susun weed is my hero

This past weekend I traveled to Asheville to visit friends and go to the Southeast Women's Herbal Conference. The weather was cool, the air was clean, the moon was full, and the food was delicious and restorative. Most of the meals were based around recipes and techniques from Nourishing Traditions. I couldn't get enough of the three-sisters chili, the cornbread, the beet salad, or the yummy nettle and oatstraw infusions.

The classes were really fun, too. Susun Weed was a guest speaker, and she told stories after dinner on Saturday night. She is a beautiful storyteller, and enthralled us with a tale about Baba Yaga, a witch-type character from Russian folklore who rides a mortar that she rows with her pestle, and another tale about how the sassafras tree came to look the way it does. I took several of the herb/edible plant walks, and classes on Fostering Women's Wellness and Ceremonial Herb Baths. Yoga was at 7:00 each morning, when it was still dark, and the old gym where the classes were held was gently lit by flickering candles and full of women on their mats, listening to beautiful music. Ahhhhhhh. I can tell that's going to be my 'happy place' for a bit.

It also happened to be Homecoming at my wonderful, beautiful, eternally inspiring Alma Mater, WWC. I just wish I would have taken more than one photo.

book love and a trip to north carolina

I just finished reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and totally loved it. I wasn't sure about it until about the 5th page, but after that it was heaven. I'm so sad that it's over! I should have read slower. More please!

I'm packing my camping stuff for a weekend trip to North Carolina for a conference. I bought a new pair of hiking boots and aired out my sleeping bag. Cool weather, here I come...

Quoteable Sunday: Bob Dylan

"A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do."

-Bob Dylan

28 things to do before I turn 29

1. knit myself a sweater

2. have a fancy dinner party

3. take more pictures

4. buy an organic mattress

5. try printing techniques from Lena Corwin's book

6. enhance morning yoga practice

7. take evening walks

8. abolish negativity

9. try more recipes and techniques from Nourishing Traditions, Wild Fermentation, and Full Moon Feast

10. spend time with my family (more focus on quality over quantity)

11. learn to bake bread

12. drink herbal infusions daily

13. practice patience

14. practice being present

15. go camping

16. paint the bathroom

17. organize a food/supplies drive for the animal shelter

18. sew R a cover for his amplifier

19. light candles and set the table for dinner

20. sew myself a dress

21. help dad clean out his workshop and garage

22. start a women's circle

23. complete my Sugar Loom project

24. make a quilt

25. use my bike/feet more regularly to get where i'm going

26. do the dishes before going to bed

27. react less, respond more

28. have a picnic

Scuppernong Pie

Muscadines are one of my favorite parts of summer. Growing up, though, I never appreciated them. I was spoiled on grocery store grapes, the seedless kind, and wasn't too sure about these tough-skinned, robust, seed-bearing scuppernongs. These days, I've changed my tune a bit and look forward to picking (and eating) them each year-- and here's why: Muscadine Pie. If you have muscadines (or scuppernongs, same thing) where you live too, please do everyone a favor and make. this. pie.

4 C purple scuppernongs
2/3 C sugar*
Pastry for 2-crust pie (9")
2 T cornstarch
3 T butter
Cinnamon or Apple Pie Spice

*Adjust to your taste.

Preheat oven 300 degrees F.
Wash grapes. Using two medium sized enamel pans, squeeze grape pulp into one and use the other for the hulls. Cover hulls with water and cook until tender. Drain.
Cook pulp until soft enough to run through a sieve to remove seeds. Add to hulls. Mix sugar, cornstarch and spice. Add to grapes. Pour into bottom pie shell, dot with butter, cover with strips of pastry (I use the cookie cutter method usually, and roll out the top pie crust, then cut out little shapes with a cookie cutter-- to mimic a lattice without the extra effort). Bake until filling bubbles and pastry browns. Try not to eat the whole thing in one sitting.

28 at the beach

We're not out of the woods yet, but our computer seems to be back in business. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Oh, and backing up the hard drive (finally). While I was gone I turned 28 at the beach with friends, music, and plenty of knitting. We ended up in Grayton Beach on Sunday, just in time to hear Dread Clampitt play at the awesome Red Bar. Then we swam for a while in the blue/green water and I got a sunburn. I think it was worth it though.

This past weekend we got to see The Avett Brothers (swoon) and I fell in love with some of the songs from their new album -- especially January Wedding. Can't get it out of my head!

so long sweet summer

This is a very old picture, but I'm just so happy that it's nearly fall that I don't care. I'm using my mom's computer to write this, because our computer has died an untimely death, and we have been sans-technology for a while now. Not sure how long that will last, but we're hanging in there. Hopefully I'll be back in this space soon.
Until then, take care & enjoy the end of summer!
P.S. I saw (okay bought) the first pumpkin at the farmer's market this week. It's a new variety that was crossed with a Brazilian gourd, which means it can grow in the south in the summer, so we can finally have local pumpkins for Halloween! Hot dog.

a bit of cool

We rigged up a shower in the greenhouse. Perfect for August, but REALLY exciting in December.

extra sleep

Indian food, yum. Spontaneous date, yum.

This weekend was busy with cooking, eating, visiting a brand-new baby, lots of rain, girl time, knitting, weeding, walking, picking chanterelles in the park, and some extra sleep. Reading too. Picked up copies of Weekend Sewing and Handmade Home, and am fully immersed. Tonight: dreaming of sewing projects.

Quotable Sunday

(scene from our kitchen renovation....a bar where we used to have a wall)

Ring the bells that can still ring.

Forget your perfect offering.

There is a crack in everything.

That's how the light gets in.

-Leonard Cohen