bone marrow soup

Ashlita found this recipe online.  Since her body doesn't process meat, this would be a way for her to benefit from the nutrition and healing energy found in bone marrow.

Bone Marrow Soup                         

In Chinese medicine, Jing is equated with our vitality.  Our Jing (or qi “bank account”)  is stored in our kidneys.  We have “congenital” jing (that which we were born with) and “accquired” jing (that which comes from the food we take in).  Bone marrow soup helps to support our congenital jing thus increasing vitality and stamina. This recipe is great for everyone, but especially for fertility (men and women), pregnancy  and postpartum women.  It even helps reduce chronic pain, particularly the low back, due to its proximity to the kidneys.

Recipe adapted from, The Joy of Cooking

Perfected by an Acupuncture Northwest Patient

Ingredients:

2 or 3 lbs marrow bones*

2 medium carrots

1 medium onion

3 celery stalks

1 turnip or parsnip (optional)

dash red pepper flakes

1 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp dried thyme

6-10 black pepper corns

2 bay leaves

Directions:

Crack the bones and then throw everything into a crockpot, cover with water and slow cook overnight.

Cool the soup for a while. Then, strain the soup through a cheesecloth (you should only be left with the broth) and let it cool to room temperature before placing it in the refrigerator.  After it’s cooled, there will be some fat that is congealed on the top.  Skim this off and throw it away and then fill ice-cube trays with the soup until frozen.  You can store the cubes, two each, in zip lock bags.

*You can purchase “natural” marrow bones at PCC, Metropolitan Market and Whole Foods.  You may have to ask the butcher for them.

why am I doing this?

So, I'm not sure who reads this blog other than Lita, my mom, and sister (thank you!) and I'm not sure who I'm really talking to.  I think myself.  To record my thoughts and practices and recipes.  

I have collected so much information over the years and more keeps coming at me so fast.  I feel we are all learning at an accelerated rate if we allow ourselves to.  I'm hoping to organize all of this into some kind of book, or easily accessible collection for the benefit of Gaia, those I love, and anyone who finds Gaia's Table.

Blessings,

Heather

Mama Llama's Meatloaf

My mom asked me to find a really great meatloaf recipe - a healthier alternative to the one she makes.  But hers is so perfect!  So I'm putting hers up here with a few notes and adjustments.  Thanks mom!

2 pounds grass-fed beef hamburger or ground bison

Half cup rolled oats

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Medium onion chopped well

1/4 t fresh ground black pepper

One egg

1/2 small can of organic tomato sauce

Mix well and form into a loaf in a baking pan

Pour remainder of tomato sauce on top

Bake at 350 till done

I think it is worth mentioning that meatloaf isn't unhealthy.  What is unhealthy or healthy is the quality of ingredients we use and our eating habits.  Having a delicious meat dish made with ingredients that were humanely and environmentally raised a couple times a week is good for our bodies, as long as we are conscious of what we are eating and honoring the life that was given for us.  Eating meat and white carbs every day and eating portions too big for our bodies and needs is not healthy.  Balance is nature's most beautiful dance.  Balancing our meatloaf intake with fresh salads, whole grains, and an apple a day ensures our health and the health of our beloved Gaia.

Namaste

masala o masala

Masala is a mixture of spices in South Asian and Indian cuisines.  These perfect blends are regional and create much of the flavor of Indian dishes, which is my favorite kind of food.

I picked up the book Healing Spices, which I highly recommend, and copied down the recipes for some traditional masalas you can make at home...

