2008年5月20日星期二

故事 Story

從遙遠的南方小鎮回來，白色的流蘇已經凋謝。她慶幸沒有目睹它們枯萎死去的形狀。純潔的花瓣，邋遢起來不忍觸目。

她在五月假期擠火車，帶了大包小包的行李，只爲那小鎮上一個人的擁抱和親吻。人是孤獨的，靈魂和身體都是。下車時一眼望到他深藍色的背影，懸浮著的心便安定了，只想貼上去埋進他的氣息里，即刻睡著。

臨行前到水池邊去看桑葚，青綠色的，看上去發硬，有很清的香氣。桑樹的姿態，娉婷美好。她原以為在離開的十幾天內，桑葚必定熟透了，引來一些人圍在樹下仰頭看那紫紅的果子，臉上純真閃動，忍不住孩子氣地伸手去夠。還有幾個老人來采桑葉喂養家蠶。

可是不是什麽都如你所想。

可以暫時驅除寂寞的東西，也能讓寂寞更加深重。仿佛鴉片，一旦沾染你再不能沒有它。

桑葚大多才泛紅，摘下入口，酸溜溜的。她很享受那種將熟未熟的味道。腳下的白石橋，才開始印上濃的淡的胭脂色，是個別熟透的桑葚的汁液，高腳杯口某個美麗女子的唇印大概是這樣。

胭脂色。那天山邊飄的便是胭脂色的雲彩。在遊船上，她偎在他懷裡看漸遠的夕陽和山水，說胭脂色，我喜歡這個詞。有凄艷和頹靡的感覺，叫人想起罌粟科的植物。

池子里已經放下睡蓮，葉子小小園園，微裂個小口，一簇簇漂在水面上，圓潤可愛如清湯里的莼菜。在那個小鎮，她第一次喝到莼菜湯。她用竹筷撥弄翻卷的莼菜葉子，又含到嘴裡用舌頭挑逗它的滑潤，感受到童年遊戲的樂趣。

是的，不是什麽都如你所想，也不是什麽都會在你預想的地方等待。

她本以為自己的一生就是這樣泡在校園里了，大學，讀研，讀博，一直讀書，讀到皓首窮經、無可再讀。她輕輕地微笑，為自己的單純。她喜歡簡單的生活，如一潭清靜的水。她養仙人球，總想做顆植物，曬曬太陽，淋淋雨，活著或死去。

一整天一整天，關在敞亮的辦公室里，暗自歡喜，覺得一個人是可以充實幸福的。雖然不清楚為什麽，有時，也會毫無理由地慟哭。也許，只是過於平靜的生活需要一個出口，好像多年前無數次做過的夢，疾走在漆黑的通道里，喘息著奔向盡頭的白光，卻從未到達。也許，不止如此。

曾經，她堅信自己足夠獨立，不需要愛情。可是她相信真愛的存在。只不過一直以來，真愛於她如同彼岸的虞美人，欣賞而矣。見過虞美人嗎，瘦長直挺的莖，頂朵單薄絢爛的大花，仿佛一觸即落的脆弱，可憐見的纖弱模樣。

該回北方的日子，她把他塞進手里的路費扔到桌上。怎么不聽話，萬一有事怎么辦，他發起了脾氣，依舊是溫和的。下著雨，她開始哭泣。她去收架子上的衣服，立到床沿還要踮起腳。他趕緊起身替她摘，遞到她手裡，卻一臉嚴肅，并不去看她的淚眼。她注視著他的側臉，線條分明，算是英俊。剛剛為她包扎腳趾上的傷口時，也是這樣的側臉，不失棱角，銳氣可是無比溫柔。她順勢環住他的脖頸，更加放肆地哭。

大巴到站時雨更大了，她已經沒了淚。出租車司機很安靜，善解人意地拉她經過西湖。一道長長的堤把黑影印在暗夜里。一弧優雅的長線從她眼前閃過，不見了。她還是睜了濕潤的眼，望那個方向，滿心的驚奇，似乎遮沒了離別的傷心。
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2008年5月14日星期三

自製蒲公英酒 How to Make Dandelion Wine

Dandelions are in season during the summer and spring months, but they lend themselves deliciously to a beverage you can serve year-round. April and May are the best months to harvest dandelions for the purpose of wine making in the Northern hemisphere.[1] Try it out and taste it for yourself.

