Tea on the Mountain

I hosted a little plum teapot that has enjoyed some elegant tea events on its travels across America. But, being a versatile little teapot, she adapted quite well to roughing it in the mountains! Clad in her warm cozy, she traveled to an elevation of 4,500 feet to enjoy some of the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Sunshine and rain, meadows of flowers with patches of snow, and the warmth of a cozy cabin greeted her. She graciously posed for her picture with a bouquet of alpine shooting stars, Columbia windflowers, and squiggly white lupines. Then, it was time to get ready for tea.

A hollow log sits at the point overlooking beautiful vistas. From this log, many wild animals have been observed. Here live elk, bear, deer, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, wolves, snowshoe hares, hummingbirds, squirrels, wild turkeys and more. Much care is taken by the human occupants not to disturb the natural environment of the wildlife. Peaceful cohabitation results.

On this day, the log was spread with a brown linen tablecloth. This covering set the stage for afternoon tea.

Cabin china, napkins, and flatware was set. The wildflowers became a centerpiece. And the tiered tray became the serving stage for tea-for-two.

Teatime at the cabin is a frequent occurrence. It's not a fussy time, as the cabin's hostess {that would be me} believes in making tea a part of a daily routine. This was a tea party from the pantry type-of-meal. An ice chest was brought from home, filled with food preparation staples like vegetables, spreads, and fresh fruit. A box with a loaf of bread, crackers, and store-bought cookies was packed as well. The cabin cupboards contained a variety of canned and packaged foods that would supplement too. When it came time to prepare tea, the menu was planned as the meal was prepared. Effort was made to chop, stir, and combine with tea-time presentation in mind.

Life is not without additional challenges, and the little plum teapot soon learned that this meal had to be completely gluten-free and using plant-based foods. Sigh. But plum teapot quickly stepped up to the plate.

 

 

 

 

The menu:

• Seed Bread ~ gluten free from Costco
• Rice crackers
• Olive spread ~ made from chopped olives, red chili paste, and Tofutti non-dairy cream cheese ~ for open-faced sandwiches
• Vegannaise with spring radishes ~ for open-faced sandwiches
• Peppery spring greens chiffonade with sea salt, green onion and Vegannaise ~ for finger sandwiches
• Celery boats with Tofutti non-dairy cream cheese and soy Baco-bits
• Radishes and spring greens

  

• Banana circles with cinnamon and a chocolate chip
• Cookies from the Asian market ~ made from tapioca flour ~ coconut and cashew
• Pirouette cookies ~ from the cupboard and for the hostess; not gluten-free
• Oolong tea from the Asian market ~ delicious!

 

 

Tea time was so pleasant. We moved the lawn chairs from around the fire circle to the point where we could sit and view our surroundings. Huge puffy clouds worked their way across the sky at a steady pace. A bear was thought to be seen on a nearby ridge, but once seen through binoculars, it ended up being a stump! Then darkness could be seen off to the left of us. Rain clouds! They worked their way to the point just as we were finishing our afternoon tea. We cleared things up and headed inside the cabin to finish our cookies and tea by the warmth of the wood stove. Rain fell in torrents, streaming off the eves and making patterning sounds on the metal roof. Such meditative sounds.