Mesmerized by Fireflies

The smell of fresh cut hay.

A doe sneaks out into the meadow.

The horizon is ablaze with a kaleidoscope of color.

My way is illumined by the flicker of fireflies.

***

A few weeks ago I was gifted with the time for 5 straight days to take a 30 minute walk each day. Talk about gift! These 30 minute days were times of pondering life and all its wonders; in particular I was pondering lifestyle choices.

I have been pondering why we have chosen this lifestyle and what goes into the decision making process of lifestyle choices. 

The choices that I have made make it such that a walk down my street at dusk means sights of a typical country lane. My choices have also made it such that 30 minutes of alone time in one lump sum is a rare gift,  nevermind 5 days in a row. 

***

For God formed man to be imperishable;the image of his own nature he made him.

Wisdom 1: 13-15

This was the first reading for Sunday's Mass back on July 1. It's never a coincidence that the daily readings coincide with what God has put on my heart. These words from the book of Wisdom read beautiful, harsh, whimsical, and challenging.

When reading and re-reading I wonder, why do more people not live as if these words are true?

I am a spitting image of God. So are you. So is your child, your neighbor, the person who honked at you on the commute, the coworker that drives you batty, etc. 

We are all bearers of God. 

Does my lifestyle truly exhibit this fact?

Nativity House: the outcome is always abundance...

Life at Nativity House has it's ups and downs. Community living and serving expectant mothers in need are two cornerstones framed within the context of deep faith. 

Framed within the context of deep faith... This is what makes community living and serving expectant mothers possible.

Quite frankly, living and working at Nativity House is hard work. Living with other people - not immediate family - is not for the faint of heart. Living with and serving those in need is messy.

So why do we do it. 

The Gospel offers us the chance to live life on a higher plane but with no less intensity: life grows by being given away, and weakens in isolation and comfort. Indeed, those who enjoy life most are those who leave security on the shore and become excited by the mission of communicating life to others (Pope Francis, The Joy of the Gospel #10)

When you commit to sharing life - to a life of Encounter - Every - Single - Time - God meets our weakness, our shortcomings, our doubt, our worry, - with abundance. 

***

One example of this abundance is this year's CSA members. Our membership was low pretty late in the game. We just kept praying that God would send us new members for the garden. And then we trusted (that's the hard part.) Then, as if coming out of the wood work, God provided some wonderful new families.  

And one of those new families? A bee keeper! Erik is a wealth of knowledge in the garden. And he joyfully shares his love of beekeeping with us! This weekend we had our first honey harvest. Abundance.

Opening the hive! The bees filled one whole super of 10 frames in one week!

Annemarie is suited up and ready for honey harvest action

20 frames of honeycomb ready for processing

Rolling the frames to release the honey

Summer Goals

Summer: Week 1

At the beginning of summer I made a promise to myself that I was going to be more creative this summer. To help me along in this goal I purchased a few new shiny items: watercolors, art markers, a sketch pad and a pack of watercolor paper. I vowed that I would use up these items by the end of the summer.

The first week went very well. I created many different watercolor paintings and got underway on my art sketch journal.

As with many things that start with a mad flurry of activity, week 3 of summer the creating came to a dead halt.

***

10 days ago something new happened. I had a small accident of falling out of a pool. I have discovered that it takes real talent to fall out  of a pool rather than in. The fall resulted in a concussion.

I have learned so much over the last 10 days. I learned way more about concussions than ever. When you have a concussion any screen time at all strains your brain. I could actually feel the strain and I would fatigue almost instantly. I also learned that I am not an easy person to slow down. I know it's not a big surprise. A good friend of mine was recounting a story of struggle; she talked about how important struggle is in life because it helps us be more compassionate and empathetic. This last week has definitely helped me grow more in those areas.

So what is a person to do when screen time and reading books is a brain drain? Create! Little did I know that a week of brain recovery would lead to aiding in completing my summer goal. I spent two entire days just painting. And one of those days Gracie spent the entire day with me. And the real kicker? It was all out on my patio, under the umbrella, with Izzy warming my feet and a herd of goats and flock of chickens looking on.

inspiration ready

practicing faces

Mary is always close by

The Mary Garden, Milkweed, and a Precious Visitor

Gracie's Orange

Gracie's Color Study

A moth

A swallowtail

Liturgy = Work

I hear it all the time. "I don't know how you do what you do."  "You have so much going on, I don't know how you have time for sleep."  "If I did all of what you do, I would be overwhelmed all the time."

