Apples, Apples, Apples Then There Was Juice

Slow Food operated a community apple press at Luther Burbank's Experiment Farm in Sebastopol where residents and visitors could bring apples and, for free, make fresh apple juice. Dwight, Katie and I spent part of one Sunday afternoon this month past doing just that. None of us had pressed apples before so it was a wonderful sunny and warm afternoon filled with a new and fun experience.

I had already harvested all of our Newtown Pippin apples from our tree which was not looking very robust. She has since had much love and care earlier in this Fall so perhaps she will be happier next year and produce her usual abundance of apples. Dwight made arrangements for picking Arkansas Black and Granny Smith apples at our neighbor Ruby's property. Ruby had already pressed 10 gallons (yes! gallons!) from her early apples so she was very happy to share her late apples. With all three varietes we had a goodly amount of apples which we loaded up in our car, along with Shasta, of course, and off to Luther Burbank's Experiment Farm in Sebastopol.

Washed Arkansas Black and Granny Smith apples

Ready

Loading the apples for grinding

Arkansas Black apples grinding

Granny Smith apples ready to be pushing into the grinder

Our Yellow Pippin apples, George Washington's 

favorite apple, ready for grinding, too.

Juice from the ginding.

Pulp ready for pressing.

Team work in the pressing for more juice.

Delicious, and very sweet, juice bottled back at MuRefuge.

As you enjoy viewing our awesome event, and perhaps sip some of your own pressed apple juice,

The Three Sisters

A few weeks past I was blessed with the opportunity to join in celebration of women's indigenous knowledge. One of the Bioneers pre-conference intensives, "Three Sisters Farming: Indigenous women, plants, and foodways," happened at the Indian Valley Organic Farm and Garden, College of Marin in Novato, California. This historic workshop was presented by the Cultural Conservancy and Bioneers Indigenous Knowledge Program. 

I must admit right up front that what drew me to send in my money was Robin Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass (2013) and Gathering Moss (2003), since I missed her at Point Reyes Bookstore. Her books touched my restorative gardener soul and native habitat heart. She did not disappoint with her reading of "The Three Sisters" from her latest book. She is such an awesome storyteller of what really matters.

You may wonder who are the Three Sisters?

Corn, the ancient grain, ground for flour by natives peoples.
This is not our corn on the cob version,
rather it is harvested when the kernels are completely dry.
These are a few kernels from the actual corn we harvested at the garden in
Novato which was planted by Kaylene Bray's father earlier in the season.

In a mound 4 seeds of corn are planted in each of the four directions. Once these have sprouted and are a few inches tall, 4 beans (which we think of as pole beans; in this garden the beans planted were Scarlet Runner Beans) are planted in the NE, NW, SE, SW corners or in between the sprouted corn. Once the beans have sprouted and the corn is growing skyward, 4 squash (Navajo Hubbarb in this garden) or pumpkin seeds are planted on the downslope of the mound. 

"For millennia, from Mexico to Montana, women have mounded up the 

earth and laid these three seeds in the ground, all in the same 

square foot of soil. When the colonist on the Massachusetts shore 

first saw indigenous gardens, they inferred that the savages 

did not know how to farm. To their minds, a garden meant straight 

rows of single species, not a three dimensional sprawl of abundance. 

And yet they ate their fill and asked for more, and more again." from Braided Sweetgrass

Since Robin Kimmerer is not only a Citizen Potawatomi Nation member but a botanist as well, she goes on in "The Three Sisters"  chapter with great detail about how these three plants not only coexist but how they benefit one another as well. WOW! Indigenous companion planting, now that is just so exciting to me! 

There were a number of women who participated, each bringing a wonderful teaching from her indigenous place. And the experience in the garden, although it was planted in rows (even the tepary beans) except the three sisters, was full of energetic interconnectedness. Here I was introduced to tepary beans which I had not heard of, but having lived in Tucson, I was familiar with the Tohono O’odham who are growing them today. These native peoples, eating the American diet of fast food, suffer from an epidemic of diabetes and all its complications. They rediscovered this bean which had been a staple of their ancestors. The plant is unlike other bean plants in that it is able to soak up the monsoonal rains, store the water in its roots and meter the release so that the plant survives through the heat and dryness so often a part of the desert during the growing season. Researchers have found this bean rates low on the Glycemic Index. These native people relate that the way this bean controls insulin release merely mimics how the plant itself releases water. The native peoples returning to eating the way of their ancestors are finding diabetes diminishing in those returning to that way of eating.

