My first time at the Honest Weight Coop in Albany was a happy surprise. I was not expecting to like a place that was, in my closed mind, a magnet for bulk-buying granola folks looking for quinoa and patchouli. Suzie had chosen the location for lunch, which puzzled me because I was certain there was no table service. Of course there wasn’t, but there were a few tables, and the wraps and salads looked good. The day was so sunny that I couldn’t complain.
Better than that was the selection of vegetables and other healthy food that dovetailed perfectly with a desire to eat better. I perused the aisles while waiting for Suzie, and found a bouquet of waxflowers and eucalyptus. The latter is one of my go-to items for getting through the winter. This is the traditional gray-green version, and while I prefer the silver-dollar ones, both produce a cozy, winter-ready fragrance that carries just enough menthol heat to chase the cold weather away. When their vase life is done (and they will last an extra-long time) and they turn dry and brittle, I will boil them and cleanse the air with their pungent aroma.
In California, I’ve walked and driven through groves of eucalyptus. When you spend most of your life in such a cold climate, it’s a wonder and a joy to come upon temperate plants growing outside. I always thrilled at that. They grew tall and big there, reaching high into the air, dropping their scented leaves onto the forest floor and sprinkling the land with their magic. Their fragrance brings me back to beauty, and reminds me that there are places in the world where winter is not so vicious.
