Twofer: Lazy Pakoras Light/ Carrot Mushroom Veggie Burgers

One of the most popular recipes on my blog is the one for Lazy Pakoras. I still regularly make these myself because they are so versatile and great to get protein into our diet.  I'm now a caregiver for my mom who has Parkinson's and that means getting healthy meals on the table 7 days a week, whether I feel like it or not.  I'm sure any of you in the same situation or cooking for a family can relate.  When I go to the fridge and don't see anything for dinner except a few carrots, straggly mushrooms, an end of green pepper, half an onion and a few cloves of garlic I don't wilt to the floor in despair because I know with the besan (chickpea) flour I always try to keep on hand I can make a tasty meal  -- acceptable to my rather picky omnivore mom -- that will also be healthy and moderate in calories.  And all in about 20 minutes or less, using my mini food processor.

I've made some modifications to the recipe over the years that I think improve it. I have reduced the oil to 2 teaspoons for a pan of 6 or 7 pakoras.  I have thinned the batter so it stays light and is crispier in texture. I found that if the water was too warm the chickpea flour would begin to cook and thicken too much and then the pakoras would be doughier in the centre and take longer to cook through. And I don't think they tasted as nice.

Finally, I now make veggie burgers with this dough. I just drop a few tablespoons into a rounded shape to get the size I like.  I serve them on Udi's whole grain bagels, split in two and toasted, with classic burger fixings.  You need to control the heat by reducing it to medium or lower so you can cook the burgers for a few minutes per side. They should be just a bit moist in the centre and well browned on two sides. These work especially well if you use about 4 medium cremini mushrooms as part of your veggies.  Finally, you may need to adjust the amount of chickpea flour depending on the kind that you buy.  It varies just like any flour does. Just start with the recipe amount and add more flour or more water as necessary.  If you make them a few times, you'll be able to tell how you like them best.

Here's the recipe:

Lazy Pakoras / Carrot Mushroom Veggie Burgers

Put into a bowl and mix together with a fork to blend:

1 and 1/2 cups chickpea flour (for a consistency that is like medium thick pancake batter)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp cayenne (optional) or a few grindings of black pepper if you prefer OR add 1/3 of a jalapeno pepper to the veggies

 Stir in until uniformly moistened and it looks like pancake batter:

1 cup warm (not hot) water

In a food processor mince:

1/2 small onion
3-4 cloves garlic
1 medium carrot peeled and cut in small chunks
4 medium cremini mushrooms
1/4 average green pepper, chunked
1/3 Jalapeno or other pepper to taste (and omit cayenne) - optional

You'll need to do the veggies in batches if you have a small mini-processor like mine but it goes very quickly.  Stir in the veggies with a fork and make sure they are uniformly blended.

Into a well-seasoned cast iron frying pan put two teaspoons of oil to heat. Drop the pakoras from a tablespoon around the pan. Watch them and turn them over when you see little bubbles like pancakes, usually about a minute at high heat. Turn them over, reduce the heat and cook just until browned on the second side. You can cut one in two, or taste it, to see if it's done until you get used to this. You want the pakoras to be light and slightly crispy rather than heavy. They are really the texture of small pancakes this way. If you aren't worried about fat you can add 1 teaspoon more of oil to the pan when you turn them and this will make them crispier. (See the method here.)

The 6 or 7 pakoras come in at a very reasonable 107 calories (approximately). With the two teaspoons of oil they are about 167 calories. This makes one nice serving, with the addition of oven-fried french fries or a baked potato and a steamed vegetable. We always eat ours topped with a ribbon of ketchup, but chutney would be lovely.

Gardens of Kyoto Website

Ryoanji Zen Garden by Cquest at Wikipedia

If you love gardens, or have a yen to visit Japan,  want to imagine yourself walking on the polished wood and tatami of great temples,  or rest yourself by viewing zen rock and sand gardens, ramble over to the Kyoto Gardens website for a spectacular interactive tour.

And if you have actually visited Japan, or even better lived there, and want a gasp-inspiring plunge back into the environment, enriched as it will be by remembered sounds and smells, then try this. I  guarantee simultaneous homesickness and homesickness relief.

