Dear, dearest readers,

Tonight is a night for taking it easy, but I just couldn’t pass up sharing this incredible picture with you. Teeny, tiny, garden guardians, hatching in my tomatoes this afternoon.

Magic!

Edit – 3 July 2009: It has been brought to my attention that these are not, actually, baby ladybugs. They are, in fact, evil biting bugs that most likely intend to infiltrate my tomatoes. Ahh, well. They’re still adorable, ain’t they?

I recently acquired this reconstructed vintage shirtdress, and it is easily my favorite dress ever. The design is impeccable and the tatter is so refined – it’s truly a work of art. If you love scrap fashion and deconstructed couture, you’ve got to check out Mad Madeline. Portlanders, hit up Last Thursday to see her stuff in person. She’s totally talented, and a sweetheart too!

I first wore my new frock  this Saturday, to the Portland Farmers Market and then to the Let Live NW Animal Rights Conference. The big event, which the local vegan community has been fundraising for, was a smashing success (in my opinion, as an attendee). It was so great to meet everybody, and to hear all the amazing speakers. I hope everyone went home as inspired as I was!

You can sorta make out my ceramic chicken pin – it belonged to my mother.

• Embellished Vintage Dress: Mad Madeline
• Black Leggings: Nordstrom, ages ago
• Black Pinstripe Sneakers: by xhilaration
• Magical Beaded Bracelet: who knows?
• Chicken Pin: an heirloom

With friends at the Portland Farmers Market, before the conference.

Oi there! Happy Friday! Once again, here is your space for comments, critiques, thoughts, support, and suggestions. Let ‘er rip!

As our community continues to expand (we’ve had quite an influx recently!), and I’d love to know what you all are thinking.  So, what do you think? Which section would you like to see expanded? (the food? the fashion? the farm?) What topics are you curious about? Which articles do you enjoy, and which ones are less interesting? What do YOU want to see?

Every weekend, the Feedback Forum will hang out here at the top of the page. So check back in and have your say, whenever you get the chance. If you have an idea or a question or you just want to introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’, this is the place to do it. Now, onward and upward to a wonderful weekend!

Oh holy goodness you guys, these are seriously addictive.

I came across the concept a few months back when I went RAW. Kale chips are sort of ‘trending’ around the RAW food community right now. And although I could buy a local version around town, I was [of course!] determined to make my own. And I did – with my good friend Katie who has an Excalibur dehydrator (*swoon*). Remember this pic?

That’s our first batch of kale chips! They were amazing, gobbled up and gone within days, and bookmarked in the back of my brain for further tinkering. I was waiting to acquire a dehydrator of my own, which . . . sort of hasn’t happened yet.

And then last week, I just couldn’t wait any longer! I mean sure, RAW food is great and all. But these are still so good for you, whether they’re cooked or not! Kale is overflowing with calcium, lutein, iron, and vitamins A, C, and K, plus beneficial phytochemicals and antioxidants. Tahini is rich in calcium, protein, vitamin E and the B vitamins, as well as essential fatty acids. And nutritional yeast is like the vegan dream food – it’s high in protein and has B vitamins including B12, as well as folic acid and zinc. So what was I waiting for?!

***As a note, my friend Katie and I just couldn’t get enough of these. Like, it’s really hard to stop eating them. BUT, my husband can’t stand them, so maybe they’re not for everyone? Just a heads-up.

Smokey BBQ Kale Chips

Adapted from renegadehealth.

Ingredients:

2 big bunches of kale

1/2 cup tahini

1/4 cup tamari

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoons BBQ spice – your favorite blend

a couple drops of liquid smoke (to taste)

water to thin as needed

Instructions:

Rinse, de-rib, and rough tear the kale into a giant bowl.

Put all of the other ingredients into a food processor or blender and mix until smooth.

Pour the mixture over the kale, and use your hands to toss it all together. Squish Squish! Get it good and covered.

Spread the kale out evenly on lined or oiled cookie sheets, glass platters, or whatever works. I think I did a cookie sheet, 2 casserole dishes, and a glass pie ‘pan’. You only want one layer of kale, so it’s going to cover a lot of space.

Now the ‘cooking’. You want this to be as ‘dehydrated’ as possible, instead of baked. Ideally, you could put your oven on the lowest setting when you’d be home for 6-8 hours or so (please don’t do this overnight, okay guys?). Otherwise, just decrease the cook time as you increase the temperature. I think I did mine at about 250º for 4 hours (ish). Every oven is different so you’ll need keep an eye on it and be your own judge. Just remember that too much heat will change the flavor. Crispy, but not crunchy. Don’t overcook them!

I promise this is easier than it sounds. It’s intuitive, and you’ll know when they’re close by what they look and smell like. Just try not to eat them all in one sitting!

Sometimes life is really hard.

And things go wrong.

Sometimes being a grown-up sucks.

But sometimes, magic happens.

Like when you spend a weekend in fall,

uprooting that out-of-control vine that’s taken over everything, including the fence,

             and the hedge, and that old tree out front.

And then, because it can finally breath,

that tree surprises you with the most incredible spring blossoms.

And come summer, you realize . . .

. . . there’s actually a cherry tree,

growing in your very own front yard.

That’s when life is pretty effing awesome.