Forgotten trips, sad little relishes

I was going to attempt to create a second Ye Olde Condiment Haus, Part the Two blog entry, but I really failed at the Renaissance Faire to find any foodstuff remotely approaching a medieval condiment. Of course, it was difficult to really research anything with Baby Balsamic demanding to stay forever by the jousting pen admiring the "hersies."

One day, I may have to sell off my condiment collection to pay for speech therapy, but we're just taking it day by day for now.

While gazing into my refridgerator tonight, my eye was caught by a fetching jar of Sweet Olive Relish that I purchased in a cute little store in an even cuter little town in New Hampshire last year. I had wandered in, just to grab a bottle of water, but my eye was caught by this item. I had not had a relish of this variety before, the ingredients included green olives and pomegranate juice, how could I resist? It didn't hurt that the jar was attractive:

 

Haven't my food photography skills improved? Okay, okay, I copied the picture from the website of the makers of this fyne relish (you can take the girl out of the Renaissance Faire, but you can't take the Faire out of the girl): Mt. Vikos. I also purchased some creamy bleu cheese and crispy crackers, then proceeded to buckle down on the curb and wrench open my new jar. The air was humid and warm; the reaching branches of old trees met over the rooftops of giant Colonial houses; a car went by with a bumpersticker reading "Liberal and Proud of it." When I bit into the cracker with the blue cheese and relish, I realized the ultimate New England trifecta of gourmet dining and attractive scenery, embellished with the occasional uber-liberal bumpersticker attached to a Subaru.

My crazy German naturopath ordered me off dairy right after that vacation. And wheat. And soy. And eggs. So, there's been little bleu in my life during the last year. And that makes me bleu (heh). Which means the relish has not been able to live up to its full potential. Although, while I was just typing, trying to work a poignant reference to the Todd Rundgren song I was listening to, "A Dream Goes on Forever." I realized that this relish might go quite well with goat cheese. In fact, I think that would be quite savory. It's not bleu cheese, but it will have to do until my crazy German naturopath deems me healthy enough for bleu cheese. Of course, she keeps assuring me that I will love my steady diet of grated beets over spinach and I won't want anything bad ever again.

A Dream Goes on Forever.

Condiment Grrl