Back At Last!

After a three year fallow, I’ve decided to finally return to cultivating this site.

As my responsibilities and culinary explorations mounted at Camphill Village, I fell hopelessly behind on documenting the constant influx of new recipes and inspiration. When I headed on to Living Energy Farm in the peak of the farming season, it quickly became apparent that something had to give. With a mix of reluctance and relief, I let go of updating this blog.

Preparing meals for 10-13 people with almost entirely homegrown ingredients and an ever evolving mixture of solar, wood, and bio-gas cookers certainly stretched my culinary horizons. I spent long hours in the kitchen, particularly in the summer, grinding grain, washing nixomal, tending to ferments, and preserving the harvest. I found that I had far less time or interest to invest in trying new dishes, turning to tried-and-true standards instead. Many are already posted on this site, but I do hope to gradually begin to fill in the most noteworthy new recipes and insights from these past few years… alongside a new flush of kitchen experiments and “play” from my time here at Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary.

I’m back to making sourdough bread and goat cheese, and also dipping into lotions, salves, tinctures, and tea blends that meld the herbs from our gardens with products from the hives. I suspect my posts may be fewer and further between, but I look forward to once again sharing occasional tastes of all I’m continually privileged to learn (and scarf down!)

Here are some highlights from my time away that I hope to gradually add to this site:

Homemade Yogurt

Blueberry & Groundcherry Jams

Spiced Canned Pears

Sweet Potato Spaetzle

Tamari-Sesame Braised Okra

Wheat Berry Salad with Parsley & Sundried Tomato

“Swamp Sauce” and Cheesy Lion’s Mane Sauce

And more!