PERSISTENCE / PEACHES / POETRY

Hello, dearest ones…

I went missing last week.

I have the half-completed “On That Note…” that was “due” last week sitting in my Drafts.

Why?

It didn’t excite me

and I was procrastinating (P word).

I was writing something literally just to get some sort of newsletter out there, because my deadline— which is completely self-inflicted, by the way— was coming up.

I have decided that “On That Note…” will be biweekly.

Biweekly in the every-other-week kinda way.

This will help me actually have interesting, exciting things to share in my letters to you.

Frankly, I’m working so much right now and my personal life is a little bit uninteresting. Switching to biweekly Substacks is one of the many ways in which I can clear headspace for time with loved ones, non-work activities, and hobbies. Having a life will make “On That Note…” so much more creative, chaotic, and jam-packed with goodness. Perfection ( P word).

Another P word? PYREX.

Not Pyrex. PYREX. (If you know you knowwwwwww).

I’ve been wanting to get into collecting vintage PYREX for a while because it seemed very on-brand for me, a lover of pile rummaging and patterns and pots and pans.

My collection began this year. My “collection” so far has been one piece.

I, remembering I have a life outside of work and sleep, decided to dilly-dally at Valley Vintage after work the other day.

I came across

beauty.

Two.

Well kept.

Crazy Daisy.

So, I had to get them.

AND THEN I BAKED WITH THEM!

(I washed them first, then I baked with them).

These are the things the people wanna hear.

On that note…

Dribbles down the chin.

Perfect sweetness.

I often forget how perfect a peach can be… until I eat a peach.

An actually good peach.

Not too fuzzy, juicy-soft, a hint of tang.

I, then, am reminded.

Popcorn (P word) is a bit like that for me, too. I very very rarely will crave popcorn, but once I get a tiny taste…

“This is MY FAVORITE snack ever and I can’t believe I forgot how good popcorn is!”

Peaches are phenomenal (phonetically-F-ish P word), and the things you can make with them are potentially even better.

This week,

my parents procured a peach pile,

a 25lb peach pile

from a peach truck.

Therefore, it was my duty to do something about the peaches.

Do something, I did.

I made peach jam using loads of juicy peaches (skins on), honey, water, a pinch of salt, lemon juice, a bit of sugar, low-n-slow heat, and a lot of time.

The lemon juice and peach skins added a nice flavor and color, and they also incorporated pectin naturally.

After I made jam, I made peach cobbler with hints of ginger and cinnamon. Warm, gooey, golden, crisp. Perfect topped with ice cream.

Julia has been making lots of salads with the juicy ripe peaches, but I’ve just been eating them whole.

My favorite peach production this week has been my luxurious vanilla bean peach ice cream. Imagine the most creamy French vanilla ice cream (super custardy and infused with freshly-scraped vanilla beans) blended with fresh peach puree.

Peaches and cream with a vanilla punch. Perfect as a cobbler topping.

My tips

1. To peel peaches, drop them in boiling water for 10-15 seconds. Immediately, fish them out and drop them into freezing-cold ice water. The skins will peel right off.

2. For ice cream base, the best is always one with egg yolks (a custard base or a French ice cream). Split, scrape, and infuse your vanilla beans (pods and all) into your cream and milk on the stove. Strain it out at the very end (while you’re straining your custard for lumps).

I’m so happy when I get to use seasonal fruits and ingredients.

I love seasonality.

It’s a beautiful kind of appreciation—

The way nature changes over time.

I love Farmers Markets and freshness

and community.

On that note…

This weekend, I will be both enjoying and volunteering at the New York City Poetry Festival.

Every year, The Poetry Society of New York holds this magical, free event for literary lovers everywhere. “The festival invites poetry organizations and collectives of all shapes and sizes to bring their unique formats, aesthetics, and personalities to the festival grounds, which are ringed with a collection of beautiful Victorian houses and tucked beneath the wide, green canopies of dozens of century old trees.”

There are vendors, performers, refreshments, open-mics, a Book Drive, and activities!

It’s a poet’s paradise… and it’s free.

This year’s theme is Poetopia. The Poetry Festival is fostering a future for poetics, a future for dreamers.

I am thrilled to be stage managing The Brinkley, the festival’s main stage, all day on Sunday. I am even more excited to be on an island full of so many smart, swirly, sensitive, spectacular, stunning brains.

for you Ella :(

Peaches duhhhhhh

I’m back on the half raspberry iced tea/ half lemonade thing.

Freshly washed hair

The Pitt (I’ve been watching without Dalton oops)

Layering lacy stuff with denim.