Special friends

Steve, Winnie and me in Maine

Yesterday friends stopped by to visit us on the ranch.  My friend D. reads the posts so asked me, "Who are Steve and Winnie?"  That is a good question -- especially since the site is dedicated to their memory, and I write the posts in the form of a letter addressed to them.  We met Steve and Winnie in Maine in 1984 when Gene and I were working with the Beyond War movement.  They were in one of the meetings we conducted and were very responsive to the ideas.  Being much younger and inexperienced at that time, I thought that people in their mid-60's would not have the energy or desire to volunteer much.  Very wrong!  Steve and Winnie became dedicated participants in the movement and thus a special friendship was forged.

While those were the circumstances that brought us together, I think more accurately it was a case of meeting up with kindred spirits.  Their qualities of humility, naturalness,  being inquiring, generosity and practicality touched me deeply and resulted in a life long bond with them. They led full lives into their mid-80's.  Each died quickly with no illness which was a grace.  I miss conversations with them and an old-fashioned quality they embodied -- a quality of listening and not hurrying. This approach to life seems more rare now. The posts are a way to honor the life they lived, and I feel a connection to their memory when I write to them.

Donna

Potato growing

Potatoes from the garden

Roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes and celery

Potatoes a plenty

   roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, celery

   sauteed kale

   minced dill

   shredded gouda

   olive oil, salt, pepper

   
Hi Winnie and Steve,

I always enjoy the times when I go out to the garden to get a few things for dinner.  To cut a few leaves of chard or pull out an onion is very satisfying -- it must be the appeal of freshness.  But little did I know that harvesting the potatoes would be the most appealing of all.  It is almost reminiscent of an Easter egg hunt.  To submerge my hands down into that soft soil all the way up to my wrists and while rooting around feel the smooth roundness of a potato beneath my fingers is almost magical.  This is the first time I have tried growing potatoes.  I know some nutritionists feel that potatoes are too starchy and without much fiber.  But pretty much these days if something is a whole food, I like to use it if it can be grown in my garden. 

 

Usually it gets cold outside after dinner here at the ranch, but lately the warmer weather has lingered after dinner many days here on the coast.  I went outside after dinner tonight to do a quick watering of the young winter squashes and new seedlings of kale and carrots.  There's something very soothing about that late light and warmth and the descending quiet.  It doesn't even feel like a chore -- would you tell me that this is Zen?

Thinking of you.  Donna

Barley as a basic

Mushrooms at farmer's market

Barley and Mushroom Pilaf

   sauteed onions, carrots

   sauteed mushrooms and peas

   chopped parsley and mint

   cooked barley

   olive oil, salt and pepper

Hi Winnie and Steve,

I know it meant a lot to you when you started meditating with others in a Zen Buddhist circle. I think I must have been grousing once about chores in the kitchen, and you said to me, "When you are washing the dishes, be aware of the pleasant warmth and silky feel of the soapy water on your hands and how lovely that feels."  I've thought of that many times while doing dishes -- and you won't be surprised, but that thought does make it feel different.  A new acquaintance who is an artist, chef, pianist, metal worker, etc. gave me a book you would enjoy.  It is called "Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers."  

The ideas in the book describe an approach or view of life quite different from the modern  -- valuing the simple and rustic things in life.  Now, maybe I'm stretching it, but I think some of these thoughts are true about food -- there is something wonderful even in simple foods or grains like barley for example.  Here's an excerpt from the book --  again a bit different from the modern.  "The self-imposed isolation and voluntary poverty of the hermit and ascetic came to be considered opportunities for spiritual richness.  For the poetically inclined, this kind of life fostered an appreciation of the minor details of everyday life and insights into the beauty of the inconspicuous and overlooked aspects of nature."

