The CSA box always makes me feel like a kid on Christmas morning--what’s in it this week??!!

Trista, I have read that for many people sugar is addictive and withdrawal can often be very real and difficult. Many holistic health practitioners would say that it takes three weeks to completely rid your body of any substance. I think that if you can maintain your sense of mindfulness about what do you eat, that is maybe as important as what foods you choose to eat or avoid. But it is hard not to feel sorry for oneself at such times...

For me it’s grains that are hard to restrict. Several years ago I was placed on an elimination diet for a couple of months--it seemed all my favorite foods were off limits all at once: dairy, wheat, soy, nightshade vegetables, shellfish, citrus, peanuts, sugar,etc. After the first couple of days all I wanted to do was cry about what I couldn’t have. So I cried, whined, raged--and cheated! And finally came to the “most things in moderation” way that I eat now, with a heavy emphasis on veggies and whole grains. And of course, small doses of very dark, barely sweetened chocolate, regularly!

Our smallish (_{50 members) community garden sets aside plots that are worked as teams, for donation to the local food pantry and a non-profit organization that provides after-school and summer childcare for school age kids.Last summer we donated the produce from nine 12x20-foot plots and many of us also provided vegetables from our personal garden plots. We are happy to provide local families in need with the same fresh vegetables our families enjoy and it is a great way to involve our children in helping those less fortunate.}

@Susan, even though my daughter (and son) both always helped in the kitchen, she too went to college with a minimal interest in cooking (making music was much more appealing!). I think by the end of her first week of cafeteria food she was ready and willing to cook and has become quite proficient in the kitchen in the past three years!

And, the teen that learned to scrub a potato last week? She stopped over after school today to see if I could teach her how to bake bread over winter break! The fun is just beginning!

I had to teach a 13yr-old how to scrub a potato the other day--and this was a child whose parents both cook from scratch on a regular basis. They think their kids are “too busy” to help in the kitchen and garden. So sad!

Harriet, I just picked up your book from the library and it is obvious that I will next be picking it up at the bookstore! I think I may have to hide it for 24 hours or Thanksgiving dinner might be late! Excellent work--thank you!

Trista, the bees--and butterflies too--do perch on the edge of our stone birdbath and drink; I don’t remember ever finding one drowned. I have also seen them drinking in puddles.

Trista, we find bees using our bird bath all the time.

What an incredibly evocative piece, Trista! I love the description of a perfectly ripe Himalayan blackberry and by the end I could smell blackberry cobbler!

Definitely still out here and I am very glad you are back Harriet--and in terrific voice! Can’t wait to read the book.

Trista, I find I am much more likely to eat well, whether I’m tired, on my own, or just lazy when I’ve got ingredients prepped and ready to go. I like to prep enough salad ingredients to last a few days; using a salad spinner helps the greens to stay fresh and crisp. When I have veggies from the farmers market, garden or CSA I often just wash them and then quickly blanch, blot dry and refrigerate--instantly ready to add to other dishes or heat quickly with some seasonings and serve over rice. On weekends I love to make a big pot of soup; after a long day at work it’s great to have comfort food waiting in the fridge. Another favorite is to roast slabs of tofu, a chicken or a side of salmon and use it in sandwiches, salads, casseroles--or just to nibble! Good luck!

Thanks for this great story Joan; I laughed all the way to the cookie jar! I think now I need to email my cousin in Melbourne to see whether she wants to introduce Tim Tams to her extended family back in Wisconsin!

I have the Betty Crocker cookbook my mother received at a wedding shower in 1955, and it brings back fond memories every time I look at it--the end pages are full of handwritten recipes from my great-grandmother, grandmother and several aunts, as well as my mom. It conjures up wonderful family gatherings!

The best cookbooks I have ever received are Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, because it is so complete and Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert. The latter is a great resource for anyone who gardens, belongs to a CSA or shops at farmers markets. Because it has so many fruit and vegetable recipes,from basic to more complex, all arranged by season, it has also become a favorite book to give others.

“.she ignores the concept of preserving the bounty of garden, tree, polyculture farm; she forgets to mention the very real concern of nutrition and chemical content of our food.”

It seems to me that she also ignores the concept of culture, legacy that goes along with learning how to grow, preserve and cook from scratch. I wonder sometimes what life will be like in another 50 or so years when hardly anyone knows how to feed themselves anymore?

Kathleen, your article made me nostalgic! I used to belong to a natural foods buying club as well, but unfortunately our supplier went out of business about 18 months ago. I can relate to those freezing delivery days and giant vats of nut butter though! Even though we no longer watch that semi-truck navigate up a steep, narrow street to our drop point the group still gathers for potlucks periodically and orders case lots of specials from farmers and a nearby co-op to share. I am a bit chagrined to admit that even after 18 months of “regular” shopping I still tend to buy most things in bulk and have a pretty good stockpile in the pantry--maybe we will be snowed in a few times this winter and I will be vindicated!

I do think you should consider letting your husband share the fun this winter though; after all, the guys need good bonding experiences too! ;-)

The new generation pressure cookers have lots of built-in safeguards so they can’t explode. I love mine and use it every week for beans, whole grains and other things cook for long periods of time--steamed, whole beets in 10 minutes, anyone?

I also use the pressure cooker to make large batches of applesauce, but for sauce I usually only add about 1/2-cup liquid, depending on the apples, and cook about five minutes--that’s a bit different than Deborah’s recipe for apple butter, but it works in our house!

Thanks Joan--I just ordered the film from the library.

Thank you Sarah, for such a thoughtful piece. We buy as much as we are able from our small farmers market--I wish we could get cheese, grains and beans, as well as meat, eggs, fruit and vegetables. I am often dismayed by how very little the farmers charge for their labor/produce. Yesterday we bought 10-lbs of Concord grapes for $5; last week 2 cantaloupe and a watermelon set me back $4! I know how hot and backstraining it is to grow and harvest those things and prices like that make me feel I am cheating. I guess I will get my comeuppance when I hand over $50+ for my Thanksgiving turkey! I know I will remember the farmer when we are eating grape jam next winter.

Harriet, your comments are on the money, as usual. I love your idea of “farm service” for young adults--it would go a long way toward changing attitudes.

Beautiful, Trista! I have woven beets, kale, lettuce, chard, beans, peppers, eggplant and tomatoes into my perennial beds the past few years as my backyard garden is slowly being taken over by shade. The vegetables are as beautiful as any flowers and feed my soul and body both. If the neighbors think I’m a little different--oh, well!