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Easter Brunch

Posted on March 31, 2013

Another year, another Easter. Mom and dad aren’t here to hide baskets and eggs, but I decided to make it special anyways. This year Easter was an excuse to make a delicious meal, enjoy good company and drink before noon. The spread was impressive, and I’m still sipping on my second round of our fresh heirloom bloody mary’s, the second round is seeming to be a little stronger. Holidays as I get older are just becoming reasons to gather, it matters less to me the story behind how the holiday started, I’m more just grateful that it happens. Just to welcome a more intentional meal, a slower pace to the day and perhaps even a chance for reflection. The beaches on St. Croix have been full all week with tents and barbecues It’s a tradition that people camp on the beach for Easter, not sure when or how it started but it’s great. It’s been raining buckets all day, quenching the crops and hopefully helping turn some of our brown grass back to green. Happy Sunday-Funday, Happy Easter, and happy celebrating.

Easter Brunch

coconut sweet rice

deviled (holy) eggs

mini gluten free vegan pancakes

with date syrup, and Jim’s dad’s marmalade

fresh farm salad

sprouted adzuki beans

green yard long bean stir fry

heirloom tomato bloody mary’s

brunch spread

heirloom tomato bloody mary

cheers!

J.C. (jim and claudia)

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musical delights

Posted on March 29, 2013

We have been fortunate over the last month to have lots of musicians and bands staying with us at the farm. Bluegrass, americana, folk and a little hard core country have been keeping me up into tomorrows, and have me lit up about music lately. The most recent band left today, and it took me half the day to stop mourning their departure. I might have fallen in love with the six Georgia boys that compile Seven Handle Circus. Their musical talents hit you right away, but their sense of humor and genuine love of music and life leave a lasting impression. We all had a good time eating coconuts, drinking lots of rum, and staying up too late. On their last night we had a big pig roast or Farm-bq, and around 170 people came to eat and listen to the music. The huge turn out was a surprise and everyone had a really great time. The boys’ arrival to the farm overlapped with a different band called Waller. They rolled into the farm off and on throughout their stay on the island, they slept in hammocks that they hung in the community center, and in the cabanas. Waller is also from Georgia, and were part of the reason for the Seven Handle Circus crew to come down. They played their beautiful music for us around the fire, and then for our ‘Tomato Jam’ one weekend, where we grafted tomatos and ate tomatoes cooked every which way you could want. Just before these groups we had a country singing redneck (in a good way), named CJ Garton. I usually ran into him wandering around with his bow and rum and coke, looking for deer. He didn’t end up getting any deer, but he did score some Mongoose, Iguana and Lobster that was used for the Bush Chef cookout. He graced us with some late night country ballads, twang and all, and filmed for his reality show called ‘Guitars and Grills’. All the music and excitement around the farm has been wonderful, but it does feel especially quiet when they all leave. Although the lulls in between the party time are good opportunities to catch up on sleep, and just have some peace and quiet with the land. Also to just enjoy playing some music myself. Never a dull moment down here at the farm, and always lots of work to do.

