Lenten Cleaning Update: Week One

The Lenten Cleaning is going well, so far I've been able to stay on track and keep up with everything else! Breaking the cleaning down into more manageable jobs has been helpful. I washed walls on Friday when the older two were at their homeschool co-op and the little one napped. It felt great to get rid of cobwebs and dust and food (ahh, life with babies!) from the walls. We did the floors, which entailed moving furniture and area rugs, on Saturday and my sweet husband did the bulk of the work. 

For cleaning the walls I used 1 gallon of hot water with 1/2 cup of vinegar and 1/4 cup of baking soda. I found the recipe (though I omitted the ammonia) and other great tips at "How to Clean Walls."

Monday I worked on the fridge and the oven. I chose today for these two since I don't usually bake on Mondays and it's my grocery shopping day, so the fridge is fairly empty anyway.

Tuesday and Wednesday I've done smaller jobs like cleaning out the microwave, dishwasher, washer and dryer, work that I usually only do if catastrophe strikes! Overall I have found the work rewarding; the house has begun to feel deep-down clean. The rest of the week the de-cluttering of the kitchen will begin; I'll try to take pictures as I go. The pictures of the cleaning were quite boring--no one really wants to see my fridge!

The time dedicated to "work with my hands" has given me space to think more about the work of managing a home--it's higher and lower purposes--which I hope to write more on soon.

Cleaning in light of Lent has also led me to pray more while I work which I hope will continue after this season ends. 

And at the times when I haven't prayed, I've tried to just focus on the cleaning itself, working quietly and well as an attempt to worship the Creator and Giver of all of these good things, pushing out worries, those little conversations I have in my head, attempts to compose a blog post while I work! And as a result, I've often felt very blessed that I have whatever it is I'm cleaning. There have been small moments where I've been filled with gratitude for areas I usually grumble about (laundry, dishes). As I take the time to slowly and carefully clean, things shine again, their purpose is made more clear, and my work seems more important. This is very different then my  usual "throw yet another load of laundry in, notice how dirty the washer is getting, and give it a half-hearted wipe down." During those hurried times, I often feel annoyed, grumble about the effects of the Fall, and pine for fancier appliances and a maid. And so in trying to clean as part of a rhythm of work and rest, with goals of simplicity and proper care of His gifts, the work and I become more redeemed.

May His Work continue on my affections, my attachments, my will, and my ambitions as I make our home shine so we may live in His Abundance, capable of appreciating His good gifts.

I pray again,

"Teach me your way, O LORD...give me an undivided heart..." (Psalm 86:11 NIV)

An Undivided Heart.

A Heart that wills one thing.

A Heart detached from vain comforts that do not satisfy.

A Heart Uncluttered. Body and Soul. Our home. Our routine. Our affections.

All United to His will.

P.S. I also wanted to add an idea from my friend Christina, who has decided to not tackle a huge cleaning project right now, but liked the idea of the 40 days/40 bags on a smaller yet still meaningful scale. She writes,

"We are all, even A. [her almost 2 yr old], picking one thing a day to put in a bag that will be given away. Some days we will devote to a specific family and give things they need or might like, but most days we are just trying to clear out and such." What a great plan!

P.S.S. I've also kept the children entertained while I cleaned with The Chronicles of Narnia on CD:

They love this, listening over and over and over again. This edition is a dramatic reading of the books with some sound effects and the parts of the characters done by different actors which has really made the story come alive for them.

Anyone else attempting the 40 bags or 40 areas for Lent? Or have any other insights you've gained in your first week of Lent?

A Sabbath Sensibility

We have struggled in our attempt to observe Sabbath as a family. At times, it has been difficult to stop just because the calendar says it is Sunday—the mountain of work looms, the interferences are many. Then when we first tried to truly carve out time to rest, it was hard to know what actually we should do with the time. Jean Vanier writes in The Broken Body, “Rest, relaxation and discipline are important. I am surprised, at L’Arche and elsewhere, that many people do not know how to rest. They are like rolling locomotives, fuelled by anguish, and perhaps by the fear of stopping. And when they do stop, it is just to sleep more or to potter around, not knowing what to do. Each one of us must find our own secret rhythm of how to rest, relax and find re-creation, for each one of our bodies is different…This is all the more important for those of us who are called to live with much tension and to carry great stress. This tension and stress that we experience as we live with wounded people can prevent growth and stimulate anger and exhaustion…” (p. 120).

