In my kitchen

We live in a humble home.  A changing home.  A we-still-have-to-paint-the-walls home.  And hang-up-artwork home.  And wash-the-windows-home (ahem). A this-is-certainly-not-our-forever-home home. But, there's beauty and simplicity and good things here and so for now, we are happy to call this little place ours.  I know there will be a day when we leave this place and I will forever think of it as the house where we grew into a family.  And that alone, fills me with gratitude, even now when we are in the thick of it.

Of all the rooms in our little house I love our kitchen the most: its glorious light, its little dining nook, the nourishment sprung from love and sweat  that it provides. I would say it's perfect, but in reality it's not.  The fridge squeaks, we need more shelves, there is a tiny herd of sugar ants that would like to take over if we let them, but even so, it's magic what all can be accomplished and transformed in there and for that I'm oh so thankful.

Since Eulalie's birth I've become passionate about feeding my family well.  We've always chosen fresh over packaged and meals made from scratch over convenience food, but the rhythm I've found these days goes a step beyond.  There is always something gracing my shelves, bubbling, brewing... metamorphosing into something delicious and nourishing.

Several months ago we joined a cow share and now get farm fresh real milk on a weekly basis.  With this milk I make yogurt and kefir.  I have learned about the nutritive and balancing nature of fermented food and so there is always something bubbling in our pantry.  Our favorite so far is traditional sauerkraut with caraway seeds and beets.  Though I have given up gluten (oh how much better I feel!) I still make two loaves of fresh sourdough every week for my husband's lunches.  I love greeting the sourdough start (it is alive after all , feeding it, and creating dense delicious (so my husband says) whole wheat loaves out of it.  We have a perpetual crock pot of bone broth bubbling on our counter, which we dip into daily.  We drink it at breakfast and use it to cook with in the evening.  I found myself buying kombucha on a weekly basis and, so, I now nurture that mysterious critter too (my husband is creeped out by kombucha.  I love it.  How about you?).

What I love most about my kitchen is the work that is done in it.  It yields food that nourishes my family's bodies, but it also has transformed me.  I no longer try to hurry through chores, ticking them off my to do list one by one.  But rather, I try to stay present while I languidly make my way through the days tasks. Because, well, I'm not just making bread, or sauerkraut  or yogurt.  Bottled up in each one fo my creations is love, fortitude, and stewardship.  And, I'm pretty sure our food tastes better for it.

first glimpse of spring

nothing more satisfying than drying baby woolens and diaper covers

waiting to be filled with kombucha.  yum!

Our ever growing pantry

lacto fermented sauerkraut

a bowl of growing sourdough proof

A baby in the sink, naturally.