The Call of the Small

“Savor Sister” Linda here with you today, celebrating small things.

There is a Hummingbird nest in the yard.  It is magic. The nest is small, the eggs are small. “Big” has its place in nature for sure.  But it can be overly admired.

I am in the mood these days to scale things back a bit – so it is the Call of the Small that I hear most loudly.

Small things speak in a different language.  Peer into a hummingbird nest.  Stand at the lip of a flower. Or hang out at the entrance of a bee hive. And take it all in. I feel a vast freedom as I get interested in what is in front of my nose. Other than my phone I mean.

Here are a few visuals of just some such “small” things this week. Then we’ll jump right into a fun, flourless, cookie recipe that features the tiny mighty chiltepin.

To help with scale …. a dime above …

… and coffee beans ….

Standing at the lip of Mallow Flowers is always a treat for the native bee lover in me; there are two bees in this flower. Some bees even nap in Mallow flowers. Truly. Google it if you don’t believe me.

… here you can see the under and over achievers in the pollen gathering tasks of a hive ….

I’ll take this girl on my pollen gathering team for sure.

This photo shows a different color of pollen from a differing pollen source.

Call of the Small (flourless) Cookie Recipe – featuring chiltepin

Chiltepin may be tiny but they deliver a STRONG punch of heat directly to your tongue. Unlike most other chilies, these tiny wild chiles have a heat that flares hot and immediate on the tongue. It is not a subtle sensation. And the heat dies quickly.  (Most domesticated chiles run the opposite direction: the heat builds more slowly to a peak).

I remember the first time I tried one. It was a hot October day in the foot hills of the Sierra Madres, and I  was “set up” to be the butt of the chiltepin joke amongst a group of men.  A fresh, bright red chile was picked directly from the plant and handed to me.

I popped it in my mouth.  A good time was had by all as I coughed, sputtered and generally turned red. Now hardly a day goes by without me eating one. I even travel with them because I miss them. Their small size makes them super portable.

It was on just such a chiltepin plant that I was “set up” ….

chiltepin in various stages of drying

INGREDIENTS AND HOW TO: 

I cup Sunflower Seed Butter

1/3 Cup “as local as you can get it” Honey

1 fresh egg – I used one turkey egg because they are known for being great in baking

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

COMBINE ALL THE ABOVE AND MAKE SURE BATTER IS SMOOTH

ADD  chocolate chips and  3-5 ground chiltepin seeds and all.  (I also added chia seeds, pepitas, and cranberries).

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven until brown. Makes about a dozen cookies. 

Let me know what small things call to you. And how you like the bite of chile in this cookie.

The small unglamorous moments never get their moment in the sun – so here are the recipe tools getting washed.