Music in the Morning

Checking my facebook today, I noticed a music video that was posted of my dear friend Vatrena King. Now a mom in my community, she once sang with just about anyone you can think of and was one of the "Ikettes" on Ally Mcbeal. This song always lifts me and is one of my favorites to start off the day. Dancing around the kitchen, singing and getting some yummy popovers in the oven was how it looked in our house this morning. The rain has moved on and left beautiful, clean blue skies. The birds are sunning themselves on the bare branches and a large blue jay feeds at the feeder outside my window. What a picky eater! He pushes most of the seed onto the ground to get to his favorites and little birds and doves come to clean up after him. The birds seem grateful for the offering. Thank you Trena for yours!

Citrus

The sun is shinning in the Shire this morning! The gardens look so happy, green and lush. The narrow lane is blanketed with yellow leaves, the remaining persimmons hang heavy on bare branches, little tangerines look like ornaments covering the bushes along the paths. Ahhh, citrus time! We have more Meyer lemons than we know what to do with. Preserved, marmalade, or limoncello? All delicious ideas, now to get started!

Icy and Spicy

Blades of grass encrusted with heavy ice crystals, bend over in glittering fields of white, leaves piled high are frozen to the cold streets and our breath hangs in heavy clouds around our heads, so cold is this morning. The kids are in warm layers, gloves and hats. Molly worries about the family of mice in her school garden. Will they be cold and hungry? Relieved, she remembers that the chickens share food with the mice. A nice warm and spicy latte now in hand, I plan the persimmon bread I'll be baking today.

Muffled Laughter

Mincemeat pumpkin, paradise pumpkin and a traditional brown sugar pumpkin pie.

Molly just loves when there's a reason to celebrate and family converges on the Shire. She wants to be apart of the whole thing, from the cooking and setting the table, to listening in on the adults stories. Oliver likes to lend his "brute strength" to the event, helping to lift wood for the fire. Watching them both, I remember what that felt like as a child, how safe it all felt. "You mean, all these people love me?"Now that we're just across the street, Molly and Oliver spent most of the morning over at my Aunt Denise's house while I baked 3 different pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving(they all smelled delicious)! Being amongst all the bustle, fighting for space both physically and verbally. Try as you might to enter the loud conversations, you may never be heard. Denise compared it to the game Whack A Mole, you've just gotta be patient, then.............. HIT HIM! It's not for everyone, even I get overwhelmed and need to get away for a moment, regain my strength. At my Grandma's, I would sit in the stairwell off the kitchen listening to the muffled laughter, feeling the pulse of the family. The phone on the kitchen wall would ring and someone would answer, stretching the long curly cord around the corner to sit on the stairs to hear better. Having been discovered, I would get up and rejoin the happy chaos. There is not a stairwell to sit in anymore, so I stepped outside for a breather and there it was, the pulse. The laughter, loud conversation and games continued. Standing under the stars, alone, in the dark cold of November, I felt like a little girl again. "You mean, they all love me?"I am thankful for my family.

Nuts and Grubs!

We had some friends over yesterday and, with five children in this small space, it's so nice when they are easily entertained. A bag of walnuts and some crackers is all you need to start the fun! The nuts are dry and ready to eat but there's one catch........some have grubs. I know, YUCK right? Well, this seems to be the funnest part. Not knowing what you're gonna get, bug or food. I'm in the kitchen roasting pumpkin while screams of joy and delight rise up to the ceiling. Some are big, others small (grubs I mean) and sometimes there's a delicious walnut. I don't think many nuts will make it into my holiday baking since each one that they find is edible, well, gets eaten. So what do you do without a television people ask. Here's one interesting project! They didn't seem to miss the glowing screen.

Magic in the Shire

Oliver carves a face in the pumpkin that will soon be a pie while Molly and her friends discover new faerie homes along the banks of the swale now full from the recent storms. She points to a little walnut boat that has settled on a stones beside the water and they all try to figure out how the faeries will move it. They move on to the swings hanging from a large walnut tree, taking turns gliding through the air, they are blissful. My counter is lined with persimmons waiting to ripen to a translucent liquid orange before being baked into cookies and breads. In celebration of the inner light we need to get through the dark days of winter, we have set out a menorah and will fold beautifully colored kite paper in the shapes of stars to put in our windows. I love vacation.

Comfort Food Breakfast

Today is the first day of the kids vacation from school! Yesterday was hard as we attended our friends memorial. The place was packed and some people stood or sat in the aisles. His young daughter performed "edelweiss" on her violin and the closing number involved us all singing the Beatle's song "We can work it out", his daughter on stage belting out with friends and family, all of us on our feet singing our hearts out, tears running down our faces. Oliver woke up crying this morning after dreaming that Michael had passed away. Such a heavy thing for anyone but especially children. I decided to make a comfort food breakfast! With all organic ingredients, I made a cornmeal custardy spoon bread served with rich maple syrup and thickly sliced bacon. Crunchy, luscious, sweet and smokey, the kids were pleased and we got to enjoy breakfast together at the table. "Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friends"
Check out the recipe section for this delicious spoon bread!

The Rain is Back

Yesterday, the rain returned. The ground is so thick with fallen leaves that it sounds like a low drum outside the window. Michael stepped into the garden this morning to inspect the plants, finding some with traces of the small creatures that visit in the night. This afternoon, we'll ride our bikes to another rainy, but fun, football game. Hot cocoa and tri-tip sandwiches are on the menu, yum! We have the next week off school, so I'll be able to tap into my more creative side with the kids. Baking, bike riding and leaf collecting all sound so fun. I usually press leaves in a book for about a week then thread them together to hang in a window. Small oak or Japanese maple work beautifully. Insert a needle next to the stem being sure to tie a small knot to keep it in place before stringing the next one. The sunlight coming through the window brightens the colors of the leaves just beautifully!

I Want My Children's Lunch

Warm and creamy risotto, a chewy organic granola bar and a banana. Now that's what I would want for a school lunch! They've gotten tired of the natural peanut butter and juice sweetened jam on whole sprouted wheat bread. It's nice, on these cooling days, for them to open a hot thermos of comfort food to warm their little bodies. Of course, I kept some risotto home for myself. Here's a recipe for my kids favorite risotto:
add 3 tbs each of butter and olive oil to a large pot or saucepan. Stir in 2 chopped onions, 2 sticks of celery with the leaves, 2 chopped carrots and 2 cups chopped spinach. Once veggies are cooked, add 2 cups of Arborio rice and let cook for a few minutes. Have ready a pot of hot stock (about 67oz) with some white or red wine added for flavor. Add a ladle full at a time to the rice stirring well and letting absorb before adding more. Once your rice is the right texture(we like it nice and soupy with a little firmness) add remaining butter and as much Parmesan cheese as you like! Sometimes we add toasted pine nuts or walnuts.

A View from the Co-op

The winds are blowing today but the air is soft and warm. Dried leaves whirl over streets, bikes pass and people wave. The world has taken on a golden hue. Another pumpkin awaits baking for our Thanksgiving pies. It's time to welcome another holiday season with food, family and fun.

Molly

We were planning to meet the kids and my mom in San Francisco today but Molly got sick. Instead, we ended up driving down to my mom's to pick her up. Poor thing, it must be a flu. Now we're snuggling in bed with our comfortable pajamas on waiting for Michael and Oliver to come back from the store to make dinner. Molly has requested watermelon, granny smith apples, macaroni and cheese with peas and sausage. Anything else Molly? She seems to have her appetite back! I hope she feels better tomorrow so we can enjoy our Sunday together. I would love to take a bike ride over to the campus arboretum to see all the changing trees and ducks on the pond. Molly says she would like to pack a picnic, again her mind is on food. OK Molly, just get better and tomorrow we shall picnic!

Persimmons

Today I think I'll go to the orchard and pick some persimmons! There are two varieties, the fuyu, which is more like an apple, is ripe and ready for eating. The other needs to be completely soft or it has a bitter, sappy texture. The kids are with my mom for a couple of days and when they get back they'll be so excited to find a pile of beautiful orange persimmons on the table. My mom recently harvested her honey from the hive on her property. She brought 5 jars for me to share with family and friends! I love holding it to the light to see it's dense, opaqueness. It really does seem like liquid gold. Now all we need are some chickens in the family!

Speaking of Snail-io

Across from the third grade garden stands the kindergarten gate.

