More Too

Today I made two loaves of Curry Bread with garlic chives. All I have to show you is the kneaded dough. The loaves came out beautiful and I'll be tasting some in the morning as my breakfast toast. If I like it, I'll make two more. 

There was more too.

Myself Busy

Today was a day of many small tasks, so I made myself busy with all of them.

It all started with hot coffee as I observed, agitated and blessed my violet flowers macerating in the morning sun. It's amazing to see the change since Sunday . I strolled my morning gardens and took photos for tomorrow's exciting episode of In the Garden. That's right - photos for a radio show - puzzle that for a while. I baked two more loaves of bread, these with cracked wheat, amaranth and cocoa powder. I continued painting the Forest Folk directional sign I committed myself to. I'll finish that tomorrow. I hope. I did two oracle readings. I reviewed two client files that are long-long-long overdue for addressing. I've been neglectful on this front.

I had ginger root that needed to be used, so into the blender it went with some garlic, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and miso. This went into the pasta salad I made for dinner, complete with fresh greens both wild and cultivated.

Before dinner, garden stakes for the new pea trellis were put up with the help of The Boy. I watered the newly planted seeds and seedlings as I prayed for suitable rain. Then, I marveled at just how GREEN everything is getting as we relaxed on the deck and sipped the last of our 2006 rhubarb mead.

Time for Good Folk

The day started early with time made and shared with my friend Brien, one of the eight coordinators for our Forest Folk Festival. He is our liaison for the CT Food Bank and I am the liaison for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. We enjoyed fresh coffee and homemade cheese biscuits as we worked out our festival "workshop" presentation called, "Hunger, Healing & Hope." 

Despite the heat, I made two more loaves of bread. This effort is part of a two-loaf-a-day goal that will ensure me loaves enough to share over the coming weeks with both my mother and my beloved Forest Folk.

This evening my Krazy friend Kate is stopping by to bring me her Forest Folk registrations (she has a few), and visit a bit. She is one of those special friends that surfaced as a gift from the universe when I first moved to Connecticut. We've both grown over the years, in ways similar and different, and we manage still to get together and nurture our friendship together. It's been over thirty years now and for this friendship I am so grateful. Ashe. Ashe.

A Little Spirit & Hope

All of my "Pure and Simple" Spirit Cords are being offered at a very special price of $5.00 and each sale will result in a $1.00 donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

This is part of the Forest Folk Festival, a Connecticut event that takes place every May in order to bring community together and raise funds for the HOPEful works of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. I will be selling these at the Festival, and for those who can't make it, but would like to be with us in spirit - you can purchase you very own, one of kind "Pure & Simple" Spirit Cord exclusively in my Walk in the Woods ArtFire Studio!

Peace.

Brews

Today I started a new gallon batch of yet another ale-experiment that I'm calling it Apple Spice, though the final name hinges on the flavor of the finished brew. I simmered together dried apples, cardamom seed, cinnamon bark, orange peel and wormwood, then added hibiscus flowers too steep - all organic. It will be ready to prime and bottle in a few weeks, then ready to taste a few weeks after that. I wonder what I'll brew next?

The boy and I scoured the back "lawn" and harvested a few violet flowers. It is a pleasant, zen-like task in any weather, yet one that is especially pleasing on a day like today.

With these lovely flowers I opted to make a brew of another sort - an infused vinegar. I'm looking forward to harvesting more ... and then, as they mature, the leaves for skin-softening infused oils. All in good time, my pretty. All in good time.

There was more, but for most part, that's what I made today.

My Way, My Dinner, My Music

Today I made my way to Meriden to meet with fine folk of the forest for one of the final planning meetings before our festival in May. Food, friendship, homebrew, hospitality, love and laughter were shared, complete with a sweet dollop of generosity. It was a worthy day. Once home I made my way into the garden where a hand full of green harvests were cooked up as a hot side dish and the rest added to a most savory salad, all served outdoors under the faded green umbrella. Twilight drew a drum outside for a lively rhythmic duet. Now, it is time to make rest, renewal 

That's what I made today.

Earth Day Honor

Every day is Earth Day for me, tree-hugging, weed-nibbling, earth-worshiping, Gaia-loving wench that I am! Even so, today I raised my own earth-consciousness and made an effort or two to help others do the same. The day was a damp one, so to honor it I leveraged the wisdom of springtime Nature and transplanted several outdoor seedlings and other plants without running any water. A small gesture, to be sure, and one that I would have done on auto-pilot, yet today it was a gesture heightened with awareness that honored the earth and my place in it.

It was another good soup day, so I made an Italian Wedding soup. Wedding soup seemed fitting to renew my vows to Gaia, on this, a day we collectively honor her. The Boy worked outdoors all day, so this soup warmed us both, body and soul.

To extend this Earth Day honor, this Thursday's In the Garden show we welcome Bill Duesing to discuss aspects of "The Sustainable Garden." Bill is, among other things, the Executive Director of the Connecticut Chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association.

Love in the Kitchen

Today I bottled a gallon of cardamom ale.

I made two more loaves of bread to warm the hut, and heart, and freezer too.

I made simple egg noodles.

They went into the chicken soup I made.

That's what I made today.