Spiced Stewed Fruit
I always heard about Uncle Jerry. “I’ll be back, I’m taking Uncle Jerry to the grocery store’, my roommate Rebecca would say. “Uncle Jerry doesn’t want to come home from his house in Borrego Springs. I think he’s running out of food!”
“I’m taking Uncle Jerry to L.A. today to help move the furniture out of his and his late wife, Aunt Kay’s, home.”
“Nilson (Rebecca’s transplant cat rescued from LA) loves Uncle Jerry’s urban farm!”
After pictures and stories, one day, I finally met Uncle Jerry. An older man, hearty, tall, with solid bones, and a white beard, Uncle Jerry came to life beyond my imagination of wise stories. The stories then began to unravel through the checkers on his plaid flannel, and through his palm back to the Earth, every time he placed his cane on the ground.
He is a peaceful man living harmoniously with his environment; one who has cultivated a relationship with all the elements around him. He listens to the calls of the birds, and knows the way of his land. He is the caretaker of a diverse ecosystem.
Through the virtue of the crows that roost beyond his bedroom window, by virtue of the rosemary that grows high on his front door step, and by virtue of the persimmons that witness themselves simply by growing, naturally falling to the grass, and composting back into the Earth, Jerry is no high maintenance care taker. Among the medicine that grows upon his land, he homes avocado trees, orange trees, guavas, mangos, lemons, macadamia nuts, cactus, zapotas, persimmons, apricots, grapefruits, loquats, and grapes. Within this array of divine nectar all around him, Uncle Jerry does not tend to them. They grow simply off rainwater and sunshine, and abundantly so. So rich, is the quiet abode Jerry rests in as you walk along brick paths he once layed himself- a rather urban oasis.
Jerry Cappucio was born during the Depression, in 1921. His father emigrated from Italy at 16 years of age. His father chose to shorten their last name to Capp, in hopes of aiding their acclimation to a land of boasted freedom, opportunity, and dreams. Jerry’s father became a successful business man himself, and Jerry learned a plethora of knowledge through his father’s experience.
Jerry moved out to Los Angeles, where he started a coat company, processing leather and suede. One day he was walking down the street, and as he looked to his right, he noticed this sweetly positioned redhead through a glass window sitting at her office desk. He couldn’t manage to pull his eyes away from this beautiful woman, until that is, he ran into the street post right in front of him! Despite his run-in with the pole, he walked into this woman’s place of work, and introduced himself.
Fast forward. Kay and Jerry are husband and wife, as well as business partners. They invested in real estate all over the country and collected antiques along the way. Kay was an empowered, beautiful woman, who was living a conscious reality and offered a model of empowered divine femininity for her young niece, Rebecca.
One of the many gems they uncovered during their travels was a home in Carlsbad near the railroad tracks. Gertrude Myers, a painter known as the local “Grandma Moses,” lived in the house from 1936 to 1965. As she aged, she was only occupying one of the downstairs rooms in this Queen-Anne style house built by Alonzo Culver in 1887. They offered to take over the mortgage, and ended up moving into the home.
Severely dilapidated with holes in the walls, spotty electricity, and no outdoor paint on the home, Uncle Jerry completely refurbished the entire home. He laid down a new foundation himself and re-wired the electricity. That was about 45 years ago, and it probably needs just as much work now as it did when they bought it. The home is over 100 years old, and has earned the title of ‘Heritage Home’ with its rich history. Chinese slaves lived in the cellar when they were building the railroad. The children of the community boast that the house is haunted, and dare the other children to run up the driveway come the dawning moon.
I asked Rebecca, how Uncle Jerry has changed over the years. Through his stories, she recounts that he has really softened in his older age; his compassion ever expanding. He used to go hunting with his father, and though Jerry isn’t strictly vegetarian, he said he couldn’t fathom hurting another animal now. Uncle Jerry recognizes how blessed his life has been and he has been committed to sharing that with people. Through all the properties he owned, he really valued his tenants. Tenants would stay at his properties for years and years, and Jerry would never raise the rent. He felt offering these homes at an affordable price was a service to the people, not an opportunity to make money.
What does Uncle Jerry feel his purpose has been?
“Ha!” Rebecca responds, “Well I suppose I have a selfish answer, as I feel Jerry’s purpose is to be an inspiration and a father figure to me. Truly though, Uncle Jerry represents an old way of being, he is a gentleman. He has a time-ness, he does not put out false pretenses, he truly lives a life of service, and it comes from him genuinely. He thinks the most important thing in life is to be happy.”
How may Uncle Jerry explain his philosophy of happiness?
“Well I don’t know if he has a philosophy…well I’m sure he does, but he just IS IT. He lives it. He values quiet time. He is productive. He loves the process. He gets absorbed in the process of whatever project he is involved, whether it’s laying bricks or feeling the sunshine. He takes the time and delights in the small things. So yes, he lives in the moment!”
Among some of Jerry’s favorite foods are orange juice with cereal, peanut butter avocado sandwiches, Mexican chicken burritos, and for many of us of course, a nice lofty sweet tooth.
So, in honor of the bountiful fruit trees that extend across his land and to toast a life of wisdom and service, let us learn how to craft some stewed fruit in the kitchen.
This is very warming and grounding. It’s a great dish for Vata, and cinnamon and cardamom are good spices for digestion. Ghee (clarified butter) serves as a carrier and allows the body’s tissues to absorb the medicine of the spices much more effectively. This provides the enjoyed holiday spice without the famed holiday food coma! And by all means, explore, discover, and add/omit what you desire!
Recipe:
2 apples
2 pears
Raisins (1/4 cup)
Ghee 2 Tbs.
Cardamom (5 Pods crushed)
Cinnamon (1/4 tsp or bark 3”)
Cloves (3 )
Ginger (1/4 tsp or 1 Tbsp. grated)
Raw Organic Sugar (1 Tbsp.) (map substitute maple syrup, I do not suggest using honey as Ayurveda suggests ferments when overheated, which becomes toxic upon consumption)
Water (1 cup)
Procedure:
Heat ghee on pan then add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon bark and ginger grated.
Then add pealed sliced fruit and cook for 2 minute
Add powdered herbs (cinnamon ginger etc)
Add Raisins & stir
Then add sugar to caramelize.
Add water stir and simmer until cooked.
Enjoy!!
Love from the bounty of friendship between Uncle Jerry’s niece, Rebecca and myself~
