Do you see how tantalizingly close this sweater is?  Must. finish.

Even though truly warm weather is a ways off, and I’ll probably still be wearing the occasional sweater in May, my little polar bear was already walking around in short sleeves yesterday.

And also, some new words.  Definitely in progress, but here we go.

* * *

March

by Adrie Lester

Not yet

ready,

but here we are.  The moon, full,

startling on the snow.  The taps

on the maple trees, gathering, pulling out

that life blood, as if we thought

it was owed us.  And what is owed us?

This night, this moon?

Or this breath, in

out, ours for now, soon to be taken back

and taken

forward.

(c) 2010

Or at least, my dishes and laundry.

First, let’s back up to last month‘s pledge to say goodbye to the grocery store.   I was definitely tempted a few time, but once my mind accepted that there was not going to be any grocery trips this month, I didn’t really think about it very much.  Which was a relief.  Sometimes choices, instead of freeing us, seem to create mind clutter – having the option of running out to the store to get just a few things, for me, is one of those.  I actually started this step in mid-January, and I did end up going to the coop last Saturday (one day before the end of the month!).  What did I buy?  Cheese.  I just couldn’t take eating the same three cheeses from the bakery any more.  I almost drove all the way to Northampton for the Winter Farmer’s Market, to see if anyone there had cheese, but Ben convinced me I was being nutty (I think he was right).  So, I bought cheese, a few local apples, a few bananas as a rare treat for Ella, a pint of locally made ice cream, and we had some lunch while we were there.  Overall, I’m really grateful for the past month and a half, for showing me how possible it is to, at least, shop very infrequently, and with a lot more care.

Onward!  Welcome to my kitchen sink.  I’ve been thinking about the possibility of hand-washing our clothes for years now.  Last spring, reading the incredible Mary Jane’s Idea Book, Cook Book, Life Book, I read about a woman who currently washes her family’s clothes by hand, with a washboard.  She described doing that day’s dirty clothes each day, and I felt, suddenly, that I was not completely cracked to be considering this.  Here, in print, was someone else who was actually doing it, had been doing it for years, and felt there was something of value in doing so.  So, I ordered a glass washboard and wringer (new – couldn’t find them in our local used/antique stores, and it wasn’t something I was comfortable getting used online) last summer, and they’ve been patiently waiting for me.

(Ella washing dishes in Montreal, January 2010)

In December, we started washing our dishes by hand, which also seemed a little scary at first.  I love it.  I love not having to unload a huge dishwasher full of dishes, while always having waiting dirty dishes piling up.  I love not hearing the machine.  I know there is a dispute that using a dishwasher (loaded fully) is more water-efficient that hand-washing, but of course this depends how you wash your dishes by hand.  (I use the “drought” technique from Ellen Sandbeck’s excellent Organic Housekeeping).

One of the things Ben and I think about a lot is true efficiency versus the illusion of efficiency.  Dishwashers (and washing machines) are supposed to be convenient, and time-savers, right?  With handwashing, we found that we spent about the same amount of time on the dishes (but it was more pleasant, and something our whole family could do together).  Beyond that actual time, when you consider the time spent working to pay for the dishwasher, the electricity to run it, the repairs to maintain it, the footprint in your kitchen . . . Well, to us, it seems that dishwashers fall into the category of “efficiency illusion.”  To my surprise, my absolute favorite part of the day currently is spent washing the day’s dishes after dinner, listening to Ben and Ella read books together in the living room.

So, bolstered by our success with the dishes, I feel ready to take on the laundry!

Why hand-wash laundry?  Folks who hand-wash say, most notably, that washing machines are only good at cleaning clean clothes.  One shocking fact is that when washing machines were introduced, the time women spent doing laundry remained the same (my guess is that we cleaned more laundry – since it seems so “easy,” we aren’t careful to wash only those items that really need it).  A washing machine washes the whole garment, with no special attention to dirty spots, which you pay attention to by hand.  Washing machines also put a lot of stress on clothes, reducing their life.  (Hmmm, hastily made clothes by big companies, washed in machines that break them down further, causing us to buy more clothes more often – sound like a plan for making money?)

