6160 A Diary of the Urban Gardener and Cook

"The Month of True Sight" - that's what we used to call November back on the farm, as the thickly forested landscape was stripped of its foliage.  It gave new definition to the word "proximity", as suddenly, almost overnite it seemed, you could see across the distant hills for miles.  

The same holds true at 6160; the gentle rains of early November always ensure that the bright yellow & gold landscapes of October are stripped bare.  The Art Museum in Forest Park, cloaked for much of the year by towering Ash and Oak trees, now looms large when looking northwest from the front porch.  The Arch and several "skyscrapers" can now be seen plainly to the east, while the spires of St James come into view when looking to the southwest. 

The Emperor One Japanese Maples as well as the blueberry bushes and apple trees of the Orchard now burn bright scarlet, like a visual trumpet announcing winter is just around the corner.  In this much more barren landscape, the sea of browns dotted with an occasional red allows evergreens to come into their own.  Holding true to their rich green coloration and seemingly undaunted by the challenges posed by the difficult weather that lies ahead, the hollies and boxwoods of 6160 become more stunning in their own right.

While temperatures stay relatively constant through the month, with days in the mid fifties and nights in the high thirties, chill winds make November feel much colder than it truly is.  This has a pronounced effect on the menu at 6160.  Cioppino makes its first appearance during this window;  I've always assumed its entirely due to the rich herbal scent which harkons to time spent in the Orchard.  Interestingly, Tikka Masala now become a regular menu item.  This very mild, tomato based Indian curry is combined with rice infused with cinnamon, clove, and golden raisins.  Curry, regardless of whether it's identified as "hot" or not, has a definite warming effect (at least it does for me).  The slow cooker arrives on the scene as well so that comfort food like Chicken in Osso Bucco sauce or Chicken in Tuscan Red Wine sauce is at the ready.

The shifting sunlight of November has a pronounced effect within 6160.  On the second floor, the sitting room is now unbelievably ablaze with light; this will persist for nearly four months and is why we initially used the room to just overwinter plants.  Herbs are now potted and stuffed onto tables, ledges, windowsills, etc... to carry us through the hard winter months.  The first floor is the reverse, as the location of the windows and the angle of the sunlight darkens the main floor for the same period of time.  The atmosphere on the first floor changes perceptably in November; where "relaxed" is the word most visitors associate with it during spring, summer, and early autumn, "cozy" is the word that springs from their lips in November.  Tarnished metal objects on the main floor become much more visually pronounced at this point (I have to assume it's the effect of the changes in light quality) while the various antique glass objects make the main floor not feel "too heavy".

And of course, with the onset of November, holiday planning runs like a recurring list in the back of my mind.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday (food, fall, and football - what's not to like), and the fact that my current employer gives me both Thanksgiving and Black Friday off as holidays is truly a blessing.  Having that Friday to nest - eat leftovers, decorate for Christmas and wrap the gifts (I'm generally done with Christmas shopping the week of Thanksgiving), watch old movies on TCM and drink barrels of mulled cider is a ritual I've followed for over two decades.