“Colors shone with exceptional clarity in the rain.
The ground was a deep black,
the pine branches a brilliant green,
the people wrapped in yellow looking like special spirits that were allowed to wander over the earth on rainy mornings only.”
Haruki Murakami
I don’t know of anything more luscious than rain after a drought.
We’ve had a terrible drought here in Southern Queensland. The normally green hills and valleys of our farmyard have withered and burnt away to bare dirt and brittle, brown grass. Farmers are having to sell off or give away their stock because there’s no water or feed for them. Some have no choice but to kill them. Fields are barren and hay prices have sky-rocketed. Just looking outside makes me thirsty, and I’ve had to go to my gardens every day to remind myself what green looks like. It’s a difficult time for those living off the land.
But this weekend it rained. Beautiful, gentle, exquisitely wet rain. I couldn’t bear to turn on music or movies for I just wanted to listen to it falling on our tin roof, a steady dance reminding me that all was not lost. That maybe, just maybe, we will have a reprieve.
And of course I had to walk in it.
It’s still winter so I bundled up to keep warm as the rain fell, drenching my hair and glossing my rubber boots. I headed straight for the gardens to see what they looked like in the rain.
It seemed like everything had grown an inch or two since the rain arrived. The bok choy had turned from wilted to perky, its leaves tall and strong, its heart a collection of rain drops and new buds.
I let one of my bok choy go to seed so I could see what it looked like. This, if you’ve never seen it, is the flower of the bok choy. Isn’t it cheerful?
The radishes are flourishing, almost ready to be pulled out and scrubbed for lunch. The snow peas are producing at last and Bear and I stood in the shelter of the shed to munch on the first few pods washed clean by the rain.
I love these gorgeous Dutch pea vines with their beautiful purple blossoms. I can’t wait to see the peas themselves, with their amethyst colored pods filled with bright green peas.
We still have a few oranges on our trees and I hope to pick them this week and juice them for breakfast.
The asparagus is shooting up almost before my very eyes. I pick it in late afternoon, eating it where I stand, and by the next day there are 4-5 more spears ready to eat. Marvelous.
A rainy weekend calls for celebratory comfort food. Bear was craving something coffee-flavored, so I experimented and came up with these Coffee Chocolate Cream Scones. We had them fresh out of the oven with the dark chocolate chunks still melting and gooeey, and later cooled, spread with thick layers of salted butter. Either way they were moist, tender, and delicious.
What is your favorite comfort food on a rainy day?
Coffee Chocolate Cream Scones
makes 8 scones
Ingredients:
2 cups plain white flour
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate, cut in pieces
1 1/4 cups coconut cream (or heavy cream)
2-3 Tbsp instant coffee granules
1-2 Tbsp milk (for brushing)
1 Tbsp raw sugar (for sprinkling)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 F (250 C)
- Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and chocolate.
- In small bowl stir together coconut cream and coffee granules until granules dissolve and cream is soft brown.
- Add coconut cream to flour mixture and stir gently until well-incorporated.
- Knead gently in the bowl, just until mixture holds together.
- Turn out onto floured surface and shape into circle 1-inch thick.
- Cut into 8 wedges and place on baking paper lined baking sheet.
- Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with raw sugar.
- Bake 15-20 minutes until tops are browned and sides not doughy.
- Serve warm or cold with butter.
Rain brings a fresh new life to everything! Lovely post, Krista, and nice recipe too!
It sure does, @lizposmyk:disqus 🙂 I hope you got some too! XO
I love the rain. Those scones look scrummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Me too, @rachel_lees:disqus , so much. 🙂 It does my heart good. So glad you like the scones! Bear gave them a big thumbs up. 🙂
I know I would love these scones. So glad you’ve had rain. A drought is a terrible thing to live through!
I’m so happy for the rain too, Tandy. Hoping for more very soon. 🙂
the rainy day part we are still waiting for… it will also be great comfort when it comes~ we do have deep water well to keep the garden lush and the animals watered… the rains always come. It will be a pot of pea soup and fresh baked bread and cream goat cheese… yum
your photos are amazing for winter… real food~ and such beauty.
Wishing you lavish rain too, dear Susan. XO I’m so glad we both have deep wells to keep us and ours going during these dry spells. I love, love, love your rainy day meal. That’s exactly what I want tonight. 🙂
Nothing is as vibrant as the colours of nature! Love the dew drops on each of them 🙂
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
The dew drops delight me too, @GourmetGetaway:disqus 🙂
Beautiful poem, lovely shots and fabulous scones!
