State of affairs part deux.

Date: Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Time now: Approx 2 pm

Weather: Sunny & 84 degrees- low humidity....gorgeous blue sky

Activities this past weekend: Picked up fam at airport Friday, headed home after a stop at Whole Foods, fam picked blueberries & marveled at the size of the plants in the garden, kids picked squash and more squash and a little more squash then we harvested our first cucumbers, visited Brattleboro Farmer's Market Saturday morning, our friend Sally came to visit for Saturday night- Farmer Bill came over for our first dinner party- we played games, cooked a local food dinner, laughed, talked & visited, went to Boston Sunday- played tourists extraordinaire- saw great Freedom Trail sites, met Denise & Phil (friends from Boston) for dinner- Pizzeria Regina and cannoli in the North End, stayed in Cambridge, quick ride by Harvard, dropped Stokes at train station (subway to airport), drove home yesterday, crashed for 2 hours when we got home!

Activities today: Recovering from a full weekend of family, friends, food & fun/ A trip to the recycling station/ mailing Annie's school forms/ washing car/ picking blueberries

General attitude: Mixed feelings: tired from an action packed weekend, relieved kids arrived safely, sad to leave Stokes at airport yesterday, relaxed at having nothing on our calendar for 2 weeks.

Ate for lunch: leftover Sour Cream Hamburger Bake and fresh salad from the garden

What's for dinner: Squash soup, fresh garden tomatos and cornbread

Hardest adjustment since kids' arrival: Moving from a house with 5 bathrooms to this house with 1 tiny bathroom....we're working on figuring out a system!

Donkey philosophy.

My apologies to anyone offended by this little diddy....it was just too good not to share the love.

A little off-color humour with a good moral. The pastor entered his donkey in a Race and it won. The pastor was so pleased with the donkey that he entered it in the Race again, and it won again.The local paper read:
PASTOR'S ASS OUT FRONT
The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the pastor not to enter the donkey in another Race.The next day, the local paper headline read:
BISHOP SCRATCHES PASTOR'S ASS
This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the pastor to get rid of the donkey. The pastor decided to give it to a nun in a nearby convent. The local paper, hearing of the news, posted the following headline the next day:
NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN
The bishop fainted. He informed the nun that she would have to get rid of the donkey, so she sold it to a farmer for $10. The next day the paper read:
NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10
This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the nun to buy back the donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run wild. The next day the headlines read:
NUN ANNOUNCES HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE
The bishop was buried the next day.

The moral of the story is .... being concerned about public opinion can bring you much grief and misery... even shorten your life. So be yourself and enjoy life. Stop worrying about everyone else's ass and you'll be a lot happier and live longer!

Pesto anyone?

This week I harvested about a wheelbarrow load of basil out of the garden. I decided to make pesto to put in the freezer for the winter. It's delicious tossed in with pasta or veggies or spread on a cracker or piece of bread with a slice of tomato...ok, my mouth is watering. It's very simple to make....a bit messy but well worth the clean up! I would recommend using the best olive oil & fresh parmesan cheese you can find. I never use the pre-grated parmesan (they put lots and lots of preservatives and junk in pre-grated cheeses to keep them fresh....ugh) and whatever that is that comes in the green can doesn't even qualify as cheese in my book. Don't use it.....I mean, ever.... not just for this pesto recipe.

Basil Pesto

2 cups fresh basil (give or take)- leaves only- stems can go to the compost pile
1/3 cup fresh parmesan
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
2 med to large cloves of garlic (more if you like it really garlicky)
approx 1/3 cup good quality olive oil (more if you like it runny)
squeeze of fresh lemon juice

throw everything except olive oil in food processor- sometimes it's better to drop the cheese and garlic in through the top with the blade running to make sure it gets chopped up good. slowly drizzle olive oil in the top until you get the consistency you want. you can also use a blender if you don't have a food processor. be patient....sometimes it takes a while for everything to get good and blended up....adjust seasonings for your taste buds and enjoy!!!! this will keep in the freezer up to 3 months.

Be like squash.

To everything there is a season...and a time to every purpose under heaven. The squash plants in my garden know their purpose....producing lots and lots and lots of fruit! They have taken the term "garden party" to a whole new level....they are having a party all day & night....and reproducing at an alarming rate! I'm not sure whether I'm in squash heaven or hell. Bubba Gump is to shrimp what The Waddell Garden is to squash.....Sauteed Squash, Stir Fried Squash, Squash Soup, Squash with Pesto, Squash Casserole, Squash Soufle, Stuffed Squash, Steamed Squash, Squash Delight, Squash Patties, Marinated Squash.....whew.....and that's just the last 2 weeks! At the rate they're going I think there might be some potential in there for world peace or at least solving the global warming crisis.

