Roasting roots

Shitake mushrooms at farmer's market

Celery root, red onion, carrot

Roasted root vegetables

   roasted celery root, carrot, red onion and mushroom

   fresh parsley and cooked brown rice mixed in after 

   olive oil, salt, pepper

Hi Winnie and Steve,

I'm still in the midst of having the EcoFarm conference sink in I think.  I remember once coming home from watching a master baker bake bread all day -- start to finish.  A friend asked what I had learned, and my immediate response was, "I'm not sure I learned anything new."  G. said, "You might see it differently in a few days."  And you know what -- that was true.  It took several days for the observations and nuances of the experience to penetrate -- almost like steeping tea -- not much color there in the first minute or so.

One of the plenary sessions at the conference was farmers sharing stories about their successful farms.  Often, these successes happened over many years, not right away.  One of the women farmers talked about the stress or tension associated with the many jobs she felt she HAD TO DO in order to get her work done.  This weighed heavily on her.  Then one day a teacher friend told her that the way she inspired enthusiasm in the students was to tell them what they GET TO DO that day.  Have you ever noticed how seldom we say that to ourselves -- I get to weed today; I get to lay the irrigation pipes today;  I get to thin carrots today.  I've been mulling this over and have concluded that thinking in this way would represent a real paradigm shift.  It implies opportunity and appreciation for the health and physical well-being to "get to" do something and add one's usefulness.

Anyway, I knew you would appreciate that story since we often have talked over these kinds of thoughts -- they are like the tiny yet very beautiful stitches that give a quilt, and a life, texture.

Thinking of you, Donna