Garam Masala (North India)

4 T coriander seeds

2 T cumin seeds

1 T caraway seeds

2 t brown cardamom seeds

1 3-inch cinnamon stick

1 whole nutmeg

1 t whole cloves

- roast the seeds (dry) and then grind all ingredients to a powder

Sambaar Masala (South India)

1 T coriander seeds

2 t cumin seeds

1 t brown mustard seeds

1 t black peppercorns

1/2 t fenugreek seeds

1/2 cinnamon stick

1 t turmeric

1/2 t ground asafoetida

6 dried red chiles stemmed and seeded

1 1/2 T urad dal (split white lentils)

1 T chana dal (split yellow peas)

roast the seeds.  Add the cinnamon, turmeric, and asafoetida to the roasting dish for one minute, then remove the dish to cool.  Add the chiles to the warm pan and roast for 3 minutes.  Remove to cool.  Add the lentils and peas to the pan and roast 3 to 4 minutes.  Remove.  Grind all ingredients to a powder.

Chaat Masala

2 T cumin seeds

1 T black peppercorns

2 t coriander seeds

1 t ajowan seeds

1 t aniseed

1/2 t dried mint

2 T black salt

1 T amchur

1 t ground ginger

1/2 t cayenne

pinch of asafoedida

roast the seeds then grind with mint to a fine powder.  Mix with the rest of the ingredients.

Panch Phoron (5 seeds)

2 T mustard seeds

2 T cumin seeds

2 T black cumin seeds

1 T fenugreek seeds

1 T fennel seeds

mix seeds together whole.  Add this blend to your cooking oil at the start of a dish (about 1/4 t)

These are healing spices and worth looking for and reading about!

the best lentil soup

3 tablespoons oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed to a paste

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup rye berries or barley

1/2 cup brown or green lentils

4 cups water

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

pinch of cayenne

1/2 cup drained cooked chik peas

Heat oil in the soup pot and add the onion.  Saute about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cilantro and fry for another 3 minutes. 

Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Cover and dimmer over low for 1 hour.  Add more water if needed.

The original recipe called for barley but all I had is rye and I'm really loving the rye berries lately!  I put them in the rice cooker and eat it like rice.

spicy meatballs in creamy yogurt sauce

Here is my second use of our delicious grass-fed beef:  Another one of the best meat dishes I've made or had!

1 lb grass-fed beef (or bison)

1 onion minced

2 cups fresh, finely chopped parsley

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon Baharat

pinch of cayenne

1 cup plain yogurt (I used home-made raw goat yogurt), salt and pepper

2 cloves raw garlic crushed to a paste

4 tablespoons EVOO

1 egg

Mix meat, egg, onion, parsley, cumin, salt, pepper, coriander, baharat, and cayenne in a bowl.  Shape into small meatballs and set aside.

Whisk the yogurt, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and garlic in another bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Heat oil in a skillet and cook meatballs.  Serve on a platter with the yogurt sauce poured over the top.

I would definitely double this recipe!

Aysh Al-Dal

Enjoy this Arabian rice.  I followed a traditional recipe but made it in the rice cooker and I think it was one of the best rice dishes I've made.

1/2 cup ghee

3 cups basmati

1 cup grown lentils soaked overnight

6 cups water

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

generous pinch of cardamom

generous pinch of cayenne

4 tablespoons of EVOO

2 onions thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon for garnish

Put all ingredients in rice cooker (except for EVOO, onion, and cinnamon) and cook according to rice cooker instructions (usually involves pushing a button).  Saute the onion in the oil until caramelized, then place onions on top of cooked rice and sprinkle with cinnamon.

dijon beef

I am a HUGE fan of the crock pot.  And it is definitely the best way to cook meats - especially cuts that are not naturally very tender.  Almost all cuts come out perfectly after a long, slow cooking.

I've been enjoying exploring ways to make our grass-fed beef on the farm for our community lunches.  I didn't eat meat for many years, and so most of my dishes are vegetarian and vegan.  I took out "The Ultimate Slow Cooker Cookbook" from the library to look over some beef recipes, as that is what we have available right now at the farm.  Grass-fed beef is superior to our common, store-bought corn and soy fed beef in many ways...

