Baked Pumpkin & Millet Pilaf

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Since this was the view outside my trailer windows today, C & I decided to stay in and make ourselves something warm and wonderful to eat. Our baked pumpkin and millet pilaf creation was made from ingredients we already had, all of which (other than the Daiya cheese) could be grown and harvested here in Maple Ridge. The pumpkin was actually a 3 month old purchase from the local farmers market – squash store well!

We didn’t follow a recipe, but I’ll list the ingredients used. Since squash are such an easy vegetable to grow and store, experimenting with different ways of eating them is something we’d like to do more of. 

Ingredient list:

  • 1 small pumpkin
  • 1.5 C millet
  • 2 carrots
  • 1/2 green pepper
  • 1 tomato
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 clove of (grown here on the farm) garlic
  • 6 mushrooms
  • cumin & tumeric to taste
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • daiya cheese sprinkled on top (another ‘cheesy’ option would be nutritional yeast)

Our process:

We cut the pumpkin in half and scooped out the seeds and stringy bits, then baked the two halves (placed upside down on a baking sheet) for about 45 mins at 375 F. While the pumpkin was baking we cooked the millet. It was my first time cooking millet and it’s super easy – a lot like cooking couscous. Toss the millet and water in a pot (1 C of millet requires 2 C of water), bring to boil, reduce and simmer till it has puffed up and absorbed all the water. We sauteed the veggies about 10 minutes before we were ready to eat (garlic and onion first, followed by mushrooms, carrots, peppers, and finally tomatoes), tossed in our spices and the millet, stirred it all together and scooped it onto our plates next to the straight-from-the-oven pumpkin. We topped it all off with some cheddar daiya cheese.

The pumpkin flesh fell away from the skin incredibly easily and the combination of flavors was seriously delicious. A great way to spend a very snowy day indoors and a big motivation to keep experimenting with squash and products that could easily be grown ourselves.

Snow!

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Our white winter weather has finally arrived!

The past couple months have been unusually mild and dry for a west coast winter (last week I was building garden beds in a t-shirt). Although great for outdoor productivity, this weekend’s snowfall has been a welcome change. It slows things down and inspires winter wonderland hikes, steaming cups of tea and book reading. I love it!

The chickens, on the other hand, are not so crazy about it. Their usual morning frenzy to get outside and free range around the yard was stopped short when they felt it on their little chicken feet. Poor chickens, you’ll just have to wait till it melts, which may be awhile since the forecast calls for at least a week more of it. Yay! Here’s to more snowy, still mornings and neighbourhood snowmen.

Julie’s Reflections on 2012

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(A blog post contribution from Julie! Pictured above with son Kai.)

This year I am reflecting on the kind of life I want to live and how to get there. As a busy, working mom I am constantly striving to maintain a balance and joy in the everyday routine. My biggest goals revolve around how to keep and increase that balance. They are simple goals, yet I believe that if I am successful they will benefit the whole community as we live and grow together. 

1. Create a better system so my home is a peaceful, orderly place. Once Kai is in bed the toys go away, candles are lit, wine is poured. This means I have to get specific things done on specific days (Washrooms on Weds! Floors on Mon! Shopping on weekends!). This first week has been off to a good start. Every night before bed the house has been tidy, and wine has been consumed;) 

(Don’t ask about what it looks like when we all rush out the door in the morning…)

2. Make and follow a meal plan! I have made half hearted attempts to follow one in the past, but have never had great success. However, this last week I planned and shopped a meal plan and it has worked out really well! I’m hoping that my better planning will result in lower food bills and less tortellini.

3. Like Jawcey I aim to read more books in 2012. I miss the quiet pleasure of a cup of coffee and book on a rainy day. The time I have for that is precious little, but when my parents had Kai last week I sat for 2 hours on a rainy afternoon and read a book that had nothing to do with a) the oil crisis, b) permaculture, c) teaching. It was heavenly.

4. Spend more time in the garden this spring. I loved being outside last summer and truly enjoyed our garden. However, with our plans to grow even more food I know that I will need to commit more of my time to the project. Now that Kai will be a bit older, I see this as a realistic  goal. Hand in hand with this goal is learning better ways to store the food we hope to grow (canning, cellaring, drying ect…).

5. Bring back Saturday morning muffins! I used to have coffee and muffins for the farm on many weekends. Feeling worn out and over-extended made this more difficult for me this fall. However, I recognize that life is in the simple routines we create and maintain. My hope is that as I achieve better balance in my own routine, I can once again provide a better space for the people I love.

Here is to a fabulous, peaceful, loving and farming New Year!