It was a short Winter here in Los Angeles. Too short. We will likely pay the price for this fact later on down the road. But right now it is glorious. The sun is out but not at full strength, the camellias are in bloom, and there is a constant buzzing coming from the lavender.
We’ve been exploring the differences we see around our yard and throughout our neighborhood, pausing to talk about each of the flowers and insects we see. Rémy is just learning to smell with intention. If I bring a rose to his nose and model how to sniff, he tries his best to emulate.
It almost always ends in him wanting to taste the rose as well. This is the way of the toddler. We have many senses to explore the world with, and a toddler can’t understand why you would want to limit the exploration. I admire that adventurous spirit. What an exuberant way to live!
But the adventurer needs a thoughtful guide now and then. That’s where we come in.
There are plants throughout the garden that are best left out of the mouth. I remember one time, about a year ago, he grabbed a succulent leaf, stuck it in his mouth, chewed, and promptly threw up. It has been a year of hovering around and pointing out plants that are not for the mouth.
There are a few plants and flowers that he can eat, and I let him try them out whenever possible. We practice smelling, and then it goes in the mouth. I love this practice because it helps him discover the raw flavors of nature.
I want Rémy to connect the flavors outside to things we eat, and so we cook with some of the flavors from the garden. Typically, these flavors get somewhat lost among all the other ingredients that make up a dish. So I thought it would be interesting to try drinking the flavors instead.
We collected roses, lavender, and rosemary from the garden, and I created simple syrups for each. The ingredients - one cup boiling water, one cup sugar, and herbs. Dissolve the sugar in the boiling water, add the herbs for the last minute, and let cool with the herbs inside the mixture.
Simple but effective. The infusion of flavor is quite powerful. Too powerful (and sugary) to drink straight, but perfect to flavor lemonade.
Under the lemon tree, I set up a lemonade making station. I provided a bowl of halved lemons and a small hand juicer. He tried his best to squeeze out the juice (and of course stick his fingers into the lemons). There was probably a half cup of juice by the time he tired of the task.
I used the lemon juice to mix up three batches of flavored lemonade, and then created a tasting menu presented with the raw flavors for comparison. He could smell the rosemary, then taste it, and then take a sip of the rosemary infused lemonade.
I love the fact that he is outside, making connections between what he encounters in the garden and what goes on in our kitchen. I think that connection will make him a better cook, but also help develop an appreciation for where our food and drink comes from.
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