I have heard these comments a little more frequently lately and they have led to me reflect on the notion of work. 

For many of us work is drudgery. Work is the menial, or gargantuan tasks that weigh us down: folding the laundry, doing the dishes, getting that project done before the deadline, presenting before the big boss. And let's not forget the workplace drama that comes with work: smelly diapers, sibling rivalry, filling in for the person who doesn't pull their own weight, etc.

As I reflect on the work of our nubian goats - Ivy, Rua, and Kirk - I notice how they go about their work of clearing brush.  With vigor and joy.  It is no doubt that they are doing what they were created to do.

Work

I think of the work of the Apostles after the Ascension. They went about their work of building up the church, the kingdom of God on Earth, with joy and vigor and confidence!

Is it a coincidence that the word liturgy means work?Liturgy is the very work of building God's kingdom right here on earth. 

I am calling for a paradigm shift.

It's true. I am a busy person. I work much and hard. But I take great joy in knowing that my work is indeed building up God's kingdom. All the way down to folding and sorting socks, cleaning out the chicken coop, planting tomatoes, cooking dinner, reading a bedtime story - whatever the work, I do it with vigor and joy.

Paradigm shift

Liturgy = work

What is your work?

***

Kirk, Our Nubian Buckling

Kirk chows down on his afternoon snack, donning a Bears tee

Ivy and Rua share a twig from a wild rose bush

Ivy, Queen of the Mountain!

Nativity House: Growing Again

The shipment of seeds; promise of food to come!

***

This is the start of my most favorite time of year! The growing season. Today was the start!

Annemarie and I met up with Lee Witkowski, an environmental science professor at Lewis University. We got our hands dirty and put some seeds in the dirt. We started tomatoes, eggplant, basil, ground cherries, and wonder berries. 

With names like Aunt Molly's Cherries,  Hungarian Heart, Pineapple Tomato, and Black Krim you can't help but wonder at the seeds planted down in the darkness. Will they in fact yield sweet fantastical fruits promised on the seed packets? It is an experiment in hope!

We are looking for a few good families to join us in this experiment. Would you like to come and grow with us? And partake in the pineapple tomato? It was the sweetest tomato I have ever tasted!

***

Ping Tung Eggplant, Malaysia Eggplant, Blackberry Wonderberries, Early Wonder Cucumbers!

Annemarie adds finishing touches of vermiculite to the tops of our plantings.

Lee has nurtured our seedlings in the Lewis University green house now for 5 seasons!

On the Farm - Winter Edition - Snow Day!

This winter has been frigid and appropriately snowy. I am not one to complain about the weather. My mantra is "there is no bad weather, just bad clothing choices." There is too much wonder in our natural world to stay away in the winter.

I have been spending my outside time these last weeks with the goats and chickens and for the most fun - on the tractor. I am sure that I am not as efficient a plower as my husband, Justin, but it is a very satisfying chore.

 Just a girl and a tractor and 6 inches of snow

Lunch time

The afternoon sun through the cherry tree

UPDATE! SNOW DAY!

What did you do on your snow day?

Coffee in bed with some prepatory reading for our trip. We leave SUNDAY! ACK

Sarah, Annemarie, Gracie and I rewarded ourselves after shoveling for a little light sledding.

Getting warm with some hot cocoa and jam making! 

I finally  had time to turn the strawberry harvest into jam! And it is SOOOOO good.

Growing your Own

Back in September we harvested Strawberry Corn. This was our first attempt at corn of any kind. I was very happy with the returns for it being the first time in a not super ideal spot in the garden. We all took turns shucking the corn.  Then we promptly stored it away in the pantry.

This week, it was time to pull out the strawberry corn for a snack. And boy was it delicious.

It's absolutely true. It tastes so much better when you grow it yourself!

