Wow, I haven't written since May? What a slacker. June of course is totally given to Pride and the annual parade I manage, so that explains why I didn't post then — also, there would be too much temptation to rant about too many people. July is recovery month from the stress of June, where I spend most of my time just lying low and keeping under the radar. Which brings us to August. Already I have started to mourn that within the next month or so, the stone fruits of summer I so love will be disappearing.Apricots, which I wrote about last time, still hang on shockingly. I normally can't find them past June, so I'm in heaven. And the little black velvets in the photo are also available at this late date, although they are shifting more towards the plummy side than the apricot side, even if they still have a fuzzy, dull skin. The honeydew and mango nectarines with their pale flesh are still producing, too, adding the the peach and regular nectarine scene. Pineapples are so cheap this year that I've been able to slice up some fresh fruit frequently. Even the cherries haven't been bad, but what the heck is up with the price of blueberries? And why do they taste so bland?
I made Libby, who lives here in the loft community, some rhubarb and tangerine jam, after she raved about trying it at a local restaurant. Totally easy to make. Paul, also a tenant, was in the mood for tomato soup and narry a can was to be found. But, I had all the ingredients to actually make tomato soup, and with a splash of fig balsamic, a little bay leaf, and a dollop of cream cheese wisked in, it made a very lush version.
Bee Update: Apparently, the 3,000 little buggers are happily hiving away in Alameda, at the home of a fellow tenant's beekeeper friend. The report has been they are the most robust, hardest working bees of the three hives and are making honey. We'll be getting a jar when the harvest is done. Meanwhile... another hive is starting to form near Paul's window, and they look fat, fat, fat from all the pollens and nectar nearby. I'm sure our recent garden explosion in the common area has contributed, although, I don't see many bees there.
