Berlin Reified

Lilacs & Kladow

2013-05-24T16:54:27+02:00

Let's begin with the lilacs, lolling on their stems in parks, hanging low in the streets, heady in hot weather. Elderflower was my quarry last year. This year, it's been lilacs, inspired by the sparkling white lilac cordial I tried...

Spring swept me away

2013-05-20T21:13:44+02:00

Spring swept me away. What has Berlin been but a succession of blossoms and bright light filtered through new leaves?

The moon last night

2013-04-26T08:41:15+02:00

Did you see the moon last night? Vast, almost orange. We walked for hours, mostly along the canal. This season! This spring like a holiday in the midst of my own life.

Berlin flora #3 (spring fever edition)

2013-04-24T17:33:08+02:00

This ravishing still life (oh, Berlin!) glimpsed in a kindergarten window on Alexandrinenstraße.

Clouds of pink

2013-04-22T17:56:43+02:00

Begin at the corner of Schwedter Straße and Kopenhagener Straße and head north, following the staircases as you cross beneath bridges in pursuit of these clouds of pink blossoms. They're at their grandest north of Bornholmer Straße. This moment is...

Foraging in Brandenburg

2013-04-19T08:14:32+02:00

The fields were pale and bleached of color. Spring herbs teemed beneath the snow. We gathered bishop's weed, yarrow leaves and stinging nettles. Our teacher, Thea Harbauer, also holds classes on gathering (edible) wild plants at the Freilandlabor in Zehlendorf.

A little euphoria, a jolt of sun

2013-04-14T20:57:51+02:00

Birdsong and trains were always my Berlin soundtrack, and I hear them both as I write, my cheeks still flushed by the day's sun. Central heating is being installed in our building, so our landlords have moved us to a...

Tian Fu’s Vegetable Noodle Soup

2013-04-12T09:46:12+02:00

Handmade noodles in irregular lengths with just the right amount of chew: neither gummy nor chalky. A golden broth. A generous handful of greens , more leaf than stem. Tofu marinated and slivered before joining the broth. This winter I...

Summer in a cup

2013-04-09T14:28:27+02:00

Lemongrass, dragonhead blossoms, lemon verbena, currant leaves, peppermint, sunflower petals, rose petals, cornflowers: summer in tea form, bright and clear. --- Sommerland tea by Kräutergarten Pommerland, available at most organic shops and Karstadt.

Sources of heat and warmth: Tea seminars at Paper & Tea

2013-04-05T11:36:15+02:00

Cupped in her hands, some Sejak steeps. The Korean tea, she says, is hearty. The tiny cup I drink leaves me alert, tranquil—sated. Everyone has raved about Paper & Tea, and rightly so. The staff I've met—the heart of any...