ghosts of zucchinis past

these are the ghosts of all of the zucchinis that have grown in insanely abundant midwestern gardens late in the year after everyone has already gotten sick of zucchini. on earth, they were neglected and abused, allowed to wilt and shrivel. but in the afterlife, they are pale and plump and beautiful.

zucchini slices

uncertainty

i looked up whether aloe vera was edible, because i found these specimens in an asian grocery. the answer to my question was yet one more example of the uncertainty of modern life. the gel may help with burns, but it may not. the gel has moisturizing properties, but may not, as often claimed, soothe psoriasis. the gel is edible, and yet may be toxic. the gel itself, separated from a layer of aloin near the skin is likely safer than consuming both, but may still contain toxins. what seems the most clear is that some people have eaten it in some way ever since ancient egypt and greece. and that science had not made anything much clearer since then, but that if you and your people have eaten some form of aloe for several millenia, you should listen to your mother and your grandmother and eat it, preparing it carefully the way they do, and the way their ancestors have always done. i wish it were simpler. i wish there weren’t so much incentive and money behind making things complicated, so that we all begin to be dependent on experts who probably don’t know more than mothers always have.

aloe vera gel and skin

that smell

yes, of course, i wanted to experiment with the unpredictable shapes of ginger root. but did i mostly just want to fill my kitchen with the smell of a dozen freshly sliced ginger bulbs? as our friend paul likes to say, “maybe i did. and maybe i did.”

ginger

eye of the beholder

every time i catch sight of these shapes, i see something new. are they silhouettes of broody hens? are they fat andouille sausages? are they zuni cave paintings? are they a schematic of the human intestinal system? are they distended flower buds? are they late-season seed pods? are they sea slugs? i don’t know? any other ideas?

sweet potato 

tomato tarte

this is approximately what dinner will look like tonight. a tarte aux tomates cerises (cherry tomato tarte). reduce, reuse, recycle. tonight we will do all three.

tomatoes