One red and one yellow cherry tomato were ripe this morning. The first of the season in my garden. Just in time for the solstice.
It should come as no surprise that I ate them before I had a chance to take a photograph. And really, they were far tastier than it was possible to photograph.
Arugula, chard, kale, garlic chives, celery, various perennial herbs
Unless it is a bad idea, in which case choose not to make it happen and open yourself to a better possibility.
My gardening friends have been commiserating and worrying about the abnormally dry weather. For the past couple of days, we have all been concerned that this storm has brought so little needed rain, although we are grateful to get whatever rain comes. Other acquaintances were complaining yesterday that it still wasn’t sunny. When I mentioned drought conditions, they had not noticed. If they noticed once it was pointed out, they suggested reasons why for them personally, it would still be a better thing for it to be a sunny day. Part of the reason I garden is to keep me connected with the rhythms of the seasons and the weather. If we do not grow our own food and depend on the fruits of our labors, nor are taught the relationship between the weather and our survival, there is no reason to know it. We become disconnected from nature and from the earth.
For me, connection to the earth deepens my connection to myself and to spirit. How can we know ourselves if we do not know how the earth nourishes us and how we relate to the earth? How can we recognize the light within ourselves, if we are disconnected from nature? At the same time, the practice of yoga, with its inward questing (antar-vimarsha — the quest to touch or reveal the true Self), by revealing to us the subtle energies and knowledge of the relationship of body and mind, can lead us back to yearning for a deeper understanding of the world around us and for a healthier relationship between the give and take between us and the earth. We can thus reach spirit both by being more aware of the outside and seeing where we are disconnected in our practice off the mat and by reaching inward using our spiritual practice (the Anusara principles are designed to be a pulsation of reaching outward and inward for an ever growing expansion and understanding of mind and spirit) and then knowing the outside is not aligned and needs to be shifted. All this is the process of vimarsha, like a little more rain in the drought to nourish and encourage the unfolding of spring.
On Friday night, when the cool rain was falling, I looked into the cupboard to see what I had to make for dinner. I had some pearl barley, some mushrooms that were a bit withered, a celery heart (mostly leaves), and a few carrots. I threw in an onion, a couple of cloves of garlic, a bay leaf, and one chili pepper, and there were the ingredients for a hearty, delicious meal.
Mince the garlic and onions, dice the celery, and slice the carrot into rounds. Saute in olive oil in a pressure cooker (ideal for making legumes and winter soups with a minimum of cooking fuel) or a soup pot. Add the lentils (brown lentils are best for this; do not use red lentils as they will fall apart) and barley until coated. Add the bay leaf and chili (pepper optional; slice thinly for more heat; leave whole only for a touch of flavor). Add a little salt. Add water (5 to 2 ratio water to lentils/barley will make a thick stew-like porridge; add more water for the consistency of soup). Add diced mushrooms. I used crimini mushrooms. Shitake would work well. You could also use dried mushrooms (just pre-soak and then use the soaking water, strained to remove sediment, as part of the liquid).
If using a pressure cooker, bring to full pressure, then lower heat and cook for 25 minutes at full pressure. Turn off heat and let sit for 10-15 minutes allowing pressure to release naturally. If cooking on stove, bring to boil, stir, lower to a simmer, and then cook until tender, stirring periodically (will probably take 1 1/2 hours).
When I sat down to eat this healthy, inexpensive, warming meal, I felt full gratitude, not only for having plenty to eat, but for the ability to enjoy the change of seasons, to know to change my diet and my rhythms to make the most of the shifting of light and temperature to bring greatest delight.
On Saturday, I diced some roasted eggplant and stirred it in to have a different taste when I reheated the soup. Chopping up some tender greens (chard or spinach) when reheating to serve also is a wonderful way to tranform the soup for a second time serving.
Enjoy.