Grass-Fed Beef Is More Nutritious:  Most beef cows in America are raised for a short time on grass and then "finished" in confined feeding areas with a diet of grain that is unnatural to them, which boosts E. coli counts in their guts, and which encourages the spread of disease. Grass-fed beef cows eat grass their entire lives, as cows evolved to do. Because their lifecycle isn't accelerated with hormones, animals mature in the spring when forage is bursting with new growth, seeds and nutrients. Those nutrients end up in the meat and result in a healthy and delicious product.  Some research suggests grass-fed beef has more nutrients as a result -- as much as 10 times more beta-carotene, three times more Vitamin E and three-times more omega-3 fatty acids.

Grass-fed Beef Is More Humane:  Scientists haven't quantified the benefits of clean water, fresh air and freedom to roam in terms of human health, but it adds up to a happier, healthier herd. There is an old cowboy saying that we abide by at the Hearst Ranches: "go slow, get there faster." This means that if you don’t push cows too hard, but rather allow them to find their natural way at their natural pace you’ll be more successful. Forcing them to go your way and at your pace will sometimes cause fatigue for the cattle and always make more work for the cowboy, his horses and his dogs.

Grass-fed Beef Is More Tasty:  This is the way beef is supposed to taste. In the wine industry, the word terroir refers to the flavor imparted to the wine by the entirety of the property upon which the grapes are grown. Same goes for beef, which takes on distinct flavors based on the terrain, weather, soil and water. Our cattle literally eat the terroir, therefore, they are the ultimate expression of the terroir of our ranches.

Grass-fed Beef Is Less Wasteful:  It takes a lot of land to raise beef naturally. The vast grasslands of the Hearst ranches host an unusually complex mosaic of vegetation. By rotating the animals through various pastures through the seasons, we preserve native biodiversity, improve soil fertility and eliminate the waste-management issues associated with confined animal feedlots (a major source of water pollution at conventional farms).

For me, the most important thing is not to consume suffering.  On some level, we are all suffering and even vegetables have a spike in measurable distress when there is an intention to harm them.  But we can certainly make wise, humane, compassionate choices - to not eat meat at all or to eat meat from animals who have led natural, high-quality lives and have been cared for with love and positive, good intention.  I see the cows on our farm and how great they have it and am honored to be part of their life cycle.

So for my first meal, I made dijon beef.  It was probably the best meat dish I've ever made.

recipe:

A beef arm roast (or other cut of roast you have available)

1 package of mushrooms sliced (or more)

6 cloves garlic minced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

water

2 tablespoons tamari

2 cups plain yogurt (I used home-made raw goat yogurt)

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Put the roast in the crockpot before going to bed, covered completely with water and cook on low all night.  In the morning, add the garlic, vinegar, tamari, pepper, and mushrooms.

Allow to cook until lunch-time.  Then 30 minutes before serving, add the yogurt and dijon mustard.  Serve over rice or egg noodles.

(The roast should fall apart into a sort of shredded beef.)

Baharat

This seasoning is absolutely amazing.  I recently made a soup in the crockpot of just potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, fresh parsley, water, and Baharat, an Arabian Gulf spice mix.  It was divine.  I'm sure they sell a blend in the store but I had a lot of fun making my own jar of it after powdering the ingredients in a coffee grinder.

For about 2 cups (fits in a small pint-sized canning jar):

- 2 tablespoons ground dried limes (sumac may be substituted)

- 2 tablespoons ground black pepper

- 2 tablespoons ground cumin

- 2 teaspoons paprika

- 2 tablespoons ground coriander

- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

- 1 tablespoon curry powder

- 2 teaspoons ground ginger

- 2 teaspoons ground cloves

- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom

- 2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg

goat milk custard

And here is one from a dear Frog Belly Farm member...

CUSTARD RECIPE:

 

scald 2 1/2 cups goat milk while beating 6 farm fresh eggs.   Add the hot milk in thin stream (to not cook the eggs), mix in 1/2 cup maple syrup and 1 tsp vanilla.  Put in 6 custard cups set in a pan 1/2 filled with hot water, (or one large pan which takes longer to cook) sprinkle with fresh nutmeg if you like it, cook 315 degrees for 25 minutes.

