Berry Pickin’

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This past weekend the whole Fagan crew was out in full force, making our way through the wild black raspberry brambles.  There was picking’, snacking’ and laughin’ going on all afternoon.  It was perfect.

The little ones really got into the entire process this year and picked for quite a while before they retired to the cool pool that awaited them just a hop, skip and a jump away.  So while the little ones swam with Grandma, the rest of us slowly made our way up the property line, continuously amazed by what the earth was providing for us.  These brambles were not planted here, but rather sprung up from the earth as a form of nourishment to those animals and people in the vicinity.

The day was of course an absolute blast, but I found myself often pausing to think of all that the earth continues to provide for us.  It is a true miracle that so often times is overlooked because of our fast paced lives and our constant desire for more.  This day gave me a chance to just sit back and marvel, to not be overcome with the craziness of our world, and just enjoy some good ole berry picking’ 🙂

At This Moment

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At this moment I am…

~preparing a list of supplies to make black raspberry jam.

~reminiscing upon the fun times had this weekend celebrating Daddy.

~contemplating a multitude of ideas floating about in my head involving a potential new project that could impact my children, as well as my community, in a positive way.

~mulling over the powerful words and ideas contained in Will Allen’s book The Good Food Revolution.

~trusting that rain drops will fall from the sky today to give our garden some desperately needed hydration.

~thanking God for my wonderful family.  I am so truly blessed.

~wishing you all a wonderful week filled with fabulous memories!

A Summer Tradition

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Yesterday evening marked the beginning of a great summer tradition at the Fagan abode…Tuesday Night Dinner.  Our entire family gathers on our back deck for food, drinks, and lots of fun and laughs.  While talking last night, I think we all agreed that Tuesday Night Dinners are our favorite activities of the summer months, and we were all thrilled that it is that time of year again.

Last night’s theme was Mexican fiesta, and it was fabulous.  My hubby and I prepared some Rick Bayless recipes from this cookbook and this cookbook, while other family members brought other scrumptious dishes for all to share.

Here is a glimpse into the fun that was had by all last evening…

A World All Her Own

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Whenever I look at my little ones, I marvel at the imagination coursing through their tiny minds.  “What are they thinking right at this moment?” I ask myself multiple times throughout the day.  I often wish that I could go back to that time, when perception is broad and the possibilities are completely and utterly endless.  Anything is possible.

While my oldest was away at camp yesterday, I took some extra time to simply sit back and observe my tiny three year old daughter.  I heard clinking sounds echoing down the hallway, so I followed the sound to find this beautiful girl, decked out in a mermaid costume.  When I entered the room she didn’t know I was there.  She just continued to tinker way in “her” kitchen, picking up various utensils, humming and speaking quietly to herself in the lilting tones of a young child.

After a bit of time passed, she noticed me standing in the threshold.  She looked at me with beaming eyes, held out a kettle and said, “Mommy, I am making egg pie with blueberries and lemon.  It is going to be soooo yummy!”

Yes, yummy indeed my little one.  Such imagination.  Such creativity.  Such a precious being standing right in front of my eyes, in a world all her own.

At This Moment

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At this moment I am…

~missing my five year old who has ventured off to summer camp for the day.

~devouring multiple books all at once.  I just can’t seem to get enough summer reading!

~planning our menu for our first “Tuesday Night Dinner” that we hold each week in the summer months.

~looking forward to a fun evening this Saturday when my husband and I treat his clients to a lovely evening of local food and nectarous wine.

~surveying the garden that is full of new growth and potential.

~indulging in a devine cup of coffee made with my new french press that my hubby got me for Mother’s Day.

~acquainting myself with my new computer.

~wishing you all a lovely week!

A Little Something Homemade

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Now that summer is upon us, it seems that the sun is just soaking up all of that lovely moisture in our skin.  I recently found a great recipe for homemade lotion that contains only five ingredients, and they are all readily available.  The best part about this lotion is that you can incorporate various flowers and herbs that you have growing right in your backyard.

The recipe can be found in this book and it is so easy to make that the girls and I were able to whip it up in no time yesterday.  The scent we tried this time is lavender vanilla patchouli, and we are really happy with the result.  We have also made lavender and lavender rosemary and all have turned out great!  (Can you tell we have a lot of lavender in our garden? 🙂 )

Putting Food By: Rhubarb and Strawberries

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Today I bring you another quick food preservation tip.  Today’s topic:  rhubarb and strawberries…The perfect combo!  Rhubarb and strawberries freeze beautifully and it takes little time.

For the rhubarb:  Rinse the rhubarb and allow to dry.  Then cut off the rough ends of each piece.  Cut the rhubarb into 1 inch bits, toss into a gallon size freezer bag and you are done.  Throughout the year, I simply pull out the desired amount of rhubarb I need for a recipe, allow it to thaw out and you are all set.

For the strawberries:  Wash the strawberries and pinch off the green leaves and stem. Allow the strawberries to dry.  Then place the strawberries on a cookie sheet or baking pan.  Place the pan in the freezer for a couple of hours.  (This will allow each strawberries to freeze individually, so that you don’t have a giant mass of frozen strawberries in a freezer bag that you can’t use.)

Once the strawberries have frozen, toss them into a gallon size freezer bag and that’s it!  I pull these frozen jewels out all year long to add to our smoothies.  You could of course allow them to thaw and use them in baked goods as well.

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Some of our favorite home preservation books are:

Putting Food By by Janet Greene, Ruth Hertzberg and Beatrice Vaughan

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (There are some great canning recipes scattered throughout the piece.)

The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by Carol W. Costenbader