How would the world look if everyone was that clear about their purpose....can you imagine....everybody just getting their groove on to whatever their groove is supposed to be....not paying attention to what the tomatos or cucumbers or scallions are doing....not trying to be an eggplant or a rhutabaga....just fulfilling their squashy purpose in the finite amount of time they have. What a delicious and interesting thought....Ah! To be or not be like squash.....now, that is a question!

State of affairs.

Today's date: Thursday, July 24, 2008

Time: 4:30 pm- ish

Temperature outside: 71 degrees/ raining for the 3rd day in a row

Best experience here so far: It's a tie between the Brattleboro Farmer's Market & my first garden harvest

Most excited about: The kids arrival tomorrow!

Things I've given up since I've arrived: TV, dishwasher, air conditioning, ziploc bags, seran wrap

Hardest to give up: ziploc bags

Next on the chopping block: Wrapping paper and greeting cards

Activities this week: Making pesto & chicken stock for the freezer, putting finishing touches on kids' rooms

On ITunes right now: Amos Lee

Other sounds in the background: Birds singing & chirping, the rooster down the street crowing and the cows across the street mooing....haven't heard the church bell in a while

Procrastination point: Taking the recycling to the recycling center

Book on the bedside table: The Celestine Prophecy

Next in line for the beside table: The Mindful Woman by Sue Patton Thoele

Attitude check: relaxed, grounded, rested, calm, peaceful, nourished, grateful

And the beet goes on.

When I was in college there was a fad "3 day" diet that I stayed on for a while. One of the required foods was beets. I can still remember the disgusted feeling I would have as I opened the can of bright red circles and forced myself to choke them down. Ugh. I swore to myself that I would never put another beet in my mouth again after I got off of that diet. Well......never say never.

2 years ago I had never seen a fresh beet, nor did I particularly care to, and the idea of actually cooking one terrified me. I can be very silly like that about things....can't we all? What I didn't know at the time was that Gary was happily sowing his beet seeds in anticipation of spreading that red root of love around to all of his CSA customers. When the first bunch arrived I tucked them away in the veggie drawer hoping they would vanish into thin air and I wouldn't have to deal with them. In the end, the beet bunch won the Mexican stand-off we were having and the rest is history! The fresh beet and I have made up and I have apologized for any and all derogatory things I might have said about their distant cousin- the canned beet.

Now, if you're one of those silly people like me who don't try new things because they're too lazy or scared or they tried it once 17 years ago and didn't like it or are afraid it won't turn out perfectly (need I continue?)- take a breath....I'm gonna' tell you how to cook beets so that you can join in on the fun. We all need to have a party in our mouth from time to time and the beet will surely take you there. And.....you won't believe how easy they are-really!

Here's my favorite prep:

First- Try to buy local organic beets. Look for beets with the greens still on- they should look fresh and not wilted. The fresher the green part is, the fresher the root is (which is the beet). The root will keep in the fridge for a couple of days if you don't want to cook it right away. Be sure to remove the greens to keep the root fresher. Cut greens off about an inch above the root.

Second- Wash the beet well removing any dirt. If there's a long stringy root on the bottom you can cut that off. Wrap in aluminum foil. Place on pan and roast in oven (400 degrees) for approx 45 minutes to an hour. They are done when a fork can be inserted easily.

Third- Remove from oven & open foil packs (careful of the steam). Let cool until they can be handled. Rub between your fingers and the peel will come off easily. Slice or chop.

That's it! They are delicious by themselves as a side dish-just add a little sea salt & pepper. I often put them on a salad topped with toasted pumpkin seeds, goat cheese & balsamic vinaigrette. I've also made a sauce of a little butter, honey, orange juice & cinnamon which can be reduced on the stove (boil for about 10 minutes until slightly thick)and drizzled over them for a side dish.

In the picture above I took a bunch of raw beets & peeled them. I grated them in my food processor and added between 1 and 2 tablespoons of whole wheat pastry flour and a large pinch of cinnamon. I heated a little butter in a skillet and formed them into patties and sauteed until slightly brown on both sides- I flipped them a couple of times for even cooking. I served over braised kale (you could also use the beet greens) with a little drizzle of balsamic reduction. This is a kid favorite- we call them beet pancakes & Mac & Annie love them up.

One note about the gorgeous color of the beet.....it will stain anything and everything it touches that is stainable, your hands, your clothes, your countertop, your floor, your shoes, your sink, your light brown poodle or other food- so use caution unless you want your world to be very very red.