Spiced Buckwheat Cornmeal Pancakes (Vegan and Gluten-free)

Here, a recipe for lacy, tasty buckwheat, cornmeal, and brown rice pancakes with a Raspberry-Blueberry topping just in time for a lazy Sunday St. Patrick's Day breakfast.

These have a nice crisp edge to them but are a bit fragile, so carefully lift them out of the pan, onto your plate, and into your mouth just as fast as you dare.

I used Speerville Mills (a local brand) organic coarsely ground cornmeal and brown rice flour and a generic darkish buckwhat flour, but use what you can get.  No eggs in this and they taste just fine!

Top o' the morning to you!


Spiced Buckwheat and Cornmeal Pancakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp guar gum (optional)
good dash of ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg
1/8 cup sultana raisins
1/8 cup currants
egg replacer to replace 2 eggs (my formula was 2 TB egg replacer and 8 Tb water, mixed)
1-3 Tb vegetable oil (I used 1)
1 and 1/2 cups almond milk (adjust to make a batter which is not too thick or thin)
extra vegetable oil for the pan

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, the oil and wet ingredients in another and then pour the wet into the dry and mix with a fork until well blended. Add more almond milk to get a nice fluid but not runny batter.

Fry in a small amount of vegetable oil, turning when you see bubbles. Cook just a few moments on the second side. Try to make these no larger than 3-5 inches in diameter to make them easier to turn.

Put onto a plate and top with the Raspberry-Blueberry Sauce.

Raspberry-Blueberry Sauce

500 grams frozen (organic) raspberries (just over 16 oz,the size of an average package)
1/4 cup sugar (or to taste)
1 cup water
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 Tb cornstarch dissolved in a few Tb of water 

Put the frozen raspberries in a saucepan with the water and sugar and cook, stirring until it becomes a thin sauce. Add the tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in a few tablespoons of water and cook for a few minutes, stirring until thickened. If you need to, at any time adjust the amount of water to get the thickness you like. Add the blueberries, still frozen, and stir them into the sauce. Cover the pan, remove it from the heat and allow the blueberries to thaw through and heat, but not break down. You will have a delicious little explosion of flavour  in your mouth when you bite into them. This sauce is not too sweet; it has a slightly tart flavour, so if you like you could add a few more spoons of sugar.

DIY Chaga Whiskey, Anyone?

Chaga (Inonotus Obliquus)

photo by Tomas Čekanavičius at Wikipedia

Any fungi gatherers or would-be fungi geeks might like this wonderful video by sylvi of pineaway about gathering chaga (Inonotus Obliquus) and using it to make a flavoured whisky.

I haven't tried foraging chaga or any mushroom yet but I plan to get a book and maybe some local expert to help me start.  Sylvi just looks so darn beatific in her video that I'm inspired.

And then there was that episode of Pitchin' In with chef Lynn Crawford hanging off the side of a cliff in Oregon with a hippie mushroom guru and the two of them slurping lobster mushrooms they had cooked right out of old beer cans.

I'm not really much of believer in new-age concoctions and you won't find me buying all those pricy nutriceuticals at the health food store, but I like to think I have an open mind when I come across something that works. Last spring I did some volunteer cooking for the Permaculture course held at the Blockhouse School and one day after sweating over the stove and serving for many hours I felt particularly tired and a bit sick.  I was given a cup of mushroom drink by one of the young participants and within five minutes I felt well and my energy had returned. There was no sugar or alcohol in it so I concluded that it might be the mushrooms.  This sparked my interest to find out more about them.

Fungi are fascinating not just because of their delicious taste and healthful properties but for their ability to interact with trees and other plants in underground networks that exchange nutrients and make our forests and gardens healthy.

This year I want to start growing some mushrooms. The thought of homegrown shitake in miso soups, ragouts and pilafs makes me feel a bit faint with excitement. Discovering some local morels would be like finding Shangri-la.  And if I could grow cremini or chestnut mushrooms for Lazy Pakoras and Carrot Mushroom Veggie Burgers (recipe coming soon), well!  Yes, I am just that food geeky.