By seeing Sabbath as a practice has helped us begin asking the right questions about what to do and how to go to learn how to enter into God’s rest for our souls. For us, we begin on Saturday night with a special meal, Scripture and prayer. As we light a candle it is a signal, the time for rest is now, the time for delight is here. We quiet ourselves and hear from God’s Word, the passage for the Sunday sermon. We then are more prepared as we go on Sunday to worship at our church, entering into a beautiful rhythm of prayer, praise, confession, teaching, and feasting. Then home for a family meal, sometimes with friends, sometimes just our family. Especially since we have little ones, we then find a period for napping or resting with music or a book is restorative. Back when we watched television we began to realize that for us we were not restored or uplifted after watching and we turned it off on Sundays during our Sabbath. We like to go on walks when the weather permits…or find other activities which will help the children to play quietly or have family time with a game or a favorite read-aloud. And then with our Sunday dinner meal, our Sabbath is over which gives us time to clean-up and prepare for the week ahead which becomes much different in light of a Sabbath rest. It is just what our family needs, but perhaps yours might look quite different.

But as we attempted Sabbath a new problem arose, in deciding that the Lord’s Day should be a place for restoration, other areas begin to suffer. At first resting on Sunday meant an overwhelming Monday, so much laundry, dishes, and dirt it was hard to begin again. I then began to prepare more on Saturday but then this became a crazy day of preparing meals, cleaning, running errands so that we all collapsed on Sunday and found it hard to enter into an attitude of worship and delight.

This is where Norman Wirzba’s explanation of Sabbathobservance is helpful:

“…we have grown used to thinking of Sabbath observance as an add-on to the end of a busy week. Sabbath is a time for us to relax and let down our guard, to pause from the often anxious and competitive patterns of daily life. This is not what the Jews, those who first gave us the teaching about Sabbath, thought. In their view, Sabbath observance is what we work toward. As our most important and all-encompassing goal, it frames and contextualizes our planning, much as the desire to achieve a specific objective—a championship, a masterful performance, an exquisite meal or party—will require that we take the proper steps all along the way. Sabbath frames our entire life, helping us set priorities and determine which of our activities bring honor to God." (p. 22-23).

That is how an understanding of Sabbath became more and more life-shaping,changing our habits and sensibilities of what our work each day should look like. Why are we so exhausted by Sunday? What is my house such a mess? Why can’t I let go of the anxieties of my week? Why am I so drawn to escape during this time rather than experience true quiet and rest? How can I, in this present season of my life, deadlines from work nearing, or the parent of young children with constant demands, or requirements of serving in a particular ministry on Sunday, or…

And that is again where Vanier is so helpful,

We must learn

not just to free ourselves from tension and fatigue

on the Sabbath day, our day of rest.

We must also learn

as the mother must learn

in front of the never-ending needs of her children,

how to respect our energy

and relax in all the moments of our day

filled as they may be with arduous work

or often tiresome meetings,

and crises of all sorts,

and the hundred and one things-that have-to-be-done.

To do this we must discover how to harmonize

the active and the passive in us.

If we are just doers,

feeling terribly responsible and serious,

we will crack up one day.

We must nourish the passive part of us,

our hearts made for personal love,

learning to listen to others,

to marvel at nature,

to rest a moment in the presence of Jesus,

to receive the love of those around us

and be nourished by their trust,

enjoying the little things of each day,

not taking ourselves too seriously,

accepting to become like little children. (p. 121)

Preparing for Sabbath

It is Saturday evening and my Sabbath rest has almost begun. It was a day full of work to be able to enter into this rest. And now whether my work feels complete or not, I must rest.

Without rest, we become irritable, weary, depressed; we lose joy, stamina, patience. Our Heavenly Father rested and the world I care for is much, much smaller than His, so surely I can find the way to rest too.

The children are all snug in their beds, clothes and shoes laid out. Baby bags packed with bottles, diapers, and an extra change of clothes (because isn't it always on Sundays they want to leak through their clothes or forget they are potty trained?!) I remembered an extra snack for a quiet car ride home so hubby and I can enjoy the beautiful ride we have. Breakfast is made, the table set, even a slow-cooker dinner is waiting to be turned on. The house is clean and tidied (well, clean according my standards anyway) and we are caught up on laundry.

You may ask why bother with all of this extra work on Saturday, instead of spending it doing X, Y or Z?


It is because I am learning that the Lord's Day is the culmination of our week, as Abraham Heschel writes, "the Sabbath is not for the sake of weekdays; the weekdays are for the sake of Sabbath. It is not an interlude but the climax of living" (The Sabbath p. 14). And as Christians on this Holy Day, we celebrate the greatest mystery of our faith, Christ rose from the grave. Every Sunday is Easter again. And so, we worship and feast, kneeling to be fed spiritual food.

And amazingly, in a culture always driven for more, on the Sabbath we are told to stop.

Yes, there will still be some work to do: we live in a fallen world. Yes, despite my efforts, it will not be perfect day: we live in a fallen world. But this work was good work. This work will bring PEACE: rather than a morning rushed and busy, we will have calm and togetherness as we prepare for worship. This work will bring REST: rather than cooking and cleaning and folding, we will have time for a walk, a nap, good music, things which restore our souls. This work will bring JOY: a surprise baked into the morning oatmeal, a comfort meal for dinner, time for celebration. This work will bring THANKFULNESS: we can feel gratitude when we have time to delight in the fruit of our labor and in the great gifts we've received.


