A More Perfect Re-Union
March 31, 2018
“I’ll tell you how the Sun rose –
A Ribbon at a time…..
~ Emily Dickinson
Most of us recall the image of Humpty Dumpty from the classic nursery rhyme by Mother Goose. An egg man, in defiance of his fragility, sits precariously at the top of a wall. He ultimately looses his balance and falls to the ground, the egg’s delicate shell cracked open, revealing his vulnerable liquid center. The local King kindly sends his soldiers and horses to fix Humpty, but they are unable to put his shell back together and restore him to his former united self.
Perhaps in focusing on Humpty’s broken shell, the soldiers missed the source of his inner strength, a golden center. The King should have put his artists on the job. They might have succeeded in restoring the egg man, using the centuries-old Japanese art known as Kintsugi.
Kintsugi, which translates to “golden joinery”, or Kintsukuroi, meaning “golden repair”, is the art of fixing broken ceramics and pottery by joining the fragments together again using a special lacquer, which is then dusted with gold, silver or platinum. This method of repair results in ribbons of shimmering gold running through an object, highlighting where it was broken and transforming the memory of the break into a new expression of beauty. Kintsukuroi can result in a repaired object that is more beautiful than it had been in its original, unbroken state. The effect is so appealing that some artists purposely brake objects in order to use the technique. This golden repair reunites what is broken in a beautifully transformative way: healing and elevating, but not erasing.
Each spring nature renews itself. That which was thought dead awakens to a new, more beautiful expression. The story of Easter describes a resurrection from death into an everlasting life, not forgetting the pain of the previous one, but embracing it as part of the miracle. The idea of Kintsugi/Kintsukuroi, instead of masking imperfections, mistakes and damage, paints them golden and shouts to the heavens “Hallelujah! We are still here and more beautiful than ever, not in spite of our flaws, but because of them!” The outer self, what we present to the world, is merely the casing for the golden and eternal center within us, which we can draw on infinitely when our earthly shell reveals its imperfections.
“Life moves on, whether we act as cowards or heroes… Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.”
~ Henry Miller
Happy season of renewal! Rise up and go forward. We will mend our broken places and transform the scars into ribbons of beautiful strength.
~~~~~~~~~
Transform left-over Easter eggs into a tasty golden-yellow treat for a springtime luncheon, picnic or snack with Turmeric and Ginger Pickled Eggs.
Turmeric and Ginger Pickled Eggs
These pretty yellow eggs make a delicious and eye-catching appetizer for a spring lunch and are a perfect way to use up hard-boiled eggs after Easter. The flavor is tangy, sweet and lightly salty with delicate hints of turmeric and ginger.
You will need a quart-sized mason jar with lid for these. They take 24 to 48 hours to pickle. I let mine pickle for 44 hours to get the color in the photo above. If you’d prefer a paler yellow, let them pickle for less time.
Use super-fresh eggs from happy hens, such as Vital Farms pastured eggs, or eggs from a local hen house. Eggs from pastured hens contain up to 20 times more omega-3 acids than factory hens. Click on the Eat Wild Website link to find a farm near you that carries pastured eggs. Vital Farms eggs are carried at most Whole Foods. Both links can be found up and to the right of this post, under “Elaborations”.
1 cup sliced carrots
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half
2 & 1/2-inch piece of fresh turmeric, peeled and thinly sliced
Or
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 & 1/2 cups water
3/4 teaspoon salt (I used Himalayan Pink salt)
1 tablespoon organic sugar
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar (a bit more, if needed)
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
Optional: 1 small fresh chile, diced fine
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
8 hard-cooked eggs, cooled and peeled (see tips below)
Add the carrots, garlic and sliced fresh turmeric or ground turmeric with the water to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Make sure you have 1 cup of cooking water remaining in the pan. Add more water if necessary.
After the veggies have finished cooking, while the liquid is still warm, add salt, sugar and vinegar and stir to dissolve. Add the ginger, parsley, chile (if using) and peppercorns. Stir to combine.
In a clean, quart-sized mason jar with lid, layer eggs and veggies until jar is filled. Pour liquid over to cover. If there is not enough liquid to cover, you can top it off with a bit more vinegar. Seal jar with the lid and give a gentle shake to mix contents.
Refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours, gently shaking jar occasionally.
To serve:
Cut eggs in half to highlight the pretty color. Serve with some of the veggies, along with crackers, chips or bread or on top of butter lettuce or other salad greens. You can also mix diced pickled eggs with some mayo for an instant, eye-catching egg salad.
Serves 4 to 8
Tips for boiling eggs: place in a single layer, without crowding, inside a cold saucepan. Add water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Immediately turn off heat, cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Drain and then rinse with cold water until cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To peel cold eggs: crack hard-boiled eggs once on the fat end of the egg. This will be where the “air pocket” is located. Begin peeling from there and continue until egg is completely peeled.
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