The Ultimate Materialist

There is a habit that plagues many so-called spiritual minds: they imagine that matter and spirit are somehow at odds with each other and that the right course for human life is to escape from the world of matter into some finer and purer (and undoubtedly duller) realm. To me, that is a crashing mistake -- and it is, above all, a theological mistake. Because, in fact, it was God who invented dirt, onions, and turnip greens; God who invented human beings, and their strange compulsion to cook their food; God who, at the end of each day of creation, pronounced a resounding "Good!" over his own concoctions. And it is God's unrelenting love of all the stuff of this world that keeps it in being at every moment. So, if we are fascinated, even intoxicated, by matter, it is no surprise: we are made in the image of the Ultimate Materialist. 

From the "Preface to the Second and Third Edition" of The Supper of the Lamb by Robert Farrar Capon.

Blueberries Bottled

While living in Wisconsin, we were introduced to a nice little custom. Some people gather cherries, preferably Door County cherries, and place them in a bottle filled with brandy (or some other strong spirit) with a little sugar and perhaps some spices. This bottle then is closed and allowed to sit for several months so that the cherries are completely steeped and the liquor takes on a delightful mellow sweet cherry flavor. The concoction is called Cherry Bounce and is very simple to make and quite delightful on a cold winter night.

A few weeks ago my bride and I were talking about this, and started thinking about how we could do this with a more local spin. We live in NH, so cherries are not that common. We also live about 5 minutes from a blueberry farm, where we go several times a year in season to pick a pile of the lovely luscious blue globes. Well, you can see where this is all going now, can’t you?

A few minutes spent looking up recipes on the internet, an hour spent picking about 20 lbs. of fresh blueberries this afternoon (a perfect New England September day), another hour or two picking out stems, leaves, bad berries and spiders. Now this evening we shall put up the liqueur. I’ll let you know in a couple months how it turns out.

Also, we are trying to think of a proper name. Blueberry Bounce is adequate, but lacks originality. Blueberry Cordial sounds sophisticated but very serious. Hmmmm…have to think about it.