If you do some traveling through the blogosphere, I’m sure you’re already well accustomed to the unified cry going up amongst food bloggers, bemoaning the changing seasons. Summer was too short, and I fear it always will be even if full days were actually added to it, simply because it’s the state of mind that one takes on during these fast few months. All that sun gets into one’s head, permitting a more relaxed approach to work and allowing for far more play. No matter whether school vacations are applicable or not, life just takes on a slower, more comfortable pace. Truly there’s nothing like the mindset I associate with summer, but what’s even more alluring when I think of the season has got to be the produce. As someone who adores berries, this is the harvest I look forward to all year, and mourn when it ends right about now. But you know, even if I could have raspberries and strawberries 365 days a year, I don’t think I really could. Why? Despite my undying love for them, it has something to do with that summer mindset I suppose.
True, I would hardly turn up my nose at a perfectly ripe berry in January if such thing were possible, but availability doesn’t always ensure edibility. Take for instance, the pineapple.
Impressive as a whole fruit and admittedly, rather intimidating to break down, but when fresh, these pointy yellow and brown ovals have the most amazing tangy and sweet flavor. I can’t say that it’s my favorite fruit, or that I would go out of my way to obtain it, but there’s nothing that could replace those brightly flavored and colored pleasantly fibrous chunks in a fruit salad. Now, were you to can the once fragrant, fresh fruit… That’s when things tend to go awry. Just like it’s impossible to can and preserve the summer state of mind, there’s no way to accurately reproduce summer fruits past the fact. Emerging from a tin coffin, dripping with chemicals and high fructose corn syrup, it’s enough to make anyone forget the happiness that real seasonal delights might bring.
So, is all lost for the cold months that are fast approaching? Never! In addition to the fabulous new taste sensations that are just about to become ripe such as incredibly crisp, sweet and tart apples, juicy pomegranates, and zesty clementines, just to name a few, I think I’ve found a suitable way to save the joy that fresh pineapple might bring…
…By turning it into head gear! True, this one is sized for the head of an infant or toddler, but just seeing someone, anyone wearing a hat like this would certainly brighten up even the darkest, gloomiest winter days, don’t you think?