Mounds of freshly washed celery stalks with colorful, leafy heads of celadon, sulphur springs and soft as summer green are glistening in our studio today. Earlier, they frolicked in a kitchen sink water bath and then stretched themselves out on a long wire basket, like sunbathers on a beach, to let the final drops of water evaporate one by one. They were just too beautiful to ignore with their green reflections in the morning sun and we had to snap a photo to capture their colors and shapes!
As beautiful as these firm, strong stalks are, they were destined for something much more magnificent. Along with onions, garlic, parsley, peppercorns and an array of vegetables, they formed the base of a hearty stock that now simmers in our studio.
The aroma is absolutely divine and wraps itself around everyone with a deep culinary fragrance hug.
This stock that will nourish our bodies and souls later, in a savory soup, was quite a transformation story. The firm, hard stalks softened and became a smooth, savory, epicurean delight as they yielded to the seasoned broth around them. Their flavor was brought to an entirely new level as they allowed themselves to be changed, enriched and re-created. It's hard to believe that the final creation, a luxurious, silky, smooth stock, was anything like the hard, original celery stalk.
It's a metamorphosis that parallels our own lives, when we yield to the master Creator and allow:
our hard edges to be softened by grace
our rough exteriors to be smoothed by love
our flavors to be enriched by embracing others.
Like stock, we'll develop a deeper, richer, well-matured, full-bodied quality. What a flavor we can become in the hands of a Master Chef. Little pièces de résistance!
It's a recipe of divine proportions that we'd like to share with you:
"If anyone is ingrafted in Christ, they're a new creation (a new creature altogether);
the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away.
The fresh and new has come!"
2 Corinthians 5:17
We hope our stock story simmers in your spirit today and reminds you of the total transformation that is possible for all of us.
Sipping on soup in our studio,
The Velvet Lime Girls
