Seasonal still life

I pulled into my driveway late one afternoon last week after a long day and noticed the white plastic bin on the front porch by the door. My Fresh Abundance box had been delivered. I’d been looking forward to its arrival so I carried it into the kitchen to unpack and inspect the contents. I wasn’t disappointed. I pulled out fresh lettuce, fruit, Roma tomatoes, an onion and other delights. Fresh Abundance is a local market that features only locally grown (within 200 miles of Spokane) produce, eggs, chicken and meats. The store is located on Division, but, for me, one of the best services they offer is the free delivery. Like a lot of people, my life is always busy. I work, have a family and all the other demands of an active life. Although I try to segment my day to make it all work, finding the time to shop for fresh, particularly for local and organic groceries, can be a stretch. So, to have produce delivered to me each week is a bonus. The contents are listed online each week, but I usually don’t even check. I like the surprise of opening the box to see what I’ll be eating the next few days. Being a part of Fresh Abundance works well for me. Each week I put out the empty bin and it is replaced with a full box of seasonal produce. I can add milk, natural cleaning products or even meat to my order. Of course, having the food delivered also presents an occasional challenge. I don’t want to waste anything that was grown and nurtured by a local farmer. And I don’t want to pay for something that will only spoil in my refrigerator. So, occasionally, I have to move beyond the tried and true dishes I usually prepare for the family. This week’s box brought three or four beautiful beets that will be sliced, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and roasted. My family is not big on beets, but I love them so much, it doesn’t matter to me if anyone else takes a bite. I’ll eat them all. This time of year, there is an added bonus: Fall fruits are so beautiful. I took the bag of tiny pears included in my delivery and put them in the center of the old oak table in the kitchen, in a pottery bowl that had been made by my daughter. When the late afternoon sun came streaming through the window, casting shadows on the bowl of fruit, the simple arrangement looked like an artist’s beautiful still life. It was so pretty, in fact, I grabbed my camera and took a picture. And then I took a bite of one of the pears. Delicious. I don’t think Vermeer could have passed that bowl of pears without stopping to paint. Or taking a bite.