I came across an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about Chef  Aliza Green and her experiences teaching high  and junior high school students about cooking and Jewish culture. The article is well worth reading,  and I ended up checking out her blog and really got interested.

Check out the herb guide. Her book on herbs should be a good reference.

Chef Green is not only a talented cook, but is an accomplished author as well.  Ceviche just happens to be one of my favorite things, particularly in the summer.  I’m hooked.

In the Inquirer article she mentions that she is researching a book on Jewish culinary history.  I look forward to reading that.

Mark and Cindy Eldridge are in attendance to stoke the fire and check the progress of the sap reduction. It’ll be ready later for bottling.

I’ve commandeered one of the chairs, enjoying the sauna-like atmosphere perfumed with the maple essence of the sap. Absorbed, with eyes closed, in the zen of the moment I drift a bit. As Mark tends to the sap Cindy and I are talking about food, recipes, and the price of groceries. We all agree that the boxes get bigger – the contents get smaller – and the prices just keep on going up and up. It’s a squeeze for sure.

It’s getting warmer as the fire builds and the talk turns to politics. The core of the conversation is a consensus that our representatives don’t seem to give two whits about us but maybe, just maybe, there’s change in the wind with that Obama fella. But none of us allow our hopes to get too high – disappointment has a very bitter taste.

Heading back to my cabin now. More from the sugar shack later.