Traced Elements

Category: food

Mindful Morning Musings •

This past month I have been thinking a lot about mindfulness and mindful eating.

Anngela Leggett (Evergreen Fitness) and I recently ran the Mindful Morning Retreat at Blue House Organics. It was a magical morning consisting of a beautiful yoga practice with Anngela, raw treats, and a circle of discussion around the way we eat and the way we think about food.

What an amazing experience it is to openly share your experiences with mindfulness and food with a group of unique and inspiring individuals. I was blown away.

I knew I wasn’t going to be delivering exactly what people would expect. I was there as a guide, to show people the ball was already in their court, and help them to discover how they could realistically apply mindful eating to support mental health, to their own individual lifestyles.

As it turns out, I may have learned more from the group than they did from me! I learned new ways to approach mindfulness, I was taught how to be grateful for the action of making dinner for your loved ones, I was taught how to be mindful through your purchases of food, not just at meal times, and I learned just how important these reminders are.

I shared this reading with the group from Peace Is Every Step, by Thich Nhat Hanh:

“One day, I offered a number of children a basket filled with tangerines. The basket was passed around, and each child took one tangerine and put it in his or her palm. We each looked at our tangerine, and the children were invited to meditate on its origins. They saw not only their tangerine, but also its mother, the tangerine tree. With some guidance, they began to visualise the blossoms in the sunshine and in the rain. Then they saw petals falling down and the tiny green fruit appear. The sunshine and the rain continued, and the tiny tangerine grew. Now someone has picked it, and the tangerine is here. After seeing this, each child was invited to peel the tangerine slowly, noticing the mist and the fragrance of the tangerine, and then bring it up to his or her mouth and have a mindful bite, in full awareness of the texture and taste of the fruit and the juice coming out. We ate slowly like that.

Each time you look at a tangerine you can see deeply into it. You can see everything is the universe in one tangerine. When you peel it and smell it, its wonderful. You can take your time eating a tangerine and be very happy.”

Lisa Richardson writes for the Pique, and had this to say about the Mindful Morning Retreat:

“They offered to help us connect the dots between food and mood. I went to pick up a few good lifestyle hacks that would help me come away from that moment when I’m standing forlornly in front of the fridge, with a fistful of carrot sticks and a dash of psychic resilience instead of a spoonful of Nutella and a guilty conscience.

Our guide, Maguire, having survived six years of disordered eating and come out the other side with practical wisdom to partner with her science degree, informed us that there is no such thing as good food and bad food. She invited us to replace that hazardous dichotomy with mindfulness. Self-care and slowing down. The Mindful Morning Retreat wasn’t an intervention, a six-step program or even a specific solution. It was quite simply a beautiful morning of yoga followed by tea and treats, and the chance for a circle of people to sit together and make connections—between our experiences and other people’s experiences, between our eating habits and our emotions. It was the welcome mat to mindfulness. It was the reminder that attention, not willpower, will save us, from pathology, addiction, the downward spiral of self-loathing.”

Some questions to ponder:

What does mindfulness mean to you?

What does mindful eating mean to you?

How can you realistically apply this to your own life?

Do you think about food as being ‘good’ or ‘bad’?

Do you feel guilty after eating certain foods?

Does social media influence how you feel about food?

❤

Nutrition Mind Collective

@nutritionmindcollective

June 26, 2018
A love affair with coffee

My first interactions with coffee took place on Sunday mornings. My sister and I would fight over who was going to add the sugar and milk to my father’s cup. We’d wait impatiently by the crackling coffee maker only to pull the pot away before it was finished brewing, tiny drops sizzling as they hit the hot plate. I’d sneak spoonfuls of coffee when I thought no one was watching. Always hoping I would enjoy the taste but every time I was sorely disappointed. “It’s an acquired taste” my father would say as I brought him his cup, spilling it along the way.

While finishing school, I took a part time job at a small cafe in my hometown in Quebec. It was, and still is, an adorable two storey house, along the main drag, that was converted into a cafe. There is a lush garden out front, a covered porch for rainy days and the coziest reading nook upstairs. The owner, Cindi, had lived a decade in Vancouver and brought her coffee knowledge and West Coast style back to the shop – passion she later passed along to me. Perhaps it was the environment, perhaps it was Cindi’s deep rooted passion or a likely combination of the two, but serving coffee started to feel like home. There were the regulars who came in each day, like clockwork, each desiring a completely unique rendition of a seemingly simple drink .“Coffee”. You know how some people say dog owners kind of resemble their dogs? Well, this is how I began to feel about people and their coffees.