Here's two of the women who spoke to me:

Roxanne Swentzell, founder of Flowering Tree Permaculture at her home in Santa Clara Pueblo, shared her video of her study in which her peoples returned to eating as her grandparents and great grandparents ate. Just like the Tohono O’odham found with the tepary bean, the three month long study described in the video showed a remarkable healing  of the participants. The weight loss varied among them from 25 to almost 50 pounds, laboratory values returning to "normal" limits, the return of vibrant energy for enjoying daily life, and as one of the youngsters discovered, "McDonald's is poison to my body." Roxanne shared that this way of eating is a diet rather "cultural preservation". She is also a talented sculptor and her work is showcased at the Tower Gallery. Dwight, a sculptor himself, has viewed much of her work on the web.

Sage LaPena, a Wintu and the Water Resource Coordinator at California'a Hopland Pomo Tribal EPA, shared a minuscule bit of her plant knowledge. Judith Larner writes in Gardening with a Wild Heart of Sage's learning and knowledge.  Her passion for bringing healing and wholeness to her native people through reconnection with ancient ways brought tears not only to my eyes but to many eyes in the audience gathered beneath the old oak tree.

Sage shared how the plants inform one who observes how to
use the plant. Take for example the yarrow above, how the leaves
look like arteries fanning out into arterioles. And from ancient timeright
up to the present the plant's ability to staunch bleeding is well known.

Sage talked about how the Chumash inhabiting the beaches and mountains
around Santa Barbara are now finding their White sage decimated by others gathering
this wonderful smudging plant. This plant is growing at MuRefuge.

As you consider planting the three sisters in your garden for sumptuous food, may you 

Turning of the Seasons

Here in Northern California Indian Summer is in full swing, with day time temperatures soring into the 90's right along the coast and the absence of foggy mornings. Inland, of course, the temperatures are in the 100's with no breeze. As one can imagine the air quality is not very good especially with all the wild fires raging throughout Northern California. Margaret, of Mostly Natives Nursery, in Tomales, California, said Sunday past, "It's scarry," as we were discussing the drought and heat affecting this October, the month that is historically the planting time for natives here in our region. Climate change is making its indelable mark as those of you in the Southwest are experiencing with the repeating deluges of rain, the remnants of the numerous hurricanes affecting Baja this season. 

lament:

Sunday San Francisco Chronicle’s "Earthweek: a diary of the planet"

for the week ending Friday, October 3, 2014:

Five independent studies found that decades of burning fossil fuels made heat waves far more likely. 

Finally research, for the first time, has connected human behavior and extreme weather. Well duh!

Human exploitation of the environment is 50% greater than nature can withstand: between 1970 and 2010

more than half of the world’s wildlife population has been killed off.

We as humans cringe when we see a hawk taking out one of our favorite birds

or a bobcat eating one of our backyard chickens or a deer decimating our prize

rose bush, forgetting that all BEings in the food chain must eat to survive.  It seems

to me the human species is the sole planet Earth inhabitant that indulges him/herself

relentlessly. Which reminds me: “those who buy what they want often cannot buy what they need.” 

--Stephen B. Howard (my late wise stepfather). 

“ . . . it has been unfortunate that basically good ideas

 (of institutions and organizations with noble ideology) have been defeated by 

man’s inherent self-interest.” --Dali Lama. As the Chevron with Techron TV ad 

says "Humans are weird.”

In spite of full awareness of the changing climate, Indian Summer/Fall restoration activites are unfolding here at MuRefuge as in past years. Over the week past a plethora of Todd planters has been filled with potting soil and scattered with native seeds gathered right here at MuRefuge: both Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis) and Red fescue (Festuca rubra), Blue wildrye grass (Elymus glaucus), June grass (Koeleria cristata) as well as native perennial flowers:  Western columbine (Aquilegia formosa), Beach aster (Erigeron glaucus), Red flowering buckwheat (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens), Coast lotus (Lotus formosissimus) and Shaggy alumroot (Heuchera pilosissima). Purchased seed from Larner Seeds in Bolinas of the perennial Northern California Coastal poppy (Eschscholzia californica var. californica) was also scattered on one Todd planter.

