Strawberry Moon in the Garden

My last post title was "What a Day, Glorious!" I've had one of those today.  We began our day in the garden in the last hour of darkness and the first hour of the full moon.  The Strawberry Moon as it is called in the Farmer's Almanac. In the wee hours of the morning there was a partial lunar eclipse during which the moon partly enters the Earth's shadow.

We have about completed the planting and got together with Rachel to give blessings for the garden under the moon.  We sat in quiet meditation on the herb hill in the moonlight with candles and herbs burning until the morning was bright.  It was a very calming experience.  I generally start my day with some form of prayer and meditation, but this morning was a little more special.

I went to the farmer's market this morning. There were fresh strawberries and raspberries today.  I put ten pounds of strawberries in the freezer and about 5 pounds of raspberries.  I just took a vegan chocolate beet cake out of the oven.  It's a vegan twist of the red velvet cake.  Some of those raspberries will become frosting for that cake.  I will post the recipe tomorrow with the photo just before I try the first piece.  I've got a pot of beans made for our meals in the upcoming week.  I made some quinoa, not sure what I will do with it yet, but it's ready for some veggies and herbs.  I spent some artistic time with a surprise for the garden.  I have an idea for a princess of sorts in the garden.  I'll introduce you when she's completed. 

I've been waiting since I planted these babies in February to post a slide show like this.  Here's some progressive artichoke pictures.  Enjoy!

"Let the beauty we love be what we do.  There are thousands of ways to kneel and kiss the Earth."

-Rumi

Roasted Beets with Butternut Squash Creme Sauce and Roasted Tempeh

Inspired by my meal in Portland Friday night and the wonderful red and golden beets I picked up at the People's Co-op the same night, I cooked up a very nice hearty meal.  I cut up a mixture of: 3 red beets, 3 golden beets, a large yam, four or five small Walla Wallas, an Anaheim chili, four cloves of garlic, a red pepper, and an orange pepper in large chunks, about 1" x  2 ".  I tossed the vegetables with:  1/2 C filtered water, 3 TB Sunflower oil, some chopped fresh sage and oregano, about 1 tsp sea salt and fresh ground pepper, a dash of cayenne, 2 TB Shoyu, and 1 TB golden balsamic vinegar.  I placed it all in a  9x13 baking dish and roasted at 375º for about 50 minutes until all were roasted and the liquid was absorbed.


I also roasted a butternut squash for about 35 minutes, just sliced it in half, removed the seeds and placed face down in a lightly greased baking dish.  After it cooled a bit I scraped out the squash and placed in a blender with:  about 1/2 can coconut milk, a dash sea salt, black pepper, and a dash of cayenne.  I blended this until it was a smooth creamy sauce, butternut squash creme sauce.


I poured the sauce over the roasted vegetables and then topped that with roasted whole grain tempeh marinated in a lemon herb marinade.


Lemon Herb Marinade


1/2 C Filtered water
2 TB Lemon or lime juice, fresh squeezed
1 tsp Shoyu
2 tsp herbs, minced
I used minced cilantro, crushed cumin, and 1/2 tsp curry.

Sage

I like the sage, it looks so happy when it's reaching for the sun. The tray looks like happy little dancing plants.

 Benefits of Sage