The magnificent apple tree…of the rose family…offers us so much. Shade. Oxygen. Fruit for enjoying fresh, cooked, canned, juiced, or fermented (cider, cizer, vinegar, etc). Inner bark, flowers, and leaves for plant medicine (cooling, astringent, and supporting us with assimilation of the food we eat). Pectin. Quercetin. Beauty. Morel mushrooms love to appear around old … Continue reading
Filed under food …
Wendell Berry, Rest in Peace and Power
When my heart was searching for direction many years ago, I found the words of Wendell Berry, the Kentucky farmer, philosopher, author, and poet. As the soil and plants were healing my deepest wounds, his words flowed into my life like an earth elixir — sentimental, steady, profound, and wise. His heart, to me, is … Continue reading
Beltaine, Circles, and Strawberries
Happy Belated Beltane! To some, it may seem irrelevant or silly to honor Beltane or May Day (which falls roughly around May 1st). To me, it is essential. It is an observance that acknowledges the elegant dance of fertility on this precious Earth. What is silly is that such an important day could be so … Continue reading
Cancer, Pesticides, and Potential Liability Shield
Caption for this picture from the original scientific paper – “Additional cancer cases in a single year that can be attributed to differences in agricultural pesticide use patterns. These patterns of use were defined by latent class analysis; estimates were derived from generalized linear models adjusted for agricultural land use, total population, the Social Vulnerability … Continue reading
Versatile GF Quick Bread
About a year or two ago, I started making these GF quick breads and roll them out in the way you see them above. Later, I started making a pizza crust with them. I’ve made spiced, currant rolls with this recipe — my GF version of a traditional, European soul cake. And, today, I made … Continue reading
Onion skin dyed Easter/Eostre Eggs
“Old English Eōstre continues into modern English as Easter and derives from Proto-Germanic *austrōn, itself a descendant of the Proto-Indo-European root *aus-, meaning ‘to shine’ (modern English east also derives from this root).[3] Writing in the 8th century, the Anglo-Saxon monk Bede describes Ēostre as the name of an Old English goddess and behind the … Continue reading
Southern New Years Tradition: Hoppin’ John, Greens & Cornbread
I appreciate how my mother gently reminds me each year of our family’s (well, and many, many other Southern folk’s) tradition of eating black eyed peas, cornbread, and boiled greens on new year’s day. This meal is eaten to bring luck, prosperity, and health! Pork is used in the black eyed peas/hoppin’ john dish and … Continue reading
Exploring Acorns, Starch Noodles
Some of you may remember my post on making pinole energy cakes with acorn flour. This fall, with the arrival of acorn harvesting season, I decided to finally try making the acorn starch noodles I had learned about in a foraging group on Facebook. Pictured above is the outcome of my SECOND attempt at making … Continue reading
Mallow Mallow and more Mallow Soup
Really, though. What has taken me so long to learn about molokhia (mulukhiyyeh) soup??? It’s a soup-like dish made in Egypt, Lebanon, etc… A recent post in a foraging group led me on an adventure with our local, invasive cheesewheel mallow plant (Malva parviflora or Malva neglecta). Although the mallow used in molokhia soup is … Continue reading
Pumpkin Spice Marrow Custard
It is that time of year. Imbolc. The mid-point between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox of the Old Celtic Wheel of the Year. It’s at this time that eggs are starting to be laid. Eggs of all kinds. Wombs are full. Nature is preparing for birth. Years ago, in Mississippi, I cooked and prepared … Continue reading
Lindsay Kolasa 