Norman Wirzba writes that the "Sabbath is a discipline and a practice" (Living the Sabbath p. 20) which means it is something we can get better at. Some weeks, I am not as prepared as this week, but God's grace is so abundant, He still accepts my worship and still restores my soul. Some Sundays, I enter church filled with worry, sleepiness, or nothing at all which is why I never tire of the opening prayer in our church service. Every week we acknowledge before God that He knows all that we bring and we ask for His help to worship aright:

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known,
and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our
hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may
perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

(How amazing that until Thomas Cranmer, this was a prayer only for the priest as he prepared for worship but  now it is prayer that we all pray together.) However, while there is grace and forgiveness for all that we bring to church on Sunday, it does not lessen our need for Sabbath. The practice of Sabbath is an attempt to model or pattern our lives after God's: "Put simply, Sabbath discipline introduces us to God's own ways of joy and delight" (Wirzba p. 21). In Genesis, we see that God worked, rested, and delighted. This too should be our goal as the Commandment teaches,

 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 20

A Mother's Rule of Life

 I wrote this poem after my two friends each recently gave birth to their fourth babies.
Amy

I.                   The Mother’s Vocation.

A Rule of Life,
For the mother who wants to see
Her acts of love as vocation,
Not merely duty.

A mother's life may resemble the monk’s.
Bells call for prayer, stops
All kneel to pray.
Babies cry for feeding, stops
All--the hot shower,
Dinner on the stove,
Sleep--
Rocking to soothe.

Ora et Labora,
A good monk once said.
This the mother lives.
Diapers, laundry, dishes
The litany begins again each day
Same as the one before.
Tasks menial are good work.
Work that brings order, warmth, comfort, home.
       Call this lowly. Call this humble.
The mind which was also in Christ Jesus,
Poured out, taking the form of a servant.
Work becoming gift.

Good work makes thought and prayer.
Becomes a liturgy of the menial,
Litourgia—nothing less than
The “work of the people.”
And so, we work and pray.
Work and Pray.
Work and Pray,

Almighty God…Deliver me in my occupation
from the service of self alone,
that I may do the work you give me to do in
truth and beauty and for the common good;
for the sake of him who came among us as one who serves,
your Son Jesus Christ our Lord…

II.                The Mother’s Withdrawal

The monk withdrawals from the world,
Yet seeks to live in community.
This a mother lives.

Days of nesting
with newborn babe,
baby too fragile to venture outside,
mother too tired to try.
And so, we work and pray,

“O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.”

Fever and illness do the same,
Again trapped inside
Plans cancelled, doctor called,
Mopping brows, taking temperatures,
Cleaning sheets, soup made,
Stretching our hearts as cabin fever sets in.
And so we work and pray,
“Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.”

A night spent awake with the child who can't sleep
An earache, a worry, the bad dream,
Next day tired, tired, tired.
Again the withdrawal from the world.

And so we work and pray,

“Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night
and give your angels charge over those who sleep.
Tend the sick, Lord Christ;
give rest to the weary…
soothe the suffering…
and all for your love's sake.”

III.               The Mother’s Account.

The monk forsaking possessions for the kingdom.
This a mother lives.
Clipping coupons,
Growing vegetables,
Hanging clothes on the line,
No disposable products in the house,
(Toilet paper excepted)
Picking berries for jam,
Turning off lights,
unplugging, unplugging, unplugging.
Not getting her haircut as often as she once did,
Laughing at memory of the days when bought magazines,
Got nails done, and stopped for lattes on the way.
Wondering if the dress from ‘99 is out-of-date,
The shoes too worn to wear…
So the family may have a true feast for a Feast,
Dance lessons for budding little girls,
A two-wheel bike for little boy believing he’s ready,
A new white dress shirt to suit Philosopher Husband
On flight to further his career,
With money in pocket if all go out after Paper given.
And so, we work and pray,

O merciful Creator,
your hand is open wide
to satisfy the needs of every living creature:
Make us always thankful for your loving providence;
and grant that we,
remembering the account that we must one day give,
may be faithful stewards of your good gifts…

IV.             The Mother’s Embrace.

A Rule of Life:
We crave it.
We ache for it.
An ordered world,
Casting off the unimportant.
Living the life you want,
Not what the day hands you.

Rather finding a Peace which passes all understanding.

A Rule of Life,
Structured spiritual formation,
Is not a list
Do…Do…Do…
More…More…More…
Better…Better…Better…
Nor the endless sermon applications, self-help books,
Rewritten family schedules.

Rather a living covenant with the Almighty.

