ABUNDANCE

True abundance; cooking from my garden with people I love- Wilson and Chauncey

Abundance is everywhere! In the garden cucumbers, beans, squash and hopefully tomatoes are ripe and ready for picking and cooking for the many abundant opportunities we have to enjoy the outdoors and make memories with family and friends.

This past weekend, SilverSun Sunday hosted a very special showcase, Sara Bareilles for her 3rd album release "The Blessed Unrest". Sara writes and beautifully sings the thoughts we have and sometimes scream in our heads. Sara performed a mix of old and new, sang her current empowering song "Brave" that every person should listen to and practice everyday. Sara's cover of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" had even Pretty Boy, the noisy rooster quiet not to miss a note of her incredible rendition. This was her 3rd time to the Ranch so it was casual, familiar and a tradition for Sara and us. 

Beautiful Sara performing at SilverSun

Family, friends and work community of around 100 made the journey to the country with kids in tow and munched Mexican snacks, sipped  a perfect summer, sparkling Pinot Grigio "Contadino"*.

It was thankfully an overcast day....odd for this time of year and probably why tomatoes have been slow to ripen. I believe summer will last until November this year, so maybe plant another set of tomatoes and we will all be having fresh tomato salads for Thanksgiving?!

Sara's biggest fans take a front row seat on the lawn - Ruby, Irene (my girl) and Emily

Just as I was ready to ring the barn triangle and gather all to the garden stage, I looked out and saw some of my local Teledyne and Amgen neighbors mingling with my entertainment friends, children running in packs and one adorable little girl in a polka dot, party dress doing cartwheels across the lawn, time stood still and I got to recognize the abundance of that moment, appreciate the hard work that was put into creating not only this event, but SilverSun Ranch where we dreamed of creating a place that would create experiences.

I rang the triangle, Sara performed and not only were we blown away by her stunning voice and so familiar to our soul lyrics, but also at the lovely, humble and quite funny woman that she is. She graciously signed CDs, took pictures and joined the us for awhile......it was perfect!

THEN......

Impromptu dinner magic - Mike 

as the guests left and we dwindled down to the core group, hunger set in and we decided to cook!

Mike ** and I went to work, pulling ingredients, discussing pans and making a plan. In the end with help from Anastasia, Heidi and Emily we felt our way to a never to be duplicated, scrumptious dinner. I will tell you that it included shallots, kale, garlic, zucchini, peppers, fresh herbs and pretty, orange nasturtiums from the garden. Plus a bottle of white wine, capers, heavy cream, risotto, aged Parmesan and lots of laughing, dancing and abundant joy for each other!

Kitchen crew...onion goggles really work! - Mike, Heidi and Emily

A mismatched table was set, kids were fed in their favorite, rare place in front of the TV and this hard core party, food, music loving group made a toast and I know all felt the abundance of this magical day!

A glorious, abundant evening - Anastasia

Get out there and find the abundance in your life today!

“When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.” 
― Anthony Robbins

* get this Pinot at Trader Joe's

** Mike Kirk is a friend and lifestyle producer from Nashville. He just complete a series for PBS called "Sing For Your Supper". They filmed at the historic Ryman Theatre. Chef Bob Waggoner (The Watermark) invites Country's best artist to come cook, talk and sing. Check out his show in September. singforyoursupperusa.com

FRIED GREEN JOY

If you are like me, the past week or so has been such a tomato tease! Every morning I am out in the garden like Christmas morning hoping for my tomatoes to be ready, comparing the description of them to what I can see on the vine, giving them a little squeeze that maybe they are softening. The grape Juliette's are just turning, I can't help picking them and bringing them in so I can watch them change color on my counter. I am drawn to every recipe that features this almighty fruit, but only frustrated that it's just not time yet!!!! Waiting, thinking about tomorrow, this weekend, next week....

Black Vernissage

Dester

bounty on the counter

My sister was coming for brunch yesterday and I wanted to make something special that would be so delicious that she and her husband would hurry back.....I love being with them! I woke up dreaming about the luscious BLTs with a SilverSun Ranch fresh-laid fried egg we had last summer, but was again reminded that my tomatoes are still green. Then it hit me "if life gives you lemons, make lemonade"....or in this case...

Fried Green Tomatoes

What a blast, not only because I was getting a tomato fix, but I was creating something new. I got around the problem of waiting for tomorrow and putting off my joy. Sterling, my sister and her husband all got into this creation, made suggestions and waited with anticipation as we fried the tomatoes. With smiles we ate our creation....the crunchy exterior with a tangy, soft center of the tomatoes, the salty, richness of the bacon, the creamy spice of the Remoulade and a runny yoke.

Although we were completely satisfied, we had to try the tomatoes on their own with each person's favorite pepper sauce.....mine being Chipotle Tabasco.

Go with the flow, modify, create and get your JOY today and everyday!

FRIED GREEN BLT

3/4 cup Mayonnaise

1/4 Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

1 teaspoon pickle juice (sweet or dill, your choice)

several shakes pepper sauce (this is to your taste)

1 teaspoon horseradish

4 large Green tomatoes (you will want extra slices with hot pepper sauce!)