Oh, and one more thing: I shouldn't fail to mention that the beet is a nutrition powerhouse. Now, on that note, I believe that you should eat food because it tastes really good not just because it's good for you....the beet gives you the best of both worlds! The roots are a great source of calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorous, carotene, B vitamins, and vitamin C and the beet greens are even more nutritious than the roots!

First Garden Harvest!

We have tried our hand at gardening on South Park with great intention and energy but with little to show for our hard work. One year we got 1 cherry tomato...which we split into 4 pieces and each enjoyed a piece. Last year we had a few pieces of squash, a little lettuce & spinach and 3 pieces of okra. Our garden here has been enormously successful! I am attributing this success solely to luck and the help from our farmer friend Bill rather than any green apendages on our part. Buddy has also been doing his job quite well keeping birds, turkeys and other varmits away.

Yesterday I harvested lettuce (3 kinds), basil and 3 kinds of squash. I made a giant salad, homemade pesto & squash baked with tomatos & onion. It was so fresh and tasty- the first of many meals I plan to eat from food that I planted, grew & harvested!

Organic People.

I'm a sucker for cool places to shop. When I first started traveling to NYC I would take a day and visit all my favorite stores just to get a "fix". McKenzie-Childs, ABC Carpet & Home, The Polo Mansion on Madison and Fellisimo were all on the list of places that just....pardon the farm expression....cranked my tractor. I would often buy a $3 or $4 trinket just so I could leave with a bag. I almost teared up the first time I walked into Dean & Deluca in Soho and I've been known to whistle & skip when I walk into a Whole Foods.

Last Saturday I visited the Brattleboro, VT Farmer's Market- about 45 minutes from here. Man-oh-man- did I hit the cool factor jackpot! I've been to lots of farmer's markets before...ho hum...all the same thing....get your green beans & corn and mosey along your merry way. This place was glorious....brimming with sound and color and vibrant healthy happy people who were all acting as though there was a party going on! There were booths with organic veggies and fruits as well as artisan breads and cheeses, local wines, chutneys and jams. There were musicians and artists there displaying jewelry, pottery and other handcrafts. There were circus activities and a giant sandbox for the kids and wonderful booths of ethnic foods as well as pastries, cookies, sweet breads, coffees & teas. Everything was sourced/grown/cooked/or made by or from local vendors....within 2 counties away- it's in the rules! Oh, and it's also in the rules that there is no styrofoam allowed and food vendors must use "real" utensils instead of plastic....everything I saw used there could be recycled....and there were recycling bins handy to put it in.

This, I thought to myself while standing in line for some delicious food from 2 friendly West-African ladies, is what consumerism should look like. A cooperative effort where folks in a community support their local vendors, maintain their integrity and have a great time doing it! This is the picture of "organic" I've been looking for....forget the organic potato chips, cereal & crackers. These are organic people....and believe me, I'm standing in line to drink that Kool-Aid (organic of course.)

The church bell's gone crazy.

This is a picture of the church that is right up the street from our house. No, I'm not kidding and yes, I know it is the perfectly picturesque quintessential New England village church. When we were first here the church bell rang on the hour every hour (day & night) which, admitedly, took some getting used to. I adjusted and came to enjoy the reminder that there is life outside the quiet of our little farmhouse.

Well, since I've been back the bell has gone crazy. It rings at random times....not usually on the hour and it's never the right number of dongs. It always makes me chuckle to myself to hear it so confused. It rang 23 times the other day.....military time? (you're thinking to yourself) Good guess- except that it was 10 am. So....while still picturesque, maybe it's not quite so perfect....which is what I'm finding out about New England in general....it's got lots of little quirks amidst the traditional Americana setting that make it an interesting and endearing place to live....and good for a chuckle from time to time for a girl from the South.

Let's give this one more try.

Ok peeps. Listen up. This is a big issue- if you have had a conversation with me in the last few years you've heard me talk about this and for all of you out there that have already made the switch to organic or rBGH free milk- yippee....you're in the club. Now, for any of you that still need some "convincing" to make the switch....let's give this one more try. Click on the link and be sure to watch both videos.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/07/12/did-you-know-all-the-drugs-in-your-milk.aspx?source=nl

Could there be any questions? Any reason why you won't switch? I mean, so clean milk is like $.13 more a gallon or something but we live in a time where blue jeans now cost upwards of $150...duh. You can afford it....or perhaps just start putting the extra money you're saving not buying organic into a chemotherapy drug fund for later. All in favor of milk without genetically modified hormones, antiobiotics and lots of extra puss say, "I." Uh huh, that's what I thought you'd say.

