Education, Food, Poetry, RattleBag and Rhubarb, WW1

Blackberry and Apple Crumble

If we had some bacon we could have bacon and eggs but we’ve got no eggs. That First World War catch phrase came to mind as I was contemplating an idle wish to make blackberry and apple crumble. I imagine a Bruce Bairnsfather cartoon with Old Bill and Alf or Bert grousing about the food while the whizz bangs fly…

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Art, Film, Photography, Food, Poetry, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Bitter Strawberries

     Farm work is one of the best jobs for getting to know people as they really are. The First Job and the Sweetest Sylvia Plath’s first job was on a farm in the summer of 1950. I am grateful to the inestimable Maria Popova (Brain Pickings) for these extracts from her journal and from an article in which…

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Art, Film, Photography, Food, Poetry, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Mud Soup

Some culinary disasters can be repurposed. Here is Glen Baxter on polenta: And then there are times when you just have to cut your losses. Some poems just write themselves. Here is Carolyn Kizer writing – ranting and venting might be more accurate – about a Craig Claiborne recipe she tried from the NY Times. It probably didn’t help her…

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Art, Film, Photography, Food, Poetry, Politics, RattleBag and Rhubarb

A Polished Performance

A Polished Performance Citizens of the polished capital Sigh for the towns up country, And their innocent simplicity. People in the towns up country Applaud the unpolished innocence Of the distant villages. Dwellers in the distant villages Speak of a simple unspoilt girl, Living alone, deep in the bush. Deep in the bush we found her, Large and innocent of…

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Art, Film, Photography, Food, Poetry, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Lard

A Facebook friend wanted some crowd-sourcing help for a piece she was editing. Her query asked readers to end the sentence  “When you think of lard …?” My answer was: “When I think of lard I think of Wiltshire lardy cake. Delicious. I also think of my mother – 75 years a vegetarian – who made the exception for lard…

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Art, Film, Photography, Food, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Palermo: Markets and Mosaics

Palermo has three outdoor markets and we managed to hit all of them. Two we found by design while foraging for supplies and the third on our walk back from the Palentine Chapel and on our way to the completely over the top Chiesa del Gesù. So a few scenes from the market and then on to Montreale. Lots of…

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Food, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Perfect for the Fall: Tuscan Tomato Soup: Pappa al Pomodoro

It’s the first day of Fall and here’s the perfect dish – pappa al pomodoro. And it’s simple to make. Tomatoes are still abundant, tasty and fresh and the frost has not bitten the basil yet. While you are at it – make a couple of extra pints to freeze for the dark days ahead. You’ll be glad you did one…

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Food, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Time for Tomato Chutney

When it’s getting near the end of fresh tomato season and the freezer and shelves are full of sauces it’s time to think chutney. Lots of good recipes out there but my all-time favorite is adapted from the indispensable Madhur Jaffrey. I’ve been making it for over thirty years and it never fails in spite of all the variations on…

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Food, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Design Thinking: The Teapot and How to Brew the Best Cup of Tea

Design thinking – it’s everywhere in education. And that’s great because problems are everywhere and design thinking offers a way forward. It aligns with problem seeking, solution finding, empathy, integrative and interdisciplinary work, collaborative processes, open-ended thinking, revision and creative contribution – all that good authentic and relevant stuff. And it’s great that we seemed to moved a little beyond…

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Education, Food, RattleBag and Rhubarb

Tweet your Lunch

I check my Twitter feed first thing.  It’s an early morning routine that helps give me a quick scan of the world and of the edusphere in particular. Today, President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-free  Kids Act into  law. Child nutrition and school lunch are hot topics and the PBS NewsHour has taken notice.  I follow the NewsHour so I…

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