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A Closer Look at Winter Damage

But first, take a look at this gorgeous rainbow that we had on Friday! The five-day stretch of warm temperatures last week really jump-started the garden. Now that plants are putting out new growth, it is easier to see what kind of damage the winter left. Back in mid-January, we experienced five straight days of below-freezing temperatures. This caused much damage in Portland and areas where frigid winds were a factor. Here, we were fortunate to not get the wind and the cold temperatures were dampened by a blanket of snow. That said, it was a tough time for the garden and there are noticeable casualties but no outright deaths that I have seen. The bottlebrush ( Callistemon 'Woodlander's Red') did not like the cold at all. It was planted six years ago, in the north-facing garden no less, and I've not experienced die-back on it until now. A local expert said to cut it all the way back so that is what I did. If it doesn't make it, I won't be too distraught. It is

Lemon Cake from Under The Tuscan Sun



I just finished reading "Under The Tuscan Sun" by Frances Mayes. We saw the movie way back when it was released. I don't remember much about it, other than it was a syrupy romance with some great scenery. I saw a news segment recently on the CBS Sunday Morning Show with Frances Mayes being interviewed and it prompted me to read the book. 

I enjoyed the book but soon realized that what I was reading was a lot different from the film, pieces of which began to slowly trickle back into my memory. I assume Mayes sold the rights to her book and the film adapters used the basic premise and the setting and then added all the fluff. I was curious as to Mayes's reaction to the film but I could not find a comment from her about it.

So, if you loved the film and are looking for romance, you probably will find the book disappointing (a lot of Goodreads reviews confirm this). On the other hand, if you really want to read about a couple buying a house in Tuscany and renovating it, you'll like it. Mayes and her husband, both college professors in San Francisco at the time, purchased Bramasole, a neglected two-hundred year-old farmhouse on five overgrown acres on a hillside in Tuscany.

As projects of this nature go, it was not all sunshine and roses (although both sunshine and roses are in great quantity here). They began by hiring three Polish workers to mend the crumbling walls which terrace the property (do a search - I love the walls as much as the house and gardens!). Interior remodeling followed, with new plumbing installed, walls torn out and reorganized and lots of scraping, painting and polishing. In addition to loving old houses, the couple are also avid gardeners and accomplished cooks. The gardens are filled with olive trees, roses, lavender and she describes their experiences with working on the garden as well as sharing recipes.

The book sometimes goes off on various tangents, such as a road tour of Italy or discussing saints. She also writes a good deal about food, which is never a bad thing. There is an entire chapter filled with recipes. I made the lemon cake today. It is like a pound cake with a nice, light lemony flavor. This is a very simple recipe with just a few ingredients. I made a few minor changes (I increased the oven temperature to 350 after reading a review that said the cake was not done at 300 degrees in 50 minutes. I also increased the amount of lemon juice just a tad.

Lemon Cake (adapted from Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes)

1 cup butter (softened)
2 cups sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
5 tablespoons lemon juice
Zest of one lemon

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray or butter and flour a Bundt pan or tube pan.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar for several minutes until the mixture is very light.

Mix in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour.

Add the lemon juice and the zest.

Bake for 50 minutes or until a tester comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake. 

Add a glaze if desired. (I made a glaze from mixing powdered sugar and lemon juice. The book calls for a glaze made by mixing 1/4 cup of soft butter, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice). 

Allow to cool on a baking rack for 10 minutes before inverting onto another wire rack to cool completely.




Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. Hi Phillip, Yum! I read the book long before the movie came out, so, of course, I loved it more than the movie. Yes, the movie was completely different. There were also a series of books set in Provence where Peter Mayle renovated his house. The first, and I think the best one was A Year in Provence. He's written many others. Same trials and tribulations. I will make this cake very soon for my family and send you a photo. I love your new garden. Is it easier to garden in the Pacific Northwest?~~Dee

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    1. Another one to put on the reading list. Thanks Dee! And yes, it is easier to garden here. :)

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  2. I read this book a long time ago and enjoyed it. I didn't see the movie. The cake looks good. You didn't say if you liked the cake. How did it taste? I am making a lemon poke cake for this Saturday's Eucher gathering. Your lemon cake looks prettier. Maybe I will bake mine in a bundt pan and see how it works.

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    1. It is a dense cake, very much like a heavy pound cake. I liked it. It is a recipe I would use again.

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  3. Your cake looks delicious and I'm sure it would go really good with coffee in the morning!
    I read Under The Tuscan Sun and saw the movie. The book is better, but the movie was fun too. If you enjoy the fantasy of a renovation adventure in Europe, I'd recommend a couple of fun/light books by Peter Mayle ( I read them years ago and remember them fondly": "A year in Provence and "Hotel Pastis". It's the next best thing to having the courage to do it.

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    1. I've added these books to my Goodreads list. Thank you so much for the suggestion. I bet I will like them.

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