Thinking of you.  Donna

Sonora -- a California heirloom wheat

The wheat is almost shoulder high

Sonora wheat

Slice of Sonora bread with spinach saag

   sauteed leeks and fennel

   sauteed spinach

   carrots

   buckskin beans

   tomato paste

   curry spices

   olive oil and salt

Hi Winnie and Steve,

What a dry spring and early summer it has been for us.  The dogs sniff around the meadows with dry and hardened grasses.  This resulted in Luna getting a fox tail up her nose which meant a trip to the vet, but luckily the vet found it.  The new wheat fields are loving the recent warmth.  The first field which Gene planted in the winter will probably be harvested in about 8 weeks.  While we do not yet have our first harvest, we were able to get from a farmer friend 50 lbs. of her Sonora wheat.  I experimented with that Sonora yesterday in bread baking.

I'm telling you this wheat has such good taste!  I've used it often for pie crust, biscotti and zucchini bread.  Our friend Monica Spiller is an expert in Sonora wheat and has trial fields in other heirloom wheats also (sustainablegrains.org). Monica said Sonora wheat came to Mexico and spread with the establishment of the missions up into California. Apparently, it lost favor with the invention of the roller mills which do a better job with "hard red wheat."  Sonora is a "soft white wheat" -- although Monica can describe it so much better. Anyway, this morning's toast was so good. This is the wheat that is also grown at Pie Ranch -- our friend Jered introduced it to us.  His old Allis Chalmers combine is here for some repairs so both our farms can harvest the wheat soon.

Thinking of you.  Donna

Sweetness and Color

Cherries from nearby valley

Fruits and greens salad

   head lettuce

   wild rice

   cherries

   apricots

   carrots

   cilantro

   red cabbage

   honey mustard vinaigrette

Hi Winnie and Steve,

We've had such great warm weather on the coast this week --- aaaah.  While this week was lovely, we do not get enough warmth right here on the ranch to grow the really sweet fruits.  I can grow apples and pears easily, but the fruits that love warmth like apricots and cherries need real heat to bring about their sweetness.  I went to the roadside barn at Pie Ranch in Pescadero today since they are open on weekends.  In addition to their usual berries,  farmer friends from one of the warmer valleys had brought over apricots and cherries -- what a treat.  Of course Blue House Farm had wonderful vegetables and flowers in the barn as they always do.  I really like to include these juicy fruits in salads at this time of year.

We are starting to see some wild blackberries when we are on our hike.  You cannot believe how tiny they are -- they are not anything like blackberries at the market.  But no matter how tiny, we cannot resist ambling ever so slowly to see if we can spot some and pick them along the way.  They are small but incredibly full of flavor.  We don't even pretend to gather; we just pop them in our mouths immediately.  Even Jake, remember the stray cattle dog, ever so carefully puts his muzzle up to the berries and plucks them off in his teeth.  This shouldn't be a surprise as we see lots of berries in the coyote scat -- somehow Jake is the one dog of our three that most reminds us of a coyote.

Thinking of you.  Love, Donna

Minestrone -- the catch all

Fennel at farmer's market

Minestrone

   sauteed onions and fennel

   chickpeas

   chard

   turnips

   carrots

   brown rice

   tomato paste or other tomato base and water

   salt and pepper

   
Hi Winnie and Steve,

I recall occasions when we used to walk from our little apartment on Noble Island to downtown Portsmouth.  What a charming town -- and the architecture of those old brick buildings!  On a sunny day I would feel transported by the history and ambience of the narrow streets, old clapboard houses and tugboats on the water.  Often when I would ask you, "Where would you like to go for lunch?", your response was, "Where can we get a good bowl of soup?"

I have to admit that there is something very satisfying about a bowl of soup, and you don't feel stuffed after eating.

I was visiting my mom the other day, and she was telling me the story about my grandmother who ran a boarding house for working men that had just arrived from Italy.  Apparently, she kept a big kettle of minestrone (which my mom calls minestra) on the back of the wood stove so a hungry worker could grab a bowl of soup even if it was not yet time for a meal.  I sometimes look around the kitchen and garden and I have a little bit of several things -- aah, I'll throw it all in a minestrone.

