Amaranth

Naomi made some delicious granola that I tried during my visit. She told me about amaranth, a grain she put into the granola. I was instantly attracted to it not only because it was in her amazing granola, but because I've been looking for new and exciting ingredients to add to my no-added sugar diet (more on that to come)!

Actually, the real reason I was so interested in this was because Naomi told me that if it is put into a hot pan with a bit of oil, it will pop just like popcorn! I just had to see this, so I bought some at Whole Foods this week and tried it myself:

amaranth grains

tiny little bundles of joy

about half of the grains popped, and the texture definitely changed!

Not only is this grain a source of cheap entertainment, it is gluten-free, very high in protein, high in lysine and high in iron. It has been around for over 8,000 years and was used by the Aztecs as a regular part of their diet.

Buying laundry detergent at the King of Prussia Mall: classy.

Introducing...

SOAP NUTS!

Last fall I discovered a phenomenon called Soap Nuts at the Ten Thousand Villages store in Ephrata. It might be hard to guess, but they are actually nuts with the properties of soap.

I have to admit I was a bit skeptical, but I happened to have Lorien along who had used them before and she had nothing but good words to report.

Soap nuts come from the fruit of the Chinese Soapberry Tree (Sapindus mukorossi), found in Asia, and have been used for thousands of years.

Not only are soap nuts used for their cleansing properties, they have also been known in India to treat eczema, psoriasis, freckle removal, and even to get rid of lice! They are odorless, biodegradable, and great if you have sensitive skin.

I bought just a handful from a store in Mount Joy to try them out, and at the register discovered them to be incredibly over-priced. However, the results were fabulous... they left my clothes bright and cheery clean, odorless, and quite soft!

So today I bought a 1 lb. bag at the Ten Thousand Villages Store (which sells fair-trade products from around the world) in the KOP Mall. For one load of laundry, just put 5 or six nuts into a muslin bag (included) and throw it in the washer. The nuts can be reused 4 or 5 times.

500 gram bag from Ten Thousand Villages - $14

De-seeded mukorossi soapnuts, from Nepal

The nuts can also be soaked in warm water to make a liquid soap to be used as a body wash or as a cleaning product!

See this website for tips on purchasing soapnuts.

Click here to watch a video of the harvesting process.

Manifesto: Mad Farmer Liberation Front ~ by Wendell Berry

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.

Not even your future will be a mystery

any more. Your mind will be punched in a card

and shut away in a little drawer.

When they want you to buy something

they will call you. When they want you

to die for profit they will let you know.

So, friends, every day do something
that won't compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.

Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.
Listen to carrion - put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn't go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

Revisiting Charlestown Farm

On my way to housesitting in Villanova, I stopped in Phoenixville to spend some time with my friends Jenny and Naomi, who are interns at Charlestown Farm. See my post from my first visit in April! So good to see these ladies.

After eating lunch I spent some time helping Naomi peel garlic:

We spent most of the afternoon weeding:

Jenny and I weeding among flowers

Jess and Leslie

Check out the Cob Oven that this place has! I am hoping to stop by on the way back home in a little over a week to make pizza in this thing with the girls! The dome-shaped oven is made from a mixture of sand, straw, and soil. Inside, a wood fire is made and the coals are pushed aside to make room for bread or whatever is baking. I'm fascinated by this, and wish I had a permanent home that I could build one of these!

grapes growing green

Blueberries were just about over, but I still found some. Small, but delicious!

cherry berry

Naomi bringing home some leftover flowers

The next day, I slept in an hour or two :) and arrived just as Jenny and Hana were finishing up harvesting carrots. The morning was spent harvesting vegetables and preparing for the members to come in the afternoon to pick up their shares.

Jenny and Hana bringing in just-picked carrots!

The carrots were arranged into bunches as they were picked

and then I washed them

while Naomi washed and counted the cucumbers we all had just gathered

and the tomatoes sat and waited to be picked up by members. They did a great job, I must say.

Sunflowers ready and showing off beautiful Charlestown Farm!

Cherry Pie!

With the help of some friends, I made my first cherry pie yesterday... straight from the Mennonite Community Cookbook (thanks to Matt Keiser for finding this for me in a small bookshop in Honduras)! I think the only other pie I've ever made was an apple pie with Matt, out of this same book, and that was quite an experience.

Also thanks to my cousin Joella, who picked and pitted too many cherries on Friday and gave a ton to me!

Cherry Pie

2 1/2 cups sour cherries

1/3 cup cherry juice

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons minute tapioca

1 tablespoon butter

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

Pastry for 2 (9 in) crusts

Combine cherries, juice, sugars, flavoring and tapioca.

Let stand for 15 minutes.

Pour into pastry-lined pie plate. Dot with butter.

Place crust or strips on top as preferred.

Bake at 425° for 10 minutes, then at 375° for 30 minutes.