Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Autumn gift

Autumn is here; the days and nights have been nippy and the change in weather quite abrupt. I felt a bit caught out; not quite ready for this. But today I received a gift. After spending time being interviewed by a research student, talking about seasonal food for Matariki, the Pacific Aotearoa New Year that will be heralded in early June, I was given a jar of marmalade. She made it herself, from her own organically grown kumquats.
Here it stands, a golden feast in a jar. It's such a time-honoured tradition, to gift food as a way of saying thank you, or as solace for hard times. Within summer stored in my kitchen, I'm ready for the lengthening shadows, cool nights, and yellowing of the leaves. Thank you, Christine.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

A wonderful gift, indeed. There is no better way to be thanked, is there? Your "golden feast in a jar". I am sure you will be enjoying this fruitful yield of summer for some time to come, Juliet.

Juliet said...

Thank you Penny; I'm going to 'relish' it, little by little!

Unknown said...

Gorgeous gift. Woman's Institute still hand out homemade food to say thank you to speakers, as I found out recently.

Juliet said...

How wonderful that they are still doing this - keeping up a good tradition.