Contentment

Yesterday was full and lovely. I missed you, and writing for you, but it was a late night...

The Professional cooking breakfast with a Smile!

Our breakfast was elegant and delicious--thanks to The Professional's hard work and her crew, 9 year old Blondina and our 13 year old neighbor, The Comedienne. They made me a festive Mother's Day banner and set a sweet and abundant table. Everyone was stuffed and didn't eat again until dinner.

The Blogess nettling, with gloves, but yes, I got stung on my forear

In the afternoon, The Captain and I went on a foraging hike to a nearby park that is essentially a wild ravine, sliced in two by a creek that rushes down from the Olympic Mountains. It is filled with dappled light, the sound of the creek and raucous crows, the smell of green. Other than a few folks with dog,s we were alone. We filled my huge gathering basket with nettles, saw gorgeous trillium, nodding bleeding hearts, salmonberry blossoms, tiny yellow pansies, and one false morel. While it was cool down by the boat, it was balmy on the trail.

I have moved on to baked and grilled meats; though I don't feel a distinct craving for them I wanted to be able to eat more meals with the family. So for dinner we had burgers and all the fixings (see Saturday's post, for the whole menu) and a fun time, before rushing off to see Grandmom and Granddad. It has become a Sunday evening ritual, to watch a movie at my in-laws, share treats, and hang out. I actually am having an easier time not being able to eat any of the treats, than I was when I was eating more widely. I bring a knob of ginger, set my tea up before the movie and sip it all evening long. This keeps me happy and I don't miss things like ice cream and popcorn (before I would eat dates and nuts, and every so often nibble on the popcorn--and I would always regret it).

I don't have brilliant things to say tonight. I am just feeling cozy, happy with where I am right now. I am helping a couple of people work out some food issues and this always gives me something to reflect upon. Then I read this wonderful post by Dr. Campbell-McBride and realized that I should just tell all of you to read it, because I can't say any of this any better. Every time I read something she writes I love her philosophy more and more...Go read it and let me know what you think! (And while you are there, subscribe to her blog).

Honoring Mom (With a Willingness to Make Her GAPS Food)

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in my community!

I was happily surprised by my teen daughter, The Professional, asking what she could make for brunch and dinner tomorrow that I can eat! She listened attentively, verified that she knew how to make each item, made a list, then went shopping with The Captain.

What's on the menu? (I am currently in Stage Four of Intro, so use that as a reference point)

Brunch:

Eggs Florentine (a version of Eggs Benedict with cooked spinach in place of the bread. We have locally raised Canadian Bacon without junk in it, and she will use ghee for the hollandaise)

Baden's Carrot Mousse Cake (p. 132 in GAPS Guide, made without the coconut)

Sauerkraut (for me, at least)

Fruit  (for the rest of the family)

Chamomile and mint tea

Sounds pretty elegant, right?  I am very excited! Dinner will be early and simple, because we are going to my in-laws afterward, to hang out and watch a film together.

Dinner

Hamburgers (grassfed, natch)

All the toppings:  avocado, onion, lettuce, tomato, cheese, bacon, mustard, mayo, pickles (all homemade, but I will only have avocado, mayo and pickles. The whole family is used to no buns after all these years.)

Squash fries for me, potato for them

Cooked greens and onions for me (dandelion?)

Cooked rhubarb? (I am pondering this, as it's really a vegetable, and I like it tart, so could get away with a tiny amount of honey. I would have applesauce to go with it for everyone else.)

My favorite drink with meals is water with apple cider vinegar and a bit of honey. I haven't been having it since I started Intro, so the jar that was sitting already mixed up has fermented more and is like straight vinegar! I may have a bit diluted with water tomorrow. Yum. Can you tell I really like sour things?

The Captain and I are planning to gather nettles after brunch, as I really want to blanch & freeze some for the winter months. I am passionate about nettles! I will probably end up having a lunch-ish snack of chicken soup that I have on the stove, while I process the nettles.

Such simple pleasures, really. I am truly a homebody! Making and eating food with my family, gathering food in the Spring sunshine, phone calls from the older kids, a few cards (and maybe a small giftie) from the kids-in-residence. I have everything I need!

And, just in case there are any curmudgeons out there, holiday haters or whatever, remember that Mother's Day is over a hundred years old, long predating Hallmark commercialization. As a matter of fact, all cultures have some ceremony or day to honor mothers. And why not? Without us, well, you know. Everyone has one! So have a wonderful day, whether you are a mother or not. And give your mother a call, she's been waiting to hear from you...

