Two

Hello friends,

It's hard to believe, but it's been exactly two years since I began this blog. This is a bigger achievement than you may think. It's rare for any blog to last that long; for a blog with only three readers, it's a freaking miracle. So for this glorious occasion, I decided to celebrate with some Concord gelato. (Actually, that was two weeks ago, but the rules of time don't apply around here, as at least one of my readers can attest to.) Similar to the Concord sorbet that I made last year, this recipe calls for a little added cream which gives it a richer flavor. It was a big hit around the Concord household, and I'm sure it will become an annual tradition.

But there was another reason to celebrate. To fully understand this, you must go back to my very first post and remember the original purpose of this blog: to spread the word about Concord grapes to the people of America. And then you need to know what happened to me recently on a cold October morning in downtown Seattle. Here's the scoop: a couple weeks ago, I attended a fundraising breakfast for a local charity. Most of the guests arrived before the dining area was open, so people were mingling in the lobby and waiting. In that lobby was a long table with coffee, tea, and various little hors d'oeuvres for people to snack on, as well as a fruit platter. And on that fruit platter were the usual suspects: pineapple, strawberries, kiwi fruit. But here's the crazy part: there were also Concord grapes on the fruit platter! Not green grapes, not red grapes, not even black grapes (which look a lot like Concords but are, in fact, far inferior); no, these were honest-to-God Concords. I was shocked. Granted, nobody touched them, but there they were, on display for everyone to see. Actually, I did see one person eat a Concord, and then I witnessed her look of disgust as she realized that there were seeds in it and proceeded to spit it out. Regardless, my heart warmed with the thought that these grapes were finally beginning to break into the mainstream. Now, I don't know who catered this event, but I wouldn't be surprised if a friend of a friend of that caterer had stumbled upon my blog, got inspired, and started spreading the word. And that, my friends, is what keeps this blog going. Concords Are Better may be two years old today, but there are many more years to come!