Quote of the Day: Little House on the Prairie
Thanksgiving dinner was good. Pa had shot a wild goose for it. Ma had to stew the goose because there was no fireplace, and no oven in the little stove. But she made dumplings in the gravy. There were corn dodgers and mashed potatoes. There were butter, and milk, and stewed dried plums. And three grains of parched corn lay beside each tin plate.
Laura Ingalls Wilder –On the Banks of Plum Creek (Little House, Book 4)
I love the combination of what they had at this meal, simple, seasonal, and local.
One of the reasons I enjoy Thanksgiving so much, is that it’s one of the few remaining semi seasonal meals left in our culture: cranberries, turkey, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and squash. We’ll not think about the green bean casserole or the jello mold that sometimes appears on the table at some gatherings. Whatever you happen to be eating today – enjoy!
Happy Thanksgiving from Chiot’s Run.
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Quote of the Day: Maria Augusta Trapp
Now it was November,
and the trees had shed their last golden tear;
the weather was often rough.
Maria Augusta Trapp The Story of the Trapp Family Singers
All the leaves are gone from the trees now and things are getting stark. The weather is shifting from fall to winter; the days are no longer warm and golden as the fierce winds blow away the remaining bits of fall.
One of the things I appreciate about the trees being without leaves is that we can see the sunsets in all their beauty. From mid-November through March we notice the sunset each evening and are often captivated by how beautiful it is. I suppose it’s this nice all year long, we just can’t see it because of the trees that block it from our view.
What time of the year do you notice sunsets the most?
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Quote of the Day: Jessica Prentice
Abundance is something we feel, not something that we have. Those of us who have gone traveling to a so-called poor country and encountered an amazing spirit of generosity and a true sense of abundance can attest to this. We find it surprising and charming and quite exotic. Without a sense of scarcity, there is no sense of abundance, because there is no perspective.
Jessica Prentice
(from: Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection)
I’m very thankful that I was brought up in a third world country and was able to see true scarcity. There aren’t a lot of people in this country that have seen anything like it. We’ve definitely lost our sense of what abundance really is, which is really sad since we’re some of the richest people in the world.
When I read about one in five New Yorkers being on food stamps and of officials estimate that $75 million to $135 million of New Yorks food stamp benefits are spent on sodas or sugary drinks I kind of feel sick (see this article). I think back on the poor people I’ve visited that would kill their last chicken to feed you a meal while going hungry themselves. I’m thankful I’ve had this experience and as a result I know what true abundance is and I strive to share some of the abundance I have with others.
Please consider doing without something during the month of November and donating the funds you save to a charity that helps the poor around the world. As we start thinking about Thanksgiving and planning our big feasts, please don’t forget to think about those around us and the world don’t have the abundance we do.
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Quote of the Day: Robyn Griggs Lawrence
The beauty in November is the assuredness with which it accepts its Novemberness. Pale, low light is kind to dried beige stalks and barren fields. The earth breathes with a sense of quiet, signaling the time is right to go within. After all that manic energy of summertime and harvest, there is relief in the stillness.
Robyn Griggs Lawrence
(The Wabi-Sabi House: The Japanese Art of Imperfect Beauty)
It’s amazing how quickly things change when November hits. Last Sunday I was out working in the garden and there was still tons of color in the garden. The leaves were all shining in bright shades of yellow and red.
November came on Tuesday and by the end of the week all the leaves were down and everything was brown. One of things I love about November, is how the late evening sun bathes everything in a beautiful golden glow without leaves on the trees to hide it. It’s perfect harmony for this time of year for sure as it brightens up what could be a rather drear time of year.
November is one of those months that I really notice a change, it’s kind of like March. Many months blend into each other and you can’t distinguish between them. November and March are quite unique, making their beginning well known because there is such a distinct change in the colors in nature and the light of the sun. Oddly enough March and November are polar opposites. In March everything is bursting forth and things seem to grow overnight. In November everything breathes of sigh of relief and hunkers down for the many months of rest ahead.
What month do you notice being most distinct from those around it?
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Quote of the Day: Jessica Prentice
And of course eating winter produce in winter helps me reconnect with the earth’s rhythms and with the seasonal reality of my forebears. It reminds me that to everything there is a season and a time. It helps me to let go of my desire to have whatever I want, whenever I want it, instantly. It helps me appreciate that which I have been given and to accept it gratefully. A long night in the Hunger Moon will be warmed immeasurably by a thick, creamy bowl of Cream of Parsnip Soup. Eating it with a chunk of good aged cheddar on a slice of dark bread, it is a little bit of heaven on earth. It is no sacrifice at all, just a return to the simplicity and beauty of eating with wisdom and appreciation.
Jessica Prentice – Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection
I was over at my mom’s yesterday looking at the edible garden. Most everything was nipped by the frost and cold temperatures. The tomatoes are gone for the season; green beans will not grace my plate until next summer. I picked the last few peppers and those will be enjoyed over the coming week.
That’s not really a problem though, we have kale to eat and the peas will produce for a little while longer. A good number of carrots are still snug in their beds of soil and will remain there until we put the garden to sleep for good.
At the farmer’s market I’ve been buying raddichio, bok choi and other cold season vegetables. I no longer crave a fresh tomato out of season, but willingly look forward to brussels sprouts, celeriac and other vegetables that star in winter.
I have yet to grow many of these cold season vegetables in my small garden, but hopefully with all the new space I’m adding in a few years I’ll be able to experiment with them. I’m thankful for the local farmers that grow them so I can get used to eating them before I try to grow them in my garden!
What’s your favorite cold season vegetable? Are you planning on growing any new vegetables in your gardens in the coming years?
