S is for Scotch
On a cold January night there are certain essential luxuries that complete life on this farm. A fire lit in the woodstove, a kitchen table covered in seed packets, envelopes with vegetable varieties scribbled down on the back, jars of saved seeds, a sketchbook for the spring garden and a glass of Laphroaig. A vision to power one through the months of heat and humidity, finally brought safely to the hearth of a winter’s kitchen.
Smoke and peat combined in a whisky helps this farmer wrap his head around the dreams and work of the coming year. A garden that will be productive, beautiful, a credit to the valley, another sip and the garden has doubled again, transformed in size by the inspirational power of an Islay malt.
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Reading this week: Dionysos: archetypal image of indestructible life by Carl Kerenyi. A book that is much better than its title. And a new release, A History of South Carolina Barbeque by Lake E. High Jr.; it just might be time for a late season road trip.