I appreciated the uniqueness (of both the coffee and people) and began to take pleasure in preparing each customer their individual one-of-a-kind drink. Customers came in groggy and in a rush, and I could see, with that first mindful sip, a calm wave wash over them, almost as though a little light turned on. They’d head out to conquer the day with a little more pep in their step.

When I first moved to Pemberton a little over 6 years ago, my first mission, naturally, was to seek out the best cup of coffee. I had become rather particular over the years in precisely what I was looking for in an espresso. You could say, I had finally acquired the taste. I was delighted when I came across Mount Currie Coffee co. Walking into the shop for the first time, before even tasting the coffee, I just knew it was going to be good. The Synesso espresso machine steamed away and the smell of a finely roasted espresso filled the air. It wasn’t long before I applied for a barista position and became part of the MCCC team, and got to know the amazing Pemberton locals and their drinks of choice.

If you don’t know, coffee is grown in areas within the “coffee belt” or “coffee bean belt” which hovers around the equator, in countries such as Mexico, Columbia, Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, etc.

Coffee trees also need an average altitude between 1800-3600 ft to grow to produce a high quality bean.

The bean itself is the seed of a coffee cherry that grows on these trees. The cherries are most often handpicked, processed (a laborious pulping process that removes the flesh of the cherry and dries the bean), transported in large burlap sacks as “green beans”, roasted (which is an art in and of itself), packaged, ground, brewed and finally served to the consumer.

It’s an amazing journey and I’ve always felt privileged to be the last one that gets to put my spin on it before the consumer gets to enjoy it. It’s a lot of responsibility to make sure that bean gets the attention it deserves after such a journey.

A coffee cupping at Pallet

The evolution of a coffee bean being roasted

There is a lot to know about coffee and each step in the process seems to be just as important as the next. It’s sort of art meets science meets farming which are all of my favourite things.

I could nerd out and talk about coffee for days and I don’t even know all there is to know about coffee. How could you? There’s just so much to know! Which is why I am so excited to be taking my coffee knowledge and skills to the next level with MCCC.

Pemberton, there are some exciting new things coming your way in the world of coffee!

Get your travel mugs ready and stay tuned — there’s some buzzing coming from the industrial park.

Whew! All this talk about coffee, I’m off to get myself an italiano (8oz double shot americana). Yum!

June 22, 2018
Haskaps and Thimbleberries: Our Babies’ First Foods

Our first child was born in March. That summer, I awaited eagerly for one of my favourite berries to ripen, so it could be his first food. Wild growing thimbleberries were just the right timing.

Well almost.

His first food ended up being dirt! He had found himself a meal from the forest floor. Later that day, perfectly undigested pieces of twig and dirt contrasted his baby poo.

A few days later, my big moment of sharing happened. I gave him a piece of thimbleberry, and observed the expression of “What on earth is this sensation!?”

Just like the dirt, later that day perfectly undigested pieces of thimbleberry moved through his system.

To this day, he still loves thimbleberries.

What I love about thimbleberries is that they can only be found freshly picked off the bush, not from the store. They are super bright in colour; rich in nutrients.

One of the special things my four year old and I do together is go on forest walks, in search of edible berries, a form of connecting to the wonders of nature.

Our second child, born in November got to enjoy haskaps as one of his first foods.

Haskaps ripen early, in May. Like thimbleberries, haskaps are vivid in colour; bright in nutrients.

One of the special things my baby and I do together is sit in the backyard and pick a baby kale leaf or haskap berry and enjoy 🙂 I pre-chew the baby kale leaf, and pop it in his mouth. Big smiles all around 🙂

Thank you forests, thank you gardens, for such exchanges of radiance.

Resource for edible berries in BC: http://northernbushcraft.com/berries/

June 15, 2018
Living Cuisine – Sarinda Hoilett welcomes strawberry season, with foods that heal and rock your taste buds
Strawberry season has arrived just in time for my first Traced Elements post. The following recipes are all plant based, raw, made with love. They are intended to light up your taste buds wihile nourishing you on the deepest level.

Most of my recipes don’t involve too much chemistry so feel free to play with measurements and ingredients. Taste things as you go and adjust according to your own taste preferences.

I have included 2 cultured recipes here because supporting your microbiome with fermented foods is essential not only to your gut health but to your mental and emotional wellbeing. Our bodies are a complex ecosysytem. Of the bacteria in our bodies it is estimated that only 10% are human cells. What we eat can influence everything from our moods, food cravings, weight gain/loss, food allergies and disease expression.

