Yesterday, we picked the first fruits of the season from our garden; three plump strawberries. The arrival of even just a few of these early fruits means that it really is time to finish up the the frozen berries from last summer’s u-picks. Inspired by a rhubarb cream pie I made earlier this week, I made a raspberry blueberry cream pie with bags of fruit that were lingering in the bottom of the freezer. This pie contains the spirit of one particular Saturday last summer spent on Sauvie Island picking fruit with friends. It evokes memories of the angle and the heat of the sun on that day, and of our conversations about what we would make with the berries once we got them home. All of this just frozen in time until yesterday.
In late fall, a full freezer imparts a wonderfully secure feeling to a home, providing a sense of bravado so strong that one might go so far as to secretly wish for a long, harsh winter. And although it is incredibly satisfying to eat from the freezer during the long, dark days of winter, I think perhaps the best freezer is a nearly empty one, for in its emptiness lies endless potential.
Save two cuts of pork from Square Peg Farm, a couple of loaves of bread from the Grand Central Baking class madness, several quarts of peaches and a couple of bags of roasted tomatoes, the freezer is now nearly empty; the cycle is on the brink of renewal.
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