Colors shone with exceptional clarity in the rain.
The ground was a deep black,
the pine branches a brilliant green,
the people wrapped in yellow looking like special spirits that were allowed to wander over the earth on rainy mornings only.”
Haruki Murakami

I don’t know of anything more luscious than rain after a drought.

We’ve had a terrible drought here in Southern Queensland. The normally green hills and valleys of our farmyard have withered and burnt away to bare dirt and brittle, brown grass. Farmers are having to sell off or give away their stock because there’s no water or feed for them. Some have no choice but to kill them. Fields are barren and hay prices have sky-rocketed. Just looking outside makes me thirsty, and I’ve had to go to my gardens every day to remind myself what green looks like. It’s a difficult time for those living off the land.

But this weekend it rained. Beautiful, gentle, exquisitely wet rain. I couldn’t bear to turn on music or movies for I just wanted to listen to it falling on our tin roof, a steady dance reminding me that all was not lost. That maybe, just maybe, we will have a reprieve.

And of course I had to walk in it.

raindrops on hollyhocksIt’s still winter so I bundled up to keep warm as the rain fell, drenching my hair and glossing my rubber boots. I headed straight for the gardens to see what they looked like in the rain.

It seemed like everything had grown an inch or two since the rain arrived. The bok choy had turned from wilted to perky, its leaves tall and strong, its heart a collection of rain drops and new buds.

rain drops on bok choyI let one of my bok choy go to seed so I could see what it looked like. This, if you’ve never seen it, is the flower of the bok choy. Isn’t it cheerful?

bok choy flowersThe radishes are flourishing, almost ready to be pulled out and scrubbed for lunch. The snow peas are producing at last and Bear and I stood in the shelter of the shed to munch on the first few pods washed clean by the rain.

spring vegetablesI love these gorgeous Dutch pea vines with their beautiful purple blossoms. I can’t wait to see the peas themselves, with their amethyst colored pods filled with bright green peas.

purple pea blossomsWe still have a few oranges on our trees and I hope to pick them this week and juice them for breakfast.

rain drops on orangesThe asparagus is shooting up almost before my very eyes. I pick it in late afternoon, eating it where I stand, and by the next day there are 4-5 more spears ready to eat. Marvelous.

Spring asparagusA rainy weekend calls for celebratory comfort food. Bear was craving something coffee-flavored, so I experimented and came up with these Coffee Chocolate Cream Scones. We had them fresh out of the oven with the dark chocolate chunks still melting and gooeey, and later cooled, spread with thick layers of salted butter. Either way they were moist, tender, and delicious.

coffee chocolate cream sconesWhat is your favorite comfort food on a rainy day?

Coffee Chocolate Cream Scones
makes 8 scones

Ingredients:

2 cups plain white flour
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate, cut in pieces
1 1/4 cups coconut cream (or heavy cream)
2-3 Tbsp instant coffee granules
1-2 Tbsp milk (for brushing)
1 Tbsp raw sugar (for sprinkling)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 F (250 C)
  2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and chocolate.
  3. In small bowl stir together coconut cream and coffee granules until granules dissolve and cream is soft brown.
  4. Add coconut cream to flour mixture and stir gently until well-incorporated.
  5. Knead gently in the bowl, just until mixture holds together.
  6. Turn out onto floured surface and shape into circle 1-inch thick.
  7. Cut into 8 wedges and place on baking paper lined baking sheet.
  8. Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with raw sugar.
  9. Bake 15-20 minutes until tops are browned and sides not doughy.
  10. Serve warm or cold with butter.