Our microbiome is affected by chronic stress, lack of sleep, processed foods, antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals. Newborns are seeded with good bacteria when passing throught the birth canal and from breast milk. It’s important that special attention is payed to children born by c-section.

Our gut health is dynamic and we can easily create balance by eating more pre-biotics foods (Jerusalem artichokes, raw dandelion greens, raw or cooked onion, raw garlic, raw leeks, raw asparagus, chicory, bananas, asparagus, beans) and more probiotic foods such as Kombucha, Kefir, homemade yogurt, natto, tempeh, miso, saurkraut and cultured vegetables.

Strawberry Pie

This recipe is simple and can pass for breakfast or dessert. You will need a food processor and an 8” or 9” pan.

Ingredients
- 5 cups of fresh strawberries
- 2 cups of almonds, sprouted* if possible
- 1.5 cups of dates, pitted ( I prefer to use medjool or date paste**)
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil (optional)
- 1 lemon
- 2 Tbsp powdered psyllium husk, powdered chia seed or irish moss gel*** – as a stabilizer / thickener for the filling
- 2-4 Tbsp honey, maple syrup, agave or couple drops of stevia
Crust
1. In the food processor pulse the almonds until they are an light “mealy” consistency. Don’t overprocess.
2. Add dates and combine until the mixture sticks together when you squeeze between finger and thumb
3. You can add the coconut oil which helps the crust set
4. Press mixture into your chosen pan and refrigerate while you prepare filling
Filling
1. Slice and dice 4 cups of the strawberries, place in a mixing bowl and set aside
2. Place the remaining cup of strawberries in a food processor or blender and combine with a squeeze of lemon juice, sweetener and thickener of your choice.
3. Add mixture to sliced berries and combine with a spoon. Pour into pie crust
4. Let set in refrigerator.
*Sprouted Almonds – soaking nuts removes enzyme inhibitor and makes them more digestible. Almonds are best soaked 8 hours or overnight. For this type of recipe you want your almonds dry so you would have to dehydrate them after soaking for 24hrs. You can skip this step for the purpose of this recipe. Alternatively, the Wellness Center at Nesters in Whistler sells Sprouted Almonds by Living Intentions

**Date paste can be made by soaking dates until soft and blending with just enough water to have a smooth jam like consisitency. Note: once you have added water you’ll need to refrigerate your date paste. Will keep 2-4 weeks.

***Irish Moss (AKA carageenan in its processed form) acts as a stabilizer and has many health benefits in its whole unprocessed form. You can purchase this algae from Harmonic Arts. Once you prepare the gel it can be added as a thickening agent to smoothies and desserts.

To make the gel, soak whole irish moss overnight, rinse well to remove any ocean debris, place in high speed blender/Vitamix and add barely enough water to cover. Now blend it like you mean it. This is where the magic happens. In less than a minute the the irish moss will turn into a smooth gel. It will get thicker once refrigerated. It has a bit a distinct taste which can usually be masked by some sweetness.

PS – I store everything in glass

Cultured Raw Strawberry Cheezecake

This is one of my all time favourite recipes. I wanted to try fermenting the cheezecake filling this time and the results were delish! I’ll give you both options. Original and cultured. For best results you will need a high speed blender, although a food processor could work.

Cheezecake filling
- 3 cups of raw cashews, soaked 2 hours or more
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice (not bottled – only the best for you!)
- ¾ cup unpasturized honey
- ¾ cup coconut oil
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Dash of vanilla extract or powder
Strawberry topping
- Approx 2 cups fresh or frozen berries
- Dash of lemon juice
- Dash of sweetener – agave, honey, maple syrup, stevia or monk fruit drops – totally optional, fresh strawberries are sweet enough on their own
Preparation
1. Sprinkle ¼-½ cup powdered dry coconut at the bottom of a spring form pan and set aside
2. In a high speed blender combine honey, lemon juice, coconut oil, salt, vanilla, and then slowly add cashews
3. Pour cheezecake filling into springform pan and let set in the freezer
4. Combine the strawberry topping ingredients in the blender (once again feel free to improvise with toppings and flavour combos)
5. I usually wait at least 20 minutes before pouring toppings onto cheezecake layer
This cake is best stored in the feezer. Take it out 20-30 minutes before serving

Cultured version
1. Blend 3 cups of cashews with approx 1 cup water. Then added ½ tsp probiotic powder.
2. Transfer cashew mixture into a glass bowl and let sit in a slightly warm place for 8 hours. I use my Excalibur dehydrator for this stage set at 95 degrees F
3. After 8 hrs your cashew mixture should have a slightly tangy taste. Transfer to blender and add remaining ingredients:
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Dash vanilla
Coconut yogurt

This is a a super simple alternative to the overprocessed commercial dairy-free yogurts.

