summer garden

watering
planting
deadheading
deer-proofing (ha!)
weeding
bees
bunnies
foxes
chipmunks
woodpeckers
cardinals
drowning in gratitude
magic hour
gardener

sunday grace: things about summer

"you do not have to be a fire for every mountain blocking you.
you could be a water and soft river your way to freedom too."
                                                                                                                              -nayyirah waheed

summer. summer summer summer.

hello summer of 2015.

embracing:

• community.  friendships.  sangha.
• the mountains.
• flowers.  of course.
• painting.  i'm having my first show in late summer/early autumn!
• meditation.  honored to be doing teacher training.
• creating every salad on my pinterest salad board.
• sewing a dress.
• a joyful body.

easing up on:

• the excess stuff in the house.
• my attachment to making more money (in the form of cutting some of my work work hours to make space for art and yoga and meditation).
• things that are heavy.
• isolation.

how about you, summer friends?

a week in color {№11}

this is really "three weeks in color".  july was quietly awesome with cool days (unheard of in these parts), lots of down time, exploring sketching and watercolors, the farmers market, and happening upon a secret lotus pond.

creative time at toolry, the amazing artists' collaborative workspace downtown.  having a dedicated space to focus on one aspect of my creative self at a time (which often feels a bit broad and spread thin) lit a spark in me.  and the inspiration continued to glow throughout my weeks.

favorite summer thing:  heirloom tomatoes

favorite summer thing:  peach ice cream.

favorite summer thing:  dahlias.

this is pretty much my life.  except i was going for simon in the background.  simon is not as well-behaved as the queen's corgis.  he fancies himself an anarchist.  here's an outtake:

happy august loves!

the perfect summer weekend

this weekend was

1. lazy
2. slow
3. cool(ish)
4. not too humid
5. free of obligation
6. full of gifts from the earth

after saturday morning yoga, we took a beautiful drive to a peach orchard and picked a peck.

we shared a peach milkshake under the orchard canopy.  isn't this just lovely?  i wish i would have planned ahead and prepared a proper picnic.

but i suppose "no planning required" was another thing that made this weekend perfect.

our karma garden is giving us so much goodness this year.  the abundance of cucumbers and dill informed our choice for sunday supper:  cold cucumber soup.

cooking straight from the garden is something i'm getting better at as the summers roll by.

this is the perfect summer supper:  fresh, cooling, light.

c u c u m b e r  s o u p  with  h e r b s  and  p e t a l s

ingredients

•  3 large cucumbers
• 1 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt 
• 2 or 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• zest of one lemon
• juice of half the lemon
• handful fresh dill
• handful fresh parsley
• sea salt
• course ground black pepper
• herbs and edible flowers for garnish (i used the dill blooms, oregano flowers, nasturtiums and calendula)
• olive oil

preparation

• if you prefer your soup smooth, peel all three cucumbers, scrape out the seeds and give a rough chop
• *if you prefer your soup a bit rustic (as shown), leave one of the cucumbers unpeeled and add it to the soup after the soup has been processed
• put cucumbers, yogurt, finely minced garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, dill and parsley in food processor and pulse to desired consistency
• salt and pepper to taste
• move soup to alternate glass container
• *if you prefer the rustic version, process the third unpeeled cucumber to a rough consistency now and add to the soup
• place in fridge and let it chill for at least one hour
• when it's time to serve, garnish with more fresh herbs, flowers and more course ground black pepper; drizzle with olive oil
• serve with toasted baguette or croutons

as an introvert, a perfect weekend for me always involves some quiet alone time.  i took a walk away from the crowd and stumbled upon this secret lotus pond.  there was one giant white bloom, a few perfect buds and a corps de ballet of electric blue and black dragonflies dancing about.

a serendipitous and magical prize for a solitary meander.

thank you weekend.  thank you summer.  thank you life.

a week in color {№10}

happy place:  the soul kitchen.

happy snack:  soft-serve with rainbow sprinkles.

happy time:  the morning cut at irvington spring farm.

happy guru:  luca

happy make:  chalkboard flower bucket.

happy juice:  gypsy hill sangria.

happy harvest:  squash blossoms, cucumber, heirloom tomatoes and dill.

happy meal:  tacos de flora (with aforementioned squash blossoms) on frida's birthday.

happy cupcake:  festooned with flowers and the lady of the day.

tastes like summer

did you see the recent humans of new york post where the daughter tells the story of her mom and the delicious pear?  if not, take three seconds and click here to read it.  i'll wait.

that's how i feel about the first perfect peaches of summer (...and sun-warmed blackberries eaten straight from the bush and the first time you smell smoke from a fireplace in october and when the mist comes off the street after a summer rain and when the bright yellow squash blossom turns into a zucchini overnight and the first night the fireflies come back....).

i brought home six perfect peaches from the farmers market on saturday knowing a few of them were going in ice cream.  cardamom peach ice cream to be specific.  i ate one of the peaches on my way home in the car and the other three will be paired with the first perfect tomatoes from our garden and some gooey burrata cheese and basil later this week.  sweet mother mary, all the goodness.

i'm using the same base recipe here that i used for the strawberry rose ice cream and the chocolate mole ice cream, but with this weeks' star ingredients, including honey, which partners nicely with the warm earthiness of the cardamom.

remember that peaches are on the dirty dozen list, so please buy and eat organic only.

