Squash Festival

The circle IS unbroken. Our connection to the land and each other is solid. One more bountiful harvest shared and delighted in. Maybe we should consider this ritual our own "world renewal."

Spike and Nora provided this magnificent 2007 offering to the gods.

Marie and Jean Schaeffers were people we knew years ago. This is Marie's recipe for squash pie.

SQUASH PIE

1 heaping cup cooked squash

1 c sugar or 1/2 c of honey

2 beaten eggs

1/4 teaspoon of ginger

1 and 1/2 c warm milk or part cream

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 pinch salt

450 for 10 minutes

350 for 30 minutes

Life is so amazing sometimes. When I took the pinch of salt--instead of the usual measured amount ...I heard Marie whistling as clearly as if she was in the other room. We rented a little house from she and Jean when we moved into town from the mountains.

Her garden was just on the other side of the fence from mine. Often I would get to enjoy her lovely whistling, or lyrical soprano voice as we both worked our gardens.

Dried ginger root ground just before baking the pie may be the secret ingredient??

There is no lettuce better than fall grown lettuce. Our own broccoli and tomatoes went into the salad also.

Group energy planted these potatoes two months ago in Madelyn's garden. She harvested four and a half pounds and brought the bounty to share.

Spike provided not only the sacrificial squash he cooked too! The dressing spices were concocted by Nora. Apple crisp completed the menu. Els brought a squash soup that she added her homemade applesauce to. Share food with someone today. It is such a pleasant way to be grateful for what you have. We forgot to set a place for the hungry stranger. Mary's mother used to always do that around their Kentucky table. There were 11 children in that family.

Learning From The First Peoples

Smoking salmon allows it to be kept a long while without refrigeration.

"Pepper nuts," are the seeds of the laurel plant. They are gathered one season, stored for a year, and then roasted and eaten.

The Karuk, Hoopa, and Yurok Indians live from the coastal plain, inland to the high mountain region of northern California and southern Oregon. They make seasonal rounds to utilize fully all that the land offers. The land is their super market, hardware store, pharmacy, and church.

They fully understand the sustainablility concept. They never harvest ALL of any resource. For five days in August every year, the Klamath River is closed to all boaters. At this time, the Karuk Indians perform the World Renewal Ceremony. This group of people still believe they have a part in the future of their world.

These Chantrelles come from the Marble Mts. They are only of about medium size. The ones we get on the Winchuck are smaller than these usually. They have not started to "bloom" at river level yet.

Frank Lake is a Karuk Indian. He shared the seasonal foods people of our watersheds have collected and worked to sustain for generations. The Siskiyou Field Institute was the scene of a fall feast that included smoked salmon, venison, pepper nuts, chantrelle mushrooms, blue huckleberries and madrone berries.

An Apple a Day

Shan says the McIntosh was a well established tree when they came to live on the hill. That was in 1972. It has delivered the promise of the spring blossoms for many falls now. This year-- we too-- were some of the lucky harvesters. Thank you Shan and Dean.

Premier pie apple is this varieties' main claim to fame. How can you beat it for just plain eating? Wow! I do plan to use some for sauce and apple butter, and of course, there will be pies.

In our little orchard, my favorite tree is the Spartan. Reading about the history of the McIntosh, I was surprised to find that the Spartan is a cross between the McIntosh and the Newtown Pippin. I planted it to mark Russell's decision to join the Marines. It is a fine apple of crisp white flesh. It is so sweet---it stands alone as a desert.



Apples seem to be some of the hardiest of the orchard fruits planted. There is nothing quite so poignant as an abandoned old farm with ancient apples still trying to give what they can. Traveling with our long handled picker in the car at this time of the year, lets us connect to hands long gone back to the earth. I always wonder who the person was who planted the trees we find on our backcountry paths. Working the dirt is a universal and timeless pleasure I believe that will become more important in the not too distant future.

The Rains Have Started

This soup is my favorite at the moment! I used cilantro, instead of parsley, because that is what I had-- and added a squeeze of fresh lemon to my steaming bowl. The pasta just happened to be organic whole wheat...delicious, and healthy dinner. For salad, I cut up apples, pears, and took some of our stored grapes...............dressed the mix with plain yogurt, and grated whole nutmeg onto it all. Wish I had more left over for today's lunch!

Red lentils are some of the most beautiful objects......if you have not tried them.....go find some today. They really do have a bit of a different taste than the brown/green variety. Have to replenish my stock....used them all for this soup.

How Bout Them Apples?

Karen has an apple tree that has consistently produced the biggest apples that we know of. I thought it might be a Rome??? Some are not red red.....but more stripedy??

Save Seeds--They ARE the Future

"To cherish what remains of Earth and to foster its' renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival."

Wendel Berry


These milkweed seeds were collected here locally and will grow out to become more pasture for the declining Monarch butterfly.









The black capped chickadees have already harvested this sunflower seed. Plants that attract birds to the garden are some of the best "bug control" known to man.

Six companies world wide have a virtual monopoly on the seed bank of this planet. If that does not get your attention----------it needs to.

Monsanto says they OWN the DNA in certain wheat seed strains. You must not only buy seeds from them ..... but have a permit to plant them??????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

COLLECT........SAVE.................SHARE..................... GROW OUT ............................YOUR OWN SEEDS

vegetables......................flowers..........................trees...........................shrubs.......................vines

American Gothic

The only thing missing is the pitchfork. What is the greater gift..........the cucurbits or the friends bearing them? You know the answer. Squash Fest is now assured. Stay tuned for date.