 The Happy Taste Testers!

Harvest Recipes: Beet Slaw

Those who know me know that - I LOVE BEETS! I love everything about them especiallly the color you get when you juice them. Heaven!  I also love eating them in new and adventurous ways. 

Here is my latest beet creation. 

Beet Slaw

1 medium beet

1 apple

3-4 carrots

6-8 radishes

Beet Slaw Dressing

2 tbs avocado or canola oil

2 tbs apple cider vinegar

1 tsp maple syrup

2-3 mint leaves

1/2 garlic clove

1. Grate the beet, apple and carrots. I use my food processor with the grating plate.
2. Chop radishes. Toss with beet, carrot, apple mixture.
3. Put ingredients for beet slaw dressing in blender, blend. Pour over veggie mixture, toss.
4. Eat.

Harvest Recipes: Peanut Tofu Stirfry & Zucchini Pasta

I have had a spiralizer for many years now and substituting zucchini for pasta is a great way to cut out those carbs!This is also great as we enter zucchini season in the garden as there are many different variations on stirfry. So don't be afraid to get creative. One of my regular recipes is Pepito Pesto & Zucchini noodles (here is that recipe.) Gracie likes it so much she will take it in her lunch! SCORE!  

Here is one of my latest zucchini pasta creations. It was completely gone - no leftovers what so ever! 

e.

Peanut Tofu Stirfry

1 brick extra firm tofu - cut into cubes (Melissa's or Trader Joes is my favorite)

1/2 c. sliced white onion

1 cup roasted peanuts

1/2 c. sliced red/orange sweet pepper

2 tbs tamari or soy sauce

2 tbs high heat oil (i used avocado but you have many options ie,  canola, coconut)

2 medium zucchini

Peanut Sauce

2 tbs rice or apple cider vinegar

2 tbs tamari or soy sauce

2 tbs light oil (avocado or canola)

2 tbs peanut butter

1 clove of garlic

Juice of one lime 

1tsp of garlic chili sauce (optional)

1.  Heat your wok or favorite non-stick skillet with oil on med-hi heat. Add tofu. Fry for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add onion. Cook until tofu is golden on all sides
2. While tofu and onions are cooking, spiralize your two zucchini. Put noodles in large pasta bowl.
3. When tofu is browned add peanuts. Cook for another 5 minutes until peanuts are golden.
4. Add 2 tbs of tamari and red peppers. Stir frequently. Cook for two minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Add ingredients for peanut sauce to blender. Blend until completely combined. This mixture should be the consistency of an oil and vinegar mixture. If it is a bit thick at a tbs of water and blend again.
6. Add tofu mixture and peanut sauce to raw zucchini pasta. Toss and serve immediately.

Nativity House: CSA - Planning the Harvest

 It's that time of year! Again. That's the thing about the seasons; they are cyclical. In the deep cold of the winter, there is always the hope and advent of the Spring. It is this time of year that I revel in the arrival of seed catalogs, perusing the inventory of promise that comes in these catalogs.

So far this year our seeds have been ordered almost entirely from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co.  In choosing the mix of veggies and fruit there is always a sense of  excitement and anticipation. This year I was intent on the old-stand-bys - seedless cucumbers, roma tomatoes, yukon gold potatoes, basil. But in reading the Baker Creek catalogue I couldn't help but get adventurous - wonderberries, flame tomato, royal golden watermelon, purple dragon carrot - to name a few.

***

Each year when I choose our seeds, I remember a book that changed my perspective on farming and food choices drastically: Fatal Harvest by Andrew Kimbrell. There were two very striking things about this book. The first was the photo essay depicting images of industrial farming right along side farming the same vegetable/fruit organically. Images of industrial farming are cold, grey, sterile. Images of organic farming are green, diverse, abundant. The second point was diversity in food production. There were images of varieties of fruits and vegetables. I will never forget gazing on the page with pictures of all the different varieties of apples. I was dumbfounded. There were over 100 kinds of apples. I had only ever heard of the standard, Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Fuji... it's only in the last few years that we have come to know Honey Crisp, Jazz, Pink Lady.  The book presented the issue of the need for bio-diversity and the importance of varieties of produce for our health.

