beauty that moves

notes from our garden and kitchen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everything is coming in so quickly now. Corn is harvested, tomatoes ripening, potatoes about ready to dig. The beans (planted late) are covered with flowers and tiny beans as well. Another week or so. 

The peas are done and the lettuce has bolted. Space is opening for fall plantings. Compost is added and the weeding... well, you know that never ends. 

The basil is doing exceedingly well considering each plant was nothing more than two tiny yellowing leaves that were planted in haste (in not so great soil). But oh, to see that row shine now. A garden star for sure. 

We haven't had any trouble with critters of the furry kind thanks to a six foot fence, but the insects have begun to make themselves at home so we are now out there two or three times a day to take care of that. 

And how about that crazy looking fence? (The one in the picture with the red barn.) When we made the last minute decision to expand our garden in late Spring, we were without enough fencing and decided to make do with what we could find right here. The solution? A dog kennel that was found on the property! It doesn't win any points for beauty, but the height was in keeping with our need to keep deer on the outside of the garden. And as it turns out, the fully operational swinging door is quite convenient for us gardener folk. 

 

 

 

 

 

Blueberries and zucchini have been near daily ingredients in the kitchen. Filling our bellies for today and filling the freezer for the upcoming months. I went to the grocery store for a few things yesterday and in doing so realized I hadn't been in nearly three weeks! Our garden and local pick your own places are keeping us well fed this summer. 

Meals have been simple. One night at dinner, the table held an assortment of corn on the cob, blueberries, popcorn, walnuts, and cherry tomatoes. Lovely, yes? (And so easy on the cook!)

I feel like I need to make a public service announcement, a very bold one at that... 

This is the best chocolate I've ever tasted!! (Adam agrees.) 

I have no idea where it can be purchased around the country, I imagine their website can help out with that. I brought this bar back from Kripalu, found in the refrigerator at the cafe (it is raw and highly perishable). The idea of lavender and peppermint intrigued me, and it turns out both work beautifully together in this chocolate. Neither are overpowering, more akin to the subtle aromatic sensation you get in the back of your nose when using flower essence remedies. Magical! 

I need to finish up this quick little post and get back to the kitchen as I am busy simmering and stirring these twenty pounds of peaches into a batch of Spiced Peach Butter, to then be canned. 

I do hope everything is abundant and summery in your garden and kitchen.  

scout's world

 

 

 

 

He continues to settle in just fine, like he's always been here. And those ears... they were so floppy just a few weeks ago. Now we wait for the rest of his body to grow into them. Sweet little boy who is so good on his leash and loves hiking. He's fitting in quite nicely over here. 

kripalu was perfect ~ home is still the best

I'm so happy to be settling back in at home. Kripalu was perfect, life-changingly so, but home is where my people are and it's good to be together again.

Although I will tell you that the first thing one wants to do when they leave Kriaplu is put their next visit on the calendar... and that is just what I did! (November.)

As wonderful as it was to indulge in a private room with private bath, it really isn't the most common way to experience Kripalu and my purse strings could not accomodate that as a regular thing. With the aide of a wonderful discount offered on my next program, a $100 account credit due to a middle of the night false fire alarm (that I didn't even hear in my building, they kindly gave the credit to every single person staying there), and less indulgent, humble dormitory arrangements, I'm heading back in just a few months. So much living and learning and sharing to be done. In the coming weeks and months I'm sure this blog and my classes will be infused with all that I brought home with me. 

In addition to twice daily yoga, hiking (Kripalu sits on over 300 acres), kirtan, labyrinth walking, vegetable gardening, wildflower meadow loving, meeting great people and enjoying amazing food (I photographed every single thing I ate), I participated in the Nutrition and Cooking Immersion. This was not a program for nutrition professionals, but the timing worked really well being summer and all so I went for it. Always a beginner. 

On the first day I knew I had made the right decision. Aside from the expert (and holistic) teachings of Kathie Madonna Swift, one of the most accomplished integrative nutritionists in the country (oh, the notes I took!), and the hands on cooking skills shared by culinary nutritionist Stefanie Sacks, the class was also filled with students who reminded me of you, the students who take my classes. I hadn't anticipated this upon signing up, but what a happy surprise that it felt this way! 