Also, I have found more and more in my life that I like doing work by hand.  Colin Beavin writes beautifully about this in No Impact Man, where he did most of the housework, and so does Amanda Blake Soule in Handmade Home (and many others, I’m sure – check out Kyrie’s thoughts here).  The idea that housework is drudgery sells a whole lot of products, and also compels more and more of us into the paid workforce, adding to the almighty GDP.

Part of my motivation is that our washer/dryer currently live in the kitchen (why oh why?).  We moved the dryer into our pantry last month as part of our cleaning frenzy (we never use it anyway).  I have gotten quotes from plumbers to move the washer there (over $1,000 – no thanks!).  If hand-washing turns out to be something we would like to continue, we could unplug the washer and move it out, too!  Oh, the thought is almost too exciting.  (Ben, by the way, has been working for at least a year to be very conscientious about his clothing, so that our laundry loads are greatly reduced – I followed his example.)

So, I’ll be hand-washing our laundry this month.  I started yesterday (Monday is my laundry day), and so far so good!  I did our sheets first (washed in the bathtub, since they’re too big for the kitchen sink), and when I went to put the king-sized flannel sheet through the wringer, I was nervous, but it fit through!  (Ella couldn’t resist the wringer, which reminds me a lot of a pasta maker.)  The wringer really does take out an amazing amount of water – some things actually come through feeling almost dry.  It was so sunny and mild, even with snow on the ground, that I hung one of our sheets outside on the line to dry – the first of the season!  Drudgery, or beauty?

(Don’t forget to check out some of the other folks making changes this month – inspiring!  Also, the spring edition of Rhythm of the Home is up and amazing.)  Here’s to March!

Guilt is such a funny thing.  Sometimes it seems as though we can get ahead only by feeling guilty, trying to work harder, and trying to control our world more.  And then, driven to the breaking point, we break a little, and in doing so, we relax our white-knuckled grip.  Instead of our world spinning out of control into chaos, we find ourselves having a good time, and getting more done, to boot.

After yesterday’s reminder to remember imperfection’s blessings, today was a gift.  Ella was with a babysitter for a few hours this morning, and I got a lot of work done at the bakery.  We all came home, she napped, I started soup for dinner, worked on laundry, we all read books and played.  And then, I took Ella out to the “barn” (our garage, which is now half-filled by a horse stall, chicken coop, and a lot of hay, so we call it the barn), to feed the horse and sheep their dinner before we sat down to ours.  I set her down among the hay bales, lugged one bale up the hill and spread it out for everyone (Cole running in circles around me doing ninja-kicks to scare the sheep away so he got the first bites).  When I came back into the barn, my girl was happily playing in the hay, tumbling around, sliding, jumping.  It was dinnertime, there was more laundry work to be done, but I sat down in the hay with her and we played, jumping and giggling.

Just as I was thinking that this is one of the things I am glad to offer her – hay and time to play in it, she turned to me and said, “I am so lucky!” and gave me a huge hug.  Incredible.  I took some photos of her and she said to me, “Thank you Mama, for taking pictures of my silly faces.”  We stayed as long as I could (it was getting pretty chilly!), and then we walked out, saying hello to all the animals, watching the dogs roll around in the snow.  An ordinary day, blessed in its imperfection.

Thank you for all your kind words yesterday, and be sure to check out this post at Threading Light – we were having some of the same thoughts!

***

And speaking of ordinary things, here is this week’s menu.   A few quick notes – if my menus seem like a lot of food, that’s for two reasons.  One is that I don’t always cook everything on my list.  Two is that we try to eat leftovers for lunch, and also one night a week is a leftover night dinner, so I’m cooking more than just seven meals.

