Soulful Mothering

Hi friends! I'm blogging it up over on the luminous Amanda Soule's Soulemama today. Come find me there!

And I thought I'd share this short, silly video of Huxley. He was "singing" right before I grabbed the camera, his new, favorite thing to do. You can see how close he is to crawling in it.

Also, I've been reading, and laughing and seriously overall enjoying, Matthew Amster-Burton's book Hungry Monkey: A Food-Loving Father's Quest to Raise An Adventurous Eater. While Huxley's not quite ready for carne asada or chiles rellenos, he's getting closer by the day. Matthew's book is a great read for those of us wondering what in the heck to feed our littles while knowing we don't to go the jarred baby food or rice cereal route.

A Peck of Pickles

The season of the pickle is upon us! Stumped for recipe ideas? The genius folks at Saveur magazine have rounded up "22 Perfect Pickles" to tantalize your palette. Check it.

I also have first-hand knowledge of another great source of pickling inspiration....

*Image from Saveur.

River Cottage Family Cookbook (+Giveaway!!!)

I have very few heroes. It's not that I can't find folks who inspire me beyond measure; there are plenty of such individuals. My beef is more with the idea of a "hero" itself. We're all human. We all make mistakes. We're all incredibly mortal and sometimes selfish and occasionally hurtful or neglectful. There are a few folks, though, who, despite their flesh and bone selves, have found a way into my heart and soul with their words, deeds, and overall way of living.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is one such person. A British food writer, chef, TV personality, farm-to-table & snout-to-hoof advocate, sustainable farming educator, and much, much more, Hugh is one incredible fella. He started his food career with a BBC show in which he'd wild forage for food (including road kill), and then cook it up into a delicious repast. He went on to own and operate the River Cottage, a restaurant and food education center that strives towards, according to its website, "less dependence on the outside world, food integrity, and the consumption of local, seasonal produce."

Not content to simply produce great food for their own, and their patron's, consumption, the River Cottage took on a number of food-based campaigns. "Chicken Out!" raised awareness about factory poultry farms, while "Fish Fight" brought attention to over-fishing, seafood waste, and sustainable aquaculture alternatives.

The campaign closest to my heart, though, and the one that endears Hugh to me the most, is "Landshare." Begun in Britain, but now encompassing the entire UK, as well as Australia and Canada, Landshare partners those who own land but aren't using it, with those desiring land but not in possession of it. It's a genius idea, and yet an immensely simple one at the same time. We did something similar out here several years ago, letting a young farmer use our land and (former) greenhouse for a growing season. We're up to the possibility of doing it again, perhaps, sometime in the future.

Because of my admiration (and adoration!) of Hugh, his River Cottage, and everything related to him and his projects, I'm giving away a copy of his and Fizz Carr's (incredible name, right???) River Cottage Family Cookbook this week. While written with cooking with the wee ones in mind, even if you don't have children, this is a fabulous book. It's full of recipes for simple, yet sublime, dishes. They're not dumbed down for children, either, which is one bone of contention I often have with many children's books. It's also chock full of gorgeous photos.

I'll run the giveaway for one week, ending it next Monday, June 20th, at midnight EST. This contest is open only to US residents (sorry international friends!). To enter, leave a comment of your favorite thing to cook or bake with your family (and by "family" I mean your kiddos, mom, granddad, aunt, cousin, what-have-you). I'll randomly select a winner next week and get Hugh's incredible tome (it's a biggun!) out to you.

Even if you don't enter the contest, do check out Hugh and his projects. Although many of them are U.K.-specific, they're packed with inspiration and beauty, all the same.

Hanging Around

My wonderful mother-in-law, Barbara, and 12 year-old niece, Sophie, are visiting from Sarasota, Florida. I can't begin to tell you how imminently helpful it is to have so many extra hands available for helping out with Huxley. I could write 5 books with them around. Wait. Scratch that. I'll just stick with this one, for now...