*All italicized prayers are excerpted from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979. Many pardons for the slicing and excerpting of beloved prayers. 

**For Alysia upon the birth of her fourth, JAW
For Heather, a mother of four soon to be.
With thanks to my own mother.
With Love, Amy

 ***For two different perspectives on a Rule for Family Life:
Read Ann’s post on the Seven Daily Rungs at Holy Experience
And Elizabeth’s Revisting the Rule of Six at In the Heart of my Home

Welcoming our first cold morning!

This was our first chilly morning--43 degrees! I know, I know, if you are from warmer climates, it sounds terrible. If you are from the wintery north that has already had snow, it sounds balmy!

For our first brisk morning, I planned a hearty, easy-to-make Baked Oatmeal. I appreciate that I can stick it in the oven, then get everyone dressed and when we arrive, a nice hot dish of oatmeal is waiting. The big kids added milk to make it more of a cereal. The baby, who especially loved it, ate it more like an oatmeal bar.

• 3 cups rolled oats (I used quick cooking oats and it was ready in 30 minutes)
  
• 1 cup brown sugar (I cut to half a cup and it was still sweet)
  
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup dried, fresh or frozen berries (we did frozen blueberries!)
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Beat in milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Stir in fruit. Spread into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.  

Enjoy!

 

A New Other World

"Have you ever been up at five o'clock on a fine summer morning? It is very beautiful. The sunlight is pinky and yellow, all the grass and trees are covered with dew diamonds. And all the shadows go the opposite way to the way they do in the evening, which is very interesting and makes you feel as though you were in a new other world."

-E. Nesbitt Five Children and It

Well, I'm finally posting after a month of silence. Is there anyone left reading?!

Our summer has been so full, it has been difficult to find the space mentally to write and once I stopped it was hard to begin again. It makes me appreciate even more my husband's ability to write, fitting his writing in between classes and office hours, or late at night when we are all asleep!

Don't get me wrong, I love summer: there are a million and one ways to spend a day and the freedom to do it. Yet by August I begin to look forward to the more structured routines of normal life. With all of the fun of summer, I've found it difficult not just to blog but to have time alone...to read, write, reflect...

And so, I have begun a new habit of waking up in the early morning. I'm loving it so much, I hope it will continue into the Fall but it may just be for this season of my life. I know there are seasons it certainly wouldn't have worked--the last months of pregnancy, night-wakings with a nursing baby, lots of late nights in a row. But though my days have been busy, I've been getting good sleep for the first time in a long while! And though I'd covet a few more minutes of sleep, the idea of time all to myself to do with as I please, is enough to get me going.

What do I do with these hours to myself?

It's been varied. But mainly I have good coffee and good books, time in prayer and Scripture, and end with a run and a shower.

Time to experience quiet. Experience peace. Experience beauty. The Nesbitt quote above says it so well. In the early morning, when the house is hushed, all seems good and fresh and new. And a hope and a desire build that the day will continue this way. Okay, with a house of little ones, it will never stay hushed, it shouldn't, right?! Not so quiet then, but an inner peace that overflows and fills the house.

Have you noticed how a mother's mood infects an entire household?

I know when I don't get this personal space, I become impatient and irritable, snapping instead of training, ignoring instead of correcting. I also get an overwhelming desire for escape and so can fritter away time on a project or on the internet. I am not present to the people and tasks at hand. I do dishes and daydream. I fold laundry and mentally compose an email. I cook dinner and plan meals for the week. It is no wonder I then do not enjoy these tasks.

The message our culture sends us is "faster is better; more is better." Susan Wise Bauer writes in the recent magazine article entitled, "Stop cleaning the kitchen and read a book" in the The Classical Teacher that to take the time to read a good book

"pushes back against our society, which tells us that the faster we work, the more we do, the more we produce and accumulate and experience, the better we are...But classical self-education helps us reorient ourselves away from that which is a market ethic. Speed and productivity are not moral goods. It is not ethically superior to do more and to be faster. Reading to yourself in the mornings, instead of doing something else (something "productive") pushes back against the speed ethic, the 'more is better' ethic. It resists the message that says to us: In order to be worthwhile, you must produce something tangible. When you choose to read instead of clean the kitchen you are refusing to accept that your worth as a person is measured by the visible results that you produce in the world. You are asserting, instead, that your worth as a person is based on who you are and who you were created to be...created in the image of God."

