Shabbot, Canning and Tim Ferriss

I can't stop listening to Tim Ferriss podcasts. I am not a bro-grammer, an entrepreneur, a start-up aficionado, I don't weight lift and I have no interest in the financial sector...but still. Seriously, that Tim! He's one of my new favorites. I love his zest for life, his Paleo self, his laughter, clarity and his hilarious and transparent drunk episodes. I wish I could have him over for dinner, I'd make him a great roast chicken and we'd have a hilarious night of storytelling and knee slapping, I can just tell.

I am waffling back and forth between listening to Tim and listening to (don't laugh) a totally fabulous Orthodox Jewish housewife, Rivka Malka who runs a video blog on YouTube. She's fascinating, and Judaism is my study subject so I'm enthralled by everything about her world from how sex works in Jewish marriages to how in the world Jewish women get everything done for Shabbot....oh....and what in the world IS everything?

Speaking of Shabbot...last weekend I started observing. In a very small way. I'm not converting and I am in now way celebrating in a legit form but I think its a good practice to bring into my life. I've been thinking about having a day of rest for a long time and meaning to figure out how to actualize and I just realized that Judaism was the perfect hook to loop me into it, all the compelling interest and strategy and advice...and there I was, planning out our family celebration together. I've decided that for me Shabbot will mean:

• A special tea party to kick things off the night before.
• Lighted candles and a blessing over my children.
• An entire day with no food prep and all meals served on paper plates.
• No laundry or other housework
• Permission to sleep in as late as I need to.
• A long hot shower with all the extras and a nice cold rinse at the end (my favorite)
• A break from my phone except for calling people I love.
• A nap if needed or suggested by my husband. (I guess that's a nap or a "nap" then.)
• A good hike.
• Activities that fill me with joy. This weekend I painted and listened to my favorite music.
• Some prayer and meditation.

So, one round under my belt....now to make it part of my rhythm of life. It feels good. I've been ready for this for a while. 

The garden is all whoppsy and long limbed and falling all over itself but even though there are an unbelievable amount of tangles and disordered corners there is also a heck of a lot of food out for being basically completely neglected for the last month, even in our dry season weather. Amazing! I have kale coming out my ears (wish I had enough basil to make a kale pesto or something. Am tempted to try freezing it somewhat obsessively but I have a feeling that the kale is just going to grow year round and be very happy here no matter the weather. The kale we have with us always.

 I planted two cherry tomato plants and I have little tomatoes coming out of my ears! Just tonight for dinner I cooked squash from our garden, an eggplant from the garden, kale from the garden and some herbs from the garden too. Amazing. I love this time of year. The tree that hangs down into our garden from the next door neighbors is loaded with beautiful apples and they are starting to fall off copiously. I have put the boys to apple collection detail every morning and I am just simmering a perpetual pot of applesauce and canning up pints of it whenever I get enough jars to fill the waterbath. It smells AMAZING in the house all the time and I have to say, these apples are totally wonderful tasting. I wish I knew what they were. This morning I also finished my first batch of roasted cherry tomatoes....I have been filling jars full of the roasted fruit and fresh herbs in layers and then covering with a good olive oil for long keeping too. Feels unbelievably good to be stashing and storing and laying up things in the garage for the cooler months ahead. 

 

May your crisper drawer run over and may your canning jars never run out....

Apple Sauce For The Soul

The boys are taking turns running out to the yard and filling a basket with windfall apples from our tree and running in to dump them into the giant tub on the kitchen counter next to me. We are making apple sauce. I peel and core and the boys collect fruit, cut up the peeled pieces, stir the bubbling fruit on the stove and root around in the spice cabinet electing seasonings that strike their fancy (no to the dill seed, yes to the applespice).

We have been making a saucepan full at a time....two or three pint jar of hot packed sauce in an episode, every batch a small limited edition. It's super fun and super slow and I have had several moments after the kids were in bed when I stared at the mouldering fruit we didn't get to that day and the wispy cloud of fruit flies and thought...."Maybe I should throw them all out and forget the whole thing."

Maybe I will....all projects have a lifespan....but for now...we are making do, squeasing in couple more jars here and there, adding some pureed apricots this time and cardamom, letting each kid play chef and learn to wield a cutting board and a paring knife. I see a long, cozy winter ahead of us, all of us comforted down by applesauce spiced to the palate of the hour.