The year that I read Fatal Harvest  Justin and I were living on the farm at Hershey Montessori Farm School. We spent the year soaking in the farm life, growing our own food, caring for the farm animals (not to mention being steeped in Montessori Philosophy and Culture!) That was where we learned that farm life suited us.

***

So, here we are at the beginning of the 2016 Community Supported Agriculture season. This will be our third season. The last two years of growing our produce with CSA members has brought tremendous growth and joy. Families come out with their children, passing on the knowledge of caring for the earth and reaping the benefits, literally. 

Consider joining us for his growing season. Work in the garden two hours a week and take your share of "mostly organic" produce home with you. Our kick-off meeting is coming up, Sunday, February 21 @ 7pm. Come and peruse the seed catalogs, see what varieties tickle your fancy! 

View the Nativity House Blog-Thread

Harvest Recipes: Tomato Jam

Last year we had so many tomatoes that I actually got tired of canning tomato sauce and salsa. This was a first for me and I found myself seeking out new tomato recipes. I stumbled upon tomato jam and jelly recipes. I was totally in foreign tomato lands but was completely intrigued. I tried a few different variations last  year and they were all positively delightful. This jam is wonderful on a cracker with goat cheese or a slice of manchego, or on a ham and cheese melt. 

Here is the nuts an bolts of the recipe and then you can add other flavors as you see fit. Some of the variations that I have added are ginger & lime peel, lemon peel, 1 jalapeno and lemon peel - to name a few.  My most recent creation  was jalepeno, green tomato, lemon zest and it is positively delightful!

***

6 cups of pureed fresh tomato (green or red)

3 small jalepeno peppers pureed (optional)

6 cups of sugar 

Juice of 1 lemon/lime

zest of 1 lemon (optional)

Add ingredients above to a large dutch oven pot. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 10 mins. Add 2 packets of gel pectin. Stir until incorporated. Raise to boil. Allow to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Ladle into sterile half pint jars and process accordingly.  I always seal with sterile lids in a boiling water bath for 5-8 mins. 

This recipe makes 8 half pints.

Harvest Recipes: Chocolate Milk Green Smoothie

Last night upon harvesting a load of greens, one mom said, "what are we going to do with all of these!?!?" I responded, "stirfries, salads, or green smoothies!" "Green Smoothies?" "I make one that's just like chocoloate milk! It's the easiest way to get Gracie to eat her greens!" 

 Chocolate Milk Green Smoothie

1 banana, frozen

1 1/2 c. coconut water

1 1/2 c. milk of your choice (I use soy or almond)

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp sweetener of your choice *see note

2 tbsp chia seeds (optional)

2 tbsp hemp seed (optional)

Blend it UP! 

I try to make it the consistency of that thick Dean's Chocolate Milk. So it usually comes out somewhere between milk and a smoothie. It is always a winner in my house. We frequently have it for dinner as our salad.

** Sweeteners - My favorite is two dates that have been soaked overnight in coconut water. I don't always think to have them soaking. So I most frequently use coconut sugar or maple syrup.

Harvest Recipes: Spring Onion Cheese Dip

Just yesterday, the Saturday CSA work-day, we had our first harvest shared out. It was spring onions. What to do with a plethora of spring onions? We were musing over this and I said, "Oh just get some greek yogurt, a clove of garlic, salt and pepper and throw it in the food processor with the spring onions!" I will have to find out from Kristen if she tried it and how it was. 

While trying out some creativity with spring onions I stumbled upon a fabulous concoction. I served it  for a dinner party Saturday night as the hors d'oeuvres and it did not make it to the dinner course. It is not vegan, not really even all that healthy with the cheese, butter and bacon. But there is one thing that is for sure. I am not by any means an onion fan. But fresh picked and blended into an amazing dip the same day proves to be the key.  It was delectable...

Spring Onion Cheese Dip

Simply throw these ingredients in the food processor and pulse until smooth.

1 c. chopped spring onions 

2 c. shredded extra sharp cheddar

3 strips of cooked bacon

1 16oz. package of  cream cheese

1/2 stick of  butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

Serve with your favorite cracker.