And so I may be tempted in this time to plan. I love my lists! Plan our day, our lessons, our grocery list, but I want to resist that. I may be tempted to catch up on internet reading, facebook, emails, but I want to resist that. Not that these things are in themselves problematic, but once the day begins there is little time for reflection or reading or sustained prayer. We always must respond to the urgent--the skinned knee, the hungry belly, the dirty bum. A moment of calm and we decide to de-clutter a desk, send an email, call the doctor, get a head start at dinner (all at the same time!). By the time the children are in bed, we feel like falling into bed ourselves but resist for time with our spouse, a favorite show, an entertaining book, our latest hobby. Picking up the stuff of real meat is rarely likely. Susan Wise Bauer's words are helpful but they are not new. The need for mothers to continue in self-education is of vital importance, evidenced even in the 1892 journal edited by the educator Charlotte Mason entitled "Mother Culture":

"There is no sadder sight in life than a mother, who has so used herself up in her children's childhood, that she has nothing to give them in their youth...is there not some need for "mother culture"? But how is the state of things to be altered? So many mothers say, "I simply have no time for myself!" "I never read a book!" Or else, "I don't think it is right to think of myself!" They not only starve their minds, but they do it deliberately, and with a sense of self-sacrifice which seems to supply ample justification... Each mother must settle this for herself. She must weigh things in the balance. She must see which is the most important--the time spent in luxuriously gloating over the charms of her fascinating baby, or what she may do with that time to keep herself "growing" for the sake of that baby "some day," when it will want her even more than it does now...The wisest woman I ever knew--the best wife, the best mother, the best mistress, the best friend--told me once, when I asked her how, with her weak health and many calls upon her time, she managed to read so much, "I always keep three books going--a stiff book, a moderately easy book, and a novel, and I always take up the one I feel fit for!" That is the secret; always have something "going" to grow by."

And so, I've been waking up "at 5 o'clock on a fine summer morning" and have found myself in a "in a new other world." One of books and ideas, freedom and peace, reflection and truth, Word and Light.

Preserving the Harvest: Freezing Veggies

So we have a ton of vegetables ready to eat in our garden. It's a combination of ideal conditions, lots of travel, and hubby being gone. So I decided to try my hand at freezing the extras.

After doing a bit of research online and in my food preservation books, I decided the easiest, tastiest, and healthiest method would be to prepare and wash the vegetables, blanch them for 1-3 minutes, immerse in an ice bath, dry and place in freezer bags.

So now we have a freezer of Kale, Swiss Chard, Spinach, Bush Green Beans, Peas, and Sugar Snap Peas! It seems that none of these vegetables will be able to stand alone as a side dish but mixed into soup, rice, pasta, or a casserole, they'll be great. And hopefully I'll like having lots of organic vegetables, basically prepared in the fall!

I checked Preserving Summer's Bounty out from our library and it has been so helpful! I decided to commit one morning to freezing our veggies and it only took about an hour. But an hour of work for local, cheap, organic vegetables in the winter will be worth it. It has me questioning if starting next summer we could live the 100-foot diet in our urban backyard!

I appreciated this tip from Preserving Summer's Bounty that saved time and hassle: when attempting to quickly cool blanched vegetables do not immerse them in an ice bath where they will lose more nutrients into the water when drained and you will need new ice for each water bath. Instead, just place the blanched vegetables into a small container and then settle them on top of a larger bowl of ice and then place a bag of ice on top. This worked very quickly and saved the step of draining the vegetables again once they were cooled. You can then pop the ice bag into the freezer to use again!!

This post is part of the Food Roots series at Nourishing Days. Go check out more entries on local, seasonal foods or what people are doing to find your food’s roots. Thanks for visiting!

Freezer Jam Video Demonstration

For those of you who don't believe making strawberry freezer jam is easy, check out this demonstration video from Ball. Sometimes seeing is believing!

Strawberries, sugar, fruit pectin and a freezable container is all you need.

What's in season: Rhubarb

For my husband, eating rhubarb brings back fond memories of childhood. Since it is in season right now (ie. plentiful and cheap), I've picked it up at the farmer's market the last 3 weeks.

Rhubarb just looks like it should be nutritious and it is: Low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium and High in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Calcium, Potassium, Manganese and Magnesium. One serving of rhubarb has 35% of your calcium.

If your interested in reading more about this tart vegetable, check out Mother Earth News and this article on its history.

"Ben Franklin is credited for bringing rhubarb seeds to the North American east
coast in 1772, yet the red stalks did not catch on until the early 1800s, when
it became a popular ingredient for pie...The term rhubarb has also come to mean
a "quarrel" or "heated discussion." This comes from theatrical direction,
believe it or not. Stage and movie directors would have actors repeat "rhubarb"
and various other phrases over and over to simulate background conversations or
mutterings of a surly crowd."

Look for stalks 12-18" long, thin, crisp (think celery). It should be dark pink to red (generally the redder, the sweeter). One pound of rhubarb equals about 3 cups diced. It's perishable so use it within 3 days or cut it up and freeze.

