a note from Mendy

Hello and hi,

Let’s talk business! We are well into planning our features and the timeline of Issue 3, working in the “if you build it, they will come” frame-of-mind. You may have noticed our teaser on Instagram that the theme will be Sanctuary. In anticipation of our upcoming call for submissions, we’ve updated the submissions section of our site with more specifics about what we’re looking for (a little fieldfare told me to look for that announcement toward the end of July). In a shockingly proactive move, we decided on the cover photo for this next issue months ago while finalizing the second issue. Gasp.

My house in upstate NY

RECENT REVELATIONS

Garlic scapes – who knew? Not me, obviously. I only learned earlier this summer of the existence of this wonder veg thanks to Denise Pizzini my farmer friend (you might recognize her name from Issue 1). I was *helping* her with summer flower bouquets for market and once it was clear we were too distracted by our takeout pizza and Lambrusco to focus, I started on my way home knowing that my lack of presence might be the best way to be of service.  She called out to me as I was walking away and waved a handful of curly green stems in my direction and asked if I wanted any garlic scapes? My response was eloquent, “garlic whaaaaaat?” She then told me to take them home, sauté them in butter or olive oil and eat them like I would green beans. I obliged. And now I’m obsessed and working my way through these recipe ideas. But I have to say that so far, my favorite has been adding chopped sauteed scapes to my chicken ramen with chili oil crunch.

So what exactly are they? For my fellow cave dwellers, they are tender and delicious green shoots, or stems, that grow from hardneck garlic roots. Scapes start sprouting out of the ground in late spring and resemble grass or wild onions. Growers cut them off to allow more of the plant’s resources to stay focused within the bulb. They generally have a milder taste than the cloves, like shallots or chives. Which means they go with just about anything! Sadly, their season is very short, so if you see them, stock up. Garlic scapes will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Or you can chop them up and freeze them for up to a year.

Self Help LISTENING

Last week I saw a reel on Instagram that interested me (I know, what an algorithm surprise), and I ended up taking a deep dive into writer and editor @eliseloehnen’s entire feed. After a half hour of reviewing her quick explanations for sundry topics and, even better, her weekly word etymology, I looked at her bio and found that she hosts a podcast called Pulling the Thread where she interviews cultural thinkers about the big questions of life. I listened to an episode called “The Power of Boundaries” with Nedra Tawwab, therapist and NYT best-selling author – mostly because the latest discussion is the default top of the list, not because of any sort of burning personal desire. Okay, the truth is that my mother was a clinical behavioral therapist, and I have a social work degree, so the recent (and cyclical) cultural awareness of buzzy mental health concepts are not new to me and have been part of my personal lexicon for many years. (It was only in college that I realized most people do not talk about where their families fall in the DSM manual around the dinner table. Let’s not analyze this too deeply though, because that is its own clichéd pandora’s box.) I like to think I’m self-aware and functional when it comes to my own mental health (hello depression! Say hi to my anxiety!) so I didn’t really think I would listen very long to a discussion about boundaries. Halfway through I had to pause the recording to make a note to get Tawwab’s book because I noticed so many signs that I need better boundaries in my relationships. <insert laughing crying emoji>

Watching: Never Too Small web series

This is not a recent discovery for me, but I like to recommend this show regularly ever since my kids introduced me to it last year. (Or rather we noticed it in our YouTube history and couldn’t believe that something so well produced and intelligent could be found there as it’s not normally a tv watching preference.) I call this a palate cleanser show – very good between heavier courses and easy to digest. It’s made by a media company that’s dedicated to small footprint design and living. Each episode is between 5-10 minutes in length and features micro/tiny apartments and self-contained projects by architects and designers. It started about 4 years ago and was initially focused on homes in Australia where they’re based but has branched out across the globe. I like the forward thinking focus on sustainable city living that’s beautifully designed. It’s smart in a way that feels accessible and not snobbish, and it quickly satisfies that before/after curiosity. (As I’m thinking about it, I realize that Gretchen Rose’s studette in Paris that was featured in Issue 2 would be perfect material for this show!)

In the same wheelhouse of the power of thoughtful design to improve our lives, I found this article in the Atlantic interesting, but not a surprise to anyone that’s spent 5 minutes with a small child in a city. I don’t want to go on and on about urban design, but I came away feeling quite envious of Amerstdam’s Funenpark and wondering why I don’t know any city planners.

Which brings us to READING

I’m trying out a #hotreadingsummer. I don’t think it will catch on, but my idea is that I replace my scrolling time with a book. That’s why I was crowdsourcing your suggestions on our Instagram account last week. My guess is that many of you are avid readers, so I compiled a list (at the end of my note) from the suggestions on that post for those of you that missed it, because I also sense that a lot of us are rapidly losing interest in Instagram beyond our usual complaints. (I often feel as though I’m looking at a stranger’s account whenever I open the app.) Which reminds me that things might be a bit quiet on our Instagram account the next few weeks while Skye and I will be on our respective summer holidays. 

I will be flying to the opposite coast of the US with my family, heading to a much bigger family reunion in Sunriver, Oregon. There will be whitewater rafting, waterfall hiking, lazy river floating, and all manner of water activities. We have been practicing our family’s routine for the lip sync battle and I’ve been threatened by my kids to step up my game because they plan to return home as the victors. (I hope to have a lot of visual proof for my next newsletter.) Until then, be excellent to each other.

Mendy xx

A summer reading list

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy

The Ravaged by Norman Reedus

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

Elsewhere by Alexis Schaitkin 

Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett

The Dutch House by Anne Patchett

Sunset by Jessie Cave

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Still Life by Sarah Winman

All the Flowers in Paris by Sarah Jio

Goodnight June by Sarah Jio

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies by Tsering Yangzom Lama