“Quaker Ladies” and Johnny Cakes with Granola and Fruit

Spring is in full bloom; as we walk on our land, bright green leaves create a canopy over our heads. With all of the impermanence in the world and the daily barrage of tragic news, it is a reassuring and special treasure to welcome back “Quaker Ladies” with their blue four petals and yellow centers.

Our new house peeks through the woods as we head up the hill.

In the distance we see a carpet of Quaker Ladies on the forest floor.

Once a sheep farm in the 1800’s; the land is crisscrossed with crumbling old stone walls. When farms in the area were abandoned, forests slowly reclaimed the land. At some point, the land was partially logged, creating a series of trails that wind through the woods. We are now honored to have become stewards of the land, my husband has painstakingly cleared many of the trails of invasive species, encouraging the growth of wildflowers and other native plants.

• According to writer Suzan Bellincampi from the Vineyard Gazette:

The name Quaker ladies is reputed to have originated from Native Americans who “would track where the Quakers travelled by seeing where the flowers grew (as the seeds dropped from their shoes).”

The bluet’s four-petalled flower emerges from a single stem and its yellow center is irresistible to pollinators, attracting carpenter bees, green metallic bees, and many other buzzing brethren. Bluets are a favorite of the bee fly, or humblefly, which resemble a plain, stripe-less bumblebee, and which hovers like a hummingbird above the flower. And it also attracts small butterflies, so it wouldn’t be unusual to see an azure on an azure.

While pollinators appreciate the gifts provided by bluets, their uses by humans are more limited. Apart from their beauty, only one practical use was found for this plant, though it is a useful one. Cherokees made an infusion from it as a cure for bedwetting.

Our house is almost ready to move into. We have a brought a few chairs and set up a small makeshift table. The other day Paul was hammering wooden dowels into a IKEA pantry shelf while I practiced a Vivaldi Sonata on my recorder. Somehow the hammering did not bother me. It brought back memories when we lived together in one room on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I remember practicing while Paul worked on his financial newsletter; a new high rise was bring built directly across the street and a huge a pile driver was making regular slamming noises! This was decidedly more peaceful!

Here is a recipe for light and delicious pancakes made with cornmeal and almond flour- a perfect summer breakfast with fresh fruit, plenty of maple syrup and granola. I am looking forward to making these Johnny Cakes on the griddle of our new stove!

Johnny Cakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cup almond milk
• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil, + more for frying- I used canola oil
• Maple syrup, agave, and almond butter — to serve

To Make Johnny Cakes:

In an medium bowl, mix dry ingredients together.

Add egg, almond milk and oil.

Mix well.

Heat a pancake griddle and oil lightly.

Cook pancakes on one side until small bubbles appear, flip and cook until done.

Serve with fresh fruit, yogurt and granola.

Top with plenty of maple syrup and enjoy!

AND: Here’s the “Tree of the Week”!

HAPPY SPRING!