I realize it's been many moons since I've written anything here, but it's a new season and school is in full swing, and I feel like talking about photosynthesis.
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| Harnessing the energy from the Sun, my friend, Matt, is the envy of all the bitches in west L.A. who wish they had dahlias like this. His garden is poppin'. |
Summer is over. What did I do? I learned how to surf like an amateur; I drove myself and a surfboard up to a fundraiser farm-to-table dinner party at
Happy Girl Kitchen in Pacific Grove; I
surfed Big Sur on my way home and learned an important lesson in surfing etiquette (almost had my ass handed to me); I bought my first surfboard; I was spoiled with an abundance of food from the farm and my garden; I saw many of my good friends and shared delicious meals with cool people; I found myself drinking
craft beer (made in my hood!) with a sophisticated gangsta who taught me all about the ways of a true playa. & then it was over. We're about to fall back and kiss daylight savings goodbye. It's all very bittersweet, because I heart summer, but it always breaks my heart. Now it's entirely acceptable for me to use the heat in the kitchen and wear sweaters while I do it.
So here we are, post autumnal equinox, and I think it's a good time to reflect on the importance of many of the
things we take for granted. Let's talk about how we revolve (revolution for real) around a star that is fusing elements together, creating an absurd amount of energy in the process, sending it in our direction,
and then the energy is literally trapped in between the carbon bonds of glucose while simultaneously pulling carbon dioxide out of the air. The "waste" product is oxygen, and the real miracle of it all is that solar energy is being transferred to my neurons via cellular respiration (is there such a thing as mitochondria doping?) so that I can share my love for
chloroplasts and
chlorophyll and those pancake-shaped
thylakoids right now. Damn, it feels good to be a gangsta.
Pollinators wanna act like it's all about them, but we both know they would have a hard time without the real life reaction that happens between sunshine (aka photons) and chloroplasts. Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of love for the pollinators. They're O.G. true playas, hustlin' all day. Haters gonna hate. Role models come in all shapes and sizes.
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| O.G. in action |
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| It's hard to tell, but this photo is highly inappropriate. There's a honeybee homegirl down there, gettin' all up in this passionflower. True playa. |
If you're like me, you be tryin' to ball till you fall, so you probably have VIP status at your local organic farm. How else are you gonna get a hook up on some freshly photosynthesized complex carbohydrates? Gardens are legit, but I have to argue for balance here. It's a full-time job growing your own food, so why not support your local small farmer while you supplement with your own homegrown goodness?
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Concrete jungles can be modified to support photosynthesis and life. Can't stop, won't stop.
Those are 4 different kinds of heirloom tomatoes growing in paint buckets (less than $3/piece), arugula in the silver bucket, and herbs in the concrete blocks. DIY, bitches. |
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| Sun Sugars. You can make this kind of magic happen. Photosynthesis and pollinators want to help you, but you can't act like it's all about you all the time. Cultivate living space, develop and maintain. |
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| Sun Sugar harvest. If you're a baller, harvest tomatoes in a crystal bowl. Keep it classy. |
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| Heirloom harvest: Goosecreek tomatoes and Big Rainbow. |
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| Summer harvest: Sun Sugars, Goosecreek, Black Seaman, and Big Rainbow. |
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| Grand finale! Garden salsa with basil, lime, pink sea salt, and a splash of the strawberry vinegar I bought from Happy Girl Kitchen. Find something fancy in your kitchen and experiment. Be wild. |
Salsa Garden Salsa
Please feel free to modify this recipe to suit your palate and/or to better complement the flavors you decide to include. For example, I did not use any jalapeño in this recipe because it would overpower the brightness of the basil and the subtle hint of strawberry.
- 1.5 - 2 lbs of your favorite tomatoes
- 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 - 2/3 of a small white onion (or a sweet onion if you can find one)
- 1 cup (give or take) of your favorite fresh basil
- 1-2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1-2 tsp strawberry vinegar
- Pink sea salt to taste
You have a couple of options with assembly. I tend to go either way, depending on my mood and that day's commitments. Option 1: use a food processor (faster). Option 2: don't use a food processor (slower). If you decide to go with option 1, I would recommend processing the roughly chopped onions with the minced garlic, basil, salt, and lime juice on pulse before adding the roughly chopped tomatoes. If you're not in the mood to use your fancy kitchen equipment and you have time to really involve yourself, take the liberty to add ingredients together, in a large bowl, in whatever order makes you most happy.
On a final note, I am grateful for the sun, the pollinators, and the summer harvest. However, I am also grateful for apple season that's happening right now in southern California. I can't wait to tell you about my trip to Julian and the subsequent apple butter-making-marathon.
