Wearin' Of The Green

Limerick, County Limerick, Ireland
Are you wearing green? Okay, I won't pinch you then. Have you read some Joyce or Yeats poetry today? Here's a bit from Yeats....................

THE TREES are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine-and-fifty swans.
The nineteenth Autumn has come upon me
Since I first made my count;
I saw, before I had well finished,
All suddenly mount
And scatter wheeling in great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.
I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,
And now my heart is sore.
All’s changed since I, hearing at twilight,
The first time on this shore,
The bell-beat of their wings above my head,
Trod with a lighter tread.
Unwearied still, lover by lover,
They paddle in the cold,
Companionable streams or climb the air;
Their hearts have not grown old;
Passion or conquest, wander where they will,
Attend upon them still.
But now they drift on the still water
Mysterious, beautiful;
Among what rushes will they build,
By what lake’s edge or pool
Delight men’s eyes, when I awake some day
To find they have flown away?

We have a tradition of eating potatoes on St. Patrick's Day because our ancestors came to America during the potato famine to escape poverty and build the Transcontinental Railroad. Colcannon is a traditional Irish recipe using potatoes and cabbage and it is a family favorite.

Colcannon
6 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
1/2 to 3/4 cup milk (room temperature)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon parsley

Put potatoes in a large pot and cover with water; cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Meanwhile, cook cabbage and onion together in a small amount of boiling salted water for about 15 minutes; drain. Mash potatoes using an electric mixer. Beat in butter and as much milk necessary to make it fluffy. Add salt and pepper. Stir in cabbage and onion.Top with parsley. This should serve six healthy Irish appetites.