One of my favorite quotes!

“My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was less competition there.”

Indira Gandhi

Grape Jelly

Five-six years ago, I planted more or less for fun a little twig that supposedly was a concord grape vine. I didn't even expect it to make it through our winters - let's just say our weather is not exactly like the wine condusive weather patterns in Alsace Lorraine - or withstand our gale force winds equal to any North Sea storm! But, it did and grew fairly big.





Three years later, I found my grape vine full of wonderful, smaller grapes and I was looking forward to trying my very own concords in the fall. The birds apparently had the same idea.














I covered my by now huge grape vine with a structure of pvc pipe and netting and this year....I had tons of grapes!! Ok, maybe not tons, but I ended up with 5 pounds! I was so excited but not about to eat 5 pounds of grapes, so I decided to make grape jelly.







Now, you need to know that I have never liked grape jelly.

Whenever I see a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich, my taste buds revolt. The stuff you buy in the stores tastes like a chemical bath that burns and scours my taste buds and afterwards sends my system into a diabetic chock simulation from sugar overload.

But, one of my youngest likes it, so I thought home made grape jelly would be a good idea.

(squeezing any last drops out)

(wonderful, aromatic concord juice)

(the juice is strained one more time)

Oh my goodness, I had no idea grape jelly could taste like this! After cutting the required sugar amount exactly in half, I ended up with the most deliciously tasting jelly and hope I soon have more grapes.

India

A lot has happened since the last time I posted a message. For one, this summer I spent two months in India for an internship. There are no words that can describe my experience accurately, but it was amazing, challenging, rewarding, wonderful and so incredibly interesting.



I have met the most fantastic people and learned so much! It will take a long time to digest all the impressions and things I have seen, but I look back with such fond memories.


If you are interesting in reading a little more about my trip, you can go to the blog I wrote while I was there at http://monsoonlessons-bonnie.blogspot.com/

Two women are applying wax in a process known as double batik.

This gentleman is sitting on a large concrete block with a vat of boiling water to remove the wax from the batiks.

From the train on my way to Kutch.

Cows do indeed walk all over in India!

A textile producer in Kutch.

What language barrier? I met this young man who was deaf and because of sign language, we could communicate.

This textile producer works only with natural dyes and materials. Here he is standing by one of his fantastic indigo baths.

The King's Palace in Kutch. Amazing!!!

On the market in Bhuj, Kutch.

On the market in Bhuj, Kutch.

The Lotus Temple in Delhi.

The Golibar Slum, Mumbai.

The Red Fort in Delhi.

The monsoon coming to Goa.