If your not so sure you're family will like this tart relative of the celery plant for dessert, here is an easy-peasy recipe that is sure to please. I've made this 3 times now and everyone even two picky two-year olds gobbled it up!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crunch

INGREDIENTS
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
3 cups diced rhubarb (I cut it pretty small so the pieces are soft and blend more with the strawberries. For those of you who like the tart you may want to cut them into larger chunks.)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup rolled oats

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mix white sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, strawberries, and rhubarb. Place the mixture in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, brown sugar, butter, and oats until crumbly. You may want to use a pastry blender for this. Crumble on top of the rhubarb and strawberry mixture.
Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until crisp and lightly browned.

(Here's a pretty strawberry-rhubarb dessert from Cooking Light with a bit less fat, but I haven't had the chance to try it yet!)

Happiness Production: our garden the second week of June

From an article on the economist Wilhelm Ropke in the Spring 2009 Intercollegiate Review:

Indeed, Ropke held an almost religious faith in the transformative power of the private garden. As he wrote, the keeping of a family garden "was not only 'the purists of human pleasures' but also offers the indispensable natural foundation for family life and the bringing up of children."

Ropke tells the story of a laissez-faire liberal who saw the family gardens of several workers. Ropke continued,

"on seeing these happy people spending their free evening in their garden, the laissez-faire liberal "could think of nothing better than the cool remark this was an irrational form of vegetable production."

Ropke retorted, "He could not get it into his head that [the garden] was a very rational form of 'happiness production' which surely is what matters most."

I thought I'd showcase our vertical frames that we built to grow as much as we can in small spaces and keep produce out of the dirt. They were inexpensive, especially compared to large tomato cages, easy to make and a means of happiness production for us!

Here they are and it's only the second week of June:

Summer Squash and 4 cucumber plants in just 4 squares

32 pea plants in 4 squares

Indeterminate Tomatoes, grow 1 per square

Pole Beans growing up our homemade tee-pee made from an old curtain rod and twine

Other newcomers:

Our Nasturtium has started to blossom. These edible flowers look lovely in a salad:

And we have replanted 8 squares with more radishes, bush beans, lettuce and spinach and they are already sprouting. The sprouts make it feel like April again:

Strawberry Lemondade Concentrate

Well, I am a real beginner at canning so it was my first attempt at Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate. I had to shop around for the lemons since our normal grocery store was charging $.79 a lemon--ahhh! It was delicious and easy to make. I pureed the strawberries, measured the sugar and made the lemon juice the night before when the kids were in bed so I only had to do the canning today.

With the time and money (and sugar!) that went into making it, I'll be saving the lemonade as a treat for our Saturday night Sabbath Feasts.I had been looking for a unique drink for the kids, just a little thing to help them look forward to our family time. Mom and Dad always have a glass of wine!


Here is the recipe for Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate

Makes about 7 pint jars

6 cups hulled strawberries
4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 20 lemons; they vary in their juicyness)
6 cups granulated sugar

1. Prepare canner, jar, and lids.
2. In a blender or food processor, puree strawberries until smooth. Transfer to a large stainless steel saucepan as completed. Add lemon juice and sugar and stir to combine. Heat to 190degrees over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Do not boil. Remove from heat and skim off foam.
3. Ladle hot concentrate into hot jars, leaving 1/4" head space. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.
4. Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 15 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

To reconstitute, mix one part concentrate with one part water, tonic, or ginger ale; adjust concentrate to taste. (Since my kids don't drink much juice or sweet drinks, I made it almost two parts water to one part concentrate!)

Since I'm a newbie I'm afraid to play around with the recipe; I follow the instructions like their hocus-pocus so if you have any recommendations or tweak the recipe at all, let me know!


For those who are not into canning, here is a delicious homemade Lemonade recipe we love:

• 1 3/4 cups white sugar
• 8 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups lemon juice

1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.
2. Remove seeds from lemon juice, but leave pulp. In pitcher, stir together chilled syrup, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water.

a defense of home food preservation and how to start with a bunch of little ones underfoot!

This is the time of year for good eats. Vegetables and fruit are plentiful in the garden, at the farmer's market, and on sale at the grocery store. The time of year when many of our great-grandmothers and their mothers and their mothers (the first frugal, simple, green-living mommas--thanks, Allie!) began preserving the harvest.

But then we were persuaded that this sort of work was drudgery. We were convinced that what came from the grocery store was more convenient and more sophisticated...That faster was better...

But after reading books about eating a local, sustainable diet (Nabhan, Pollan, Kingsolver, Berry, Slow Food Movement) it's hard to not want to lock up as much of the summer goodness as you can. And it's hard not to question thin promises of convenience, efficiency, and freedom. I've had all kinds of work that I could label at times as drudgery--sales clerk, teaching, writing, grading, even when I was a travel director. I've waited in line at the fast food restaurant and no matter how fast it comes, do we really think it's worth it? We're beginning to hear more of the costs of this type of eating for our health and our environment.

And yet, for me, trying to preserve our food myself is a challenge. First, I don't know what I'm doing! Second, I've got 3 children under 5. Isn't it enough to spend my time caring for them? Why learn this new time-consuming task?