Thanks, Sylvi, for this great how-to done with charm and style.

My Favourite Love Film

If you're looking for a story that's heart-breaking and beautiful,  and one that - thankfully - centers on a heroine over 70, you don't have to look much further than Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont.

The wonderful Rupert Friend (Ludovic) sings For All We Know for his substitute grandmother and soul friend, Mrs. Palfrey (Joan Plowright), and time stops while he sings.  There are tears in Joan's eyes that I'd wager are not just glycerine, and there are tears in the eyes of all of us old enough to know just what it means to treasure every moment we have with those we love.

Love is, after all, much more than romance, and though that is joyfully depicted in this film too, the tender moments between Mrs. Palfrey and Ludovic are really the reason to watch this sensitive film, or re-watch it at Valentine's.

And the cast of seasoned, funny, wonderful English actors. This film is dedicated "To our mothers and grandmothers" and all I can say is hallelujah and thanks.

Based on a novel by the English writer Elizabeth Taylor.

Biography here.

Ludovic sings to Mrs. Plowright :  For All We Know

Review: Kyoto Machiya Restaurant Guide

Cover Illustration by Clifton Karhu

Kyoto is a beautiful city, full of history and spirit. I spent just one memorable weekend there during my stay in Japan, a week-end at the New Year.  Though it was spiritually renewing -- I walked the Philosopher’s Way through peaceful woods beside a small stream and breathed fresh air as I gazed down on the shrines and city from above -- it was also a hungry one.  Because it was the holiday we couldn't find much open and had to subsist mainly on snack foods from little groceries.  How I then would have loved to have The Kyoto Machiya Restaurant Guide with its listings, all conveniently in English, of dozens of restaurants, housed in the attractive old townhouses known as machiya. With telephone numbers and Japanese addresses included and a Japanese-speaking friend along, I'm sure we could have found more places to try and ended up a bit more well fed and content.

  The Philosopher's Walk

© 2003 David Monniaux: Wikipedia

In fact, this book was the kind I eagerly sought while in Japan, and found all too rarely, a book for English readers living in country.  It takes many years to become fluent in reading Japanese, so this kind of book by someone with an intimate knowledge of the country is prized.  Judith Clancy has done a great job of making her expertise available to the visitor to Kyoto with this travel guide, in a small edition to fit easily into a bag or backpack.

The most practical thing about this book is the Index by Cuisine at the back that categorizes restaurants by type of foods.  This is great for planning meals ahead. I only wish she had included Vegetarian Friendly as one of the headings, as this would make the daunting task of eating out in Japan for vegetarians a bit easier. Kaiseki ryori sometimes has vegetarian dishes and it should also be a popular choice for overseas visitors since it is a speciality of Kyoto (and Japan), but it also is not marked out, being bundled under the category of Japanese.  If one has time to go through all the listings under this category and read about the restaurants, there are some included, but many people are looking for on-the-fly convenience in a guide book.

Visitors from abroad may be surprised at the range of foods available.  Those living there know that the Japanese do a great job at Italian and French foods and these are also among the most popular for locals. Foods such as ramen, udon, and soba bowls are ubiquitous all over Japan, much-loved for quick lunches.  Most mid-priced restaurants have lunch specials called "Set" (Seto)  meals, usually miso soup, a bit of salad and or pickles, a bowl of hot rice and an entree, or a plate of something like curry or spaghetti, and green tea.  These can be good, economical choices.

All the photos in the guide are in black and white. The photos of The Beauty of Machiya by Ben Simmons don't suffer from this, as it lends mood and texture to the lovely interiors, but the small photos of the restaurants included with each entry are a bit blurry, dark and similar and I feel that for those unfamiliar with Japan, they will be not much use in identifying the places people are searching for. I know colour shots add to the price of the book but I wonder if there could have been a better solution?  Perhaps there could be included a login for a website with colour pictures -- and even a Kyoto Restaurant Guide App.

Stone Bridge press has put up a Pinterest collection of photos of Kyoto Machiya that includes some of the restaurants, with lots of beautiful shots of architectural details of the houses but far better for the book's use as a guide would be a comprehensive restaurant index mirroring that in the book.

I noticed that the maps were all in English/romaji.  Though it is very useful to have the street names, it would be even better if they were paired with the Japanese kanji, though I confess I don't remember if the street signs in Kyoto feature romaji (English letters) signs now.  If so, this would not be a problem.

For architecture buffs there is plenty of description of the highlights of each building with historical details, an informative essay on Machiya culture, and that beautiful mood-setting photo essay by Ben Simmons.  Although I doubt that I will get to return to Japan in the near future, I enjoyed reading the book for its ability to carry me back to sights dear to me in memory.  I thank Judith for all the work she put into making this so.  May there be many more such books to bring a bit of ease and delight to the English-speaking traveller in Japan.

The Japanese government might want to take note to support these kinds of projects, because with the high difficulty of travelling in Japan for non-natives, every bit they can do to make it easier will help bring more tourists.


Sources for the book: (Kindle Editions are available and can be read on a pc with free software.)

At Amazon.com (America)
http://www.amazon.com/Kyoto-Machiya-Restaurant-Guide-Traditional/dp/161172001X

At Stone Bridge Press (California)
http://www.stonebridge.com/shopexd.asp?id=330

At Amazon.co.jp (Japan)
 http://www.amazon.co.jp/Kyoto-Machiya-Restaurant-Guide-Traditional/dp/161172001X

English ordering help page at Amazon.co.jp
http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_ln_eng?nodeId=1039576


Also By Judith Clancy this great-looking book that I discovered while writing this article and have put on my wish list.  I was hooked by the Look Inside excerpt.

Happy New Year!

Kadomatsu -- New Year's decoration
 courtesy of Ignis, Wikipedia.

Japan

White paper braid, bright orange and pine on a black wrought iron gate. Frost crystals swirling from my mouth into the inky black night.  The voices of the bells vibrating in the bones of my chest, incense sweetening every breath. A silent prayer held in the heart, growing, growing until it forces its way out into the world.  The feeling of communion and community in this small space of suspended time when I can, just, believe that the New Year forming will be better, more peaceful and beautiful than the dying one. A strong wish that my contribution to that making will help it be so.


Canada

A  long-needled pine tree dressed in old family ornaments, sweet ginger ale and fiddle music on TV for a midnight toast with my mother. The moon hanging over the black water, bright ladder of light. A wish for health and happiness passes between us and my mother's smile seems to stretch back to her youth. Time passing is still our friend in this moment. The New Year is welcome in our living room.

When New Year's comes, even this many years after leaving Japan, my thoughts travel to the people and places I left behind. I am a visiting spirit, like Scrooge drifting over the remembered landscape, settling here and there for another look, a chance to revisit and consider.  Like the better, changed Scrooge, I keep the traditions. I look for the first sunrise. I make mochi and the white miso soup called ozoni for my mother. I eat soba noodles for luck. And I still pray in my heart, suspending disbelief for this small moment, for peace in the world, the health and happiness of my family, and you in this coming year. May 2013 bless us, every one.

Homemade Christmas: Vegetable Japan's 10 Favourite Things

 

Last night I watched Oprah Winfrey revive her Favourite Things for 30 families who had been nominated for helping others. Of course Oprah had the latest and best of everything to surprise the group and it was touching to see their gratitude. I think that someone was recognizing them for their work and caring was as powerful to many of them as the gifts they were getting. And a few of them said that they were so happy because it meant they would have gifts to give their family this Christmas. This made me think how grateful I am to have the skills to bake and sew and craft so that I can give gifts to my family, even when I have very little money to spend.

I remember that my making journey started out as a young college student in the 60's wanting some clothes that I couldn't find locally, or have afforded if I did. My first sewing project was a long, elastic waisted skirt in silky material splashed in impressionist soft greens, pinks, and mauves that I barely had the skills to finish. I think my aunt may have helped with the hard parts. I was proud of that skirt and wore it with a soft green “poor boy” sweater -- and lace-up boots -- for years. It made me feel like the hippie princesses we were all in love with then.

