Vintage Delights

Today we’re going to reflect upon some vintage delights. So, in keeping with our vintage theme, I thought we would have an ol’ Aussie favorite.

A cup of Billy Tea & some freshly baked Damper with lashings of butter melting upon its deliciousness with Golden Syrup!

These are treats from the ol’ days, when the tea was made in the Billy, an old tin with a homemade handle fitted & able to go into the fire to boil water & a handful of tea leaves would be thrown in for a strong brew.

And the damper was baked in a cast iron cooking pot amongst the hot coals of the camp fire. 

I’ll let you in on a little secret about myself, I love most things vintage!

I think they have great character & I love the history behind them. 

What is the definition of Vintage?

The word actually comes from wine making.

It is the season/year in which the grapes were harvested from the vine, the Vine age of the grapes = Vintage. 

The Vintage of the wine indicates the quality, age & environmental factors of that particular year that the grapes grew on the vine before they were harvested. 

Our book club has had its first meeting for this year, we are still reading Beth Moore’s book Chasing Vines & have now reached the chapter where the harvest has begun. 

This gave me much food for thought in what goes into our own personal Vintage!

How would you describe yourself if you were a wine?

I remember watching a movie where the leading lady was asked the above question to describe herself.

Her answer was the following; a bold wine with a hint of sophistication.

I’m not a connoisseur of wine, in fact I don’t drink it.

I don’t like the taste, never have, but I do appreciate the hard work & craft that goes into wine making.

From planting the vine to the final aged product in the bottle. 

You see I’m more of a Tea connoisseur. Did you know that the Tea making process actually parallels wine making?

As the quality & taste of the tea is also dependent upon the environmental factors before the harvesting & aging process.

Growing tea

Lady Grey Tea

Lady Grey is my favorite tea blend, it’s made with the finest tea leaves plucked in the mountains of Northern India & blended with dried orange & lemon peel.

I would describe it as a refined, light & refreshing blend with a hint of citrus!

Let’s look at that tea description & see if it applies to my life…

Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser (the cultivator). Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

John 15:1

So in relating this to my relationship with God through His Son, Jesus;

• I’m planted in His plantation,
• He monitors my growth through all the seasons making sure I am growing for the plucking of His purpose.
• He trims the branches that get over grown & applies aged organic compost for mulching (trials), that let’s be honest aren’t really appreciated at time until new growth is evident!

But it’s all necessary to produce stable & mature growth for the finest harvest.

He only plucks the finest shoots for His purpose for they give the greatest flavor for eternity.

You see it’s not only the harvest but the process that gives the finest flavor.

White tea are the tea leaves just dried without processing, it has a very delicate flavor. 

For Green tea the leaves are aged & processed a little more which brings out a little more flavor.

But for the most robust of teas, Black tea, the leaves are aged & fermented the longest which give the strongest flavor & can be blended with other ingredients to make a variety of tea blends!

It’s the careful & loving monitoring of the great Cultivator that produces the finest leaf vintage from the maturing plant!

How then would I describe myself as a Tea blend?

Well, I’m feminine & love to be treated as a lady! 

But I worked tirelessly in the sheep yards as a wool grower  (that I once was) slopping around in sheep manure!

So, I can’t really describe myself as a refined blend but rather in the process of refinement.

I can be light hearted but I don’t shy away from the harder things in life either (which may be a legacy from my professional life). 

I have been described as robust, although I always endeavor to leave a pleasant flavor behind!

However, that’s entirely dependent on the Other’s perception in how they perceive that flavoring!

I think I have to echo the leading lady’s description above when describing myself as a Tea; I’m a robust blend with a hint of fruity sophistication! Lol!

Maturing Process

While we don’t necessarily appreciate the trimming, fertilizing (trials) & the plucking (harvesting) at the time.

None the less, each process is necessary to produce the finest leaves/fruit for His eternal harvest.

It’s the finest quality leaves/fruit that give the most flavorsome & refreshing blends that linger in their influence for Him. 

How would you describe yourself as either a wine, tea or coffee my friend? I’d love to hear it in the comments below.

Until next time,

Jennifer

You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook

Or in Prayer

 

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