P.S. My mom died when I was 15, so I just spend a bit of time on Mother's Day, her birthday, and other special times, meditating on the gifts she gave me. A sort of "mental phone call." I get to feel and express gratitude, even though she is not here. And I call my step-mother and see my mother-in-law (ooh, we got her the prettiest basket of flowers--don't say anything!) so it's a full day of honoring the mothers...

A Golden Day

Thanks so much for the kind comments, on and off the blog!

I had a fabulous day in the sun, on the Tribal Edge land. I gathered wild greens, cooked a wonderful lunch and watched the kids revel in the day. Not much more to say than that!

The sun on Jimmy-Come-Lately Creek, on the Tribal Edge Land in Blyn

Lunch was omelets filled with sauteed onions and nettles. On the side: sauteed mixed greens with a bit of bacon (dandelion, baby dock leaves, chickweed), cumin/lemon sauerkraut, fermented salmon, avocado. We also sipped an infusion of lemon balm and nettles. Really, could a lunch be more amazing? Eaten in the sun and the breeze, with friends and birds and butterflies....

I added roast meat today, in the form of chicken. Another fabulous meal! GAPS is no restriction, just an excuse to try new foods... We had sugar snap peas with bacon fat (the good stuff, without junk in it, of course) and a vegetable dish of yellow squash, tomato, morels, leeks--so very yummy!

Today I feel great, despite my dentist saying the appliance hadn't caused my migraine. Back to the hormone theory, which is probably the "horse" in this situation. I am getting good training in being flexible, in leaving dogma behind. It really doesn't matter too much what caused it, because they are now fewer, easier to treat, and I think that they will go after menopause, from listening to others' experiences.

And now, off for a much needed evening with The Captain. I hope your evening/day is full of love, sunlight and laughter!

April Showers Brought....Dandelions!

Happy May Day to you all!

The Captain and I had a rare day to ourselves, and it was the warmest and sunniest day this spring, so after breakfast we made plans to harvest our favorite weeds on a friend's property. We had planned to gather dandelions and nettles, to make beer, wine and put greens in our freezer, but the dandelions were so outrageously gorgeous, that we concentrated on them. I did collect a bag full of chickweed when I came across some, but otherwise we restrained ourselves--a good thing, because it took a couple of hours to process what we harvested and I am not quite done yet.

Our friends have several acres in a slightly more rural area, close by, but outside of the city limits. They have a horse and chickens, and every year they put in a lovely garden. We help--by weeding! We get food and they happily see the "pests" removed. A great deal for all concerned.

Their little girls helped me gather the blossoms, while The Captain dug the plants with roots still attached. We filled a bag with maybe 12 quarts of flowers. And my large gathering basket (3 ft high, with backpack straps) was filled to the top with the plants.

At home, we set up a cleaning station on the finger pier (where we have a work table), pulled the unopened blossoms off the plants, cut off the roots, and washed the mud off of everything.

The roots will be tinctured as soon as I get some vodka. I may end up with years' supply of dandelion root tincture. Yes, the fall is a better time to gather roots, but for me the best time is when I will actually do it. Today was the perfect day.

The buds are supposed to be good eating, so they went into the fridge. I think there may be a whole quart of them!

I started a couple of pots boiling, one for the beer (following a recipe in Susun Weed's Healing Wise) and one for blanching the greens. After cooling the greens in a bowl of cold water, then draining, I packaged them for freezing. Wild greens for the dark days of winter! I keep meaning to do this with nettles. Maybe next weekend...

Here I am sorting blossoms for dandelion flower cordial. The blossoms are macerated for a couple of weeks in alcohol--Susun Weed calls for vodka, but I am using some of our apple wine that came out very strong, 18% alcohol, because we used champagne yeast. The mixture is sweetened (I use honey) and becomes a delicious--and medicinal-- aperitif. It's a digestive, relieves pain, and can even help depression! A good thing to have on hand...

One of the more wonderful sensations today was sticking my hands into the bag of flowers, well over an hour after they were picked, and feeling the heat of the sun in the bag! It was startling and a sweet reminder of working in the bright sun and cool air.

By tradition, dandelion wine is made with blossoms in the spring and rests in its bottles until Winter Solstice. Last year we made only a handful of bottles (we ended up with five after a minor explosion cost us two...this year we will wait longer to bottle!) and when we opened the first one on the longest night of the year, it was like having a taste of liquid sunshine. We can thank those April showers I guess!

What do you do to celebrate Spring? Do you put food by?

We Have Everything We Need (and another recipe)

One (small!)geoduck=Abundance!