Those of you that I never get to meet in person, but travel alongside during Whole Food Kitchen or 30 Day Vegan, I thought of you as I got to know my fellow classmates at Kripalu. You ask the same brilliant questions, share similar concerns and healing changes, adopt likewise practical kitchen wisdom... it's like I was meeting you in person last week. Except it was different, we asked one another deeper questions, then follow-up questions, we had one on one conversations, shared meals, cooked together side by side, unrolled our yoga mats next to one another. (Oh, how I wish we could do that too!) It was an unexpected gift, to feel a connection to every person I've worked with from around the world, right there in my Kripalu classroom of 32 people. Perfect in every way, that dynamic may have been the most profound learning experience for me all week. 

There was plenty of time and space to think, plan, dream and imagine. New ideas were born and others peacefully put to rest for the time being. One of the the imaginings that took place was the possibility of a biannual offering of Whole Food Kitchen. Originally, I didn't think it was possible given that it is a three month workshop and to run it twice would mean six months out of the year just on that one class. I have other offerings in the works and committing half the calendar to one class would not allow me to explore many of those. But I hear your requests for another workshop, one time slot just doesn't work for every person! After careful consideration, and without reducing a bit of content, I have consolidated Whole Food Kitchen into an eight week program and will open registration soon for an autumn 2012 class! Like winter, autumn is also a perfect time to connect more deeply with our kitchens and food lifestyle. Workshop participant binders are going to be huge - as even more topics will be covered this time. I love that I have the opportunity to enhance and expand material with each run of a workshop. Such a treat for me. 

The opening of registration will also coincide with the release of my first ebook, Mealtime Salads, in mid-August. In addition to offering the ever so fun "Bring a Friend" (two for one) enrollment during the first week of registration, those who register for Whole Food Kitchen during that time will also receive a free copy of Mealtime Salads. Fun!

Bottom left, Dr. Mark Hyman stopped in for a chat one morning. 

It was wonderful to get away, to immerse myself in work and play that I love. To be inspired and find clarity, to connect with beautiful people and deeply miss my own. To be reminded that the present moment holds all the truth I will ever know. 

Throughout the hallways of Kripalu hang framed photographs with quotations and messages from students, donors, and employees. Words are shared, the kind that can only be expressed by those who intimately know this magical place. One in particular struck me last week. A man named Jack, well into his retirement years, fondly shared his love for working at Kripalu. Jack recalls leaving his professional life and heading south to retire and play golf, as many retirees do. After a short time doing so he realized how utterly boring that felt to him, he packed up and headed back north to at least be closer to family. To keep busy, he found a part-time job as "greeter" at the Kripalu cafeteria and his warm presence became a mainstay for visiting yogis and seekers. Jack fell in love with his job, and perhaps more importantly, he fell in love with the people he greeted each day. He said, "I have found the most fascinating people in the world, they are here at Kripalu...". Oh, I know this can be said about many beautiful gathering places on earth, but last week I too believed Jack's words to be true.

Yes, I'm happy to be home, I'm also grateful to be visiting Kripalu again soon. 

behind the blog

Good Morning!

This week I'm quietly nestled into the Berkshires on retreat at Kripalu. So very much to share when I return home, what an amazingly transformative time. 

Today, if you have a moment, I'd love to invite you to have a listen to Erin Goodman's podcast Behind the Blog. I'm her guest this month and it was so wonderful to speak for nearly an hour one beautiful June morning. What a treat. 

I intended to share some further thoughts about the things we talked about, but I'm late for a morning date with the Kripalu vegetable garden so must be running along now.

Enjoy the show!

honey blueberry jam

 

 

 

But first, a bite of grilled pizza and some summer love. 

 I'll remember this summer as long as I live. 