These Todd planters are my favorite seed propagation containers. Althorough the material, styroform, is not to my
liking, it is long lasting with many of these 20+ years old. Each cell has slanted sides and a hole in
the bottom for easy perforation with a large nail head of the start. With the root pretty much intact
the start, once ejected and planted out, suffers very little transplant shock. 

The two Roger Red grape vines produced the most grapes since taking up their home here at MuRefuge. The ripe and now wizened grapes are being scarfed up by the mockingbirds, my late Aunt Donna's favorite bird, and flickers. 

The visiting flicker(s?) are also tidying up the patio from fallen and/or trampled grapes which is very helpful in keeping Shasta's paws from bringing them into the house. And speaking of birds and the turning of seasons, my very favorite LBB has arrived: the fox sparrow, one of the few LBBs I easily identify. Recently a retired ornithologist, a La Jolla, California high school friend of Dwight's, visited. With his trained eye id-ing our Fall/Winter LBB residents is easier and rather more fun, too!

MuRefuge's late apples are now available for plucking from the trees. My all time favorite eating right off the tree apple is the heirloom Spitzenberg.

The Spitzenberg apple was Thomas Jefferson’s favorite apple, so the legend goes.

A quick and easy light evening meal enjoyed here at MuRefuge is just picked heirloom Gold Medal tomato diced,

just picked finely chopped Peron pepper (a perennial) which is hot but with delish flavor

and tossed together with herb flavored organic olive oil (from McEvoy Ranch and herbs infused from MuRefuge) and finely chopped fresh chives and cilanto. This tasty, juicy mixture can then be scooped up with organic blue corn chips (Garden of Eatin') . . . m-m-m-m-m-m!

Notice the denuded large white seeds of the Island or Catalina cherry (Prunus lyonii). 

This "cherry"is not relished by humans but is a favorite with 

the fruit/berry eating birds that frequent MuRefuge in search of food.

Another perennial native shrub much loved by MuRefuge's vistors is the Coyote bush. Soon this spectacular flowering bush will be covered by a mass of chipping bushtits.

This is the low growing or prostrate form of  Coyote bush (Baccharis pilularis).

As the turning of the seasons continues may each of you

Easy Peasy

I grew up enjoying "jelly rolls" made from scratch. This dessert treat seemed to have dropped off the foodie's focus until I saw a recipe for "Strawberry Cake" in EdibleSantaBarbara magazine which I picked up from the Saturday Santa Barbara Farm Market this past May. "This is a jelly roll cake with . . . strawberry jam and fresh strawberries. No one seems to make jelly roll cakes these days, but they are simple and can inspire many variations."  

Throughout this Spring (using strawberries and apricots), Summer (blackberries and mulberries) and into Fall (peaches and apples) I have found the "simple, rustic presentation" delish! and easy peasy! The fresh mashed fruit with a bit of maple sugar is easily substituted for jelly or jam. Rhubarb sauce in the Winter would make it a wonderful evening treat or even "dinner" if your main meal is eaten midday. Pink Pearl applesauce makes a splendid rendition that can be eaten for breakfast since the basic recipe, see below, is mostly just gathered "pasture" duck eggs.

JELLY ROLL CAKE recipe:

• 1/2 c. organic sprouted spelt flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt, finely ground
• 7 organic duck eggs . . . be sure these are at room temperature!
• 1/2 c. organic maple sugar
• organic powdered sugar
• 12 ounces of organic jelly, jam, fruit butter or applesauce
• fresh organic fruit (use the same fruit as in above) for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease with organic ghee a 15- by 10- by 1-inch jelly roll pan; a cookie sheet with sides works just fine, too. Line pan with nontoxic parchment paper and grease with ghee.

Sift flour, baking powder and sea salt into a bowl.

In large bowl beat egg yolks, vanilla and sugar with a mixer on high speed for about 1 minute or until foamy. Add half of the flour mixture and gently fold in with rubber spatula just until combined; repeat with remaining half.

In clean mixing bowl with clean beaters beat egg whites on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until stiff peaks form. 

Gently fold egg whites into the batter, one third at a time, just until combined.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake 8 to 10 minutes. Be sure to check after 8 minutes.

