Preserve

Everything spoiled. Bundled celery roots, untouched since coming home, gave up the ghost months back while the rosemary wilted, only a handful plucked for garnish. The passion fruit preserve, which I bought because passion fruit’s your favourite but never went well with anything, inexplicably grew a black vein in its jar. Using is difficult, keeping even more so. Throw out the perishables, separately seal each item in plastic, bleach every surface and watch expiry dates. Come back to see this temperature-controlled miracle. Afterwards, we’ll buy heirloom tomatoes from around the corner and eat in the sun till we’re both sick.