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HERE COMES THE SPRING

4/6/2013

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The winter has been arduous. Eventful and inspiring, but a challenge. The month of December welcomed in the olive harvest, but our trees bore little fruit. Concentrating on finishing our house, I have neglected the trees. Hopefully they will forgive. A trip to visit our son and daughter-in-law in Singapore was a unique experience, with side trips to Bangkok and Bali. The extraordinary experience of a tropical December alerted my senses to the passages in nature. Color in the tropics  presents itself in bold bursts.
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It is seductive and mesmerizing. The heat, the humidity, the light all dazzle you with intensity.
Returning to the Priorat mid January, we were greeted with a blast of cold. The countryside lay dormant, waiting, patiently waiting. And then the almonds burst forth in February, their delicate tissue like flowers a spray of radiant lightness. Pinks in every tone, pale near white to the deep pink of the marcona. And I could feel the yearning to capture color. The almond blossom, however, seduces with it's burst of color and scent, but I have yet to harness it.
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Yet the Priorat NEVER lets you down. The winter may seem like it won't end, and then, one day, on my way to the chicken coop, I saw my first poppy. And those of you who have followed Colores del Priorat know that the poppy is what started this whole adventure. So, where there is a poppy, there is more.

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The first poppy bath
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The delicate wild hyacinth
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Euphorbia and wild thyme
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Wild thyme in bloom, natures glorious aromatic
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The wild grape hyacinth, muscari neglectum, pokes it head out boldly in the field, a dwarf reflection of the grapes to come. When I first glimpsed this delicate bloom, I disregarded it. The magnificent deep violet color seemed out of my reach. I have tried to solicit color from equally saturated flowers, only to be disappointed. But the hyacinth proved me wrong. Picking just the flowers, I immersed them in water, which I brought to a boil. Not a good idea. Too much heat. I immediately ran back outside to gather more, and augmented the bath with fresh buds. The resulting blue, what you might define as a robins egg blue, is utter magic.

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And then there is the wild asparagus. What a delicious treat to wander among the terraces, after a night of rain, and find these lovely green shoots. After taking the tender tops for a tortilla made with farm fresh eggs, I boiled the remaining stems to reveal a tart, vibrant green. Spring has sprung. Colores del Priorat has awakened from hibernation, stay tuned for the colors of Spring 2013. I love the Priorat!

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    Sara Dochow, creator of Colores del Priorat. 

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