c a r d a m o m  p e a c h  i c e  c r e a m

ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups organic peaches  
• 3/4 cup whole organic milk
• 3/4 cup organic sugar
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups organic heavy cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 10 cardamom pods, crushed

instructions

1. whisk together milk, sugar and salt until sugar is dissolved
2. stir in cream, honey and vanilla
3. crush cardamom pods open, add to cream mix (you can substitute 2 tsp. ground cardamom here, or omit it if cardamom's not your thing)
4. cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours up to 24 hours
5. make sure you freeze your ice cream maker bowl
6. right before you churn the ice cream, strain out the cardamom pods (you can leave the black seeds, just make sure you get all the green shells out)
7. add the peaches (i did a small chop for this batch, but will do more of a smash/puree in future batches)
8. pour into your machine and let it churn for 20 minutes
9. when ready, pour your ice cream into another container
10. top with sliced peaches (optional)
11. freeze for at least one hour or to desired iciness

this one is my favorite so far.  it's so good, i daydreamed about having a little homemade ice cream stand (in front of my imaginary flower-slash-herb-slash-goat farm of course).

can you believe it's already july?  summer moves quickly friends.  enjoy its sweet perfect ordinary moments.  fully.

so very good and pretty

i love ice cream.   and homemade ice cream has an extra special place in my heart.  i have fond memories of my dad sitting in his aluminum lawn chair in the backyard with the old ice cream maker at his feet, cranking away.  i would sit in for him while he added more ice or rock salt.  if you know my dad, you know this was a huge honor.  just like when he let me water the lawn.  my dad takes his lawn watering and ice cream making very seriously.  i loved the sweet icy bite of that ice cream (which i later found out was because he didn't use eggs).

this weekend i made up my very first batch of homemade ice cream.  i used (and got creative with) a non-egg recipe. and because we have strawberries coming out of our ears right now, the flavor choice was rather obvious.

i wanted to make it special so i roasted half the strawberries.

friends, if you have not yet roasted strawberries, you absolutely must.  yesterday morning, the house smelled of strawberry, coffee and honeysuckle.  if i could bottle and sell that intoxicating scent, i could go ahead and buy my little art/yoga/flower/herb/goat cheese farm with the proceeds.

i also added wild rose petals and pink peppercorns.   the wild roses at the organic garden are going bloom crazy.  they are so beautiful i thought, i just want to eat them.

i used the cuisinart ice cream maker.  it was quick and efficient.  except that i didn't read the instructions and neglected to freeze the bowl, so the ice cream making festivities were delayed 24 hours.

i took like eighty photographs of the condensation on the starburst pan.  i'm weird like that.

isn't she just lovely?

the topping is pistachio and rose petal confetti.

this is the dairy version.  i'm working on a coconut milk recipe.  remember when consuming dairy and strawberries, it is essential to choose organic.  traditionally-grown strawberries are one of most heavily sprayed crops and non-organic dairy milk...well....those poor poisoned cows.

it tastes pretty too.

(i love the tiny strawberry heart on the side of the dish.)

s t r a w b e r r y, w i l d  r o s e & p i n k  p e p p e r c o r n  i c e  c r e a m

• 1 cup roasted organic strawberries
• 1 cup fresh organic strawberries, chopped
• 3/4 cup whole organic milk
• 3/4 cup organic sugar, plus 1/4 cup for roasted strawberries
• a pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cup organic heavy cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• splash balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. rose water
• 1 tbsp. pink peppercorns, crushed
• 3 tbsp. organic rose petals, discard white inner tip and julienne
• 3 tbsp. pistachios, chopped

for balsamic roasted strawberries:

1. preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. use a pyrex dish or silpat on a baking sheet
3. spread strawberries in a single layer
4. sprinkle with sugar
5. splash a small amount of balsamic vinegar, about 1 tbsp.
6. roast for about 40 minutes, stirring a few times during cooking
7. smash with fork (keep syrup)
8. refrigerate until ready to use

for ice cream:

1. whisk together milk, sugar and salt until sugar is dissolved
2. stir in cream and vanilla
3. cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours up to 24 hours
4. make sure you freeze your ice cream maker bowl
5. right before you make the ice cream, stir in all the strawberries (with the syrup), the lemon zest, the peppercorns and the rose water
6. pour into your machine and let it churn for 20 minutes
7. meanwhile, make the petal and pistachio confetti
8. when ready, pour your ice cream into another container
9. top with confetti
10. freeze for at least one hour or to desired iciness

soooo good.

happy summer friends!

(notes:  the pink peppercorns gave a subtle bite to the cream, but i'm not sure it was worth the effort separating them out from the green, white and black peppercorns.  i couldn't find them in my little town, so this is what i had to do.  if you can't find them, this ice cream can totally survive without them.  also if you are eating flowers, they must be purchased as "edible flowers" at the store or from a garden that you know is organic.)

sunday grace

whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

{from wild geese, by mary oliver}

early girl summer

we experienced a few summeresque days earlier this week.  the sun was bright and it was hot.

nothing says summer like iced (hand crushed!) hibiscus-ginger tea in a mason jar.

and watching afternoon thunderstorms through the screen.

and foraging for edibles in your own backyard.

and long lines for ice cream.

thanks for the preview summer.  see you soon.