Monday, August 13, 2012

It Takes a Community To Make a Tart!


I love to cook. I have happy memories of cooking for a house full of teenage boys with wild abandon, knowing that no matter what I made and no matter how much I made, it would all get eaten. Now that I live in cohousing I am grateful to have the opportunity to whip out the pots and pans and try new recipes without worrying about what I will do with the leftovers.

July is peak cherry season in BC, and a few weeks ago I happened across a recipe for a cherry custard tart that looked appealing to me. I decided to try and make one for a community potluck dinner, so made a grocery list of ingredients and noted that the instructions called for the tart to be baked in a 9" tart pan, one of those shallow metal pans with a fluted edge and a removable bottom. Off I went to a nearby shopping center to purchase the ingredients, and to search the kitchen section of the London Drugs for such a pan. Alas, the store did not carry any tart pans, but as I was getting ready to leave I ran into Gloria, one of my cohousing neighbours, examining the products in  the immersion blender section.

"Oh hi, what are you looking for?" asked Gloria.
"I was hoping to find a 9" tart pan, but they don't have any," I replied.
"I have one that I'd be happy to lend you," Gloria offered.
"I have a hand-blender that you could borrow," I added.
We both laughed, and lamented that we should have had a cohousing meeting before going shopping!

Although it was too bad that we had to meet at the London Drugs to come to the realization that we had what each other needed, it was a great reminder of the great benefit of knowing and trusting your neighbours. Pooling and sharing your resources helps save money, and makes smaller demands on the environment.

The tart was delicious!

Sharon

No comments: