Imagine a World
Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle are wonderful books. I highly recommend them. I especially like reading them outside, when I can. Grab a moment today, take a step outside (regardless of the weather), and take a deep, long, cleansing breath. Let it out slowly. If it's sunny, be thankful for the warmth of its rays. If it's raining/snowing, be thankful that the ground is being prepared for new life this spring.
Enjoy the rest of your week...
Showing posts with label Nature Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nature Books. Show all posts
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Blessed Earth and Vegetable Barley Soup
One of the books I am currently reading is Go Green, Save Green: A Simple Guide to Saving Time, Money, and God's Green Earth. Nancy Sleeth has written an excellent biblically-based book of tips on how to live an environmentally friendly life and save money. In writing this book, she follows in the footsteps of Dr. J. Matthew Sleeth, her husband, and Emma Sleeth, her daughter, who have each written books about how and why we should be and can be taking better care of this place we call home. The Sleeth family is an incredible inspiration in many ways. Rather than repeat their story here, I encourage you to learn about them and their mission by visiting their website Blessed Earth, which I have added to the links section on the left, and/or reading any of their books.
Several years ago, Guidepost Magazine printed this recipe from Nancy Sleeth. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. It's wonderful in that it can change with the seasons, depending on what produce is available. We've actually replaced the barley (which can get a bit gummy) with Quinoa, to add more protein as we move to a more vegetarian diet. We've also used about a cup of lentils instead of kidney beans.
Vegetable Barley Soup
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 cup uncooked barley
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups diced tomatoes or 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 (15 ounce) can dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 bay leaves
3 tablespoons Italian seasonings
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fresh or frozen vegetables (peas, corn, string beans, squash)
Salt
Pepper
1. Heat broth in a large pot. Add barley, onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, beans, bay leaves, seasonings, garlic. Bring to boil; cover and simmer for 90 minutes.
2. Add additional fresh or frozen veggies; cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes:
Several years ago, Guidepost Magazine printed this recipe from Nancy Sleeth. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. It's wonderful in that it can change with the seasons, depending on what produce is available. We've actually replaced the barley (which can get a bit gummy) with Quinoa, to add more protein as we move to a more vegetarian diet. We've also used about a cup of lentils instead of kidney beans.
Vegetable Barley Soup
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 cup uncooked barley
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups diced tomatoes or 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 (15 ounce) can dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 bay leaves
3 tablespoons Italian seasonings
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fresh or frozen vegetables (peas, corn, string beans, squash)
Salt
Pepper
1. Heat broth in a large pot. Add barley, onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, beans, bay leaves, seasonings, garlic. Bring to boil; cover and simmer for 90 minutes.
2. Add additional fresh or frozen veggies; cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes:
- Experiment with different vegetables.
- Double everything if you’re expecting a large crowd.
- Add 1–2 cups cooked chicken for a non-vegetarian dish.
- Freezes well.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
The Nature Principle
I'm looking forward to reading Richard Louv's newest book, The Nature Principle! I enjoyed Last Child in the Woods where he coined the term "Nature Deficit Disorder". This time he is writing about the importance of nature to adults. A couple of years ago I was fortunate enough to hear him speak at a commencement ceremony. I could have listened to him for much more time than he was given. If you have a chance to read any of his writing, I highly recommend it.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Spring Garden
“For a while every season, I do try to keep the whole thing under some semblance of control, pulling the weeds, clipping back the squash so that the chard might breathe, untangling the bean vines before they choke their frailer neighbors. But by the end of August I usually give it up, let the garden go its own way while I simply try to keep up with the abundance of the late-summer harvest. By this point what’s going on in the garden is no longer my doing, even if it was I who got the whole thing rolling back in May. As much as I love the firm grasp and cerebral order of spring, there’s a ripe, almost sensual pleasure in its August abandonment, too.”