Summer suppers

Is there anything better than fresh food in the summer? Ok, so there might be things that equal it but I can't think of anything that beats it. I've been in Dothan for a few days...the last hoorah before heading to Mass for good on Saturday. The kids and I picked up our CSA bag from Gary which was full of summer yum....fresh basil, cucumbers, zuchini, green peppers, new potatos & melon. We picked up a gallon of fresh blueberries & 6 freshly laid eggs in preparation for our final Dothan feast. We enjoyed udon noodles with tomato, basil & feta, cucumber slices, deviled eggs, lightly sauteed zuchini with onions & peppers and grilled chicken...all drizzled with a balsamic reduction for decoration & a little bit of tang. We ended with brownies topped with the sweetest blueberries you've ever tasted.....in other words....a party in our mouths. My bro Jon, his wife Jennie & their 3 boys stopped by for a quick goodbye and we strong-armed them in to staying to eat with us. It was truly a wonderful celebration- with gratitude for Gary's wonderful veggies we have enjoyed over the last couple of years, appreciation for our family and excitement about all the wonderful things to come in the next year.

Udon with Tomato, Basil & Feta

This is so easy & delicious. It can be served hot, cold or at room temp. Modify the amount of ingredients based on your taste....it's real hard to mess it up! Here's what I did:

In a large bowl combine:

approx 8 small tomatos- chopped
approx 1 cup basil- chopped
approx 1/2 to 1 cup crumbled feta
a couple of cloves of garlic- minced
approx 1/4 to 1/2 cup good quality olive oil
sea salt to taste

I let all of this sit together for about an hour then cooked a package of Udon (use whatever pasta you have on hand) and tossed in with the tomato mixture. Add more or less of anything based on what you like. Finish with a drizzle of balsamic reduction.

Balsamic Reduction

approx 1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
approx 2 T sugar
2 cloves garlic (if desired)- can leave whole

Place in saucepan and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced and slightly thick- approc 10 to 15 minutes. Take out garlic before serving. Flavor is pungent- use sparingly!

Teach your children well.

"You, who are on the road,

Must have a code that you can live by.

And so, become yourself,

because the past is just a goodbye.

Teach your children well,

their Father's hell did slowly go by.

And feed them on your dreams,

the one they picks, the one you'll know by."

Crosby, Stills & Nash

When we were young, my sister, Jeni & I used to put show tunes on the record player and dance until we could hardly stand. My parents, on a trip to Mexico, had brought 2 brightly colored skirts home as a souvenier of their trip. They were much too long for us- drug the ground by inches and inches but were just perfect for twirling! I can see us now, me-lanky & awkward with my horrifying pixie haircut & Jeni- snaggle-toothed with her "home-perm-gone-bad" hairdo, spinning & twirling in time to the music- a blurry fanfare of color and sequins. It is a picture of perfectly unbridled childhood bliss. That's a "there" that's worth going back to...unreserved, unashamed, unafraid....dancing like our lives depended on it- like no one was watching.

One of my recurring questions is where, when & how does that magic end? When do we become jaded and cynical? When do we trade in our hope for despair? When do we let fear overtake us? When do we put aside our dreams and chalk them up to "childhood foolishness"? When do we start measuring our actions by "what other people will think"? When do we stop believing that our vote counts or that we can make a difference? When do we join the paradigm and forget individualism? When do we stop dancing like no one is watching? Is it when someone makes fun of you on the playground? When your boyfriend or girlfriend cheats on you? When you flunk a test you thought you were prepared for? When you get fired from your job? When a friend betrays your trust? When your parents don't listen to you because "you're a child and you don't know anything." All of the above....none of the above? Is it a rite of passage, a coming of age...necessary in the maturation process....or can it be avoided?

This desire to know the answer is not only driven by memories of my ecstatic childhood moments but also by watching my 2 crazy pre-teens as their candles of innocence begin to flicker. I believe that in "their world" there won't be room for cynicism or despair....hope will lead the way to change. They will need to be fearless to follow their dreams and be prepared to be ridiculed along the way. They will have to think for themselves and be incredible problem solvers- and handlers. I also believe there won't be much room for nay-sayers or passivists. They will be the ones called on to clean up the mess that the previous generations have left for them....it will be unavoidable.

I guess farm school is a pretty radical thing we're doing. The hysteria that ensued after I let the news fly was a good indicator of just how big a deal it is. I get caught up in the logistics of it all and forget that I am, quite frankly my dear.......terrified. However, every day I am affirmed in big & small ways that this is a good decision for us. It's changed my despair to hope, my cynicism into activism, my fear into empowerment, my sadness into joy, my fantasies into reality. This is a lesson for all of us- hopefully with answers that will guide the way to our future....Mac & Annie's future....& their children & grandchildren.....Teach your children well.

