Days of tomatoes and peaches

Make it stand out

September feels like nature’s gift to all of us who live here, we made it through Summer, all the traffic, the busy beaches, the long lines, in September we can exhale, stretch, relax bathe in the MOST BEAUTIFUL light and breathe in the wild apples, pine trees and the sea.

Days of wine and roses are one thing, but the days of tomatoes and peaches —that I can get behind, but as summer draws to a close and chilly shoulders yearn for cozy warmth and pumpkin spiced lattes, Gilmore Girls season as it were, I miss the heady days of August produce, as much as I look forward to crispy apples, bowls of soup, bowls of oatmeal laced with honey and spices, the scent of a chicken roasting in the oven, baked sweet potatoes laced with miso and brown sugar.

September 22 is Rosh Hashanah the Jewish New Year and 10 days later is Yom Kippur, the day of atonement and remembrance, These 10 days collectively known as the 10 Days of Awe, is a time of reflection and consideration . On Rosh Hashanah we wish each other a Sweet New Year, and eat symbolic foods like apples dipped in honey, “new” fruits like pomegranates, figs, dates, pears, some roast chickens, some roast whole fish, we bake a round challah to symbolize the circle of life and we celebrate the abundance of the harvest. This leads into a more somber time of remembering those who’ve left us, who’ve gone before us, we throw our worries in the water on pieces of bread, we fast, we ask our friends, our family, our community for forgiveness of any wrongs we may have done any time we’ve made bad choice that affected others. We all do it, we all make mistakes, have bad days - I think taking time to reflect on how to move forward in the New Years, be better, be kinder, be more generous goes a long way towards healing this broken world.

Below is a recipe for Tomato Jam - couple of things about this, it bridges the gap between fall and summer so beautifully, perfect for those last tomatoes and when I make this I think of my mother, my grandmothers, my Aunt Sandy, my dear friend Marlena, each one of these women inspired me they were gardeners and cooks and true Balaboostas and I pause an reflect of the gifts they left with me and I think about how I can go forward and what I will pass on,

Make this Jam— Slather it all over a Chicken or Filets of Salmon for the ideal Rosh Hashanah dinner…