Excerpt from The Botany of Desire, by Michael Pollan
I love this passage for many reasons, but mainly because it amazingly describes my garden. It’s nice to know that my garden isn’t alone in its spring order and autumn chaos. We finally had the opportunity to work on our garden this spring. My wonderful husband tilled, while I worked ahead to pull some of the bigger weeds and then behind to even out the soil. I love working with the freshly tilled soil. Our land is mostly (if not all) clay, so every time we decide to add a section of garden, plant or tree, we basically have to mix our own soil: sand, top soil, peat, compost, etc. I also appreciate my husband’s willingness and sense of urgency in getting it done in time to have a productive garden. Of course, he also loves to quote the book of Genesis ("cursed is the ground for thy sake") while he recovers from the hard work involved.
Since the garden was ready and the weather cooperative, I made a trek to a local farmer’s market to purchase seedlings and I spent the afternoon planting. I look forward to tending to our garden, watching it grow, and (at least partially) living off the summer and fall harvests: cherry tomato snack bowls (we have 3 varieties), fresh salsa, green beans, cucumbers, peppers (4 varieties)… I’m also anticipating the annual challenge of finding something new to do with the ever abundant zucchini and squash. I look forward to sharing any recipes I find with those of you who are facing the same challenge.
For now I’ll admire the order and simplicity of our garden while I can for this, like all things, will soon pass.
Excerpt from The Botany of Desire, by Michael Pollan
I love this passage for many reasons, but mainly because it amazingly describes my garden. It’s nice to know that my garden isn’t alone in its spring order and autumn chaos. We finally had the opportunity to work on our garden this spring. My wonderful husband tilled, while I worked ahead to pull some of the bigger weeds and then behind to even out the soil. I love working with the freshly tilled soil. Our land is mostly (if not all) clay, so every time we decide to add a section of garden, plant or tree, we basically have to mix our own soil: sand, top soil, peat, compost, etc. I also appreciate my husband’s willingness and sense of urgency in getting it done in time to have a productive garden. Of course, he also loves to quote the book of Genesis ("cursed is the ground for thy sake") while he recovers from the hard work involved.
Since the garden was ready and the weather cooperative, I made a trek to a local farmer’s market to purchase seedlings and I spent the afternoon planting. I look forward to tending to our garden, watching it grow, and (at least partially) living off the summer and fall harvests: cherry tomato snack bowls (we have 3 varieties), fresh salsa, green beans, cucumbers, peppers (4 varieties)… I’m also anticipating the annual challenge of finding something new to do with the ever abundant zucchini and squash. I look forward to sharing any recipes I find with those of you who are facing the same challenge.
For now I’ll admire the order and simplicity of our garden while I can for this, like all things, will soon pass.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Happy Earth Day!
I hope that you are all able to find a way to celebrate our planet and the many gifts it provides. In honor of Earth Day, here is a list of inexpensive, easy things you can do to enjoy our planet and maybe give back while you're at it.
Just remember: "Take only pictures, leave only footprints"
*I also highly recommend The 11th Hour and An Inconvient Truth, but I was going for more upbeat activities in the spirit of celebrating.
Book List
- Take a hike and enjoy the beauty of nature. Be sure to take a trash bag with you to pick up any litter you find along the way. We go on "Rainbow Walks" to look at all the incredible colors surrounding us.
- Go canoeing, kayaking, or rowboating - it's peaceful and doesn't polute
- Go camping
- Find a place outside to enjoy a good book (anything will do but I've listed some related ideas below)
- Go on a picnic
- Visit a local garden/arboretum
- Plant a tree
- Start/work on your garden
- Learn about ways to calculate, reduce, and/or offset your carbon footprint
- Attend an Earth Day event
- Learn and practice the principles of Leave No Trace
- Watch Planet Earth or Blue Planet*
- Go see Disneynature's premier release: Earth
Just remember: "Take only pictures, leave only footprints"
*I also highly recommend The 11th Hour and An Inconvient Truth, but I was going for more upbeat activities in the spirit of celebrating.