The cutest puppy settling in with our family, the biggest garden we've had to date, the blissful quiet of country living, the growth and fun that comes from following the resident young adult's lead and saying 'yes' to her traveling heart. And, the more private behind the scenes battles and triumphs my loved ones are soldiering through at this time. So much life, this summer. 

Grilling pizza on the back deck. Stretching dough, adding basil, pouring iced tea. Entertaining the puppy, catching up on the day. 

Showing up for life. I see it all around me. 

Before heading out for a quick getaway with Emily and her best friend, I set out to make a big batch of blueberry jam. I suppose I could have tossed the berries into the freezer with the strawberries (June was just so busy, there was barely time for picking, let alone jam-making), and made this year's jam at a later date.

But the humidity we've been suffering through finally broke. It is still hot and summery, just without the unbearable stickiness. Perfect for canning up some jam. 

I should have been finishing my packing, putting the laundry away, watering the back garden, etc. You know those many tasks that need tending before heading out the door. Instead, my mind was on one thing only - honey blueberry jam. 

Before I could get started, seeing the blueberries on the counter reminded me I did not have any breakfast. Yogurt with honey and blueberries it is.  

I've been using Pomona's Pectin for about 4 years now and with it have made several types of low sugar jams, jellies, and sauces. Unlike most pectin, Pomona's can gel using less sugar, and will even gel using honey or fruit juice concentrate. 

From their website:

"Pomona's Universal Pectin is a sugar-free, preservative-free, low-methoxyl citrus pectin that is activated by calcium. Since it does not require sugar to jell, jams and jellies can be made with less, little, or no sugar."

Scared of it not working, and thus sacrificing precious summer fruit and expensive honey, I never did have the confidence to give it a go. But this year was the year to try out jam making with honey. Why was I so worried? Hasn't this method been tested a thousand times by Pomona? Of course it has!

With the clock ticking and a car that needed to be packed, I set out to make 15 jars of Honey Blueberry Jam. It turned out to be so very good, and the consistency is perfectly jam-like!

 

 

 

This recipe made a little more than could fit into my 15 half pint jars for canning, so the extra 2 1/2 pints were jarred up for the freezer. Next time I'll plan ahead better to have enough jars ready for canning. 

This recipe will make 20 half pints. If you'd like to make less or more, adust accordingly. 

 

Honey Blueberry Jam 

• 16 cups mashed blueberries (pulse them through the food processor until fine but not pureed)
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 1/2 cups local honey (you can use more or less honey to your liking, I actually started with 3 cups and added a bit more as this variety of berries were a little tart)
• 8 teaspoons Pomona's Pectin powder
• 8 teaspoons calcium water (made using calcium powder that comes with Pomona's Pectin, instructions included in package)

Directions:

1. In very hot water, wash and rinse 20 half pint canning jars. This can be done by hand or in the dishwasher. Do this right before ready to use so jars are still hot.
2. Add lids and rings to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a strong simmer but do not boil. Keep lids and rings in hot water as you prepare jam.
3. In a very large pot combine mashed blueberries, lemon juice, and calcium water. Bring to a boil. Stirring often to prevent fruit from sticking to the pan. 
4. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine honey and pectin. Mix well. A small whisk works really well.
5. Add honey/pectin mixture to the boiling fruit. Continue to stir and boil for 2 minutes or so, until jam begins to thicken. Skim off any foam that forms on the surface of jam.  
6. Jam thickens upon cooling, so to best test your jam's doneness, put a teaspoonful on a saucer and refrigerate for a few minutes. Check for “jam” consistency. Cook another minute or so  if not thick enough.
7. Using a wide mouth funnel and small measuring cup as a scoop, fill hot/clean jars leaving 1/4" head space at the top. Place lids on the top and screw on bands, not too tightly.
8. Process jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. (Add one minute more for every 1,000 feet of elevation.)
9. Using a jar lifter, remove from water once processed. Allow to sit in one spot and cool completely. 
10. Add to your pantry!

Print Recipe -  Honey Blueberry Jam

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Now, I need to think about taking those strawberries from the freezer to make jam before the peaches start to ripen. My favorite!