Invitation

Fendler’s Sundrops (Calylophus hartwegii fendleri)

beginning to bloom in the front yard. 

I love this plant with its bloom time spanning late Spring

and into the Fall until the first frost.

Inviting each and every one of you to cake and tea . . . virtual, of course.

Steamed Orange Tea Cake

2 T. softened organic unsalted butter for buttering the glass bundt pan.

2 1/2 C. organic sprouted spelt flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. sea salt

Mix together the above 4 ingredients in bowl.

5 organic duck eggs at room temperature

Beat the eggs vigorously with electric mixer set on highest speed for about 5 minutes so the eggs are light and lemon colored tripling in volume.

1 C. organic maple sugar

Add to eggs and beat for 3 minutes.

1 C. organic Greek yogurt            Beat well into eggs.

2 tsp. organic vanilla extract        Beat well into egg/yogurt mixture.

4 T. finely minced orange zest      Fold into egg/yogurt/vanilla mixture.
     (remove bitterness by dropping into boiling water for 10 seconds
     and draining immediately)

Add juice of 2 organic Valencia oranges into above mixture and beat together well.

Fold in dry ingredients. Pour batter into greased glass bundt pan.

Fill a wok with enough water for steaming and heat until boiling. Place the

glass bundt pan on empty tuna can in the boiling water. Cover wok and steam over high heat for an hour or until the cake springs to the touch. Check the water level after a 1/2 hour; add additional boiling water if necessary to maintain steam. Remove from wok and let cool before removing the cake onto a pretty cake plate. Dust with organic powdered sugar if desired. Cut into slices and serve warm or at room temperature with tea. I like organic Dawn Chorus Tea from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Later to enjoy the remaining cake reheated in a bamboo steamer for 10 minutes.

And as we partake of our cake and tea, let's do some bird watching. We are having spectacular birds with stunning color visit our feeders just now. The Western tanagers sometimes visit singularly but often there are four or five at a time eating the fruit from the fruit suet in a hanging cage as well as eating the organic fresh orange halves put out mostly for the visiting orioles: Bullocks and Scotts who love the fresh orange leaving only the section dividers in each half of orange. We also see daily a plethora of Black- headed Grosbeaks, both male and female.

Desert Beardtongue (Penstemon pseudospectabilis)

with "shocking pink" flowers along the West side of our home.

They bloom profusely in the Spring a

nd again more lightly in the Summer.

It is interesting to me 

how the blue-green, triangular leaves 

are fused together around the stem.

As we relish our time together sharing steamed orange cake and tea, and watching the abundance of gorgeous birds, may we