State of the Garden (and the Beginnings of Dinner)


Today I harvested herbs to dry (lemon balm, mint, rosemary, thyme, sage). I froze a pint of garlic chive blossoms, made a green jerk sauce, a basil-garlic chive pesto–most went into the freezer, the rest I will eat in the next week or so. I started a mint liqueur and today’s bean harvest, yielded a pint of fresh beans that I put into the freezer. And I started stringing chili peppers to dry. I found it soothing and meditative.

Hot water with a wedge of lemon (squeezed); a couple of slices of fresh ginger; one dried chili pepper whole (I still have a bunch from last year’s garden)–or use a dash of cayenne; stevia or agave nectar to taste. Spicy, astringent, and sweet all at the same time. (This also makes delicious cold lemonade in summer).
A couple of other winter hot drink options from Cate Stillman–ayurveda practitioner and educator and certified Anusara yoga instructor: hot water with either a little bit of turmeric or a little cinnamon.
I could not choose between pure simplicity and sparkling complexity–both beautiful.