 

 

Yogi Tea

This one is from my hermanita.  She found it in yoga journal...

Yogi tea, also called masala tea, is used to warm and stimulate digestion after a meal, as well as nourish the body, mind, and spirit. Yogi tea consists of four primary spices: cardamom, ginger, long pepper, and cinnamon. Cardamom and ginger are considered sattvic, believed to stimulate spiritual purity. They also help reduce mucus, calm the stomach, and eliminate toxins. Long pepper helps reduce pain and rejuvenates tissue. Cinnamon is similar to cardamom and is also good for the circulation and the heart.

Everyone seems to have a favorite yogi tea recipe, but here is a basic one to try:

Boil two quarts of water. Add one-half tablespoon long pepper, one heaping tablespoon cardamom seeds, six sticks of cinnamon, and four slices of fresh ginger root, peeled. Reduce the heat and let the spice mixture simmer for 30 minutes. Add one and one-half teaspoons black tea and then let steep for no longer than 10 minutes. Strain and add milk, honey, or maple syrup to taste.

ceremonial morning spiced eggs

Our brother, Charlie made these for us one morning and it is now my favorite way to eat eggs and one of my favorite meals...

Melt a generous amount of coconut oil or ghee in your pan

Beat your eggs with cinnamon and cumin (lots of each) and add to pan.

Stir in a generous amount of honey.

Cook on low (scrambled eggs) until just cooked.

Pray and enjoy...

 

The Arabian Nights Cookbook

This book is amazing.  Lita found it at the library.  Check it out!

The Arabian Nights Cookbook, by Habeeb Salloum

I don't use cook books or recommend them often, but this is a true gem!

Rica's Banana Bread (gluten free)

1 1/2 - 2 cups mashed ripe bananas

1/2 cup apple sauce

1/3 cup organic light oil (sunflower, canola...)

2 eggs beaten (or egg replacement)

2 cups buckwheat flour

1 vanilla bean (optional)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup coconut palm sugar (or other sweetener)

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

sprinkle of ground cloves

2 Tbsp poppy seeds

1/4 cup dried golden raisins, cranberries, or cherries

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix bananas, apple sauce, oils, eggs, and sweetener in a large bowl.  

In a separate bowl, combine other ingredients.  

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and pour batter into a greased loaf pan.  

Bake for 1 hour.

(You can experiment with using different flours and combinations of flours but I love buckwheat!  The color is beautiful and so rich and wholesome.)

Jafari's hella good fish taco sauce

Our brother, Jafari made this for us this past summer.  We made fresh grilled cod fish tacos with corn tortillas, sliced fresh cabbage, guacamole and salsa.  They were the best ever, followed by La Luz in Fort Collins.

- sour cream

- mayo

- lime

- fresh dill

- salt

- pepper

- cumin

- paprika

I rarely cook with set amounts because for me, preparing food is a combination of art, science, and prayer and depends so much on taste, timing, and the amount of love you put into your food.

xo!

Luna's rooted winter soup

This recipe was made in a pressure cooker and I don't have exact amounts of anything, but you can make it in a regular pot and cook it longer.  Three of each of the larger root vegetables and maybe more of the parsnips and blue potatoes.

beets

carrots

parsnips

sweet potato

white Japanese sweet potato

Peruvian blue potato

dried spinach leaves (or fresh spinach at the end)

basil

onion

leeks

miso

Parboil the root veggies to 40% cooked.  Peel the beets and potatoes.  Add all ingredients to an electric pressure cooker (except the miso) and cook for about 12 minutes or according to your pressure cooker directions.  Stir in a spoonful of miso into your bowl upon serving. 

Super nourishing and grounding!

Ashlita's perfect cookies

Seriously Perfect.