Ingredients


  • 1 package (7 g) dried yeast
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) warm water
  • 2 quarts (230 g) whole dandelion flowers
    • Using 2 quarts+ of just the petals can make for a less bitter wine.[2]

  • 4 quarts water (3.785 L)
  • 1 cup (240 mL) orange juice
  • 3 tablespoons (45 g) fresh lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons (45 g) fresh lime juice
  • 8 whole cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon (1.25 g) powdered ginger
  • 3 tablespoons (18 g) coarsely chopped orange zest; avoid any white pith
  • 1 tablespoon (6 g) coarsely chopped lemon zest; avoid any white pith
  • 6 cups (1200 g) sugar


Steps


  1. Wash and clean the blossoms well. Think of it as a fruit or vegetable; you don't want bugs or dirt in your food. Remove all green material.
  2. Soak flowers for two days.
  3. Place the blossoms in the four quarts of water, along with the lime, orange, and lemon juices.
  4. Stir in the ginger, cloves, orange peels, lemon peels, and sugar. Bring the mix to a boil for an hour. This creates the 'infusion' that will later become wine after fermentation.
  5. Strain through filter papers (coffee filters are recommended). Let the infusion cool down for a while.
  6. Stir the yeast in while the infusion is still warm, but below 110 degrees F.
  7. Cover it and leave it alone, let it stand overnight.
  8. Pour it into bottles, poke a few holes in a balloon and place over the tops of the bottles to create an airlock, to keep out unwanted wild yeasts, and store them in a dark place for at least three weeks so that it can ferment. At this point you now have wine!
  9. Rack the wine several times, optionally. Racking means waiting until the wine clears, then siphoning or pouring the liquid into another container, leaving the lees (sediment) at the bottom of the first container.[3]
  10. Cork and store the bottles in a cool place. Allow the wine, time to age. Most recipes recommend waiting at least six months, preferably a year. [4]


Tips


  • Pasteurization uses sixty-five degrees Celsius (149 degrees Fahrenheit) for half an hour to avoid changing character.
  • Pick the flowers right before starting so they're fresh. Midday is when they are fully open.[5] Alternatively, you can freeze the flowers immediately after harvesting, then pull off the petals right before preparing the wine.[6]
  • It may take more than three weeks for your wine to ferment if the temperature inside your storage area is cool. But be aware that fermentation at warmer than room temperature may change the taste of the wine, and can lead to higher levels of fusel alcohols, which have been known to contribute to hangovers. Warmer temperatures can cause many other problems like strong yeasty flavors, rancid odors and bacterial contamination. Generally fermentation should be done at room temperature or lower (50-75 F or 10-24 C).
  • This recipe will produce a light wine that mixes well with tossed salad or baked fish. To add body or strength, add a sweetener,raisins, dates, figs, apricots, or rhubarb.[7]


Warnings


  • Avoid using dandelions that may have been chemically treated. Also, try to stay away from dandelions that have been graced by the presence of dogs, or that grow within 50 feet of a road.
  • There is some evidence that dandelions have a diuretic effect and may cause more frequent urination.[8]


Things You'll Need


  • Balloons
  • Coffee filters or clean straining paper
  • Empty, sterilized wine bottles
  • Large beverage container to strain liquid into
  • A large pot you can boil the dandelion mixture in
  • A place to store the fermenting wine


Related wikiHows




Sources and Citations



  1. ↑ http://winemakermag.com/feature/196.html

  2. ↑ http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/dandelio.asp

  3. ↑ http://www.thecompostbin.com/2006/05/how-to-make-dandelion-wine.html

  4. ↑ http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/dandelio.asp

  5. ↑ http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/dandelio.asp

  6. ↑ http://www.thecompostbin.com/2006/05/how-to-make-dandelion-wine.html

  7. ↑ http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/dandelio.asp

  8. ↑ http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/PrintablePages/herbMonograph/0,11475,4025,00.html



Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Dandelion Wine. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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