Sweet! A Basil Surprise

Between raindrops I looked for dahlias but found chrysanthemums at the Farmer's Market.

It was pleasing to see the season coming on.  The beauty all around got me thinking about autumn flavors.  Gourds, squashes, nuts and root vegetables captured my eye, colors glowing in the midmorning light, piqued my cooking curiosity.  Pie?  Yes, I think so.  I do indeed.

Further along the lane, some vendors were selling exquisite orchids.  They are both precisely formed and whimsically pretty.  They never change; they're always perfect, like children's faces atop tall stalks.  The faces looked expectant, hoping for pies?  I like the idea; orchids sitting down to pie.  

Apples and now plump grapes are in many stalls, both tasty and tart.  Still thinking about pies, turnovers, sauces, butters and eating the little wonders right out of hand I remember how I meant to buy some golden raisins and more dried apricots.  There were so many distractions; the sight of flowers got the best of me.

Next week - I admit, I am already planning - I'll get some golden raisins and look for the unknown, the unfamiliar, the surprises. The best surprise today?  Dark purple sweet basil, fragrant and gorgeous, certain to become the delight of many meals this week.  Delicious and unusual herbs like the basil, freshly picked, elevate ordinary foods to fabulous levels.  A bunch of purple basil is a bouquet of many kinds, satisfying the nose, the eyes and the palate all at once.  

Cut flowers - the mums and dahlias now -  change the room with their presence, which is not true of very many things, or people.  Serendipitous combinations of color, texture and even flavors in edible flowers are nothing if not delightful.  The mums are not edible, but that wonderful basil and its pungent distinctive aroma is calling out to me now, many hours later.  

Now to find some recipes...