fireball goin off at the pig roast

fire dancing and bluegrass

Waller at the tomato jam

7HC

Bush Chef

Posted on March 19, 2013

processing iguana

fruit salad, with soursop, papaya, coconut and pomelo

farm salad with toms and turnips

wren cleaning the rabbit hide

rabbit waiting to go over the fire

another prep table

stinking toe, and wild almond

Chuck with the rabbit

bamboo-ware made by snowbear

harvest table

coconuts! and other goodies

getting the fires going for the cookout

The last day of the week of ‘bush skills’ is a big feast. The idea is to in part use the skills practiced in the week, such as fire building, foraging and processing. Though I wasn’t part of the classes during the week, the day of bush chef so happened to be on my day off. I have a little experience harvesting and processing chickens. So I helped to process three chickens from the farm, and guided some of the visitors through the process as well. The chickens were all past their prime, and this farm at the moment has a surplus of chickens. Killing animals for food is challenging in a lot of different ways. My relationship with meat and animals has changed over the years. From vegetarian, with lacto sensitivites.. to eating fish..to eating only animals I knew where they came from..to eating everything but dairy and gluten. Due to my decision to eat animals I need to remind myself every so often of the value and reverence for the lives that are given so that we can sustain our own. Hence why I volunteer myself to harvest chickens. After the chicken harvest the feast really was underway. The fruit salad was a mix of pomelo, soursop, papaya, coconut khafra, and coconut meat, so delicious. The theme of the feast is that everything was cooked with fire, and all the food came from the farm or was locally foraged or harvested. A pumpkin soup with coconut water broth and loaded with veggies and spices was cooked by placing hot stones inside of the pumpkin. Inside of a pomelo we cooked a small omelet. A pomelo is basically a white grapefruit. Also on the menu was mongoose, rabbit, iguana, chicken and lobster. There was so much food, and all of it was so delicious. Around 25 people came through at different times in the day, some to help, some to just sample something. Everyone who came tried something they hadn’t before. After the days festivities we migrated to a birthday party at Mount Victory a camp nearby..then made our way back and I found myself up till one in the morning playing music around the fire at the farm. Some nights life is too sweet for sleep. Enjoy the photos!

Time for a change

Posted on March 15, 2013

Various times over the years I get the urge to cut my hair off. Not a clean buzz, but the average boy length I’d say. As a little girl I had short hair, and was often mistaken for a boy. After the years of confusion I grew it out, and haven’t cut it short since. But the urge does come up now and again, and it came on last week. I decided it was time to do it. My hair was just getting longer and more tangly by the day and I began to call into question what has been holding me back from doing it all this time. Most or all of it is fear. Fear of it being ugly, or badly done. The attachment to my long hair, that took so long to grow. I started to sink into those thoughts and realized that I needed to overcome them. That cutting my hair could be my personal right of passage into this next chapter of my life. I considered my options for a few days, but the salons on the island are few and far between. After more deliberation I realized I needed to cut it myself. Yesterday evening I spent the afternoon gathering malabar chestnuts, and decided it was now or never. I chilled some champagne, recruited some farm friends and had a hair cut party at my container pad. (I live in a shipping container). I did the first few chunks, then Sarah Matt and Chuck each took a turn. I wanted it to be more of an art project than a haircut. I wanted no attachment to the outcome, just to let go of my hair. For me my hair represented an ideal of fitting in, the social feminine standard of long flowing hair. Chopping it off was my personal rebellion. So my hair took on many forms as of yesterday, I left a piece long as an ode to what once was, and the sides are uneven because Chuck insisted Asymmetry is in. There is a bit of a mohawk situation happening as well. But I love it. I felt freer today, lighter, more rugged and a new kind of feminine. One that comes from within rather than without. I don’t need pretty hair to feel beautiful, I realized. Also Sarah made a good point in saying “It’s nice to know when people look at you they can already tell your not normal.”

matt nervously cutting, and chuck watching

sarah opening the champagne

matt watching me take the first cut

Hike down the Gut

Posted on March 13, 2013

This last week at the farm was the Bush Skills week. It is a week of primitive skills classes, delicious food and whatever else comes up. This time around we had live music, and cookouts, a hike down to the ocean and the grand finale is the Bush chef..which I will share more about soon. I wanted to just show the hike down to the ocean, through the gut. Leaving from the farm we bushwhacked

and rock hopped through a mostly dry creek bed. Eventually landing us at the ocean. Just in time for sunset and we met the rest of the group that had been preparing a fire of hot coals to cook our beach pizza over. I did a little dip in the ocean and sat looking at the stars and chatting with new friends until the coals were hot and the pizza spread was out. I made a gluten free dairy free pizza with heirloom tomato pizza sauce, pesto, arugula..turnips..and some other delights I don’t recall. It was the best pizza I’ve ever made on the beach, and the perfect end to the hike. Along the hike we collected coconuts and wild almonds for the Bush Chef event that was the next day. More to come!

Learning to love cockroaches

Posted on March 11, 2013

I can count on one hand the number of cockroaches I have seen in my life. Up until I arrived in the Caribbean. They have found their way into my water bottle, the sink, and up and down my legs. Everything inside of me was cringing at their presence. I have shattered jars and broken my brush from spasms when I realize a fat cockroach is making it’s way up my arm. They are native to the island, and are in high season at the moment. Even if I get the nerve to squish one, it is utterly pointless. They are not going anywhere. Not to mention they are pretty much harmless. Without realizing it, I have come to terms with the cockroach, perhaps…

Spirited Chronicles

moving with the wind