It's a way to be frugal by stocking up on fresh fruit and vegetables at their cheapest (though there is the initial cost of jars and other equipment).

It's a way to eat well--produce is at the peak of its freshness and tastiness, packed with sunshine and vitamins. No additives, high-fructose corn syrup and other things we can't pronounce.

It's a way to become self-sufficient and productive. Most household economies produce nothing. We consume and consume and consume with little to show for it. We grow so tired consuming that we need to stop at the fast food store on the way home to cope; we complain of the drudgery.That's not the way it always was. And women's lives were filled with the knowledge and effort of real work for the good of their household. Work which brings delight to a family when a jar of homemade strawberry syrup is cracked open on a wintery morning.

And for these reasons and more, it's a way to eat sacramentally. In chapter one of his book, Living the Sabbath, Norman Wirzba explains that sacramental eating affirms the grace and beneficence of God made concrete: "we can learn to grow food and eat in a way that reflects thanksgiving and praise to God" (p. 27). As an illustration, he describes his grandfather, a small-time chicken farmer, who ate with a "realistic and palpable sense of the goodness and the costliness of creation--after all these chickens had died so he could eat. Their death could not be taken lightly, nor could their living. And so [the chicken's] very being demanded [the family's] respect and care. His eating was a sacramental eating, because it affirmed the grace and beneficence of God made concrete in the midst of his living. It was a Sabbath eating, permeated by his thanksgiving and praise to God" (p. 28).

And so, in this light, my small attempts to seek out good, healthy, sustainable, (yet affordable) food and then to preserve it for our family's use becomes a way for me to move toward more grateful and worshipful ways of being.

But how do we begin? Though I suggested some of these possibilities in this post, I'd like to suggest that preserving food through canning, freezing and drying is another place for sacramental eating to start.

And so here are a few ways that I have begun my attempts at food preservation over the last few years even when pregnant or with a new baby or little ones underfoot.


1. Learn from those who know. While I am a book person and I turn to the Internet for the littlest questions, there is nothing better than getting to watch up close and ask questions from someone of experience. Back in Wisconsin, I showed no shame and asked the women in my church who I heard put up their own tomato sauce if I could come over on one of their canning days. I asked a pie baker and a pesto maker to give me lessons. I was surprised when they seemed flattered and graciously shared advice and techniques. I enjoyed their company and hope I even helped. Space was created for fellowship as our conversations floated to topics such as house management, schooling, discipline, and God's work in our lives. "Work Bees" aren't part of most communities anymore and we wonder why it is so difficult to naturally create the kind of nurturing that Titus 2 describes.

If you don't know of anyone, ask a like-minded friend who also wants to learn. My sister-in-law has been great for this as I posted about here. With a friend, someone can hold the fort down, while the other nurses the baby or changes a diaper; children are occupied with a friend to play with.

2. Start with a clean work station. Tidy your house the night before, clear off lots of space on your counter tops. Wash all your jars and lids ahead of time.


3. Check and prep as much as possible the night before. Reread the directions and ingredients list. In a busy household, nothing can set you back more than a sink of dirty dishes or missing 1 tablespoon of lemon juice!


4. Plan ahead for meals that day. This is your morning for cold cereal and a banana and an even easier lunch. Have dinner ready to go in the crockpot or use up meals in the freezer. Nothing is more frustrating that to have worked for hours in the kitchen to then realize its supper time and you have nothing to show for it.

5. Plan what you'll do with your little ones. Maybe you can swap babysitting with a girlfriend--what an incentive to preserve--a morning to yourself?! But otherwise, have coloring books, playdough, or a new book on tape ready to go. And though we try to limit all screen time in our house, we're all about letting them watch an online classic sesame street video or an old Disney opera from the 1930s here and there.

But best of all, try to incorporate them into your activities.

Even preschoolers can fill the measuring cup with berries, be in charge of the mashing, cut off stems. In doing so, they get time with you. They learn all sorts of skills-measuring, counting, volume, following directions, fine motor skills. You also start instilling a culture of work and good habits into their life which can turn into their own experiences of delight.


6. But since your household is a busy one, minimize as many distractions as possible. Like the telephone! Use a timer; I never used one before kids but now I can stick something in the broiler for 3 minutes and then head off to change a diaper and completely forget the oven. Canning has lots of directions like boil for 15 minutes or simmer for 3 so I use a timer.



7. Start with easy stuff. Try one new thing each week or month or year!
For those of you who have never canned before, freezing your fresh herbs and vegetables is a simple start. Freezer jam is another great way to cheat at canning for the first timer. It requires little effort and is so delicious. Then build your repertoire slowly. Conquer your favorite fruit, put up your prized tomatoes.

