Although she has lived or traveled in every
continent except Antarctica and Australia (bucket list), romance author M. S.
Spencer has spent the last thirty years mostly in Washington, D.C. as a
librarian, Congressional staff assistant, speechwriter, editor, birdwatcher,
kayaker, policy wonk, non-profit director and parent. She currently divides her
time between the Gulf coast of Florida and a tiny village in Maine. Learn more
about her and her books at her website.
Up until my thirties, I traveled a great
deal, living in many countries with amenities that many would consider below
standard. So it wasn't until I married and settled down in an old farmhouse
with an acre of land that I could indulge my fantasy of growing my own food. We
planted apple, plum, peach, fig, hazelnut, and cherry trees; gooseberries,
strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries; all kinds of vegetables, including
an ill-fated attempt to grow artichokes; and finally, lots and lots of herbs. I
built a formal herb garden and planted thyme, lovage, rosemary, chives,
tarragon, sage, and lemon balm. The one thing I couldn't get to grow was mint.
Yes, the gardeners among you will scoff, but it took me years to get a plot to
flourish. When it did, I had to do something or it would take over the entire
acre.
So I called upon my sister-in-law, to whom Whirlwind Romance is dedicated. She
directed me to an old recipe for mint jelly. Once the mint invasion was under
control and I'd mastered the technique, I spent whole summers working up
recipes for herb jellies. It was great fun. Despite the fact that I'm not
really fond of jelly, they made excellent Christmas gifts.
As I started Whirlwind Romance, I thought about what my heroine, Lacey Delahaye,
would do for a living. She lives alone in Florida, her one son grown. I thought
of the innumerable ecosystems in Florida, from pine uplands, to coastal plains,
to palm hammocks—all of which are host to many wild fruits, most of which can
be made into jelly. Ah hah! She'd be a jelly maker.
For fun, I added the recipes to each
chapter. I hope you enjoy them as much as you do Lacey and Armand's love story.
Cocoplum |
Cocoplum Jelly
The cocoplum is native to South Florida and
occurs naturally in cypress hammocks and wetland areas. Evergreen, it forms a
dense, clumping bush. The fruit is a dark purple drupe one to two inches in
diameter, and ripens May through August. The nut is also edible.
Ingredients:
200 cocoplums to make 2 cups juice
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cups brown sugar
1 box (1.75 oz.) powdered pectin
Place peeled plums and cinnamon sticks in
water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 1-1/2 hours, or until
liquid is dark purple. Remove from heat and strain, reserving the nuts. Add
water if necessary to make two cups of liquid.
Shell the nuts and chop. In a jelly pan add
the juice, nuts, and pectin and bring to a rolling boil. Pour sugar in all at
once and bring back to a rolling boil. Boil exactly one minute.
Standard Procedure: Remove pot from heat,
skim off any foam, and ladle into hot, sterilized jelly jars to within ¼ inch
of the top. Wipe rims and place the two-piece canning lids on the jars but do
not tighten completely. Turn the jars over and leave upside down for five
minutes on a padded rack. Turn upright and tighten the lids completely. Makes
about 4 pints.
Alternate method: Process filled, tightly
closed jars in boiling water for 15 minutes. Cool.
Whirlwind Romance
In the aftermath of a hurricane, Lacey
Delahaye finds herself marooned on the Gulf coast of Florida with a mysterious
man. They are immediately drawn to each other, but before Armand can confess
his identity, they are kidnapped and taken far from civilization to a tiny,
remarkable island in the western Caribbean. With the help of her son Crispin, a
small, but proud young boy named Inigo, and a cadre of extraordinary
characters, Lacey and Armand must confront pirates, power-mad ideologues, and
palace intrigue if they are to restore the once idyllic tropical paradise to
its former serenity and find lasting happiness.
6 comments:
I've always had a hard time getting mint to grow. When I was a kid, it grew wild along the ditch banks of a ranch where I lived. Book sounds great!
I did not inhert the Artsy-Crafty gene from my mom who was the MacGuyver of crafting. I always wanted to make jelly until I disciverd I also did not like cooking.
But I will read the book! LOL
And I type too fast and make a lot of typos along the way.
Thanks for having me at your fabulous blog, Lois! Kathye--you are TOO funny. Thanks for reading! M. S.
"Whirlwind Romance" is a great title! Best wishes with your book!!
I haven't heard of the plant. I grew peppermint two years ago and it over grew my garden.
Your cover is beautiful!!
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