Book List
- 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth by The Earth Works Group
- 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth by The Earth Works Group
- Serve God Save the Planet by J. Matthew Sleeth, MD
- It's Easy Being Green by Emma Sleeth
- Saving God's Green Earth by Tri Robinson with Jason Chatraw
- Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Refried Beans
I'm currently reading In Defense of Food: An Eater's Mainfesto by Michael Pollan, in which he states "Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants." It is the third book of his that I have started to read. My problem is that I have been so busy lately that I get about 30 pages into one of his books and then I have to return it to the library. I can't renew it because there's a wait list for it. So far I'm doing much better with this one as I'm on page 69. We'll see how it goes. I'm dangerously close to just ordering them from Amazon so that I can read them at a pace that I have time for.
Michael Pollan is a Professor of Journalism at Berkeley and has written several books about food. His books are easy to read and full of interesting information. I recently read that someone took a class that included one of Mr. Pollan's books on the reading list and it was the most entertaining book they had to read that semester.
Anyway, we hear all the time how we need to eat more whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Actually, Mr. Pollan would point out that we tend to translate this into the idea of eating more. What we really need to do is replace some of the non-whole grains, fruits, and vegetables in our diets with whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, thereby changing the ratio of the types of foods we eat. This has me finally (again) trying to accomplish this feat. Therefore, tonight's dinner was burritos made with homemade refried beans and brown rice. As you sit there potentially thinking I have too much time on my hands if I'm making homemade refried beans, I am going to show you how simple it actually is and the taste is SO much better than what you'll get from a can. I found this recipe in Huntly Dent's The Feast of Santa Fe. I love this cookbook! It not only has wonderful, authentic Southwestern recipes, but he does a lot of teaching about the hows and whys of cooking Southwestern-style foods (a major ingredient in an awesome cookbook - pun intended).
Refried Beans in Butter
3 cups cooked black kidney, or pinto beans, plus cooking liquid (a 27-ounce can, approximately)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Wedges of lime for garnish
Drain the cooked beans and reserve the liquid. Combine the onion, garlic, butter and seasonings in a 10-inch skillet, stir over medium heat, and cover to allow the onion to wilt, about 5 minutes over low heat. Uncover, turn heat up to medium, and add the beans. Using a large slotted spoon, roughly mash the beans as you are heating them. but not to the point that the beans lose all their shape. Thin out of necessary with some of the reserved liquid. Serve garnished with wedges of lime to squeeze on as the guests are served.
If you don't want to mash the beans yourself, you can also put half at a time into a food processor and pulse to the desired consistency.
Personal Notes:
A series on potatoes (requested by my sister, who I'm sure is through her bag of potatoes by now - sorry!)
Treats for our K9 family members
Michael Pollan is a Professor of Journalism at Berkeley and has written several books about food. His books are easy to read and full of interesting information. I recently read that someone took a class that included one of Mr. Pollan's books on the reading list and it was the most entertaining book they had to read that semester.
Anyway, we hear all the time how we need to eat more whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Actually, Mr. Pollan would point out that we tend to translate this into the idea of eating more. What we really need to do is replace some of the non-whole grains, fruits, and vegetables in our diets with whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, thereby changing the ratio of the types of foods we eat. This has me finally (again) trying to accomplish this feat. Therefore, tonight's dinner was burritos made with homemade refried beans and brown rice. As you sit there potentially thinking I have too much time on my hands if I'm making homemade refried beans, I am going to show you how simple it actually is and the taste is SO much better than what you'll get from a can. I found this recipe in Huntly Dent's The Feast of Santa Fe. I love this cookbook! It not only has wonderful, authentic Southwestern recipes, but he does a lot of teaching about the hows and whys of cooking Southwestern-style foods (a major ingredient in an awesome cookbook - pun intended).
