“Water is H20, hydrogen two parts, oxygen one, but there is also a third thing, that makes it water, and nobody knows what that is.” D.H.Lawrence, Pansies.
Linda here with you today, writing on a downright cool November morning in the Old Pueblo.
I came across a bag of discounted, fresh cranberries this week. I picked it up and took it home, still not quite sure what I might do with it. It just felt nice to have a little color around as the days get cooler and darker.
Color can take us places. And to actually drink it in gives me a little infusion of energy: a surprising jolt of joy.
Cranberry Ginger Water.
Today’s recipe is Oh So Easy to make. It is Oh So Tasty on the Tongue. Cranberries are pollinated more and more often by a combination of bumblebees and honeybees. I like this partnership, and feel it worth mentioning as the humble bumblebee and its role in pollination is often overlooked. More food producers are finding that a combination of native pollinators with honeybees is more powerful than using just honeybees alone. While not a Southwest food, Cranberries are a food native to North America. For hard core food geeks, follow the link to explore more. Note: it is because cranberries are a native food that producers use a native pollinators!
|
Cranberries: The Most Intriguing Native North American Fruit APSnet Feature. November, 2000 Ingredients: |
-Water in a standard size pot with tight fitting lid.
-1 8oz bag of fresh cranberries. I have been seeing them on sale in stores.
-2 Tablespoons worth of Fresh Ginger root, cut up in pieces.
Rinse 8 oz of fresh cranberries.
In a covered pot, boil the cranberries and ginger for about 15-20 minutes, or until the berries are quite soft. Turn off heat and with lid still on, let the flavors infuse while it cools.
I love the way the water “Becomes cranberry”!
Strain the mixture into a vessel that can show off the color.
Place the vessel in front of a window to really savor the color. Somehow this also enhances the flavor as well.
Remember this is a basic recipe – and you can use it as a spring board! Drink it warm or cool. Add honey and drink it warm. Add one or two crushed dried chiltepin for some spice. Add a little “spirit” to it….. enjoy it. And while you Sip In all this color, you might joyfully ponder the native bees that pollinated it’s cranberry flowers – and the water and sun the plants utilized to grow.
____________________________________________________________
It is fun to remember water and its role not just in our lives, but in the lives of our fellow creatures.
HoneyBees use water to cool their hives – they use tiny bee tongues.
I love this photo of a hen teaching her chick to drink.
A peaceful moment
Savor the Southwest: 
I LOVE this water-themed post! Thank you for sharing so much of what water means from its molecule make-up to its life-giving sustenance and to the pure joy seeing it as a means to appreciate color! As always – I am stunned by your photos.
LikeLike