ a tart yogurt on top!
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