Refried Beans in Butter
3 cups cooked black kidney, or pinto beans, plus cooking liquid (a 27-ounce can, approximately)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Wedges of lime for garnish
Drain the cooked beans and reserve the liquid. Combine the onion, garlic, butter and seasonings in a 10-inch skillet, stir over medium heat, and cover to allow the onion to wilt, about 5 minutes over low heat. Uncover, turn heat up to medium, and add the beans. Using a large slotted spoon, roughly mash the beans as you are heating them. but not to the point that the beans lose all their shape. Thin out of necessary with some of the reserved liquid. Serve garnished with wedges of lime to squeeze on as the guests are served.
If you don't want to mash the beans yourself, you can also put half at a time into a food processor and pulse to the desired consistency.
Personal Notes:
- I have used canned black beans or pinto beans as well as dried beans that I soaked and cooked myself (the crockpot is wonderful for this).
- The amount of cayenne listed makes for quite the spicy dish. I use about 1/4 of what is called for (i.e. 1/8 tsp)
A series on potatoes (requested by my sister, who I'm sure is through her bag of potatoes by now - sorry!)
Treats for our K9 family members
Monday, November 17, 2008
The Wild Trees by Richard Preston
I just finished reading The Wild Trees by Richard Preston. Preston is an excellent author of non-fiction books (The Hot Zone and The Demon in the Freezer). He is able to write about history and science in a way that is entertaining and makes you want to keep reading.
The Wild Trees is about a group of "botanists and naturalists that found a lost world above California" in the canopy of the redwoods. Preston writes about how and why these individuals started climbing the redwoods and what they found in the canopy. We often hear about the abundance of life in the oceans and how our activities effect that life. What was not known until recently was how abundant life is in the canopy of an ancient forest. Researchers are consistently documenting new species or finding lifeforms 300 feet above ground that they didn't know could survive that high in a tree. The trees are so large that in areas where the trunk has split to form two or more trunks, there is enough space for fern gardens and huckleberry bushes to grow.
Through interviews and time spent climbing with the subjects of his book, Preston is able to tell the story of their individual lives and relationships, their search for the tallest tree on Earth, and their research documenting a newly discovered part of our ecosystem. These researchers literally risk life and limb in an effort to document and help save this environment. I recently compared this to storm research and tornado chasing only with trees and climbing instead.
As exciting as many of the accounts in his book are, I have to say that one of my favorite chapters is about how his personal climbing and research for this book inspired his children to climb with him. He tells about camping in the trees with his son and how his son was visited by flying tree squirrels. Also, one of his daughters became the youngest certified tree climber in the sport. He also involved his wife, parents, brothers, and their families.
For more information about The Wild Trees, visit http://www.richardpreston.net/books/wt.html.
The Wild Trees is about a group of "botanists and naturalists that found a lost world above California" in the canopy of the redwoods. Preston writes about how and why these individuals started climbing the redwoods and what they found in the canopy. We often hear about the abundance of life in the oceans and how our activities effect that life. What was not known until recently was how abundant life is in the canopy of an ancient forest. Researchers are consistently documenting new species or finding lifeforms 300 feet above ground that they didn't know could survive that high in a tree. The trees are so large that in areas where the trunk has split to form two or more trunks, there is enough space for fern gardens and huckleberry bushes to grow.
Through interviews and time spent climbing with the subjects of his book, Preston is able to tell the story of their individual lives and relationships, their search for the tallest tree on Earth, and their research documenting a newly discovered part of our ecosystem. These researchers literally risk life and limb in an effort to document and help save this environment. I recently compared this to storm research and tornado chasing only with trees and climbing instead.
As exciting as many of the accounts in his book are, I have to say that one of my favorite chapters is about how his personal climbing and research for this book inspired his children to climb with him. He tells about camping in the trees with his son and how his son was visited by flying tree squirrels. Also, one of his daughters became the youngest certified tree climber in the sport. He also involved his wife, parents, brothers, and their families.
For more information about The Wild Trees, visit http://www.richardpreston.net/books/wt.html.
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