The most memorable things I ever made were toys for my three step-children one Christmas when we had no money. We had a very small budget and I was dismayed to find that by the time I had bought small things to fill their stockings, there was no money left for presents. And it was Christmas eve. I racked my brains for something to do. 

Somewhere in the house, I found a few pieces of coloured felt. I drew freehand characters designed for each child from my imagination. I had no experience in toy-making and little in sewing so I was pretty nervous about what I was doing. I think I used a blanket stitch all around the edges because I was hand-sewing and needed a way to join the edges. The thing was, I didn't really know how to do a blanket stitch.

Thankfully as I worked on them, the details started to take shape. I made a doll for my daughter. I appliqued and embroidered, in a fashion, eyes, nose and mouth, a little round belly and made some flaxen yarn hair. For one boy a jaunty rabbit with a wry smile and a pom-pom tail, and a deputy dog for the other with starred vest and holster complete with a yellow banana. The toys turned out better than I ever imagined they would, which I guess means they were somewhat presentable, and though I sat up all night to finish them, the kids' excitement made Christmas that year shine so bright. In my memory, and the memories of my children, now all grown, the glow of those gifts will never fade.

That is the magic of a gift that comes from the heart. It's the kind of gift that gives as much to the giver, in the anticipation of planning and in the hours of making, as they mean to the giftee. I know these days that time to make crafts or bake some treasured recipe is scarce and that many people just can't find that time. But if we can, we can find more than money saved in the experience of making something. It might not always be so easy, and the result full of character rather than mass-produced "perfection" but the experience of the struggle, the making, says something to the heart.

I've put together a list of 10 of my favourite things for Christmas. These are the things I will be making this year. Some of them, like the fruitcake, an old family recipe, I have made for years. A few, like the tawashi and washcloths, are repeats from last year, because you really need more than one so one can be in the wash. I will be making more of the mesh dishcloths in my new favourite yarn and colour. I love pima cotton yarn (Berocco Pure Pima Cotton) in a rich medium indigo blue that reminds me of Japan. Because it is made of pima cotton it has a lovely sheen, stands up well to use and washing in the washer, doesn't show stains and keeps its good looks. And, though it's a bit more expensive, I think the added beauty and durability is worth it. I have tried other dishcloth patterns but the mesh is by far superior because it dries better and the ridges are useful for scrubbing.

And this year I discovered a little bonus of a tawashi: it substitutes for bleaching to get coffee and tea stains out of mugs. Just squirt in a bit of detergent, wet the tawashi and cup and swirl the tawashi around a few times, rinse, and presto -- stains gone.

Before

After

Hope you can make something this holiday season, for you, as much as the people on your list, but even if you can't, have a little fun browsing around and dreaming of a homemade Christmas. Or maybe you could support a maker by finding something handmade from a sale in your neighborhood, a craft market, or a site like Etsy.

 My 10 Favourite Things for Christmas:

1. Tawashi and Peppermint All-purpose/ Dish Cleaner
  
A tawashi is always hanging over my kitchen sink and very much loved for cleaning dishes and all but the greasiest pots and pans. I use it with my all-purpose/dish cleaner which is also great for bathroom fixtures, in the scrub bucket and cleaning all around the house.

2. Pima Cotton Mesh Dish Cloths

From Rachel at Crochet Spot, this all-purpose mesh dish cloth.  I cast on 40 stitches and work 18 rows to compensate for the thinner pima cotton yarn. Otherwise,follow the pattern.

3.  Homemade Cranberry Spice Liqueur

I haven't made this for many years since I made it with fresh-picked wild Partridge berries in Labrador and it was divine, spiced up with orange peel, cinnamon sticks and raisins, but this recipe from Barb Kiebel at Creative Culinary -- without the spice -- looks good too. I usually just wing it but thought I would provide a link for people to try.  There's a bonus of a cocktail recipe, using the liqueur.