* Polenta Torta (I’m pretty sure this is from Alice Waters’s The Art of Simple Food)

* Pork Loin Roasted with Balsamic Vinegar, Dried Rosemary, and Garlic

* Beef Barley Stew

* Homemade Pasta (I couldn’t resist after seeing so many folks recently making their own! I’ll be using the recipe from Laurel’s Kitchen), turned into Hungarian Noodles (Laurel’s Kitchen) or just cooked with some pesto from the freezer

* Whole Grain Blini (Laurel’s Kitchen), Roasted Beets, and Sauteed Cabbage

* Swedish Meatballs (from Full Moon Feast by Jessica Prentice)

* Cream of Parsnip Soup (from Full Moon Feast by Jessica Prentice)

* Disappearing Carrot Salad (Laurel’s Kitchen), minus the raisins

* Kale-Potato Soup (using the recipe from Farmer John’s Cookbook – we made this a few weeks ago and it was ridiculously good.  Soul warming.)

From last week, the Corn Spoonbread was awesome (I grew up in the South, but I’m not sure I’ve ever had Spoonbread before – yummy!!).  We ate it with the onion tart and kale farinata, and it was a stunning combo.

Bon Appetit, and blessings on your week.

This post started as thoughts mostly related to motherhood, but I think it applies to us all – mothers/fathers, wives/husbands, employees/employers, etc . . . I found this post of Nicola’s on A Step Toward Balance last month, signed up to join, and then forgot about it (you can laugh now – the irony is not lost on me!) Here, belatedly, is a first step – remembering the blessings of imperfection.

Mostly, here is a note to my future self – may you find some grain of truth here, too.

(myself and Ella, 2007 – photo by Ben)

Note to self:

Imperfection is a blessing. After weeks of feeling a sort of mounting panic – too many jobs to do, never enough time to do them, which important work must be left undone?, this gentle reminder from Ben – I am the one pushing myself.  No one else.

I have had this thought before, but I seem to need to constantly remind myself, that imperfection is a blessing.  It’s said that the Shakers, who were incredible craftspeople, purposefully flawed each item they made, because only God is perfect.  It is so easy to feel that we must do everything, and if not perfectly, at least really really well.  But: if we were perfect, what would be left to learn?  But: if I was perfect, what would be left for my child to create for herself, and her children?  Along with my “perfection,” I would be giving her the need to live up to my perfection, and a life of unattainable goals.

So.  A reminder of the blessing of imperfections.

My house – not perfectly clean, and it never will be.  Welcoming, hopefully.

Our farm – far from perfect, ever-evolving, sometimes blissful, sometimes out of control.

Our businesses – still young, still bumpy, still chaotic at times.  Run with heart.

My wardrobe – not chic, not perfectly pressed.  In various states of toddler, farm, and bakery wear and tear.  Well lived in.

My self – learning, striving for kindness (often failing), trying for gratitude (often forgetting).  Hoping to do good in the world, but not at the expense of my family’s sanity.  Here.  Alive.  Imperfectly blessed.

(winter 2010)

Here at our house, Ben has been maniacally starting flats of seeds.  He decided that this would be the year to kick the plastic seed-flat habit (gross, breakable, disposable, ugly, totally un-environmental, and completely ubiquitous in the farming world).

So Ben has starting using soil blocks, a la Eliot Coleman (check out his books for instructions – we bought ours here).  We tried putting the soil blocks inside plastic flats int he past, but the flats always bend when they’re moved, and break the soil blocks, destroying the fragile seedlings.  So Ben has been constructing these simple boxes – beautiful, and of course, longer-lasting.  He’s also making our first Dutch Lights (aka cold frame), which we’re super excited about!

We have a small, kooky glass porch off the north side of our house that we put seedlings in as the weather allows.  The Dutch Lights will start off in there (with supplemental heat from seed mats), and then I think we’ll try moving it out to the garden for our first hot bed with some manure from Cole.  Exciting . . .

(In case you’re wondering, we’ve started onions, kale, beets, cabbage, arugula, and lettuces.)  One of my favorite things about starting seeds is the reminder of each tiny spark of life.  How we can choose to experience that miracle, again and again.  How the seeds first come up with their “seed leaves,” which all look similar, and then begin to grow their “true” leaves.

On an unrelated note, my package from the Vintage Swap arrived this week from the lovely Julia at Adirondack Mama.  Thank you Julia!  Beautiful fabrics, and Ella immediately dove into the rickrack, as you can see above.

See you soon for Monday’s menus.

