at midweek

The Poor Man's Feast Weekly Shortlist

What are you reading/cooking/watching/listening to today, Wednesday June 8th

1. It’s rose season and time to harvest petals for cooking. If you’re growing them (organically, pesticide-free; key words) harvest the petals late morning, when they are most fragrant. Put them on a rimmed baking sheet. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (or the lowest you can get it), and after 10 minutes, shut it off. Then place the pan in the oven, and at the 6 minute mark, rotate the pan, continue to dry for another 3 minutes. Remove, and store the now-dried petals in an airtight container (for months). I was a naysayer when it came to cooking with rose petals (too perfumy), until my Fine Arts Work Center students, James chef/owner Deborah Williamson, master photographer Andrea Gentl, and stylist Nancy Jo Iacoi took over my little Provincetown kitchen after our 2019 workshop was over, and sprinkled them on everything from roasted salmon with herbs to flourless chocolate cake. Extraordinary. Forever changed my mind. Find recipes here and here and here. (Photo and cake above by Andrea Gentl)

2. A beautiful tribute to the writer Barry Lopez at Point Reyes Books, with John Freeman, Jane Hirshfield, Bathsheba Demuth, Rebecca Solnit, Colum McCann, Robert Macfarlane, and Debra Gwartney.

3. Katherine May’s amazing conversation with Aja Barber on getting dressed, how we buy clothes, the ethics of production and consumption, and more. Incredibly, vitally important.

4. My summer memoir workshops are filling up. Please consider joining me for one, or both. Scholarships are available.

5. A life-changing discovery: Everyday Oil. I am more conscious than ever of buying multiple skincare products that are riddled with chemicals, tested on animals, and/or single-purpose. I found Everyday Oil in a shop in Camden, Maine last month, and nothing will ever be the same.

Have a good week!