And watching the gate, is the new Snail-io oven! Working with bare feet in mud and straw, the third grade children, Molly included, built this beautiful outdoor oven for the garden. Next week, they'll fire it up to make homemade pizzas! Michael was able to assist Brian Baker and Mrs. Toy construct this incredible oven. What started out as clay bricks, made by Oliver's class last year, to a mound of sand and finally ended as an amazing sculpture. The children will be so excited to begin using it this week! Check out Brian's web site at http://www.bohemianearthbuilding.com/

Weekend Festivities

Why no pesticides? Because then you can find cool creatures like this in your garden!

Oliver as a hunch back and Molly as skeleton last night at the festival

Penelope, Serafina and Molly decorate Halloween cookies. The goulash is bubbling and another pie sits upon the table. On the altar we have a gin and tonic for grandma and grandpa, some hard candies for my gran and Michael's grandfather, some sweet smelling rose petals strewn about and some mini pumpkins Oliver carved little faces into to light up the sacred space. The children have had a fun weekend thus far carving out many pumpkins and eating many sweets. I'm going as a witch and so is Molly while Oliver has chosen the skeleton for tonight's pumpkin lit walk through the Shire. It's so magical, even as an adult to walk these paths at night. All the trees, fallen leaves and crisp air. The smell of pumpkins lit by candles and knocking on the doors of friends, family and neighbors in the anticipation of yummy treats. Costumes can be so creative, especially the Little ones on their first trick-or-treat outing. Happy Samhain/Halloween to all!

Halloween Treats!

Brown sugar pumpkin pie, lady apples, and lemon sugar cookies for the kids to decorate tomorrow! They've been down at the neighbors most of the morning, carving some pumpkins while I've been busy in the kitchen. It smells warm and delicious! I'm getting excited to go over to Denises' house to spend time with the family. It rained a little this morning and the sky is thick with clouds. Hopefully we'll have a dry evening at the festival. Nobody likes a messy looking angel.

Plans for the Weekend

Pumpkin carving contest over at aunt Denises' house, Halloween festival at the Waldorf School, dinner before trick-or-treating in the Shire: goulash with noodles and sour cream, pumpkin pie, Halloween sugar cookies, mulled cider and little lady apples. Pictures of delicious food to follow!

Everything Pumpkin

Baking pumpkin on a rainy day Yesterday was such a perfect day to bake a pumpkin, so rainy and cold. I still have a quarter of it left, it was so large. We made an impromptu pumpkin soup with organic chicken sausage spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. So delicious, it was shared around our cozy table with friends and family. My beautiful neighbor, Jill, brought over some homemade molasses bread just in time for dessert. Still warm, we spread it with butter, fig conserve and sipped hot licorice tea. This morning, I added spoonfuls of the puree to yogurt with cinnamon and a little conserve for sweetness and ta-da.......pumpkin pie yogurt! The remainder of the puree will be reserved for an actual pie or two on Halloween. Hooray for fall!

Rainy Day at the Dairy

Such sweet creatures.

"Trying to eat here!"
Molly feeding a calf

A view from the dairy

Yesterday, we took a field trip to the Bodega area with Molly's class. We had such a great time visiting one of the sister dairies of Strauss. They produce that delicious milk sold in bottles with a thick layer of cream at the top! It's no small task to produce organic dairy products. Anytime a cow gets sick, and uses antibiotics, that cow can never be milked again. With 182 acres and about 200 cows being milked twice a day, I say paying a little extra is worth the cost.

Fruits and Nuts

Little jewels

I love these colors. It's the end of the month, and as usual, things get lean. Michael and I decided to do some foraging for the kids lunches. We came home with some beautiful fruits and nuts. The kids were so excited about the pineapple guavas from Denise's house. We also picked up some more walnuts, pecans and pistachios for use in our holiday baking. I couldn't resist photographing our bounty. Once all the nuts have dried, we need to have a cracking party!

Baked Pears

Yummy! Baked pears for breakfast.

Michael went to the pear orchard yesterday and filled his bag. It's so nice, when we are running low on fruit, to just walk outside here. The kids brought home some pomegranate, which went in their lunches today. I decided to start the day off with these baked pears! I peeled and seeded them, filled them with oatmeal, cinnamon, sugar and butter. I set them in a baking dish with some blueberry pomegranate juice and sealed them up well with foil, then baked them at 350 until they smelled good! I served them in a dish of cream at the top milk from the Strauss Dairy. Oh, and who doesn't like a bit more butter?