I’m going to do Gratitude Friday with a little twist today, as part of Heather’s call for Ten Simple Things that make us happy.  So here’s ten simple things I’m grateful for, this week and every week.

Good books – the wisdom, humor, compassion, and joy they bring.

The sound of my husband and my daughter, playing and laughing together.

This farm we have created from a dream together – our land, our animals, our incredible blessings.

Friends of all ages.

Good food.

Making something by hand.

A cat on my lap, purring.

Holding hands with my husband and partner of eight years.

Yoga, when I remember to let go of my mental to do-list, and be.

The smells of the changing seasons – musty fall leaves, icy snow, thawing soil and green grass, the flowers and heat of summer.

What makes you happy?  What are you grateful for?

Now that you have your delicious leftovers from yesterday’s Mucho Gusto Black Beans and Corn, you can make this simple, hearty Tamale Pie.  This idea is from Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way by Lorna Sass (her Masa-Harina Beef Casserole), but you’ll see that I have changed it quite a bit.  At our house, we call it Tamale Pie.  This recipe can easily be made larger or smaller, and is great to assemble partially ahead.  Like most casseroles, it only gets better as it sits, so eat remember to reheat some for lunch!

Tamale Pie

Filling:

1 tbsp olive oil, butter, or cooking fat

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 medium bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped (optional – we don’t have any bell peppers right now, but it’s just fine without!  You could also use an ancho chile pepper, or add 2 tsp of chipotle or paprika powder.)

2 cups cooked black beans (leftover from Mucho Gusto Black Beans and Corn)

1 cup salsa or 2 cloves minced garlic and 1 cup diced tomatoes

1 cup ground beef or sliced crimini mushrooms (optional)

Topping:

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup cooked dent corn or fresh/frozen sweet corn kernels

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup cheddar cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Get out a 11×7 baking dish.  To prepare the filling, heat the oil in a large cast iron pan.  Saute the onion and pepper until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the black beans to the pan.  If using, add the beef or mushrooms, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until the meat is browned, add your salsa/tomatoes and simmer while you prepare your topping (about 5 minutes).

For the topping, stir together the dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg lightly, and stir in the buttermilk.  Add the egg mixture to the cornmeal mixture, add the dent corn, and stir just until combined.

Pour the tomato-bean mixture into the baking dish, and smooth it out.  Pour the cornmeal mixture on top, smoothing it as you go. Sprinkle the top with cheddar cheese if desired.

Place in the oven, with a baking sheet underneath to catch any bubble-overs.  Bake until the top is golden brown, 40-45 minutes.  Let sit 10 minutes before serving.  Bon Appetit!

And now . . . a giveaway!  A friend of ours over at Storey Publishing sent this exciting book to us, and now I want to pass it on to you!  Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece by Gail Callahan looks really, really fun.  If you’ve been interested to learn how to use dyes, this looks like a great place to start.  To enter the giveaway, leave a comment in this post by Thursday at 11 pm, and I’ll announce the winner on Friday!  Good luck everyone!

The winner, picked by Random Number Generator, is:

Maria I would love to learn the techniques of hand dying. I have always been interested and have yet to try. This book looks great… I’m up for some new dyeing projects!

Congratulations Maria, and thank you everyone who entered.

Introducing a brand new instant classic in our house – Mucho Gusto Black Beans and Corn.  This was easy to make, delicious to eat, and as you’ll see, the leftovers can be transformed into another delicious meal really easily.  Many of my favorite things are here – delicious whole grain and beans, foods I can start the night before, and easy to use leftovers.

We had never cooked or eaten whole dried (dent) corn before, but were excited to try it since it’s part of our share.  We were delighted by it, and I think you will be too.  The nettles and astragalus are herbs we add to all our winter soups/stews.  Nettles are great for your immune and adrenal systems, and astragalus is a very warming, immune-building herb.  I learned this tip from the wonderful Tony (check out her current post on good herb books!) at the NOFA conference last summer.  The astragalus also gives a very pleasant, slightly sweet flavor to the beans.  The kombu is thought to help with the digestibility of dried beans and grains, as described in Feeding the Whole Family by Cythnia Lair.

