Determined to work my way through the pandemic pantry which still plagues me I pulled out a too long stored jar of peanut butter. The “natural” kind with an inch of oil floating above a solid mass of pureed peanut solids. There was no way stirring was going to turn the stuff into a smooth mass so I dumped it all into the food processor so the oil could once again find its way around the solids to produce the “butter” of peanuts. I lightly slathered some on a piece of toast made from bread baked by a neighbor who became a pandemic sourdough person of some accomplishment. Then I drizzled on some honey and took it to my chair in a corner of the garden where I start each day with my coffee and reading, the bees as my companions. As I write this I wonder if they knew I was consuming their product and if they had any aggro about it. The honey, like honey does, found its way onto surfaces it shouldn’t be, the kindle, the coffee cup handle, my nose, but I persevered being the professional eater I am taking small bites (ok big ones) interspersed with sips of now tepid coffee. All in all an ok breakfast.
But then came the time to clean it all up, peanut butter and honey, one clingy and smeary, the other sticky and everywhere. I don’t have a dishwasher so I have to wash each item individually. In this case I put the Cuisinart bowl, lid, blade and red silicone spatula to soak in hot water with a splash of vinegar. After an initial brush down I added dish soap and started wiping off the smears and sticks that remained. Then I washed the jars containing the peanut and the honey and wiped down the countertops. It all took a fair amount of water. Water is in short supply now in California and even though we haven’t yet been told to start rationing I’ve been showering with a five gallon bucket to catch the running water as it heats up and then bounces off me. I use it in the garden. So I start to wonder is it worth it to eat more peanut butter and honey on toast snacks? Am I willing to give them up to save water? Is that nuts? Sorry. Meanwhile I can feel more stickiness on my forearm which means in addition to wiping down the kindle and coffee cup this laptop will need some attention as well as my arm and my bathrobe apparently. I really hope I don’t find any in my hair.
To give up this particular snack is to give up a link to the memory of a sandwich I relished as an undergrad at UCLA in the 1970s. The north campus didn’t yet have a wide ranging choice of food vending options. Instead there was The Gypsy Wagon, a somewhat dilapidated trailer parked south of the Research Library. My sandwich of choice was called either Walter Wheatberry or Walter Wheatbunny. Perhaps one of you remembers. It was a peanut butter, honey, banana and walnut sandwich on wheat bread. Maybe there weren’t walnuts. Maybe that’s an embellishment of memory but they are something I added in over the years. It’s a perfect sandwich made even more so on good toasted dense crumb bread and eaten open-face. Will I ever make one again or will it become a miniscule casualty of drought? If I don’t use the peanut butter for this snack what will I do with it? Noodle with Peanut Sauce? A rich beef stew? A coconut soup with a little peanut butter stirred in? And the honey, will it be related to hot tea and challah dough? Hmm. It’s a lot to think about. Easier than wondering how to deal with drought.
Event: Wednesday, June 16 at 6pm
KCRW Behind the Screens: Join me for a live virtual conversation with Fabianne Toback and Karis Jagger, the producers of acclaimed Netflix show High On the Hog. Here is a fantastic essay on the significance of the series by Osayi Endolyn.
Listen: Good Food Saturday June 12: Court ruling on child labor abuses + slavery in big chocolate; DIY Root Beer/Spices; Guest/Host/Stranger make the dance of
hospitality; Apple Cider boom in US; Cherries + Pies for Justice 2; In the Weeds with a Lawry’s server
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