Thursday, October 22, 2020

GIARDINIERA Garden In A Jar

Giardiniera a Garden in a Jar 


Most American knows the Italian immigrates taught us how to eat;) This post is brought to you by my daily love of fermented foods as        Original Medicine would have us consume GIARDINIERA. And no, it’s not just the Chicago thing for this Chicago girl. Italian, Giardiniera  is also called sottaceti. Sottaceti translates             to ‘under vinegar,’ which is the commonly used term for pickling foods.




I grew up with a Chicago version that ended up on our famous Italian beef or Sausage sandwiches. Whether you buy your Italian beef on a street cart or in your kitchen it is topped with Chicago’s Giardiniera. This condiment relish has been a go to in my hOMe. We were raising a family of four, on a musicians budget. Needless to say,  I have been known not to waste a single drop in my kitchen. That includes the vast vats of pickles bought for my children Ross and Rosey and their sport teams. We didn’t just eat the pickles. Some of us drink the juice while mama cooked with pickled juice in such things like potato salad. But in a pinch, I’ve been known to throw my blanched summer vegetables in the leftover pickling juices for quick pickled veggies and even eggs. 




WHAT IS GIARDINIERA? Giardiniera means “from the garden” in Italian. This concept credited here has long history in Italy. Though in my writing the point is often made that all of humanity depended upon fermented foods across the lands and culture. It was the way of the land before we plunged into refrigerators and lost this valuable nutrient based daily biome or Probiotics or Flora!

The possibilities are limited only by your imagination, garden and pantry! Fresh vegetables and herbs and spices are brined and pickled in marinades as a way of preserving it for the winter blues! You may want to double your batch for this is diversity in a jar. Use as a relish, condiment, sandwich, salad or pizza topper. My home favorite is a picnic style antipasto platter!







Saturday, October 10, 2020

Earth is my Church

 


"What If our Religion was each other. If our Practice was our Life.
If Prayer, our Words. What If the Temple was Earth.
If Forest were our Church.
If the Teacher was Life.
If Wisdom was Self-Knowledge.
If Love was the Center of Our Being."
-Ganga White



Thursday, October 1, 2020

Weary Hearts Take Courage


With Flower Essence as a Fundamental Healing Modality Weary Hearts can find Courage   

As the Summer of Flowers races towards yet another season with its own reason, I was moved to share. From our garden to yours, let me introduce one of my favorite healing modalities:

 Flower Essence.


In my writing I refer to the “Seat of Emotions” and the 13th century Sufi mystic Rumi who said, “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”


To which my life’s personal journey, work and writing responds is, “With the motions of emotions in mind, it is time to visit the alchemy of Flower Essence Therapy and its ability to reveal in order to heal.” I go on to write, “Visionary Homeopathic Physician Dr. Bach knew disease was intimately related to the emotional and mental conditions of the human experience, the relationship between the Soul of Nature and the Human Soul can be reunited.” -cas


And that by, “Becoming aware of our ‘pain bodies’ is paramount to the understanding of our stress, hurts and pains in order to be truly whole. Flower Essence works as a catalyst to assist in the subtle removal of emotional wounds, in order to re-establish emotional presence, safe guarding our Sacred Temple Space.” –cas


In my life’s process, journey, work and writing, I view the heart chakra as the Astral Bridge to all healing… that is every aspect of our experiences. So, what better place to begin our Story of


Summer’s Flowers than to introduce Rose and the Willful Joy she has to offer.

If, Bee-coming more conscious with the consciousness of flowers is possible, hold on to your Hearts when it comes to the warmth and enthusiasm of the most fundamental and clearly to most celebrated flower of Love, the ROSE.


It all begins with the love of self, which is a mere reflection of our ability to Love the Earth, Another, along with all sentient beings. Rose gently reminds us that our self care is but a mere reflection of our ability to bee good stewards of the earth as well.


Rose supports our ability to establish good self care through all the stages of our life. Only when tender loving care begins with our own needs, can we fulfill our innate calling to be in service of others, in a sustainable way.



This was my focus as I prepared all things Rose for my daughter Rose as she prepared her way as a bride. Fortified with Rose quartz, Rose water and oil, her gift of Flower Essence also showed up as lotions and potions as well.

Angel Trumpets help to herald in 

deep Transformation of the 

Spiritual Soul! 

Blessings Upon us all. 




https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KSF5YgCAnjg



-Cathryn Barkulis-Smith“Simply Cathryn