I generally love rain, but this spring and summer I’ve had enough of it!!! It has rained nearly every day since June…
Cheers,
Rosa
I can’t get over how much rain you’ve had, @disqus_aGsN66uwc5:disqus ! I would be sick of it too.
A few weeks ago it rained for several days ultimately putting out the forest fires. I am sure that you took in several deep comforting breaths as the raise washed away the dust in your part of the world. It has been slightly cooler and I have had a craving for macaroni and cheese.
I’m so glad rains came for you at last, bellini! That is wonderful. XO
Glad to hear your much-needed rain arrived. If I had the power I’d send more to you from the northwest (your opening quote sounded like it was written for this part of the world!). Luckily we haven’t yet lost our sun, save for a couple of days last week when the skies opened and dumped record-breaking amounts. 🙁
I’ve been hearing stories of your glorious summer weather, @disqus_WseMqaTPwi:disqus I’m so glad you’ve had sunshine amidst the rain. 🙂
oh my! i could get into serious trouble with those scones. the garden is beautiful and we know what you mean here in s. california. a proper rain would be good!
http://mlleparadis.blogspot.com
Yes, these scones didn’t last long around here, paradis. 🙂 Wishing you good, restoring rain very soon. XO
Beautiful photos, as always 🙂 I never think blossoms look washed out in the sunshine ’til I see them in the rain. I look forward to pics of those amethyst pea pods – very intrigued! My go-to rainy-day comfort is usually freshly baked muffins, but this week’s forecast calls for bread pudding to go with the predicted showers. My in-laws returned from our local church camp with more milk than they can drink before it turns, and a freezer-full of bread to boot, so I’ve been tasked to turn it all into dessert (and, let’s face it, breakfast too). Glad to hear your drought is abating!
Muffins and bread pudding sound like pure comfort food, @rachelfriesen:disqus 🙂 I keep checking my amethyst peas for you each day. 🙂 They are growing now and when they get plumper, I will post pics. 🙂
The rain was really good but I’m glad the sun has come back out and it’s Springlike again. 🙂
Yes, @disqus_v9uRgGTGfe:disqus the sun arrived yesterday and it is beautiful. 🙂
Ooh, it sounds so idyllic to walk in your own garden munching veggies straight off the plant. That drought sounds like such a terrible thing to live through though. Wishing I could ship you some of the rain we’ve been having here off and on ALL SUMMER!
I would happily take some rain off your hands, @BethanyBassett:disqus 🙂 And I’d love to have you wander and munch in my gardens with me. 🙂
We’ve had more than a drenching here in Sydney and it’s been so difficult to get out and about. I’m so glad the rain has fallen where it’s most needed and that your property has been revived. I love the look of your asparagus xx
I’m always amazed to hear of you getting drenched in Sydney while we’re parched up here, Charlie. 🙂 I’m always glad to hear it though, so you don’t have those horrible fires. xo
Krista, your photos are so
fresh and lovely and make
me long for rain so that I can
dance in it, too!!!
I will be pinning your lovely
recipe to try and will think of
you when I make it…..
Enjoy the green–hope it lasts!
xo Suzanne
Thank you so much, @suzannewalcher:disqus Dancing in the rain sounds WONDERFUL! 🙂
Very delicious an creative scones Krista. It always seems like things grow so quickly when it ains. We did need rain so badly
We sure did, @taniamykitchenstoriescomau:disqus 🙂 And we got even more this weekend! HOORAY! 🙂
Oh it rained for days here in the Berra, but I didnt enjoy it at all, mostly because it only added to the super cold feeling I have had for what seems like months. LOL! #imasook
Although it looks like the rain has made your world pop. Just gorgeous.
Oh, I hear that, @disqus_o9c9vkchcC:disqus It is DREADFUL being cold and wet. On Saturday, after working outside all day in the rain, I couldn’t get warm to save my life. Shiver. So glad the sun is back again. 🙂
Glad you are getting some rain too Krista. Love the look of those scones, I have to admit last weekend when it rained I too made some scones up. Perfect comfort food.
Thank you, @lizstrayedtable:disqus 🙂 Scones are perfect comfort food for sure. 🙂
Chocolate coffee scones – now THERE’S a concept!! I also love eating mange tout peas fresh off the vine – so good!