Sprinkle a piece of nontoxic parchment paper the size of the jelly roll pan with organic powdered sugar. Once the cake is done gently dump onto the paper. 

Remove the paper and spread with jam, jelly, mashed fruit or applesauce. Beginning with the short side facing you, roll the cake into a tight roll.

Place seam side down on a cake plate. Sprinkle with a bit more powdered sugar (or not), slice and serve on pretty plates, adding fresh fruit for garnish. ENJOY!

Add a dollop of Wallaby's Organic Greek Yogurt
atop a  spoon full of Pink Pearl applesauce and breakfast is ready. 

Once you have savored each nutritious bite

Shasta, Fence Posts and More

SHASTA:

Early this past week Shasta's arrival at MuRefuge was celebrated. This very sweet and special BEing has been with us now for two years, adopted from the Marin Humane Society when she was six months old. To honor Shasta, she and I joined Sandy Lagno for a interspecies communication. I marvel how Sandy shares her gift!

Shasta in the past has shared with Sandy that she remembers when she was a Being who could fly and that BEing in this canine body is a big adjustment. "BEing here is good. Finding my way to BEing OK BEing here. Good steady humans (Cathie and Dwight) . . . I can function in this body." Clearly this simple communication indicates that Shasta has "acceptance of this body form" and she continued, "I now accept I stay with you."

Shasta was in a number of places before she arrived here at MuRefuge. During this time Shasta shares "It's confusing, humans no get dogs. They tried to dominate me in undog like way." Shasta developed guarding behavior particularly around food. We saw the remnants of this recently when she was given raw lamb bones. She growled, bared her teeth and looked like a wild dog rather than like our familiar Shasta. In communicating about this behavior with Sandy, Shasta shared that she gets scared, "the pictures" she carries with her of her earlier life pop up and fear takes hold, i.e survival behavior emerges. Sandy Worked with Shasta to "show her" that these pictures are behind her and that it is her responsibility to make different choices now as well as develop trust in her present pack leaders, i.e. Cathie and Dwight, who are consistent, steady and understand canine packness. Sandy stressed with Shasta that she can relax, BE in the now and build new memories.

a-a-a-a-a-a-ah, relaxing. Shasta has been visibly more relaxed,
 even right after the connection was broken with Sandy. And when she is given her raw,
organic chicken backs, she looks at me, "These are mine?" "Yes, just for you."
AND she proceeds to devour them without so much as a whimpering guarding growl.

FENCE POSTS:

In October, 1994, my now late stepfather, Stephen B. Howard, and Mom
were here to check out MuRefuge purchased the December before.
Steve is shown here  meticulously painting each fence post, not
with one but two coats of paint. The paint color was matched to
the two old oak trees just South of our South property line.
Steve was concerned about the posts rotting at the soil line
so he diligently and methodically gathered small rocks and nestled them around
each post to increase their life span.

Also, this week MuRefuge is getting a face lift of sorts. Some of the fence posts supporting the wide animal friendly fencing have rotted out at the soil line which is in most places well above the cement that was poured around each post in the very early 1990's. Dwight, along with a very strong, quarter of a century younger man than he, easily removed the barely standing fence posts and with more difficulty the cement in the ground. New redwood posts were repositioned in the holes which were then refilled with fresh fence post concrete. 

In the center of this picture you can see the newly installed fence post.
This view is taken from almost the identical spot as the previous one.
As you can see, what is flourishing is not what was originally planted
in this area, know now as MuRefuge's wild coastal prairie.

AND MORE:

A recent visitor to one of our bird feeders. Squirrels cause Shasta to go ballistic.
On our walks she senses a squirrel long before her human companions do.

As those of you who have visited MuRefuge know our vegetable garden is
 comprised of basalt block raised beds. The year the Heirloom Italian Zucchini
was planted in the West most bed. These plants are very large and the vines always
lope over  the edge of the bed.  This year this zucchini nestled unnoticed on
the ground right next to the edge of its bed until its HUGENESS caused notice!
I could hardly hold this gigantic fruit for this picture! 

As you look at this zucchini picture may each of you, like Dwight and I did, enjoy a great belly

Herbal Vinegars and Lemon Cucumbers

ORGANIC HERBAL VINEGAR:
One way to preserve the herbs flourishing in the garden now is to make herbal vinegars. It is best to start with a really tasty vinegar that is organic. My preference is Nana Mae's Organic Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar made right here in Sonoma County. Then I walk about the garden sensing which herbs want to be joined together.

