For the Love of Carrots!

Organic Heirloom Carrots

To me, the most soulful, life affirming gardens are those that have a sense of poetry about them. The brilliant red-orange Chantenay Royal, the deep orange Bambino, the bright red Nantes Scarlet, the purple Cosmic  - all poetic names of various heirloom carrots. But the Autumn King, is King of Fall and Winter! An imperator with long, bright roots, a broad shoulder and a crisp, light flavor. 

The Autumn King is what I’ll be harvesting in just a few short weeks just in time to make soups to store and enjoy over those cold winter months. Of course we’ll enjoy many of these fresh picked carrots in their raw form before preserving soups and storing many in a box covered in dirt in our dark, cold basement.

Until then, I will be planting carrot seed in pots to grow over the winter months to harvest by mid Spring. Hoping I can keep them thriving all winter, can’t wait to find out!

Happy Healthy harvesting from my family to yours,

Sherri.

**********************************

Sherri’s Eye-mazing Cold Weather Soup

(Eye-mazing because it’s packed with vitamin A which is great for vision)

INGREDIENTS

1 large onion, sliced

4 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1 ½ lbs carrots peeled and sliced into coins

½ head cauliflower (or throw in the whole head if you so desire) 

2 large potatoes peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces

½ cup celery sliced

16 oz vegetable stock- homemade or low sodium variety

salt and pepper to taste

Garnish 

1/4 cup basil leaves, loosely packed

¼ cup grapeseed or olive oil

sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS 

Cook onions and grapeseed oil over medium low heat until well-caramelized and a dark golden brown, stirring infrequently (about 25-30 minutes)

Add carrots, potato, cauliflower and celery and cook for another 10 minutes, tossing well to coat with grapeseed oil and onions.

Add vegetable stock, turn heat to medium high, and bring to a rapid boil. Cook until vegetables are very tender almost falling apart- about 20 minutes.

Blend with a blender until completely smooth.

Season with salt and pepper and serve with basil oil (recipe follows).

BASIL OIL INSTRUCTIONS

(Prepare while the soup is cooking so it has time to steep)

Finely chop parsley in food processor until it is very tiny.

Add grapeseed or olive oil and give it a little whirl

When ready to serve, add one teaspoon (or less or more, whichever suits your fancy) of the oil to the prepared soup in bowls and enjoy!

Sherri.

The Vegan Evolution

The vegan ideal embodies the highest of ethical aspirations – non-violence, justice and compassion toward the innocent. Yet this deep and powerful value system continues to be marginalized by society. The example set by those who embrace these principles is too often vehemently opposed, trivialized or simply ignored. But the effects of this paradigm shift in perception are far-reaching, and the rewards beyond measure.

And yet, it somehow appears that the light of veganism is so bright that people are afraid to open their eyes to it, even individuals whose eyes are open to the truth behind other social causes. What is it that makes us cling so stubbornly to a practice that is clearly unnecessary, devastatingly cruel, and, if left unchecked, will almost certainly end up destroying us?

More and more people are recognizing the prejudice and injustice inherent in enslaving and slaughtering animals, in order to feed our appetite for flesh, eggs, milk, and other products of exploitation. It is no secret that animal concentration camps create breeding grounds for all sorts of infectious diseases. It’s also becoming known that animal products are detrimental to human health, and that animal agriculture, including ‘free-range’ and ‘organic’, is implicated in some of the worst crimes against the planet. Even the truth about the animal industry’s role in world hunger and food shortages is starting to come into the open.

Despite all the advancements of human ‘civilization’, our addiction to killing keeps us in the dark ages. It inhibits us from cultivating our capacity for kindness, empathy, and justice; the very qualities we need to develop if we are to move forward into a safe and prosperous future, in which we do not fear one another.

Animals value their lives, and strive to be free from pain. Since the same qualities exist in us, empathizing with them comes naturally. When we suppress that empathy, it makes it impossible for us to look more deeply into the true nature of animals, and the rest of the natural world that we all rely on for survival.

Indifference toward the suffering of other creatures is an accepted societal norm that calls out for us to remember what basic human values are: justice, empathy, compassion and respect; for the natural world, for the other animals, and for our fellow humans. By re-evaluating and renewing our commitment to these fundamental values, and by calling attention to the need for an ethical evolution, we can create new standards of behavior, motivated by our desire to be better people. Only in this way will we become deserving of the position of stewardship that our physical evolution has granted us, but which we have rejected in favor of self-serving domination.

