This week's word comes to us from the Middle English sesoun through the Old French seson and the Vulgar Latin satio, meaning time of sowing or planting, all arising from the Latin serere,
meaning to sow. Season shares its origins with the word seed, and
both entities are concerned with fertility, fruitfulness and
nourishment. The noun describes four divisions of the calender year
as defined by designated differences in temperature, rainfall,
daylight and the growth of vegetation: Spring, Summer, Autumn and
Winter.
In earlier times, a
season simply marked the interval within which an important hunting
and/or agricultural activity was undertaken and completed i.e. the
planting season, the harvest season, the hunting season, the dormant
season. Each season is complete within itself whether viewed through
the lens of the calendar year or the loving eyes of a crone, her canine companion and
her camera rambling in the Great Round. Each season is a cycle with its
beginning (sowing), its center or middle (cultivation and nurturing) and its completion
(harvest or reaping).
In much the same way, to season a broth or stew is to undertake a savory sowing of foodstuff with the
seeds of taste and ambrosial fragrance. Whether it is the planting, tending and
reaping of one's garden or adding fresh herbs to a bowl of rice and veggies, it's all about nourishment, appreciating the earth's gifts and paying attention.
On early morning walks, heavy dew sparkles on field grasses and glistens on the wildflowers in nearby hedgerows. Buttery maple leaves drift into our
path and come to rest at our feet, their early transition and swooping
airborne dance set in motion by one of the hottest summers in recent
memory. The sound is a pleasing susurrus that lingers long after we
have rounded a corner and are turning toward home. Shallow puddles along
our way hold fallen leaves in blithe
fellowship with the sky and clouds and trees reflected from above. When we pause,
we are standing in boundless sky.
August is only a few days away, and there is no doubt about it, autumn is not far off. If you live in
the north, the coming season is about apples, rain and
falling leaves, and the words form a lovely rustling mantra (or litany)
as we ramble around the village and through the woods of the Lanark highlands. It's all good. With sweet and spicy
things we will season the autumn days to come.
1 comment:
I join many of us in looking forward to autumn, but sigh and know August must be experienced first...many hot days where movement is either early morning, or done quickly from one air conditioned place to another, from one shady spot to another, where the sun and blistering ground are to be avoided.
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