Summer is a season of fresh berries, fruits, and veggies.
For me, as a permanent resident of the urban jungle, it is a real luxury to taste freshly picked raspberries or strawberries, or cherries. Tomato or cucumber. Anything. And feel this... I call it the "smell of the sun". You smell it, closing your eyes for a moment, and in the next second, little neuron cells rush to carry that aroma from your nose further and further to the fingertips that hold the fruit, completing a great life-giving circle. No, it is definitely something much more than just vitamins.😊
And I never miss the chance. The other day my hubby and I visited his mother. I mentioned in one of my posts that there is a Mulberry tree growing on their plot. Then its berries were small and not very juicy due to dry weather. But this was my first tasting of the season, so they still were yummy. The second time, after the rains, the berries were twice as big and twice as tasty. It was my little paradise.
I harvested almost 5 liters and that was just a tiny fraction of the crop but enough for me for a whole week.❤️ I put some berries in my mouth and some in the jar until my stomach and the jar were full.
I don't know how to eat mulberry without leaving traces. By the end, my fingers, lips and tongue were dark purple. And also partly legs, shorts, sneakers, and a T-shirt.
The hubby's mother asked me - what are you doing with it (meaning mulberry)? Do you cook or can it? My answer - I eat it!😁
Also, this year I made several jars (5 or 6) of gooseberry jam. Does it grow in your area?
The etymology of the English word is very interesting. But the Ukrainian name also has something special, namely a letter that the Soviet authorities threw out of the Ukrainian alphabet. To be more similar to Russian. I remember this letter in my first school ABC, and later it just disappeared.
But back to gooseberry jam. It was my first time. I found the recipe when browsing Youtube, and its taste is really cool! The ratio and the recipe are very simple:
1 kg gooseberry (I took red)
1 kg sugar
1 orange.
Grind with a blender, bring to a boil, let cool, then cook for another 15 to 60 minutes, depending on the desired consistency.
By the way, do you believe that there is a genetic memory? I believe that at least Ukrainians have it. I mean the experienced hunger. This is trauma at the level of basic instinct that all living creatures have. There were difficult years in our past, and there was also an artificial famine. I never thought about it until I saw a documentary about the Holodomor in Ukraine in 1932-33. I don't remember the director, only that it was a woman, and the film was not shot in Ukraine.
My daughter had a normal childhood. We always had homemade and delicious food at home. At first, we lived with our parents, and then we got our own flat. She was 5 years old, and I remember her words: "Mommy, what will we eat there at our new home?" And also: "When I move, I will take all the toys and all the food with me." I remembered these words because they really made me laugh. But now I think what if maybe it was a manifestation of that genetic memory received from our grandmothers?
Every year I make preserves, at least one kind. If you ask me why I'd say because I make it to my taste and so on. (unless you dig deeper...). It's really no more complicated than making dinner because I usually use small amounts. Only if it's a bad year, then no new jars are added to my shelves during the summer. It was like that when my father died, and it was like that last year.
I very often compare myself to whom I was last summer. I remember my feelings. I told myself that I was ready to continue living my life, although I still don't fully understand how to do it. I still remember that it hurt all the time. From the news, from what was seen and heard. Constant anxiety about my husband and the uncertainty of his situation. Over the past year, I think I understand how people who commit suicide feel. I'm serious. I remember several cases that happened with people I knew. You know, what was most impressive - these people behaved normally until the last moment of their lives. Absolutely normal. It blows my mind. The huge cognitive dissonance. Now I understand how it may be. That's it and I did not reach this line. That's good.
By the way, today I saved a stranger girl at a crosswalk! Maybe not from death, but definitely from fractures. Don't forget to do a digital detox sometimes - it may save lives. I have a book about it - a gift from 
I lost my train of thought a little bit. This summer I feel like ... my life is back after a long separation. I feel every moment, and at the same time, I seem to recall it. You know, we are used to complaining about the weather. Whether it is too hot or cool, we don't like the rain or the wind or the dazzling sun. And I also sometimes complained. Now I love everything that happens around me. Even crazy heat. Even downpours and thunderstorms, when some city streets become rivers. Because I live and I can feel it. This is so great! I catch every moment. My new old life. Meanwhile, I remember how much my morning coffee really costs. I mean the people who are holding the front every minute for the rest of us. People to whom I am deeply grateful for my summer.
This is all for today. I tried to look at the bright side today and share only positive vibes. 😉
I believe you have even more positive moments. Love yourself and don't forget to take care of yourself.
Cheers,
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