Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe
Originally uploaded by linfrye

Daily Practice
Journal

I spent most of the day yesterday rendering cantaloupe into preserves -- finished with 30 small jars, a dehydrator filled with both cantaloupe and tomatoes from the garden, and picked another pint of blueberries -- whew.

In between watering the plants and cleaning the kitchen, I painted a very loose cantaloupe to remember the day. I had to paint a bit, and LEAVE, so I could leave it loose and resist my urge to put in any more details. But I"m really happy with the results. I find painting like this far more difficult than any other painting styles I've tried ... I'll have to keep practicing so that it isn't a 'hit and miss' kiind of thing. It was fun, splashy, and honestly, quicker than most of the sketches I've done this week! LOL (And it sure felt good to SIT down to paint after all that stirring of preserves!)

The melons I painted last week are now lightening from their greenish ochre color to more of a tan ochre - so they're definitely going to be cantaloupes -- so far, there are three on the vine and I hope the cats leave them alone -- they tend to play with the grandchildren's rubber balls and these look similiar in size and shape!

I have a quart or so left of cantaloupe pulp and I found a recipe on the Internet for cantaloupe bread that is reputed to taste like zucchini or carrot bread, so I think I'll give that a try if I have enough flour. If not, I'll have to find something else so it isn't wasted.

No rain in the forecast, so more watering today. Meantime, the cantaloupes are in season in the US -- and wow, they are wonderfully sweet and juicy -- try some!

Lin Frye
North Carolina