Preserving The Harvest

One of my favorite life hacks is to buy discount produce at the grocery. I can often save so much as 50% by purchasing fruits and vegetables that are just past their prime or that are not pretty. the key to this is knowing how to handle an abundance of fruits and vegetables. Freezing is one of the easiest and quickest ways of preserving this abundance. While most produce can be frozen, it is important to learn the techniques and which technique works best for the particular type of produce you are freezing.

There are four basic techniques that will serve you well for most produce. Blanching is used for most vegetables. Sugaring is used for most fruits. Stewing is used for some firm fruits. Chopping and freezing can be used for many herbs, onions, garlic, and mushrooms. My first choice is always “cellaring” for any firm fruit and vegetables that have a long storage life, but there will always be a need to extend the storage life of produce. Especially as not everyone has a suitable “root cellar”.

These techniques become even more important when you grow your own fruits and vegetables, forage for food, and are learning to become more resilient.

For this article, I am going to cover the basics of blanching. Stewing, sugaring, and chop and freeze will be covered in their own articles on my Buy Me a Coffee page. Here is where to find them.

Blanching is the practice of stopping the enzyme activity of the produce with heat, without fully cooking the produce. It helps the vegetables to stay tasty and nutritious in the freezer.

I recommend that you work with one pound of vegetables at a time. Work with no more than two pounds per batch. For large vegetables that take minimal preparation time, you can get them ready while the water is coming to a boil. For small vegetables, I would get them ready ahead of time. Whether I am buying a box of seconds or harvesting a bushel from the garden, here is an outline of how I blanch.

1) Run a 4 to 6 quart pot 2/3 full of water and bring it to a boil

2) While the water is coming to a boil, prepare the vegetables

3) When the water is at a full rolling boil, add the vegetables to the water

4) Bring the water and vegetables back to a boil and boil briefly until they turn color

5) Remove the vegetables from the boiling water and place them in a colander

6) Chill by running cold water over the vegetables as soon as they are out of the boiling water

7) Let the excess water drain off, then pack and freeze.

For more complete instructions, check out Preserving the Harvest on Buy Me a Coffee for basic blanching. Here is the link. If this helpful, show your support by leaving a tip.

The Third Path of the Meditation Garden

As we look towards the east, the beginning of a new day, and the beginning of spring. With the sunlight come illumination and clarity. With spring come balance. We can accept the truth as it is and work for equality and justice. Working from a framework of truth and integrity brings with it the possibility of new growth, courage, strength, and determination.

As you contemplate a garden of the east, what comes to light for you? What insights percolate into your consciousness to be explored in the light of day? What injustice, oppression, or lies have touched your life or the lives of those around you? What does equality and justice mean to you? How can you create a more just and harmonious world by your actions and words?

In the garden of my mind, the third path leads to hickory, lily of the valley, and quartz. The beautiful hickory feeds the body and the mind. It flavors the food that its vapors touch. It is the symbol of justice. the lily of the valley symbolizes clarity and light. The quartz amplifies and clarifies all energy. As you contemplate a garden of the east, be aware of how you are feeding yourself and your community. Is it what you want to be feeding your environment and yourself? What is the flavor that you want to add to your life and interactions? Contemplate on how your touch can amplify the best of what your community can be.

Some of the plants that would be suitable for the third path garden are calendula, mustard, alyssum, horehound, lavender, and rosemary, along with a few others.

Fire

It had been a long trip. They were exhausted and sore when they pulled into camp. The woman and the tow teenagers stepped out and surveyed the area. The woman smiled, they would find what they needed here. There was lots of wood for the fire. On the edge of the woods, she spied the grapevine that she would need. They could hear the water flowing somewhere down the hill. There was plenty of stone, and it was quiet. It would be a nice place to rest and get some work done for a couple of weeks. Together, they chose a spot that they liked and got to work.

The woman gave the teenagers instructions for selecting the stones that she would need and set them off to gather them together. She started setting up camp. By the time she was done, there was a growing pile of stones for her to work with. She carefully selected her first stone and set it in place. Stone after stone, created a rectangle two hand widths wide and six deep. Around the back half of the rectangle, she stacked another layer of stone, then another. She created a level three sided rectangle calf high as the teenagers pranced around the camp gathering wood. She stood back and eyed her work. It would do.

Between the staff battles and sword fights, the kids had gathered quite a nice pile of wood, so the woman wadded up a few pieces of paper and placed them in the center of the rectangle. She broke up some twigs an arranged them on the paper and lit a match. As soon as the match touched the paper, it flared and caught the twigs. Next a few sticks were added, then a few branches. Very soon, she had a beautiful, stable fire blazing away in her improvised oven.

With the kids tending the fire, the woman went to get the food ready to cook. Soon, they had a beautiful bed of glowing coals in the base of her oven. The stones collected the heat and radiated evenly back into the oven. They would eat well tonight. She placed the foil wrapped vegetables directly onto the coals and tossed a few freshly cut hickory branches on top. The chicken was placed on the grate over the fire and a cover was put over the entire oven. Over the next hour, the chicken slowly smoked over the hickory fire absorbing the flavor from the hickory and the vegetables slowly simmered.

It just doesn’t get much better than smoked chicken and hobo roast vegetables on an open fire.

Here is a link to the print and story, The Rising of the Phoenix.