Be the change.

How often are we presented with the same old quotations, messages, statements and cliches....we've heard & read them over and over again. They come to us in emails and we forward them on to others, we hear them in sermons and forget them before we get in our car to go to lunch, we read them on tee-shirts, bumper stickers or billboards, never stopping to ponder how significant they really are. We are great consumers of information....gathering bits here and pieces there, tucking them away for a rainy day....or for some time when we "aren't so busy" or "when the kids get older" or "when I have enough money"...."I'll get to that some day." Many of us are running on the treadmill of life- running really fast but always staying in the same place. Have you ever tried to get off of a moving treadmill? As a runner, I can tell ya', it's pretty hard and can be pretty ugly if you don't plan your escape just right. And....so, some day never comes because we're too afraid of looking foolish by hurling ourselves free of the moving machine.

Up until a couple of years ago I was an information consumer extraordinaire. I had it all down.... how to be healthy, happy and content for the rest of your life....and I wasn't DOING any of it. As I sat one day, having a grand pity party for myself (all that was missing was the cocktail dress), playing the blame game about what everybody else had done to make me so unhappy, one of those nice little familiar quotes came to me: "Be the change you want to see in the world." Gandhi was a smart dude.

For once, I listened....I pondered....I put it in my pipe and smoked it....I simmered on it....I chewed it....I swallowed and digested it- those silly little words became my mantra for life. Don't change the world around you....change yourself! Don't blame the world around you....blame yourself! Don't save the world around you.....save yourself!

Our world is in dire need of radical change. I believe that organic & sustainable farming is one of the ways we can save the planet. I buy as much local food as possible. I support Gary, my USDA certified organic farmer, and work to help promote and increase his business. I rarely eat factory farmed meat- including fish. I never buy food (or anything else as much as possible) from Wal-mart or other chains that regulary import tainted food from China. I reject food that has been genetically modified or irradiated. I no longer use a microwave. I have dramatically reduced the amount of plastic we use in our house. I have almost eliminated chemically based cleaning supplies & personal care products. I am mindful of the choices I make in all aspects of my life- what I eat, what I wear, what I read, whom I support with my dollars, what I think, who I am friends with, what I speak. It is my desire to educate others so I continue to educate myself. Be the change.

How exactly did I get from there to here?

I've shared a bit about my past and the chaos that created the need for me to head out on this adventure. It's been a long process getting from there to here....and where "here" is, I'm not exactly sure... but, in looking back over the last few years, I know that "there" is not a place that I want to go back to. "There" is me sitting with Thelma on my left, Louise on my right, revving the Thunderbird getting ready for the flight into the great unknown. "Here" is looking at the changes I've made as I've inched back from the edge and realizing there are still many miles to go....and being ok with that. "There" is me tap dancing as fast as I could to keep up "the perfect life facade" while the steam was running out. "Here" is my ability to be gentle with myself in all of my imperfectness....and to even let others in on the secret that I haven't really got it all together. "There" is me playing the blame game about who's fault it was that my life was a trainwreck. "Here" is my realization that I am in charge of my life, my happiness, my peace....it's no one else's responsibility to create that for me. "There" is a study in how high your pendulum can swing before it flies over the top...too much of the worthless stuff- over-working, spending, consuming, partying, noise. "Here" is a study in balance- keeping the pendulum from swinging too high either way...more of the important stuff- relaxing, saving, recycling, reusing, sleeping, quiet. "There" is me being relentlessly sick & tired, plagued by chronic sinus infections, allergies, insomnia, constipation. "Here" is me reclaiming my health through healthy eating and lifestyle choices. "There" is being driven by fear. "Here" is feeling the fear, and doing it anyway. "There" is me standing still- waiting for changes to happen in my life. "Here" is me being proactive about creating the life I want to live.......and.....the list goes on....I'm sure you get the picture by now.

"There" to "here" doesn't happen overnight. Recognition of the need for change is the first step. Many of us desire to make changes but don't know how or where to start. It's ok to ask for help...I stubbornly did alot of this on my own. Real, lasting changes take commitment, intention, perseverance, patience, faith and time time time time time. I, like most people, struggle with my socialized/ culturized nature to need instant gratification. Patience is NOT one of my best virtues....in fact, it probably wasn't even on my list of virtues until a couple of years ago. Looking back to "there" from "here", though, I see that lots of small changes over time add up to big changes in the end. It's a never-ending process- today's "here" will be tomorrow's "there".

Stay tuned for another exciting episode about changing your life tomorrow on: Our Year on the Farm.