4.  Tiny Clothespin Doll Ornaments from Martha Stewart

These little cuties don't take too long to make unless you get into designing elaborate clothes. They are cheap if you buy small bottles of acrylic paint and brushes at the Dollar Store. Last year I made original ones -- Geisha, Sari Lady, Oprah, Ballerina, Fairy, Folk Art Santa.

5.  Nannie's Darkest Fruitcake 

Gloriously  dairy-free, gluten-free and vegetarian, (but contains a few eggs),this rich fruity treat is a tradition in our family. I hope you will forgive me for putting it up for the third year. Update: Last year I made it with Earth Balance Original, an organic non-hydrogenated margarine (not butter) and it tasted fine.

6.  Scotch Shortbread Squares:

Check out Joy of Cooking for the flakiest, butteriest ones I always make to raves from all. Unfortunately, they're not Gluten or dairy free so I make them for gifts only.  I often make them in a pizza pan and cut them in thin pie style wedges, decorating with a bit of confectioners icing and pecan nuts. I will try to post my version of this recipe soon for anyone without the book.

7.  Karina's Gluten-free Chocolate Mint Cookies 

These are loved by everyone, gluten-free or not. They have just enough chewy bite and yummy mint chocolate flavour and keep great in the freezer. In fact they taste best frozen or just barely thawed. I usually make these without the chocolate chips as I never seem to have them in the house. They are just as good.

8.   Magic Anti-itch Salve (for me and my daughter's dog)

This is a folk remedy for itching that actually works. I have eczema and this takes out the itch.  Just apply, rub in and wait about 1 minute for it to take effect.

Take a mason jar or other glass jar with a lid. An old jam jar or baby food jar works fine. Put in a cup of sunflower, safflower or other vegetable oil, add 4-6 tablespoons of shaved beeswax and 2 tablespoons of powdered cinnamon. Put in the microwave for 30 seconds and again at 10 seconds increments, if needed, until wax is just melted. Stir with a chopstick. Or put the jar in a small pot half full of water and melt over medium heat on the stove, stirring.  Put the cover on and cool in the fridge for half an hour to an hour to set. If by chance your salve is too soft for your liking, simply shave in a bit more beeswax, microwave, stir and cool. If too firm, add a bit more vegetable oil. Write down the proportions you liked for next time.

You can decorate the top with a printed flower cut out from a magazine or greeting paper or used birthday card and seal it with a bit of brushed on white craft glue, if you want to make it fancier. Sometimes I "antique" it by brushing on a thin coat of acrylic paint and wiping it off to create an aged look.

9.  Free printable Santa Victorian Christmas cards

At All Things Christmas, these elvish Santas melt my heart. Scroll down the page for the collection in PDF Format. I print mine on craft paper in gray or vanilla and write my own greetings inside.

10.  The Most Comprehensive Online Directories of Free Knitting and Crochet Patterns

If none of these projects suit you, and you can knit or crochet, you might find just what you want at Crochet Pattern Central or Knitting Pattern Central. If you haven't found these yet, these fine sites are directories of free patterns of all shapes and sizes. Because they are indexed by type, if you are looking for hats, for example, you will find links to dozens of patterns of hats in websites all over the net that you might not have discovered in many hours of searching. I love these resources and am so appreciative of the website owner's hard work. Apparently it is all done by one woman working in her spare time. Thanks, Rachel, for this great gift!

Stories of the Sea: My Ocean

Except for the 11 years I lived inland in Labrador, I have spent my life within eyeshot of the sea.  My ancestors crossed the Atlantic ocean to come to this small Scotland, a new chance to breathe air free from religious prosecution.  Some of them were buried at sea in that 1750 crossing.  The others came to small settlements on the edges of the ocean where they farmed and fished for food.  The sea was also the only way to get around Nova Scotia; the first roads were waterways.

Without the sea and the fish and the means of trade and travel it supplied, we could never have survived.  The ocean and all it contained and the land that edged it nourished us and allowed us to grow here.  We were barnacles on these rocks.