And to top it off, I have to mention how amazing maple syrup is.  It not only is the world's best tasting food ever, it is super charged with manganese, zinc, and potassium.   Zinc and manganese are important allies in the immune system. Many types of immune cells appear to depend upon zinc for optimal function. Particularly in children, researchers have studied the effects of zinc deficiency (and zinc supplementation) on their immune response and their number of white blood cells, including specific studies on T lymphocytes, macrophages, and B cells (all types of white blood cells important for immune defenses). In these studies, zinc deficiency has been shown to compromise numbers of white blood cell and immune response, while zinc supplementation has been shown to restore conditions to normal. In addition to the role played by zinc, the manganese in maple syrup is important since, as a component of the antioxidant SOD, it helps lessen inflammation, thus supporting healing. In addition, manganese may also act as an immunostimulant.  So that is enough incentive for me to eat as much as I can afford.  It takes 40 - 50 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup, so if you imagine the work and resources that go into it, you can understand why the real stuff is so expensive, and why it is so worth it.

2 cups ghee

1 cup maple syrup

4 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350.  Beat the ghee and maple syrup.  Stir the flour and salt together in a separate bowl.  Mix the flour mixture into the flour mixture.  Drop in little dough balls on a cookie sheet  and bake for 10 - 12 minutes.

Blessings for The Sacred Kitchen

An Ancient Hindu Blessing:

This ritual is One

The food is One

We who offer the food are One

The fire of hunger is also One

All action is One

We who understand this are One
 


From Father John Giuliani, The Benedictine Grange:

Bless our hearts
to hear in the breaking of bread
the song of the universe.  




From Danaan Parry, The Essene Book of Days:


The food upon my table
Shares its life with me
I ask that this life nourish me,
As I shall one day nourish the earth
With my body
And as I now nourish the earth
With my love.

Popcorn Series #2

It's a Wonderful Life:

- ghee

- maple syrup

- salt

- cinnamon

Melt the Ghee and stir in maple syrup.

Pour over popcorn and sprinkle with cinnamon and a little salt.

glory to the morning shake

Starting the day with a shake for breakfast makes me feel light and full of energy, and like I'm really taking care of my body.  I've been making one lately that is a glorious morning ceremony.  I know that protein powders aren't cheap, and if you don't care about the extra protein, then by all means omit it!  But if you don't have a lot of protein in your diet or you are doing a lot of physical labor (or muscle building exercise), it is worth it to invest in a good protein powder made from plant sources.

Here it is:

 - 1 banana (potassium, flavor, and texture)

- 3 brazil nuts (selenium content)

- bee pollen (helps with allergies and enhances the immune system)

- a 1 to 2 inch piece of fresh ginger (great for circulation.  In herbal medicine, ginger is regarded as an excellent carminative (a substance which promotes the elimination of intestinal gas) and intestinal spasmolytic (a substance which relaxes and soothes the intestinal tract). Modern scientific research has revealed that ginger possesses numerous therapeutic properties including antioxidant effects, an ability to inhibit the formation of inflammatory compounds, and direct anti-inflammatory effects.

- a 1 to 2 inch piece of fresh turmeric (anti-inflammatory)

- 1 scoop protein powder (RAW Protein by Garden of Life)

- 1 scoop fiber (organic Triple Fie by Renew Life)

- 1 tbsp chia seed

- 1 tsp spirulina

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- dash of cayenne

- agave syrup or honey

- 1 tbsp cacao powder
- about 1/2 cup water

- about 1 1/2 cups raw milk or a healthy milk alternative (which is not Silk soy milk.  They use GMO!)  I like So Delicious Unsweetened coconut milk.  

Wow, that seems like a lot.   But my body really seems to love it.

Egg-Drop Miso

The art of egg-drop soup seemed a mystery reserved for Asian restaurants, but it is really so easy!  Lita and I make miso soup at night often, and I like to combine the two...