The little dude is "this" close to crawling. He gets up on all fours and rocks himself, then turns to a tearful mess when he can't quite figure out how to propel himself forward. Much as I want him to take that giant leap of progress forward, I'm also hoping he stretches out the time it takes to get there. I know that once he starts moving, there's no turning back. All bets are off. His middle names is "Wild" for a reason and I'm in the final month and a half of book writing! Bide your time there, little fella. Bide your time.

Next weekend we're heading north to Burnsville (the town where my mother and grandmother hang their respective hats), for the annual Lavender festival held at Mountain Farm. It's truly one of the highlights of the year for Hubs and I, and now we get to extend the fun to our "Peanut Sauce." I'll take photos and share our escapades with you.

The fireflies are out here. There's lots of lemonade being consumed. We picked up a swimming pool for Huxley, big enough to fit all of us in it. The ceiling fans are on near constant circulation. The wine berries are getting close to ripening and the garden is full of future eats. There's honey soon to be extracted and green grass and twilight cold beer on the patio. I'm planning an old-fashioned "Ice Cream Social" out here for my 35th b-day in July. In short, goodness abounds.

Wherever you are, whatever you're up to, may it be grand.

*Did you know that clicking on the photos with your mouse enables you to magnify their size? Get a load of that leg chunk. Hard to believe this tiny Mr. Universe was such a shrimp when he came home from the hospital!

Small Friends: Unabashed Apparel

I'm introducing a new column on small measure today: small friends. Popping up periodically in the future, "small friends" are folks I know whose work I find particularly inspiring. While their vocations will differ (chocolatiers to clothing designers, jewelers to bread bakers), what unites these friends is a commitment to environmental stewardship. In their chosen professions, my friends have discovered small, gentle ways of treading lightly on the planet whilst pursuing their passions, which is the overall goal of this blog, and of my life as a whole.

I'm beginning today with Sarahbeth Lattimore, proprietress and queen bee of Unabashed Apparel, a clothing line that focuses on sustainable practices. Sarahbeth honed her chops during a childhood surrounded by a family of skilled seamstresses, later pairing that skill set as an adult with a commitment to the environment. From using vintage and organic fabrics, to hand-dying with low-impact fiber reactive dyes to donating 1% of all profits to the non-profit Clean Water for NC, Unabashed Apparel aims, as its website details, "to change the world, one dress at a time."

Recently, Sarabeth sent me an e-mail, in which she recognized our affinity for making conscientious choices for living in harmony with our planet while enjoying the fun that fashion imbues life with. In her own words: I know you're a gal that can get behind the idea that homestead, responsible, and conscious living does not mean that we all have to have knarly hair, wear burlap feed bags and Birkenstocks. I'm an environmentalist and a fashion designer. I think at the end of the day I believe clothing should do a couple of things: charm, feel good, and do the least amount of harm to the world around us that it can. A woman after my own heart, indeed.

Sarahbeth will soon be launching a children's clothing line, to be titled "Bashful." If her line of garments for wee ones is anything like her women's items, then we're in store for some truly splendid, and sustainable, fashions. Thanks for all you do, Sarahbeth!

*Images property of Sarahbeth Lattimore.

The Creative Connection

Some of you may know that I write a quarterly column for the lovely Stampington & Company publication Where Women Cook (the Summer/June issue just debuted! My "Homemade Living" column is all about getting the best farmer's market experience possible, along with 4 recipes for seasonal food bliss). Jo Packham and her creative team are a pleasure to work with. I love flipping through the publication and seeing what other food-lovin' ladies are churning out in their kitchens.

Imagine, then, my profound delight when I was asked if I'd like to attend The Creative Connection, a Stampington and Sterling Books (my publisher's parent company) event featuring women, food, crafts, business, and much, much more. Held this coming September in St. Paul, Minnesota, I'll be one of the teachers in the Mary Jane's Farm food track. I've long admired Mary Jane and all that she does out in Idaho, and have spent many an afternoon pouring over her magazine. How crazy that I've now begun receiving e-mails directly from her and know that she'll be calling my house (!!!) in July to firm up all of the materials needed for my class.

The event is shaping up to be an incredibly good one. Molly Wizenberg, Todd & Diane from White On Rice Couple and Holly Becker of Decor 8 are just a tiny sampling of the culinary luminaries that'll be there. To be included in the mix is an honor beyond compare (plus, I've long maintained that Molly and I are destined to become best friends and now I'll have my chance to rub elbows with her and share my plan in person).

I highly encourage you to check out The Creative Connection website. From what I hear, St. Paul/Minneapolis truly shines in September. I plan to share my love of jam and all things canning and then check out what everyone else is up to. Maybe I'll see you there!

Guest Post: Little House In the Suburbs

Several weeks ago when I opened up small measure to the possibility of guest posts, Daisy Siskin from over at Little House in the Suburbs was one of the first folks to respond. Rife with posts on everything from DIY furniture polish to, most recently, homemade water kefir, Daisy's blog is one you will absolutely want to add to your daily blog roll.

Today, she's guiding us through information on the medicinal herb Valerian. I remember years ago, when I was the bulk herbs and spices buyer for Whole Foods in Arlington, Virginia how my co-workers would moan and groan whenever I'd open up a fresh bag of the herb. "Wet dog!" or "smelly socks!", they'd yell out, holding their noses in exaggeration. To me, I always found the aroma more redolent of root beer. Whether you find Valerian stinky or sublime, it's inherent beneficial medicinal properties are a force to be reckoned with, as Daisy expertly illustrates!

Weird Gardening: Daisy Siskin

"When I first started gardening I stuck with basic plants, nothing out of the ordinary. Once I became comfortable with the nuts and bolts, your basic veg and fruit, I went a little crazy and started to experiment with things you won’t find in the seed rack at the hardware store. Weird things, you might say.

Every year, I sneak a few of these off-the-beaten-path plants onto the seed list, put them in the ground, and watch what happens. I love the surprise of growing something in my garden I’ve never even seen before. More often than not, being of the absent-minded breed of gardener, I forget what I planted, where. First I think, “Shoot! Why can’t I remember to label?” But then it turns into an adventure because I have to go all Nancy Drew to identify which seedlings are which.

The surprise plant this Spring is valerian (Valeriana officinalis). I planted it last year, but it didn’t flower until now. It’s an early bloomer, beginning toward the start of May in zone 7, and stays in bloom for several weeks. The fragrance is sweet, kind of like vanilla butter cookies, and the blooms (mine are white, some are pink) are delicate and airy. At five feet tall, it’s definitely best for back of the border. I learned this too late and mine is smack in the middle, as if I built the garden around it. The white umbels seem to glow in the night garden.

Teas, tinctures, and powders made from valerian root have been used in traditional medicine forever for insomnia and anxiety. The action of valerian on the brain is similar to benzodiazepines such as Valium and Xanax, but milder. Historically, its uses have ranged from love potions (to drive your lover bananas) to catnip substitute (to drive your cat bananas) to irritability reducer (to keep from being driven bananas).

I haven’t tried valerian myself, and obviously anyone would want to check into it thoroughly before trying it. Research the websites of university complementary and alternative medicine departments or a good herbal medicine manual like The Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, by Chevallier (DK: 2000).

Even if I never use valerian medicinally, it’s worth growing for its surprising height and country fencerow good looks. Plus, I hear its roots attract earthworms. If you garden, you know that makes my heart go pitter-patter.

P.S. A couple of my favorite sources for weird seeds are: Fedco Seeds and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange."

Thank you, Daisy, for this excellent post! Do check out her blog, friends. You won't be disappointed. And for those of you who think you've got something small measure readers might also enjoy reading, send me an e-mail and let's see if we can't just get something going between us!