Well, like I said, I have much to learn in this area and for much of my life I would have been resistant to the idea, but my hope is that "as our sensitivities expand and as our appreciation for the complex, gracious ways of God grows, we will gradually find that gratitude and praise are irrepressible. To experience God's hesed or covenantal love in the midst of our practical living is to enter God's domain of blessing and joy...As we learn to attend and respond to the creative, vivifying action of God among us, we will learn to participate in a Sabbath singing that is now attuned to and extends God's rhythms of delight and peace" (Weirzba p. 29).

All that from a jar of tomato sauce? Sign me up!

What's in Season: Spinach

Spinach!

We've just finished 2 squares of spinach (4 plants each), are about to move on to the third, and have planted a fourth. Growing it ourselves is way cheaper and tastier than buying it at the grocery store. Just like other leafy greens, it is so nice just to be able to go out and pick a few when they're needed. Spinach has been easy and quick to grow from seed--start some today!!!

Spinach has tons of calcium, is extremely rich in antioxidants, and has almost as much iron as ground beef. Work it into your salads, soups, lasagnas, mac-n-cheese, and dips.

Here are my two favorite spinach recipes! (You can always substitute 10 oz. frozen spinach)

Spinach Risotto
4 cups of chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
2 shallots, chopped (I've substituted 1/2 cup of onion too)
1 cup Arborio or other short-grain rice
2 Tbsp white wine
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper
lots of spinach (it really reduces. About 1 head or 10 big leaves or 1 bag or 10oz frozen. You can always add it slowly with the amount you like and add any leftovers to the salad.)

Warm the broth in a saucepan.

In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat oil and butter until the butter melts.

Cook the shallots until golden, about 3 minutes.

Add the rice and cook, stirring all the while, until the grains are shiny with oil. Pour in the wine.

Add about 1 cup of broth, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and stir occasionally until almost all of the liquid is absorbed.

Pour in 1/2 cup of broth, stir and simmer until the broth is absorbed. Continue to add the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is creamy on the outside, but still a bit firm to the bite. This will take about 20 minutes.

Then stir in cheese, salt, pepper, and spinach. Serve immediately.


Spinach-Stuffed Chicken

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup thinly sliced leek (about 1 large)*
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 oz. goat cheese **
  
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
• 4 medium (about 5 ounces each) skinless, boneless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat
• 3 ounces bottled roasted red bell peppers (about 1 1/4 peppers), divided *
  
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/4 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup dry white wine

1. Preheat oven to 350º.

2. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add leek, garlic, oregano, salt, crushed red pepper, and black pepper; cook and stir until leek is soft (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and add the spinach, stirring to combine; set spinach mixture aside.

2. Cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally using a sharp knife. Place bottom halves of breasts in a 9- x 9-inch baking dish, setting top halves aside. Divide spinach filling evenly among breasts; top each portion with one-fourth of roasted red peppers, and replace the top halves of breasts.

3. Brush the top half of each chicken breast with melted butter; sprinkle with breadcrumbs, and spray lightly with cooking spray. Add wine to baking dish (avoiding the breadcrumbs), and bake for 40 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked.

4. Remove chicken from oven; let rest for 5 minutes before serving. To serve, cut each breast into 3 or 4 slices on the diagonal to expose the stuffing, or simply leave each portion whole.

*I often omit the leeks or red peppers, if I don't have any on hand.

**My only addition to the original recipe is 3 oz. goat cheese to the spinach mixture. It makes it so creamy.

Strawberry Picking: Linvilla Orchards

My parents, daughter G, and I picked just over 50lbs of strawberries at Linvilla Orchards! It was lovely. We got there early so we were on the first tractor out to the fields with just 2 other families and were done by the time the crowds started pouring in.

Getting ready to head out

The strawberries were so ripe and big, just begging to be picked!

Grandma giving picking lessons and maybe sneaking a sample

I was so proud of G who picked 3 quarts herself as she sang little songs to the berries as she picked. No complaints. Pure delight and pride in her work. Pretty good for a 4 yr old.


So what will we do with all these berries?


Well, tonight, too tired to do much else, we just enjoyed the goodness of fresh picked berries with homemade whipped cream!

And tomorrow we'll start the day with strawberry pancakes! And then have a work day to put up freezer jam, jelly, strawberry-lemonade concentrate, strawberry-rhubarb pie filling and perhaps strawberry syrup. Now I'm worried I didn't pick enough :-) We'll end the day with a shortcake or pie for dessert.

G and PopPop tired but happy!

I was impressed with how plentiful the fields were and how tasty the berries are. Just 15 minutes from our house, I look forward to going back for more picking as different fruits come into season. Linvilla was a bit overwhelming in the fall at their pumpkin festival but it was a nice quiet day today. Look forward to trying Highland Orchards too! Let me know if there are any others in the Delaware County area worth a visit for peaches, pears, raspberries and blueberries!