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

1 egg beaten

1/2 cup buttermilk or milk

1 cup Panko 

1/4 cup high heat oil

8 slices Applewood smoked bacon, but you can always have more pork!

4 eggs

1 Avocado sliced

6-8 Romaine lettuce leaves 

1 cup Micro Arugula

Mini pan rustic or favorite bread

sea salt

ground pepper

Mix first 6 items together and let set for an hour or two so the flavors come together. This is essentially a Remoulade sauce, but be creative and add what sounds delish to you!

Cut tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices, salt and let sit for 5 minutes. 

With 3 shallow bowls mix flour and Cajun seasoning in bowl #1, egg and buttermilk or milk in bowl #2, and panko in bowl #3. 

Heat oil in large skillet. dip tomatoes in bowl order and place in skillet. Don't crowd or they will steam and not get crispy. Once brown on both sides, place in a dish with a paper towel in a slightly warm oven.

Cook bacon.....your joy, bendy or crispy.

Fry eggs sunny side up. I love them runny.

Bread...toasted or not.

Lavish Remoulade on bread.

Layer on bread the bacon, tomato, lettuce, avocado, fried egg, sprinkle micro arugula, sea salt and ground pepper. If you put the top layer of bread make sure it has Remoulade sauce too.

Glass of cold white wine.

JOY!!!!

Serves 4

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen

BAD HAIR DAY ?

PRUNE

Like us, plants can have bad hair days. Maybe they need water or nutrients, but often it is just the need for a good pruning or cleaning up. How would you like a spent, brown flower or leaf hanging off your finger?

I grew up not liking Geraniums. That was until I traveled to Italy and experience how beautiful this plant can be. It's almost fluorescent flower against the deep green leaf trailing down an ancient wall.

What made the Italian Geranium so spectacular was that they are honored and maintained. The dead flowers and leafs are always removed not only allowing the plant to shine, but also giving it room to shoot out another glorious bloom. Once I got this, my love affair began and I have been taking pickings from everywhere, sharing them with all that appreciate their beauty. They are so easy to start, as are begonias, another flower love of mine and so very tolerant.

BUT this all began with the simple lesson of pruning.

It is a sort of magic....it lightens the load, brings new life and can be so rewarding for the plant and you. A silent meditation, a mental cleansing and for sure, instant gratification at the huge difference you make.

My best escape at the annual family lake trip when the sibling rivalries are peaking, is to take a mental vacation and clean and prune my mother-in-laws huge Geraniums. I can concentrate on a affirmation or simply just zone out. Yikes, now they will know my secret!

It can also be a rediscovery. You would be surprised what lies under or behind an unruly plant. The other day while deadheading my iceberg roses and re-noticed the lovely trunk of a white birch tree hidden the roses. In a few short minutes, not only were the roses now shimmering with movement, but a second dimension was uncover behind them.

Now is a perfect time to take a look around and see who is hiding and needs a summer trim? Spring has done it's job growing and a good haircut before the hot summer months when energy needs to be stored will be much appreciated.

* prune early in the morning, same for cutting flowers or edibles

* make sure your shears are clean an sharp.

* rose and really woody trimming should not go into the compost........DO you have one? If not, this is a perfect day to start one.

* dress appropriately. I love to bikini garden, but is not it. You will be reaching into dark spots and handling a lot of sticky, sharp foliage. Cover your arms and legs. Use a salve on your hands before putting on your gloves. ALWAYS wear glasses and sunscreen.

* thank your garden before you start.

While your are pruning your physical garden, consider what else needs to be cleaned up or pruned in your life. A closet, a job or "friend" that makes you nuts, saps your energy or is just so overwhelming you are stuck and not living your full potential or enjoying it?

Some are easily repaired with a little effort, folding the pile of t-shirts neatly, making a TO DO list or having an honest conversation with your "friend". Although sometimes it is more drastic and a hard prune is necessary.

I recently faced this with a "friend". I was feeling sapped of energy and unproductive and realized that this "friend" I was spending a lot of time with really didn't like me. She spent most of our time together criticizing me if I didn't respond in a emotional manner she felt was right or teasing me in a subtle, but hurtful way. The other part of the time she spoke negatively about her other "friends", family and the world. The relationship was not enriching or fluid with a give and take that comes so easily with my other friends. In fact, most of my other friends didn't want to be around this person. I tried to set my boundaries and speak honestly about my needs to see if my "friend" would come half way, no luck and in fact it was met with high drama, another wasted energy. SO, even though the circumstances would be challenging, I removed this evasive and negative plant from my garden of friends. It was miraculous how much unperceived stress this relieved! I don't dread a text, my morning walk or a weekend of hiding out. I have no ill will toward her and wish her the desperate healing she needs. When our paths cross, I will be kind, but I am not sacrificing myself, my family or friends and perpetuate a negative energy.

We all deserve the best and can only obtain it with belief and practice.