Mucho Gusto Black Beans and Corn

1 cup dried black beans

2 tbsp dried nettles (optional)

1 piece astragalus root (optional)

2 bay leaves

2 thumb-sized pieces of kombu (optional)

1 cup whole dent corn

(note: for non-CSA members, this is not dried sweet corn, but dent corn, and may be tricky to find.  You could substitute frozen or fresh corn kernels, and just warm them up)

salsa

yogurt or sour cream

cheddar cheese

The night before, soak the beans and corn in separate bowls, in a quart of water each.  The next day, pour off any remaining water.  Place in separate pots, add 3 cups water to each pot, and bring both to a simmer.  Add nettles, astragalus, one piece of kombu, and one bay leaf to black beans; add one piece of kombu, and onebay leaf to the corn.  Skim off any foam that rises up.  Maintaining a gentle simmer, cook both uncovered until tender but not mushy.  Depending on your beans and corn this can take from 30 minutes to 2 hours.  (Note: you can cook both of these hours or even days in advance, and then re-warm them when you’re ready to use.)

When ready to serve, warm the beans and corn, and serve with salsa and yogurt or sour cream on the side (pictured above is home-canned salsa, Chase Hill Farm cheese, and homemade yogurt).   Works very well with ground beef and onions, also.

Save your leftovers!  Because tomorrow, we’re going to make . . . Tamale Pie!  Bon Appetit.

And I want to add, also, that you should feel free to contact me if you ever have any questions about the recipes.  See you tomorrow.

Here’s the menu this week, folks, and a recipe soon to come!

In no particular order . . .

* Roasted Beet Salad with Hazelnuts

* Rye Grits with Bacon and Potatoes (*if* our meat share has any bacon in it!  from Whole Grains Every Way, Every Day by Lorna Sass)

* Farmer’s Cabbage Mushroom Pie (from The Farmer John’s Cookbook by Farmer John Peterson – our most-thumbed cookbook)

* Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes (from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rogers)

* Corn Spoonbread (from Whole Grains Every Way, Every Day by Lorna Sass)

* Caramelized-Onion Tart with Dijon Mustard

* Onion Soup with Tomato and Poached Egg (from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rogers)

* Kale Farinata (from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rogers)

* Oven-Crisped Kale with Balsamic Vinegar (similar to this recipe we shared last spring, topped with balsamic)

* Pot au Feu ( from Lulu’s Provencal Table by Richard Olney)

* Shepherd’s Pie (made with the leftover pot au feu, using the recipe from The Best Make-Ahead Recipe by Cook’s Illustrated Magazine)

* Sausage with Potatoes and Cabbage (from Full Moon Feast by Jessica Prentice)

* Oat Pilaf with Carrots and Thyme (from Whole Grains Every Way, Every Day by Lorna Sass)

From last week, the Oat and Beet Salad was amazing, and so were the Potatoes and Mushrooms Baked in Cream (I used dried mushrooms, since I seem to be plumb out of fresh chanterelles, haha).  No surprise there!  And you?  Whatcha got cookin?

It must be . . . maple syrup time!  One of my favorite seasonal rites of passage happened today – tapping our maple trees.

Some dear friends, big and small, came to help us today – first you drill your hole a little smaller than the diameter of your spout, and about 1 1/2 inches deep.  Then tap in your spout with a hammer.

Hang your bucket, cover it (keeps out the rain), and listen to the beautiful drip drip.

Next, do a celebration dance.  Costumes required.

Exciting!  I have a vivid memory of being 6 months pregnant with Ella, standing in the farmer’s supply store picking out our spouts and buckets for the first time.  A woman watching us tried very hard to convince us not to buy them, since once the baby came, we would never do it again.  Ha!  We did buy them, and we’re still here, tapping away.  (We only get a small amount of syrup from our few trees, but we love doing it anyway).  I have grand visions of tapping all the unused sugar maples in our little town, and driving Cole around the streets collecting the sap . . . Ok, so that probably won’t happen anytime soon, but for now, we have six buckets hung, and that will do just fine.