I toyed with calling this post "Abundance" because that is what I have been receiving lately. 30 pounds of geoduck (pronounced "gooey-duck") and horseclams dropped into our laps yersteday, I have been harvesting and drying foraged nettles like crazy, and a friend met me at her door the other day with a huge bundle of rhubarb from her garden.

And then there's the people. The wonderful group of women blogging about doing GAPS Intro, my old friends on Facebook, my local friends, and my amazing family. Support comes in subtle as well as overt ways--a joke, a comment on my blog, the offer to take our youngest for a day. It all helps to smooth the rough edges in my days.

And then there's living in our own corner of Eden. Today was almost painfully sunny and clear, with the insistent energy of leaves and blossoms forcing their way into the world. Gorgeous. Surrounded by mountains yet covered with snow, evergreen forests and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Suffice it to say that people come here on vacation and we get to live here.  On a boat. With a hot tub. As the kids would say, for reals.

Still, I am one of those women who frets. I worry about the kids and their choices, my husband traveling, the economy, our health, earthquakes...  I can always find something to worry about.

Which is why, some years ago when things were tight, when we had six kids at home, one in college and the seemingly limited resources of one income, we created the mantra "we have everything we need." Because we do. We have love and creativity and even luck. We have essentially healthy, totally gifted kids. NINE of them. Who else is that lucky? We have skills and the smarts to use them. We have great siblings and parents who love us, despite our quirks.

We have everything we need. Truly. And with that, we have some responsibilities. We have to do the work to utilize what comes our way. As a matter of fact, we have to first recognize that which is coming to us. That's not always so easy, especially if I have a dour attitude.

I remember wanting a particular chair for our old boat. I was trying to accommodate our large family, but wasn't going to spend any money on this. I left the boat on an errand with the thought "today I am going to find the chair." Well, about 10 minutes later I saw a trash pile by the side of the road. Wouldn't you know, The Chair was sitting there, waiting for me. Along with a pair of vintage curtains with Moby Dick, Ahab and the crew--one of which I used to cover that chair's new cushion. The other is still with us, as the curtain for The Bosun's cabin.

I know that sounds a bit hokey, like The Secret or something. That's not what I mean though. The thing is, we pass by all sorts of opportunities every day. Making something happen is often as not a matter of just grabbing that thing/idea/situation that's flying by at light speed. That's why we have to stay focused, and also to remember to be grateful for what we have. Many is the day that I remind myself to give some things up in order to make room for the abundance that comes our way. That might mean donating clothes, helping someone out (that is, giving up time), or ceding my side of an argument (ok, that's hard, but I do try!) If I feel lacking, needy, grasping, well--I am stuck and nothing good will come from that (as The Captain is fond of reminding us).

I have spent the last two days working with our abundance. I canned stock, rhubarb and clams (both geoduck and horse). I made marshmallows, nut brittle and truffles.  I look into the hold and feel rich, secure, and appreciative of all we have. We have everything we need. I have the right tools to feed my family, to preserve what we forage, buy, receive. I have the skills to do that, and the wit to learn new ones as necessary.

I love holidays for the rituals, the joy, the fun they bring to our lives, the excuse to eat with friends and family. Passover is a thanksgiving of sorts, a time to be thank-ful for our situation, whatever it is. My ancestors took what little they had and fled tyranny. And yet, they had everything they needed--each other, divine protection and their freedom. Maybe we tell that story each year to remind ourselves to appreciate what we have, even in our more trying days.

Perhaps I need this reminder more often. We have everything we need. We just need to open our eyes.

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I was asked to share my nut brittle recipe, so here it is, with the same note as yesterday: I have been making this so long that I can't trace its origins. If it's your recipe, do let me know.

Nut Brittle

Ingredients

3/4 lb unsalted butter (unless you want salted caramel, a legitimate choice)
1 cup of honey (doesn't need to be raw--you are making caramel!)
2 cups of chopped or slivered nuts, previously soaked and crisped (as in NT's crispy nuts)

Jelly roll or other flat pan, lined with parchment and buttered
Largish saucepan
Candy thermometer

Procedure

~Measure the nuts and set aside.

~Put honey and butter in the pan, affix the thermometer, set over medium/high heat.
~Watch the caramel carefully, it goes slowly at first, but can burn easily toward the end. You may have to stir the bottom to avoid burning and sticking at that point.
~When the caramel reaches 300 degrees, take it off the heat, stir in the nuts, and pour into the prepared pan. Even it all out and set in a cool place or the refrigerator.
~When it is hard, crack it into small pieces (you can pick it up and smash it on the pan--great for those frustrating days--or whack it with a mallet a few times, or any combination you choose. Refrigerate the pieces, they will get sticky if left out.
~Save some for me!

