Yellow and red

Naturally occurring color is all around in us in the middle of winter. Even when everything seems brown and dormant, there is still a lot of vibrancy out there. The yellow in this photo comes from the stems of osier (wicker) which grows wild on the edges of the vineyard near where little streams run. The red looks like a wild blackberry plant that's held on to some of its leaves.

Lots of autumn leaves remain on the trees and plants partly because we've had no freeze yet this season.

Today is the epiphany on the Catholic calendar and, in France, the tradition is to eat une galette des rois (cake of the three kings). The cake is made with puff pastry, stuffed with almond frangipane, and a little fève (bean). When the cake is sliced, the person whose slice contains the fève is crowned king for the day. Store-bought cakes come with a golden cardboard crown for the occasion. I made my own puff-pastry and will assemble and bake our cake today.