Rica's Egg-Drop Miso

- 1 small sweet onion halved and sliced

- 1 Tbsp ghee

- 4 cups water

- a huge spoon of miso (to taste)

- 1 tbsp dulse flakes

- fresh ground pepper

- 1 head of bok choy chopped

- 2 eggs

Saute the onion in the ghee in a pot and add water when onion is translucent.  Add miso and bring to a boil then simmer, stirring often to dissolve the miso.  Add the bok choy and cook for maybe 5 minutes.  In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and slowly pour them into the simmering soup while stirring.  They make beautiful, delicate white threads.  Add pepper and the dulse and serve.  

Soup is so fun to make because you can add anything really.  I usually keep this one simple but sometimes I also like to add any combination of mushrooms, bean sprouts, sliced cabbage, seaweed, other greens, or tofu.
Leave out the eggs and it is vegan.

the ultimate chili

Rica's chili:

- 1 sweet onion chopped

- 1 red onion chopped

- 7 cloves garlic minced

- 6 tbsp ghee

- 3 stalks celery chopped

- 2 sweet potatoes diced

- 2 lbs of ground bison, or humanely raised, grass-fed beef from as local as possible

- 2 cups sweet corn

- 3 bell peppers of various colors

- 2 bay leaves

- 6 tsp chili powder

- 2 tsp cumin

- 1 tsp oregano

- pinch of cayenne

- 3 tsp salt

- fresh ground black pepper to taste

- 1 tsp hickory smoke seasoning

- 4 tsp cacao powder

- pinch of cinnamon

- 2 large (28 oz) cans fire roasted crushed tomatoes

- 2 cans diced tomatoes

- 1 cup dried beans of each type listed, soaked and cooked, or 2 cans each of garbanzo, black, and kidney beans

This makes a lot of chili - so it is great for parties, potlucks, or if you want to freeze some.

Start by sauteing the onions and garlic in the melted ghee in a really big pot.  Add the celery and potatoes.  In a separate pan, brown the meat and then add to the big pot.  Add the spices then the rest of the ingredients.  Cook over medium until all veggies are cooked to desired consistency.  Turn off the heat and serve when the beautiful people are ready.  I like to garnish with sour cream, chives, and cilantro.

Frog Belly Farm

My eating habits have followed a path of evolution that has led to a deep appreciation and respect for the small farm.  I want to share it with everyone I meet.  I want everyone to have the blessing of deeply healing, humanely raised, truly nourishing food.  The small scale, family farm is the healthiest way to eat, and the healthiest relationship to our food - local and organic and honored.  I feel truly a part the cycle of nature and life force.  How can we take nutrients from animal products produced in suffering and abuse?  We become what we eat, which is in that case, suffering.  And how can we absorb the nutrients from plant material that has been shipped all over the world in refrigeration; grown from genetically modified seeds and sprayed with chemicals, in soil treated with chemicals?  We can't.  I feel this urgency to share these simple, yet crucial bits of information with all of us who have so much choice in what we buy and consume.  I think there are so many people suffering, unaware.  But this is a time of awakening.

Lita and I are so unbelievably fortunate and blessed.  We both landed jobs on a beautiful, small, organic farm.  Frog Belly Farm  is producing for more than just their family - they offer CSA shares, though it is still follows the humane and local model of the family farm with only a handful of staff.  We couldn't have asked for the universe to steer us in a better direction.  The couple who own this wonderful place are peaceful and enlightened.  They weave a magic web of healing plants and animals that is held together with love, care, and patience.  The lovely apprentices and staff who work the gardens and tend the animals are seriously saving the world every day, as our comrade, Zach said so well over dinner the other night.

My Uncle Patrick left Connecticut with his family to live his own dream of the family farm in Vermont, and that dream also planted itself in my heart.  I watched him tend animals and plants as a beautiful guardian of Gaia and I have always wanted to do the same.  I am overflowing with gratitude to be part of this with Lita and to learn how to make our vision a reality.  We are always dreaming our vision awake.  So I wish beautiful dreams for every being.