"Give a lot, expect a lot, and if you don't get it, prune" Thomas J Peters

GIFTS FROM YOUR CREATIVE HEART

Tomato teenagers and eggs ready to go

I love to give gifts, considering just the right one, wrapping it beautifully to match the person or gift, the anticipation of it being opened and the connection that is shared. 

This morning I put together baskets of my tomato plants for friends, some friends have been SilverSun Ranch tomato fans for several years now, so the history is deep. This is my favorite gift because it is from my deepest creative heart. 6 months in the making....I have poured over seed catalogs, planted one tiny seed to wait like a kid at Christmas for the first sign of life to pop through the dirt, sent the list to tomato fans, been intrigued and enjoyed seeing their responses and decisions, watered, talked to, transplanted to the big kid pot and now packing these tomato teenagers up and sending them away with my love, hope and promise that they will grow beautifully, produce madly and be enjoyed.

These special gifts can come in so many packages. My friend Michelle upon hearing that I was in an wardrobe rut, sent me a huge basket of fashion magazines, cookies, trail mix and some exotic tea. BUT, she had gone through each magazine and using tiny post its and a sharpie she pointed out items that would look good on me! It was so personal and from her creative heart that it insprired me to create a fashion wall, that to this day I change up every season. I think about Michelle almost every morning.....

My fashion wall, yes that is my tutu!

Thanks Michelle

Find what comes from your creative heart and give, give, give. Our world needs it!

Ok, enough about the "growth" of our soul.....

When planting Tomatoes:

* From dirt up, cut off 2-4 leaf fingers, where the leaves where will be buried and become strong roots for you plant

* always start with a hole at least 2x your plant, measure how far down based on your new plant top above ground

* break up the root ball a bit

* add some crushed egg shells mixed with a organic plant starter at the bottom of the hole. Tomatoes love calcium.

* fill dirt only half way and water to allow dirt to settle

* finished adding dirt ending in a mound so you create a moat around the plant and water again.

* visit everyday. Tomatoes are like newborns, they love a regular feeding schedule

"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" Matthew 6:21 

Caddyshack

YES GOPHERS!!!!

In prepping for a successful growing season these guys need to be dealt with. Three years ago we had our first gopher experience. Irene and I were watching a watermelon grow, every morning we would go out to the garden and check our little gem. Watermelon is Irene's favorite food so eating it was a highly anticipated day. We went out to possibly pick our long awaiting treat only to find it was gone. Irene cried and I started looking. The little devil had picked the watermelon, eaten half and left the other  half sitting on top of the compost pile!!! Perhaps polite, but that began my hunt for the best organic gopher elimination. I tried cayenne pepper, juicy fruit gum, those noisy vibrating spikes, the tube with the gopher trap, a the hose (above) and even considered night vision goggles and a pellet gun....I think my friend Frankie tried this? Then one day at my local garden I saw "gopher spurge", read the tag and bought several plants and panted them around the garden.......so far - so good.

Be very careful with it as it is poisonous and very invasive. It should always be handled with gloves and although the flower is very pretty the sap is like acid. Keep it pruned and throw what you don't want in a plastic bag and then the trash.

How we love sequestering, where no pests are pestering. Lorenz Hart ·

more dirt....

 I like these products from Home Depot when I don't get a truck load!!

This potting soil you can use straight from the bag, it's a bit pricey so I only use it for plants that produce food.

This is a great amendment for either clay or sandy soil, it should be well mixed with your existing dirt.....just think how nice your arms will look!

and while we are talking looking good; remember you sunscreen, glasses and a hat. save your expensive sunscreen for everything else. For gardening and working out, use something that you don't mind slathering a giant handful of. That is the biggest problem with the expensive ones, you use sparingly because the per use cost is high. I like Nutrogena's sport face, it about $9, not greasy and 70 SPF. Don't forget your neck and chest, remember the wattle???

“To the illumined man or woman, a clod of dirt, a stone, and gold are the same.”  Bhagavad Gita

DIRT!!!

How is yours? As we dream and plan our summer fruit, vegetable and flower gardens, dirt should be at the top of your list. Water may be #1, but dirt is a close second. Get IN THE DIRT - feel it, smell it and see what is living in it. If it does not smell alive, you need to show it some love. Does your dirt feel like clay and is sticky? or is it sandy? Start by giving it and yourself a workout, dig! Turn the solid over at least 1 1/2 feet down.....did you see any worms? if not, put them on your list to get at the garden center. they are natures cultivators! Once your dirt is nice a broken up, feed it with some amendments. If you have clay heavy dirt, you need something to break up soil so roots can grow and water can reach the roots. iI it is sandy, add organic humus to feed and build it up. Usually a general organic soil amendment will do the trick, but if you are concerned, take your dirt to a good garden center and they can help or the easy soil testing kits work great too. I like to turn, amend, water and then let it sit a week before putting anything in it....well except those worms! If you need more dirt than your car will hold, check on-line for who will deliver dirt ready to plant...always organic.