Fresh

Here it is. The first post. I've been meaning to start this blog for exactly five months and twenty one days but didn't want to begin until I could commit. So here it is; my first blog post and my commitment to it.

I'm inspired by many things this week. The most compelling would be graduating with an undergraduate degree in Nutrition and Culinary Arts from Bastyr University at the age of 40. Yahoo! I did earn an education, yes, but the lessons and the friendships and the path I found along the way are far more valuable than the paper that proclaims me an educated woman. None the less, I will hang this paper on the wall above the computer at which I sit now.  I'm also inspired by my classmates who are already doing great work and will no doubt make this planet better for us all. I have the great fortune of knowing such exceptional people.

My inspiration this morning began when I started picking a handful of strawberries from my yard but soon realized that my hands could not hold what I could pick. This would be the first year that I could fill a bowl of ripe strawberries at one time. Not enough for a batch of jam but enough to get the recipe wheels turning, fill my belly and still have a few left over to share (or not). Strawberry jam is a classic but its not an easy thing. The fruit is so delicate and the flavor is easily botched by heat, too much sugar or both. I have a few ideas to preserve the integrity of this lovely fruit while adding a little innovation but this will have to wait until tomorrow as there are no farmers markets within a reasonable distance in Seattle today. Don't worry, I'll share the outcome. Until then, here's another idea for preserving the flavor.