Intro, Day 3: Finding My Groove

I am now getting into the rhythm of Intro. I love rhythm, whether it's the seasonal cycle of weather and plants or Middle Eastern music that makes me want to dance. I think it might be my Cancerian self, ruled by the moon and her phases, that makes me so. Whatever it is, when I hit my stride, it makes me feel confident and more energetic, full of ideas and ready to take on a challenge--or at least to keep moving forward (those of you doing Intro may understand how hard it can be to just keep at it at times).

Today I felt truly in my GAPS goove. I woke early (for me) and was fully awake--there was no way I was going back to sleep, as I usually might. I got up with energy, had my lemon water and started a new soup. I heated some ginger tea to hold me until breakfast (because of the thyroid medicine timing--I'll write about that in one of my next posts), heated my breakfast soup, organized supplies for the day.

Each Wednesday Blondina (our youngest), who is homeschooling, goes to Tribal Edge, a primal arts training center about 40 minutes from our home. We carpool with friends and today it was my turn to drive, so I planned to spend the day on the land, five acres surrounded by national forest and tribal lands. Usually I would run errands in the closest town, but today I thought I might enjoy four hours with nothing I must do--pure luxury!

Previously, when I have stayed the whole day, I brought sketchbooks or reading and kept mostly to myself, allowing the kids to interact with Ben (Tribal Edge's director), the land, themselves. Today was different, and very sweet. I toted my big dutch oven with the oxtails and neck bones that had been cooking since the early morning to the land, along with thermoses of ginger tea and chicken soup, an onion and some salt. I would finish the soup in the outdoor kitchen on the land, with some foraged greens and fresh air.

Part of the outdoor kitchen

I opted to start the soup on the propane burner and go gathering, instead of having the kids build a fire--they had other things to do at the moment. I felt like someone out of another time, traipsing past the woodpile and compost pile toward the edge of the woods with my basket and clippers. I noted the blackberry canes leafing out (promising fruit in August), abundant vanilla leaf, lush dandelions in the clearing, vibrant nettles all around. Dandelions and nettles were what I was after, and I quickly filled my basket to the brim with the pungent fresh greens (nettles smell almost peppery when freshly cut).

I should interrupt this narrative with an aside: yesterday I was flipping through Gut and Psychology Syndrome and excitedly noted that Dr. Natasha had included a recipe for nettle soup! How had I missed that during earlier readings? She even includes nettles on the list of therapeutic ingredients for juicing! Oh man! I have to tell you, I have an almost romantic relationship with nettles. I crave them, adore them, they feed and energize me, and every so often, if I am not gentle and mindful, they lash out. Just like a lover. Somehow, having Dr. Natasha's approval is almost like my mom telling me my guy is o.k. with her.

Nettles may be the ideal spring food. As if having fresh greens after months of cabbage were not enough, add to that the incredible nutrition and tonic attributes, the delicious taste, the emerald green, the aroma (mmm, sorry--I mentioned that already!). How can I explain the healing, whole-ing, experience of gathering the perfect food and preparing it for myself and to share? I get to wander in the dampness at edge of the woods, in the sun and the drizzle, in fresh air, listening to the eagles, crows and other birds rejoicing in the Spring. The plants, the air, the creatures all communicate, and I have the time to listen. I do get stung on occasion, which is a great reminder of where I am--and that I am.

Ah! Nettle Soup...

Into the bubbling soup go the nettles. When they wilt, I retrieve them and chop them finely. I add the chopped dandelions and taste for salt. And then I do what I do best: feed us all. Mmmmmmmmm.

P.S. Greens are actually hard on some people's guts, so, as with most vegetables on Intro, each of us has to decide whether we are ready for them. I have been eating nettles for weeks, have no diarrhea, and cooked the greens well, so for me this worked. It might not be o.k. for everyone on the third day of Intro!

And speaking of the nitty gritty of Intro, I added an egg yolk today, so I am on Stage 2. (See Baden's blog for a very thoughtful discussion) No issues that I detected, though I did get a bit irritated when my 16 year old daughter (The [cooking] Professional) monopolized the head (our bathroom) for so long that we all got off to a late start this morning. Some irritations are for cause!

All in all, a lovely day! Aside from nourishing food, it was filled with much laughter, companionship, and fresh air. What more do I need?