You could say that the ocean is in my blood.  I grew up in its fogs and winds; sea air and the smell of low tides were as familiar as the lilacs in my great grandmother's yard as I passed by on the way to school.  Family picnics to the shore were regular rituals of summer, where the sea air mixed with and seasoned the egg salad and cucumber sandwiches.  Sometimes we camped for a long weekend at a far away beach, we kids exploring the tide pools in the rocks and playing in the sand as naturally as the adults collected seawater for lobster boils, or to put out campfires.

There were angels in the sand, collections of small shells and pebbles and feathers of fascinating textures and colours painted by the salts and minerals of the waters and left as jewels on the shore.  I still collect such treasures on beach walks, though am careful what I take these days.

Even in Japan, I lived on a small island where the sea was visible, if strictly contained in concrete along most of the shoreline.  Three days a week I travelled on a secondary train along the coast to my juku about 45 minutes away.  I remember choosing to sit on the side of the train nearest the water most days, and whether it was a good day or a bad day, my heart and spirit lifted at the sight of the emerald waters of the Seto-o-naikai at the point where the train joined the ocean front.  It was a precious moment of communion and reminded me of home.






















I now live beside the ocean, right on the water, in my mother's house.  We have incredible views from windows on two sides, and whether the tide is coming or going, the day is clouded or sunny, the moon is a shining path on the water, or soft fogs drape their coverlet over us, we know the gift we have.

It is an insuperable gift of spirit and beauty that transcends the mundane and makes even our simple life rich.























The creatures of the ocean, which include us after all, must be forever grateful for the home the planet has provided.  

We must recognize that this is life, not only to fish, the flora and fauna of the sea, but life and spirit to us.  Nothing that harms this should be allowed to darken the sparkling waves and sandy footprints of the future.


 Please read more stories of the sea (Pacific Ocean) at the wonderful David Suzuki Foundation website here.

Blueberry Cobbler

Do you love bluebabies as much as I do?

I think it was one of my children that first started calling them that, maybe on one of our picking excursions in Labrador. And of course it had nothing to do with sick children, but is a wonderful description of these small and juicy pops of flavour.

That are not only good straight from the bush, warm in the hand, on cereal, in muffins and pies, cobblers and slumps, but reportedly make us more youthful just by eating them.

I know that when blueberry season comes around my thoughts turn to childhood campaigns led by my grandmother, general-in-charge of urging adults and tiring children alike to pick more and "think of the pies".

Now I loved the pies but sometimes I minded the flies. Still, we always managed to get prodigious amounts for jam, pies, muffins, and the freezer.  We didn't make cobbler around these parts, but slumps (a kind of stewed sweetened sauce topped by sugared baking powder dumplings) and  blueberry cake, a fluffy white cake studded with the little gems.

I learned to make cobblers and dumplings in adulthood, and now that I'm gluten-free, I rely on them as a substitute for pies since they don't have the much more finicky GF piecrust.

Yesterday I had the yen to pick some blueberries and found a local U-Pick farm, Higbees Berry Farm, Glen & Cindy Higbee, 867 Mill Rd, RR2, New Ross. Phone: 689-2882 (call ahead) -- for anyone local, with good-tasting highbush blueberries and the friendliest dogs that I've ever met. They had the most adorable puppies to give away and it was all I could do to remember that we can't have a puppy underfoot with my mom's stability problems (she has Parkinson's). In fact the father dog was so adorable with his babies, shepherding them around and nudging them in the most loving way, and the puppies were having so much fun exploring the farm, and just being so excited to be alive, that it would have been a shame to separate them from their parents and that euphoric environment.

After a little sweat and a lot of relaxing quiet on the berry hillside, I came home with a flat of berries and today happened by Gluten-free Girl and discovered a recipe for Strawberry Cobbler.  I adapted it to be blueberry by following the same method but adding a good shake of cinnamon to the macerating berries and substituting Earth Balance for the butter, and soy milk for the milk.


It turned out quite nice. Here are a few pictures and a link to the original recipe. I think I might try a sweetened drop biscuit dough on top next time to make a slightly lighter variation.

Whatever your preference -- fresh, pie or cobbler -- I hope you have the time and opportunity to enjoy wonderful blueberries this month.