It’s the time of year when slow cooking is most definitely in season. We’ve moved from the quick, fresh salads of an overflowing garden and grilled items to keep the house cool to long stewed soups, braised meats, and slow roasted winter vegetables. It’s so interesting to me how seasonal food is as much about what is fresh and in season as it is about what we’re seeking at the moment whether it’s heat or speed or flavor or light or any other emotional / spiritual need.
The wood stove pulls double duty, heating the house and slowly braising our pork ribs in a fragnent herb broth. Beyond just warming our bodies both on the inside and out, I’m finding that our food and food choices are warming our souls too. As I cooked over the weekend, I realized not only were we making use of our garden harvests and pantry but that we were also taking part in foods given to us by our community (both local and online).
We can’t always sit down at the dinner table with folks, but having something from their garden almost fills the void. Over the weekend, we were able to eat (and thoroughly enjoy) a sweet meat squash sent from a friend in Utah (thank you Jen!). The pork braising on the wood stove braised in part with super awesome bay leaves sent from a blog reader in California (thank you Rachel!).
When I started blogging I had no idea the many roads it would take me down and the many blessings it would bring to my life. It’s an amazing twist of fate that not only has blogging fulfilled many a dream but it also fills our bellies on occasion. Thank you for that dear blog readers for being a part of that, I appreciate you all so very much (and that folks is an understatement).
