It has been a long time since I have posted and I refuse to
give up this blog because I am too busy. Sometimes I have so much to say and
little time to say it, but I am going to indulge because I need practice and
just because. I think one reason that I
have not written is because my foodie philosophy is going through yet another
overhaul. It is hard to explain really
and some things about how I view food are still the same, but I am more
forgiving of some health issues and more critical of others especially in terms
of not having power over our food and water or for those who do have the power,
refuse to realize that these are basic needs and not privileges. Food insecurity is unjust. I am reminded of
this daily, but some events make this injustice much more tangible and
shamefully obvious.
On the last Saturday in October I was out of the house at
6:30 am. We had our first freeze of the season in Albuquerque. Yup summer is over. We had just decorated the school garden as a
graveyard for the Harvest Festival we have at our church. I woke up in a panic because I remembered
that the sprinklers for the garden were scheduled to go on at 7:00. So my eyes pop open, it’s still dark and
before I even bother with a cup of coffee, I head out to turn off the sprinklers
in my pajamas. It is only 28 degrees.
Tired and cold, I drive to the school and see the parish office parking
lot is full of cars and full of people in blankets waiting.
I was totally thrown off by this. Who could be here at this
hour in this cold? Waiting for what? Waiting for food. Some of the people were entire families
waiting for food boxes that was on a first come, first serve basis. Now I felt much
colder. Part of the goals for our garden
is to help feed these folks that none of us even see unless it is the wee hours
of the morning. They are a hidden population that venture out in the dark cold
so they can feed their families. What a
privilege it is for us to try and help yet we don’t even know who they are and
what they have to do to eat. They are
people who brave the cold weather for hours to hopefully get food. Yes, summer is definitely over.
I think about this at breakfast and how lucky I am that I
have a power to be picky about where I get my food. As I swirl my jam and
yogurt together. I can buy it and make
it the way I want. I see that we have
this real food trend really happening and I for one am not going to get to
preachy about what you choose to eat, but I think all of us should realize that
we can actually choose.
Sugar Plum Jam
2 ½-3 lbs of
plums (It really makes a difference to get them ripe and in season, which is
during the late summer) chopped w/peels
1 cup maple
syrup
2 cinnamon
sticks
5 star anise
1 tsp lemon
juice
A few whole
cloves
Put
everything in a pot and boil for like an hour or more. If the syrup coats the back of a spoon, it’s
done. Put in sterilized 8 oz jars, leave
1/8 inch head space and cover with tops and bands. Process in a boiling water bath for about 15
minutes. Remove and make sure that it is vacuum sealed. Repeat the water bath if not sealed after 20 minutes or
so. I use my gut for this.