Thinking of you.  Donna

Rajmah beans

The bean bins at Phipps Ranch

Rajmah beans

   sauteed onions

   olive oil, salt

   curry spices

   kidney beans

   diced tomatoes

   any chopped green, i.e. chard, kale, cilantro

Hi Winnie and Steve,

I often feel drawn to something that expresses a soulful simplicity in my eyes.  I think that is part of the attraction to grains, beans and greens.  It's almost like the simple dishes are a metaphor for a simpler life.  The dish can be quite basic or elemental, yet the taste and satisfaction and richness are deep.  I felt this while watching the Charlie Rose program on television the other day.  The soulful author in this case, Martha Sherrill, was being interviewed on her new book, "Dog Man:  An Uncommon Life on a Faraway Mountain."  The story she presented about an older man in Japan fascinated me, and I have just started reading the book.  In the opening pages she says, "We yearn for the company of dogs because they return us to an ancient way of life, vanishing now.  It is the power of the natural world to reacquaint us with our quieter selves, the part now buried alive in the noise and glare of modern life and the new habit of nonstop connection with others."

I knew you would appreciate this thought because of the simplicities you have always cherished.  I sometimes go to Phipps Ranch and slowly take in the beauty of the beans in the bins, and of course I always come home with a couple of varieties.  I had a dish in India called Rajmah beans -- made from kidney beans.  It is a standard around our house.  Love that curry! If you don't have time to soak beans and cook them, I think this dish tastes great made from organic canned kidney beans also.  I imagine the dish could be on the table in 15 minutes start-to-finish. It is a nice reminder of a country I love.

Thinking of you.  Donna

The wonder of honey

Newly arrived bee hives

Spicy and Sweet Black Beans

   sauteed onions

   black beans

   tomato paste

   Mexican spices

   chard

   carrots

   dollop of honey

   olive oil, salt, pepper

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

   olive oil

   walnut oil

   apple cider vinegar

   small spoon of Dijon mustard

   small spoon of honey

   salt and pepper

Hi Winnie and Steve,

We had a late arrival the other night at the ranch that is nice -- honey bees.  The poor honey bee has suffered a lot lately.  There is something called Colony Collapse Disorder that has had scientists baffled.  Honey bees leave their hives, and they never return -- the colony just dies off.  Researchers wonder if it might be several factors in combination -- insecticides, mites, stress due to overworking the bees, air pollution?  I often will feel sorry for the plight of an animal, but I did not think my feeling would extend all the way to an insect!  Yet it does.

Anyway, an interesting couple that immigrated from Russia came around a few months ago and introduced themselves.  They are bee keepers in the San Joaquin Valley.  In an effort to save and protect their colonies, they are placing many of their hives here on the coast where the temperatures are cooler, the air quality better -- and they let the bees roam the hillsides in natural gathering -- less stress I'm guessing.  We gave permission to locate some of the hives on our ranch. Other farmers have done the same.  In the night, we heard sounds across the road near the wheat fields.  In the morning we saw that some hives had been relocated here in the night.  I tried to get a photo, but the bees wouldn't let me get too close.  Honey is a mysterious substance, and I am amazed that these little bees deliver such a nectar.  Our reward for letting them live here -- jars of honey!  I love that.

Thinking of you.  Donna

Foraging

Wild watercress

Spring Salad

   romaine

   wehani rice

   carrots

   blueberries

   chickpeas

   watercress topping

   vinaigrette

Hi Winnie and Steve,

I'm guessing that you guys have done some foraging at one time or another -- you know, searching out wild sources of foods -- usually plants.  There are some folks around my area that are comfortable enough with mushroom identification to forage for mushrooms.  I do not do mushrooms -- too serious a consequence.  One of my classmates at Bauman College also taught the identification of herbs for medicinal and food purposes.  The class came to the ranch a couple of times, and the number of wild plants with many uses was so interesting.  My friend R. in France who is such a good cook will often go outside her farmhouse just before dinner and harvest enough stinging nettles to make the most delicious dark green soup.