And for a little bit more

Events

April 1 - April Fool’s Day

April 5 - National Dandelion Day

April 12 - Passover begins

April 13 - Palm Sunday

April 17 - Herbalists Day

April 18 - Good Friday

April 20 - Easter

April 22 - Earth Day US

April 25 - Arbor Day

Calendula

Calendula, or pot marigold, is a member of the aster family that originated in the Mediterranean region of southern Europe. This is a beautiful herb that has been grown for thousands of years f its beautiful flowers, its medicine, and its dye. This family also includes sunflowers, asters, chamomile. daisies, and chrysanthemums. This aromatic plant produces brilliant rich orange flowers that have similar look as other members of the family.

This is an easy to grow annual that should not be confused with Tagetes marigolds. When you are buying seeds or plants make sure that you are getting Calendula officinalis. Calendula is a culinary and medicinal gem that serves a number of needs in the home and garden. These aromatic plants grow from one to two feet tall and stems and leaves that are slightly sticky with resins. Calendula is mostly pest and problem free in the garden and tends to be a good companion plant as it deters most pests and attracts butterflies and other pollinators. It can attract aphids, but as these little suckers prefer the calendula, it can act as a trap crop for these.

While both the leaves and the flowers are edible, it is usually the calendula flowers that are harvested. Harvest these flowers freely as soon as they open up. This is usually every 2 or 3 days once the plants start blooming in June. The more you harvest calendula, the productive it becomes. Calendula is a flower of the sun. It opens up when the sun hits it in the morning and closes at sunset. The best time to harvest this herb is about mid morning after the flowers are fully open and the dew is dried.

The leaves can be used fr salads and soups. These highly nutritious leaves can be cooked into bone broth as well and frozen for winter soups and stews. The petals are usually picked off of the flower base. The petals can then be used in salads and soups. They can be used to color and flavor rice, eggs, quiche, and herbal butter. Calendula tea is a delicious and healthy drink either warm or cold. The flowers can also be used for decorations for desserts.

Calendula petals are easily dried by spreading them out in a single layer on paper or on a no-metallic screen. Keep these petals n a warm and dry place with good ventilation. Keep them out of the sun. When the petals are crisp, store them in light proof and moisture proof containers.

Calendula is a highly nutritious herb that is gently enough to be used in cooking, for children, and the elderly in most cases. This ancient medicinal plant is packed with nutrients, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds. It is supportive of heart health, tissue repair and regeneration, and metabolic health. The tea is soothing to the digestive tract and supportive to the liver and the immune system.

Calendula is one of the herbs that is used for women’s health. It is traditionally used to ease menstrual challenges and pms. It has been used to ease the symptoms of menopause and other issues with reproductive health.

It is an herb of skin health for soothing acne and irritations. It is an old remedy for treating wounds and abrasions. There is so much more to this herb of the sun and illumination.

In most cases, calendula is considered to be safe enough for cooking, children, and the elderly. Be cautious if you are allergic to any plant in the aster family. Calendula has significant effect on the women’s reproductive system. Do not take calendula if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Calendula may interfere with conception. It is recommended that you avoid calendula if you are taking sedatives or medication for high blood pressure. Always consult your medical provider before starting an herbal regimen.

For an article at Manitu Okahas Studio covering the metaphysical properties of calendula, click on the link.

For the complete plant profile for calendula, click on the button. If you like what you see, subscribe for new plant profiles as they are published.

Sources:

gardenknowhow.com

almanac.com

pnc.nchi.nlm.nih.gov

pfaf.org

Lady Justice

As we head into spring in this time and environment of challenge and change, it seems fitting to explore one of the enduring symbols of modern culture. The modern symbol of Lady Justice is found somewhere around most courthouses and many legal firms. This enduring symbol has ancient roots that stretch back into the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. I believe this traces back farther than this.

The modern version of Lady Justice is often shown wearing a blindfold and holding a scale in one hand. In the other hand,she holds a sword. On the surface, the blindfold represents the fair deliberation of facts without the influence of wealth, power, or politics. The scale represents the value of weighing the evidence that is presented by both sides fairly in order to make a determination. The double edged sword can cut both ways. It is the authority, power, and imperative to make a decision with finality in order to protect the innocent.

When we trace the symbol back to its roots, we find the Roman goddess Justitia, The Greek goddess Themis, and ultimately the Egyptian goddess Ma’at. Each of these goddesses embody the symbolism and imperative of Lady Justice. But the symbolism goes much deeper than this. Each of these manifestations of the divine feminine gives us the instruction book for creating a great and enduring society.

These universal laws are seen across all great cultures that endure and are largely missing from those that collapse. Justice, fairness, and equity are just the beginning. They also include truth, respect, and harmony. It is respect for other points of view and ways of being. It is understanding, respecting, and living with the order of the natural world. It is caring for and nurturing the environment, the water, and the life around us. It is respecting the rules of order and practicing good governance. There is more, so this is your invitation to explore these concepts deeper and the other was that they are personified in various cultures around the world, from Kali, to the Greek and Egyptian goddesses, to the White Buffalo Calf Woman. And these are just some of the ones that I am familiar with.

Here is a longer article on Justitia on Manitu Okahas Studio.

And I'm Not The Only One

Here are a couple of places to find more information.

For gardening information specific to your area in the US, contact your university extension office.

Here are a couple of sites that I am finding useful

almanac.com

pnc.nchi.nlm.nih.gov

Some one I'm following:

For a newsletter source for environmental and climate news check out one5c.com