Deep Comfort
filled with flavors and fragrances...
Familiar flavors are a deep comfort. The first recipe I ever made was for cinnamon toast, a project that appeared in a book that I checked out from my school library over and over. The alchemy of bread, butter, and a common spice was an astonishing revelation to this future cook and it’s a formula I’ve returned to in uncertain or stressful times, including several elaborate pandemic stovetop and broiler versions.
Hot cocoa follows fast on the heels of cinnamon toast when it comes to dishing up kitchen solace. A few years ago, I came across a recipe for a giftable “hot choco” on Creativebug that, in my opinion has the perfect blend of rich chocolate and creamy milk. I like to spike my mix with a bracing pinch of cayenne pepper for extra warmth.
Finally, and perhaps a tad more adult than the previous two examples, flaky vanilla salt is always near my stovetop ready to sprinkle on everything from breakfast granola to fresh fruit to dessert. Vanilla has been shown to enhance mood, evoke memory and nostalgia, even pique romantic feelings—honestly, the flavor is more like a magic potion than a safe default. The recipe is a variation on Citrus Salt, a project that appears in my book. Only rather than fresh citrus zest, split a plump vanilla bean and add the sticky seeds to a ½ cup of flaky sea salt; I always toss in the spent bean into the jar as well. Vanilla salt on summer tomatoes is a wonder that’s sadly behind us for the foreseeable future.
Flavor and fragrance are physiologically and emotionally entwined. Fragrance is a potent pathway to memory—weaving favorite fragrances into everyday life is a simple but effective strategy for coping with daily stressors. Just like brown sugar Katsura leaves and the singular scents of lilacs and sweet peas, seasonal fragrances are another way to mark our place in the year. Last week we made our annual trek to Yakima to forage Osage oranges. As I posted on Garden Rant last year:
When October arrives, some people get out their heavy sweaters and rake leaves. Others switch over to pumpkin spice lattes, play a round of touch football, or jump in said piles of leaves. Us? We drive roughly 300 miles to Yakima, just east of the Cascade Range, to gather Osage oranges.
This year our plans were stalled into November by an extended baseball season, but we arrived at the Yakima Arboretum to a bumper crop of the curious lime-green knobby fruits scattered on the ground beneath a tree with furrowed bark, thereby securing this year’s crop of a citrus-scented charm. The tree is not a true citrus but a plant in the mulberry family; you can read the origin story of this seasonal practice here.
I find it’s easier to serve up favorite flavors while fragrances take some effort to seek out. I have a vague scent-memory from more than 60 years ago of playing in wet leaves at dusk on a fall day: a blend of asphalt, decay and… something I can’t quite put my finger (nose?) on. I’m not sure how to investigate a smell of time and place but I’m not done trying. In the meantime, I can make cinnamon toast. I’m so glad you’re here.
xo Lorene
Recent reading: Green Thoughts: A Writer in the Garden, by Eleanor Perenyi
Longer ago than I care to recall, I found this book on the shelves of my local bookstore. An alphabetical compendium of 72 short essays, observations, and notes, the book is, and always will remain, a sentimental favorite as it was on Perenyi’s strong opinions, erudite language, and blunt admonishments, that I first honed my horticultural reading chops.
Recent writing: Grow Your Own Oasis, A South Park gardener (Ben Hammontree) turns a tired lawn and industrial view into an awe-inspiring haven, in The Seattle Times. You meet the nicest people in the garden.
Sharing is Caring!
Thank you for reading Cultivating Color. I hope to offer up a pleasing dose of color and inspiration in this quiet little corner of the internet. On a personal note, knowing you’re here and offering support lifts me up and keeps me going.
Flower & Garden Inspiration in Holland + Belgium
Hosted by Slow Flowers Society founder Debra Prinzing, you’re invited to join a very special trip that’s 100% tailored to garden, flower, and art lovers – Lorene Edwards Forkner joins as artist in residence, exploring the power of language and mark-making to enlarge your travel experience.
· Visit inspiring garden + floral destinations and cultural sights
· 7-night river cruise with custom shore excursions
· 3-nights in the charming city of Utrecht
· Optional 2-day pre-tour of the famous Bloemencorso Bollenstreek flower parade
Our tour is produced by Lois Moss of Tour 2 Explore More Garden Tours.
Let’s Color
Thanks for the street tree gumball! Sweet gum (Liquidamber styraciflua)
Fruits of my annual pilgrimage to forage Osage oranges in the Yakima Arboretum for no other reason than to gather the citrus-scented knobby orbs.
Hear me out. If plants are made of sunlight, and they are, then even on the darkest day the sun’s rays still shine.
Russet skinned juicy garden pear.
Beach rocks collected last year flaunting the autumn hues of grey skies and fallen leaves.