All over the world, animals are imprisoned, enslaved, tortured and violently killed, and all over the world, people who are otherwise kind, gentle and caring, continue to ignore this unspeakable suffering. And yet we wonder why the human race is plagued by violence on a world-wide scale. We go about our business, acting as though this state of violence does not indicate something terribly disturbing about our psychological state, individually and as a whole. Our lack of concern for innocent beings has caused us to de-sensitize ourselves to suffering, which in turn enables us to inflict pain on each other.

The vegan ideal is at the core of the shift from predation to protection and from prejudice to justice; an essential step into a way of living that is more suited to the nature of people who care about the suffering of others, and who can empathize with another’s situation. The vegan solution contains within it the power to solve even the most overwhelming problems we are facing, on every level from personal to planetary.

If we are to have a future, the people who live in that future will not be addicted to products that are a result of exploitation, suffering and environmental devastation. They will not source their food from animal farms or slaughterhouses, but from fertile gardens, vibrant orchards and veganic farms. People will be kind, compassionate, gentle and just.

This quantum leap in perception may seem unlikely from the position we are in today, but it is within this very change that our hope for the future lies.

http://gentleworld.org

Artificial Drinks

I tell you it's evil, an

Temptation of awfulness

That dupes many perpetually

With commercial success.

What is this fascination

With lemonade and tea

And carbonated sodas?

They do naught to refresh me.

These are artificial beverages,

They merely augment thirst and have dregs.

Their packaging authenticates freshness;

Water never needed jazzy bottles or kegs.

It was always readily enough

And plentifully consumed.

But packaging sells capitalism;

One day they'll all be plumed.

Haven't these people heard of water?

It is what fulfills.

A lack of this mercury,

Platinum-valued drink kills.

The Repressed Memories of Iyan Igma

The Juice Fast

I did some research last week and came to the decision that I was going to do a 3 day juice fast. Actually, if the 3 day preparations were included in that number as well as the 2 days it will take to break the fast it will actually be an 8 day festivity.

After much research I found that fresh juice is not just packed with vitamins and minerals but also with living enzymes, antioxidants, phytochemicals and is low enough in calories to force the body to cannibalize on its filthy waste, propelling you to vigorous physical health and clarity of mind.

Sounds extremely fabulous doesn't it?

The big seller for me was that fasting improves memory and concentration. SOLD!

The 3 days of preparation were a breeze, eating fresh fruits, soup and lots of water and tea. The first day of the juice fast was also very easy, until dinner time. OMG, talk about craving everything! It didn't help that Jim & the boys munched on everything from cookies, to lindt chocolate to popcorn. (Thanks guys!)

After 8 glasses of juiced fruits & vegetables and 4 glasses of water, I went to bed.

Day 2. All day I could not stop thinking about eating a meal. I could not keep my mind occupied on anything, couldn't play the guitar, paint, write, read, homeschool, pet the dog, or do the laundry. I felt anxious, depressed, weak, dizzy and miserable. I began to think out loud

'What in the hell was I thinking?"

So I have decided to cut short the 3 day juice fast to a 2 day. I still have to break the fast for 2 days which consists of an apple for breakfast, juice, an apple for lunch, juice and a bowl of soup for dinner. Blah, I want my home made cookies!!!! Geez, I sound like a big baby don't I?

Consumed with the thought of food, not exactly my ...er... bowl of chips...uh...box of cookies... oh right, cup of tea!.

Tonight's supper for Jim & the boys consisted of stew, thats it. I had never really made one before because it's not something I would eat, but since I wasn't joining them for supper anyway, I decided to give it a try. I made it in the morning when food is not normally on my mind with the hopes of making my evening a little less harder to get through. My plan didn't work though, I am fuming at the fact that I am not able to consume solid foods at the moment.

I had to start up the Breville JE900 Professional Juice Extractor to make my yummy supper. Its a super fabulous machine, no cleanup and incredibly fast. If anyone wants a glass of juice in 5 seconds come on over because this baby can make that happen :)

This is the pulp and skins from the 2 apples, 1 carrot and handful of grapes that I juiced for my supper. Ewww!

And here is the juice; my supper. Mmmm.

Now I have to fight myself through 2 more days of breaking this fast. Will I ever do it again? Yes, with someone who will do it with me and/or at a weekend retreat away from home in the summer. That way I won't have to watch everyone eat all of my favorite Lindt chocolates with out having any myself :)

Life’s journey has many imperfections and humility is the only response to grace for when we fail.

Children ask better questions than adults.....

"May I have a cookie?" "Why is the sky blue?" and "What does a cow say?" are far more likely to elicit a cheerful response than "Where's your manuscript?" Why haven't you called?" and "Who's your lawyer?"

A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand

This mornings breakfast...