Melanie recently posted a new section on the website about "how we grow."  I want to share it here because it is a great guidance on "how to eat."

Blessings to all Beings.

Love,

Rica

 

How We Grow…

We never use genetically modified (GMO) seed, feed or animals

We employ both organic and biodynamic methods, however we are not certified

We never use pesticides or herbicides of any sort

We never use any growth hormones

We use herbal remedies (tinctures, bach flower essences, and herbal preparations) in our animal care

We use organic kelp as free choice mineral for our animals

We know the story of the foods grown here and encourage those who are nourished by it to know them as well

We love what we do

We have a deep reverence for life and death (animal and plant)

We understand that all we harvest and eat is metabolized into everything we are

We understand that our bodies and spirits are a intricate culmination of the stories of all the plants and animals that live and die here

We celebrate the miraculousness of what this dear farm provides for your and our family

We are dedicated to sharing the story of agriculture

We are honored to provide vital, local food to our community

We are forever grateful to all things that make Frog Belly Farm sing

Raising food, being a part of the constant exchange between us and the plants, soils and animals is such an honor. We are interwoven in this circle of life. We eat these plants and animals, and this action creates our flesh, bones, bodies, and spirits. Out of great respect for all that is living we never bring anything GMO onto the farm, nor do we use any chemical pesticides. What we love to do is create all our farm inputs here, we use our cow, goat and chicken manure to create our luscious compost piles that we tend to with love and prayer so that it made feed the garden and give all those dear seed the foods they need to be who they are.

These plants, when harvested, give their dear lives to become food for our community, our animals and our soils. I love to think about how all the spirits of these dear plant and animal beings live their next lives as apart of our bodies- which inspires us to live well to continue the beautiful being-ness of all these plants and animals. It is the death of all these things that give us and all our loved ones life. How incredibly outstandingly miraculous it all is. When we do need inputs from outside the farm we source certified organic as much as possible and if for some reason we can not find certified organic we then find a small local producer who can certify that he grew his crops without the use of pesticides and herbicides or GMO's (often these small producers don't have the $ to get certification)

Working with all these animals and plants brings with it such reverence for life. To honor that we hold celebrations at the Solstices (December 21st and June 21st), the equinoxes (March 21st and September 21st) and the four midway points in between (Imbolc February 1st, Beltaine May 1st, Lughnasadh August 1st, and Samhain October 31st)

Imbolc - A celebration of Growing and renewal, and prayers for all the animals who are soon to give birth and seeds soon to sprout

Spring Equinox- A time when the light and dark are in balance brings a celebration of Spring and New Life

Beltaine- A celebration of the Fertility of the farm in the gardens, animals...

Summer Solstice- When the daylight is the longest and the Sun will begin waning from this day on, here we celebrate the sun.

Lughnasadh- This is a time to celebrate the marriage of the sun and the earth and to celebrate the harvest to come

Fall Equinox- A time to celebrate the bounty of harvest and again the light and dark are in balance

Samhain- A time when the milking begins to wain and we celebrate all our ancestors and pray for the life ahead

Winter Solstice- this is a time of death and rebirth of the sun, we celebrate the darkest night of the year with light.

We live daily with life and death, this brings with it so much grief and awe, but these emotions are felt by all of us who tend to this farm. I truly believe that since in all the deaths and births this grief and delightedness are felt it makes for more vital foods, the story of the plants and animals are known and shared. Because we are a small farm we walk through all of it sometimes with sadness and tears and sometimes with smiles and excited-ness, in this energetic exchange we give these plants and animals lots of love, intention, time, and in turn they give us their lives so that we may be nourished well. Bless this dear farm in all its magnificence small and large- from seed to sunshine to love to dirt to growth to hands to feet to bees to the moon and to all that lives and dies.