Let Us Have Lettuce
Night-time temperatures forecast for the low 30sF next week. I’ll be eating some big salads in the meantime.
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Staying Indoors (or Not)
Of my friends on facebook, several reveled in staying inside because of the rain yesterday. Others complained about being unable to do things that would have been better on a dry day. Reporters and anchor persons seemed to think it newsworthy whether the rain will impact football or baseball games. How about telling us whether the rain we are getting is optimal for the native flora and fauna and how it is impacting the farmers? We seem as a society to have forgotten the relationship of the weather to food.
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Toasted Pumpkin Seeds (and Jack-O-Lanterns)
As I walk around the neighborhood seeing all the pumpkins on stoops, like Proust with his madeleines, I remember the scent of roasting pumpkin seeds and the salty taste on my tongue, and I return to the place of my childhood. My mother wasn’t much for holidays, but she very much enjoyed arts and crafts projects. The jack-o-lantern, was something then that showed up when we were little kids. I don’t think there was ever a jack-o-lantern carved when we did not eat the seeds. Part of the project was cleaning the seeds, oiling a cookie sheet, spreading the seeds out on the sheet, salting them, and roasting them until golden, and then enjoying the seeds as a special salty treat. I think it unlikely she has decorated a pumpkin at home since I was in early elementary school, but if she were to do it now, in addition to roasting the pumpkin seeds, I am sure she would decorate the outside instead of cutting it into a jack-o-lantern, so that the pumpkin could also be used for soup or pie. -
A Graywater Inspiration from Friends (and opening to grace/muscular energy)
When we are on our mats, being open to grace — the first Anusara alignment principle — includes being open to the teachings so that we can receive and act on them in a healing and loving way. Adding to that muscular energy by lovingly embracing skin to muscle to bone in a conscious embrace, drawing into our center to recognize our inner spirit, and drawing from periphery to the focal point brings us into optimal balance. This pulsation serves as a way off the mat to open, inspire, and engage us in progressively more intentional and uplifting ways of living.
Being open to inspiration from friends and about town, open to learning new ways to be kind to the earth and to ourselves, is a way of bring the principle of “opening to grace” off the mat. Actually keeping the intention and acting on it has the attentive embrace of muscular energy, which draws us onto our inner light in a loving embrace so that we can better serve.
I was thinking about Anusara principles off the mat, yesterday when I went visit a friend in NW one of whose roommates fosters cats. There is a community garden in the back and the house is warm and friendly. In the bathtub were two buckets filled with water leftover from showers. Instead of using fresh, potable water to flush the toilet, when it is time to flush (honoring the drought axiom about yellow mellowing, etc), the house residents fill the tank with the gray water from the shower.
Find it too complicated an idea to shower with a bucket in the bathtub with you? You can still save water by filling your watering can or bucket when you run the water to warm up enough to get into the shower. That will save a few gallons. Not up to using the water to flush the toilet? Use it to water houseplants or for cleaning floors, etc. Or take it outside to water potted plants.
First step is opening and witnessing the possibilities and understanding where you are ready to expand. The second step is to try to more consistently live your inspiration. I know when I see people living with such intention I take better care to move in that direction, even if I am not ready to go as far.
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October Newsletter (web version for those not receiving mailings)
Dear Friends,
What splendid fall mornings we are having. The neighborhood dogs are frisking in the park and the fall colors are starting to show. It is time to make tomato sauce and pickled peppers with the last of the summer harvest and continue planting greens (containers are great if you don’t have much space) for some fresh eating through December. Now is also the time to start shifting to a more introspective practice, seeking inner illumation as the days get shorter and the nights get longer.
This Fall, classes will concentrate on refining the principles of alignment to more sweetly and deeply appreciate your own inner light.
Join us any Tuesday night on a drop-in basis at William Penn House — bring a friend for a delightful all levels experience.
It’s not too late to join the Willow Street Fall session — Saturdays at 8:30 level II or, if you need a gentler practice, including a therapeutic focus, try the noon Gentle/Therapeutics class. Drop-ins always welcome.
October Serenity Saturday (October 17th, 3-5pm) is just around the corner. Sign up early to get the Capitol Hill Yoga early bird discount!
Starting to plan the holidays? If you’ll be in town, make sure to plan to join me for the 7th Annual Thanksgiving Day Fundraiser for Oxfam, which will again be at Willow Street in Takoma Park Thanksgiving morning. It is a great way to start the day and bring a focus of gratitude to this day of abundance. As always, in or out of town guests, friends, and family welcome whatever their experience level.
For the Wednesday night practice, October’s charity will be the Whitman-Walker Clinic to honor its work in providing health care in some of DC’s neediest communities and to help send energy for universal health care. I’ve decided that I have so much fun with these practices that in addition to donating all the proceeds, I will donate to attend too!