I remember reading that one of my favorite "treat" restaurants, Chez Panisse in Berkeley, had hired foragers.  Largely they were combing the nearby countryside looking for small organic farmers who grew exceptional fruits and vegetables.  One small forage I do is with wild watercress.  As we come down the hill on the last 20 minutes of the hike, there is a little ditch fed by a small spring that is quite clean.  When you know where to look behind other large bushes you can spot a small patch of lovely watercress that is just growing up again for the season.  I grabbed a handful yesterday -- excited by the deep green beauty and peppery pop of this lovely little plant.  You must think I only eat salads, but I do often have them for lunch in this season because I am warm from the hike and like the cooling vegetables.  This salad is sprinkled with watercress.

Thinking of you.  Donna

Carrots -- good taste and color

Carrot Bisque

   roasted carrots and onions blended

   water

   salt and pepper

   sauteed garlic scapes and pine nuts

   drizzle of walnut oil

Hi Winnie and Steve,

Well, I've been trying this year to be a better vegetable gardener.  I don't have tons of experience, but I give more thought to the rotation of the vegetables in the beds.  My farmer friends say rotation keeps the plants and soil healthier.  I also make the effort to add a good compost or peat moss or both when I am preparing the beds for new seeds or transplants. Mostly things are going well with this effort.  I find some crops like beets and chard always are reliable for me. Other plants like beans are always a bit touchy to really grow robustly in my garden -- don't know why.  For me there is a lot of satisfaction to go out to the garden and harvest in the late afternoon for dinner.  That's what I did late yesterday.  I picked the last of the carrots out of one of the beds knowing I would make soup.  Today I will prepare that empty bed for new seeds.

I find the sharing of food and vegetables one of the nicest moments that happens between neighbors and friends.  There's something so fundamental about it -- a simple gift.  I love it when J. stops by with a handful of onions.  Or sometimes when I go to town and stop if I see T. out by his garden, he'll say to me, "Take some of these tomatoes -- they're real good right now." I scrubbed and wrapped a little packet of carrots in cheese cloth and walked up the dirt road to J's place so he could have them in time for dinner.  Something about the simple sharing of food makes life seem nice in the "slow" way.

Thinking of you.  Donna

Mozzarella making

Wil making mozzarella

Aspargus/Boccini antipasto

  roasted asparagus

   small mozzarella boccini rounds

   drizzle of olive oil

  good balsamic, optional

   salt and pepper

Hi Winnie and Steve,

Our friend Wil, The Artisan Food School, and L. came by last night for a cooperative dinner -- at least in theory.  Wil did almost all the cooking, but we provided helping hands.  He wanted to show me how to make mozzarella cheese which I had asked about.  He knows I appreciate watching the process of something being handmade.  After the mozzarella cheese had been prepared, Wil rolled it into little boccini-sized rounds.  Traditionally these little cheese rounds would be used with tomatoes and basil.  But in the spirit of being seasonal, last night the boccini were mixed with roasted asparagus spears and drizzled with olive oil. Gosh, nothing beats eating those really fresh foods.

I know how fond you are of nature and the opportunities to see a bit of wildlife. That was one of the great things about your kitchen window in the farmhouse. We could look out onto the fields and meadows and see so many birds.  Steve, you in particular are such an avid bird watcher, I thought you might like to know we saw a Great Horned Owl on the hike yesterday. Just as we started down the single track trail, the owl flew from a big branch on one of the Douglas fir trees and glided down into the canyon to alight on another tree -- but we could still see him. The bluejays seemed to be taunting him -- I think that is why he took flight.  What a large magnificent bird -- large wing span -- always a thrill for us.

I'll stay in touch.  Love, Donna