Bay (native) leaves, Chives, Lavender flowers, Lemon verbena leaves,
Oregano, Heirloom 'Gigante' Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme,
Winter Savory

A lemon theme was created as a substitute for Meyers lemon juice that in past years was used in jam, jelly and chutney making. With the severe freeze that happened last Winter Tanis’s Meyers lemon tree was adversely affected, essentially eliminating lemons for the year.  Thank you, Tanis, for all the Meyers lemons you have provided me in the past and will surely do in the future when your tree resumes its productivity.

Lemon balm, Lemon basil, Lemon 'Gem' marigold flowers,
 Lemon thyme, Lemon verbena

Another way to use herbal vinegar is in kefir dressing, which has been modified from the one appearing in *The Nourished Kitchen by Jennifer McGruder, who makes her own kefir milk. I substitute a wonderfully delicious store bought kefir milk: Organic Nancy’s lowfat cultured Kefir milk. The other advantage of purchasing this particular brand is that it is not bottled in plastic.

Kefir dressing:

• 1/4 C. organic kefir milk
• 1 tsp. organic maple syrup
• 2 tsp. organic herbal apple cider vinegar
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground organic peppercorns

Mix until smooth in a bowl.

*I love this book! I am so grateful to you, Katie, for giving this fabulous book to me for my birthday.

LEMON CUCUMBERS:

Vibrant, blooming lemon cucumber plants

Fresh lemon cucumbers ready for peeling and slicing.

Leigh, I so appreciate the handy mandoline you gave me for my birthday a year ago. A mandoline slices these lemon cucumbers perfectly.

Fresh, organic lemon cucumber salad with the delicious kefir dressing.
I like to eat this as a "soup" so I usually make the dressing using a whole cup of kefir milk
for 6 to 8 lemon cucumbers, of course multiplying all the other ingredients accordingly.

Thank you, Harmony, for creating such lovely fabric! HarmonyArt fabric was used to make this wonderful tablecloth with matching napkins that is environmentally friendly!

While harvesting the garden's abundance 

Makah Indian Reservation, Washington State

This post is by my husband, Dwight, who recently spent a few days on the Makah Indian Reservation in the Northwest most tip of the contiguous United States, along with his two daughters, Leigh and Katie. All are in the selfie below:

The three of us went on this trip to spend time together and to experience the spectacular Northwestern coastal scenery, the Makah people in Neah Bay, and their amazing Makah Museum.  The museum houses over 55,000 artifacts excavated from Ozette, a whaling village of six longhouses that was covered by a landslide over 500 years ago.  While only a small fraction of these artifacts are on display, they show what pre white man Makah life was like over the cycle of the seasons.  They had sophisticated technology for netting salmon, whaling at sea, making art, boxes, boats, and homes out of cedar, and weaving clothing from the long hair of their dogs!  The museum entrance tells you their lives were centered in fishing:

The deep sea going whaling vessels they hollowed from cedar trees are stunningly beautiful:

In the museum you walk through a reconstructed longhouse built with boards split from cedar and see how the ancient people made many of the objects used in their daily life.  An intimate experience that made you want to go out on the beaches where they lived.  

So we walked out to the tip of Cape Flattery, the most northwestern point in the contiguous United States, through the incredibly dense rain forest that is nurtured by over 150 inches of rain each year.  Here there is no beach, but caves in the cliffs

and sea stacks off shore.

There were many birds, a bald eagle, an osprey, and lots of oystercatchers.

There were puffins too, but too far away for our binoculars.

The next day we hiked out to Shi Shi Beach, a more typical home for the ancient Makah with typically variable weather and wonderful fog effects.  To get to the beach you climb down a very steep 150 foot cliff assisted by ropes.

Whoo, we made it!  Though the beach is 2 1/2 miles long we could only see part of it due to the fog.  But where we came down to the beach was worth the trip:

The Bullman Beach Inn where we stayed along the Strait of Juan de Fuca overlooking the mountains of British Columbia had a wonderful beach as well and much more sunshine which we enjoyed on our final day in Neah Bay.  And a great sunset!

Traditional wood carving lives on in the Makah Nation and takes nontraditional forms as well:

Another opportunity to