As always, feel free to email me with questions, comments, suggestions, or just to be in touch.
Info on all classes and workshops at www.rosegardenyoga.com.
Peace and light,
Elizabeth
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Lentil, Barley, Mushroom Soup/Stew (and honoring the seasons)
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.
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Bummer. Tomato Blight.
I just went to my little plot at the community garden, and the base of the brandywine tomatoes were blackened. No doubt what it was: the dreaded blight. So I removed the plant, carefully putting it in the trash instead of the garden compost. Not clear yet whether Mr. Stripey is infected. The grape tomatoes are fine.
I could think that this is a sign that I should start cutting down my nightshade vegetable intake to see if doing so will ease my arthritis, but it isn’t a sign. Even if it is not a sign, I can see whether being without the temptation of a luscious tomato crop makes it easier to shift my diet.
I am grateful that I got such a wonderful harvest at the beginning of the summer, and I am doubly grateful that I am not dependent on just my own garden (or even on just local produce) to eat well.
But for a few moments, I think I will just allow myself to be disappointed.
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Bruised Peach Cake (and transforming disappointment into delight)
Yesterday at the Dupont Circle Fresh Farm Market I carefully selected four peaches that were not quite ripe. I anticipated them ripening on Tuesday and Wednesday, so that I could have them when I returned to the office (always good to have a special treat when returning to the office from vacation).
By the time I got the peaches into the kitchen two hours later, three had ripened and gotten sufficiently bruised during the journey that they could not be carried to work. I used this as an opportunity to make a decision about what to bring to a potluck tonight: bruised peach cake.
3 very ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and very finely chopped, with juice
2 eggs well-beaten with a couple of tablespoons of yoghurt (optional) and a splash of vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegan shortening, softened (or same quantity oil or butter)
1 cup succanat (evaporated cane sugar)
splash of orange juice (how much depends on whether using yogurt)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
a couple of shakes of salt
pinch or two of dried, powdered ginger
Nuts optional (I now try not to cook with nuts when bringing food to a gathering where I do not know all the guests)
Cream shortening with sugar. Add in beaten eggs, yogurt, and juice. Mix well.
Blend or sift all dry ingredients together.
Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients, taking care not to overmix. Blend in peaches and their juice.
Turn batter into greased (butter or flavorless oil) 9×9 (or 8×8) baking pan. Put in 325F oven (no need to preheat) for 20-30 minutes. Check after 15-20 minutes to make sure not cooking unevenly or browning too quickly.
Energy saving tips: (1) many non-yeast leavened baked goods do not need the oven preheated; (2) by baking bread-like cakes that are traditionally baked in a loaf shape in a square baking pan, oven time is reduced by more than half; (3) use the toaster oven so that you are not using more oven space than needed.
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Roasted Vegetables (and getting ready for vacation)
Yesterday morning, when I was starting to pack to leave for Oregon today, the most critical elements for getting ready (after making sure I had my wallet, camera, and some yoga clothes in a suitcase) were to water the garden well, pull some weeds, pick ripe vegetables, and cook.
I’d given away some produce a couple of days ago, but still had eggplants, peppers, tomatoes from the garden and half an onion from something I had cooked earlier in the week.
I cut everything in half, slathered it in olive oil, sprinkled the vegetables with coarsely ground pepper Himalayan pink salt and put it into the toaster/convection oven (my favorite kitchen appliance). The vegetables roasted while I was doing other chores. Now, on my return, I will be able pull from the freezer ingredients for a wonderful pasta sauce.
As much as I am looking forward to a week of yoga and exploration, I’ll be delighted to come back to garden and my own kitchen. It is almost time to start planting greens, beets, and turnips for fall.
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Tomato Blight (and the web of life)
One of the conjectured reasons for the amazingly quick spread of tomato blight in the northeast this year (besides the crazy weather) is the upsurge in home gardeners. It is wonderful that so many people are growing their own tomatoes. If they buy the plants from a “big box” retailer — a retailer that gives less care and attention to the quality and health of the plants and more to easy shipping and cheap prices — then the new plants entering the eco-system are more likely harbingers of disease.
When we do anything, we have to be conscious of how it fits in with the world as a whole. From seed to meal, how we get our food impacts ourselves and our health. I am lucky so far with my tomato plants. I bought seedlings from local, organic farmers. I am checking them every few days for signs of blight. My harvest has been delicious and abundent.
In reading about the blight, I am painfully reminded that what we eat impacts the earth, the animal and plant life that was displaced for the growth of food, the humans that labored to bring it to our table. What we choose to eat, over our life, can dramatically shift our life physically, energetically, and emotionally.
Don’t forego homegrown tomatoes and other easy to grow urban foodstuff, but be careful about where you buy it, how you tend it, and understand that you have entered into the agricultural network.
As Chief Seattle did NOT say, “man does not weave this web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.”