Given coconuts don’t grow in Pemberton this is a bit of a treat.
- 2 cups coconut meat (you can purchase frozen in bags at Stay Wild or Nesters)
- 1 ½ cups water
- ½ tsp probiotic powder
I typically double the recipe which will make two 1 litre mason jars

In high speed blender combine coconut meat and water. Stir in probiotic powder. Pour into 1 litre glass mason jar. Place in dehydrator on lowest setting for approximately 8hrs or wrap in towel and place in a warm place. Refrigerate.

Recipes by Sarinda Hoilett

Photos (and quality control): Jaya and Ruben Guibert
June 14, 2018
Resiliency and Mysteries of the Morel Mushroom

The previous extent of my mushrooming has pretty much focused around the fall when the fruiting bodies emerge from beneath the moss, on the sides of logs, and through the cottonwood leaves. Pines, chanterelles, shaggy mane, and combs tooth are all I really know well enough to harvest and eat without being worried I might kill my family. But this year, it was the spring harvest of morels that called. My partner in crime suggested we bring the kids. They (the kids) are low to the ground and possibly more enthusiastic about picking mushrooms than we are. They had a small taste of the exciting morel hunt a couple of years ago picking in the Boulder Creek fire zone. We were all excited about finding a few morels to cook, save, trade.

We decided to pick in the Elephant Hill Fire zone that burned about 192,000 hectares in the Cariboo last year. While this is undoubtedly devastating on many levels, fire is part of the natural disturbance regime of that forest type. Many species that grow in that area are fire-adapted or fire-dependent. For example, the thick bark of mature Douglas-fir can withstand moderate fire (check out the fire scarred trees at One Mile Lake). Deep roots of vaccinium species (blueberries, huckleberries, etc) survive and send up an abundance of new shoots in following years. The cones of pines trees have a waxy coating which opens in response to the heat of the blaze, scattering seeds onto soil newly fertilized by nutrients in the ash. Many forest types require fire to stay healthy, to regenerate. Indigenous people throughout the world incorporated fire into their traditional landscape management. Lil’wat people extensively burned areas within their Traditional Territory to promote food production, and “the hills were just like a garden” (Baptiste Ritchie in Turner, 1999). Root vegetables such as: Indian potatoes or skewnkwina, yellow avalanche lily or sk’am’c , and tiger lily or skimuta (Lilium columbianum) and many berry crops were managed through controlled burning to produce better crops (Turner, 1999).

Fire suppression to protect homes, communities, forest “crops” and other interests have impacted this natural disturbance regime. Without fire, forests are susceptible to disease such as the mountain pine beetle and over time, stagnate. Forests that historically burned regularly in a patchwork pattern now are subject to catastrophic, widespread, high intensity fires that change the way the forests regenerate. Soils become hydrophobic, resulting in a vegetative moonscape and flash flooding (we saw this near Loon Lake). Fire-adapted species can’t withstand the intensity. The list goes on.

However, I digress. Back to the morels.

Morels and wild mushroom harvesting in general are a huge industry. In preparation for the onslaught of mushroom pickers, the Secwépemc people (whose Traditional Territory we were picking on) implemented a permitting system, created designated campgrounds, and on-the-ground safety support. Permits in hand, we tested a few places on the way up to our destination. We kind of thought we may need to be picking with elbows out like on an epic powder day but were pleasantly surprised to be alone. Within a couple of minutes of jumping out of the truck the kids were shouting in excitement.

But we did not expect what waited for us only a short distance from our cabin. The forest floor was littered with morels in places. Over the course of a couple of short and easy days picking, we harvested all we needed for ourselves and close friends, so abundant in the immediate area we stayed in sight of the truck the entire time. In places, you had to really watch where you stepped so that you didn’t crush these highly camouflaged gems.

The kids, in total disregard to the cloud of mosquitos, picked solidly and without complaint, filling their buckets amidst cries of “Jackpot!”. “Partner Alert! I need help!”.

We hypothesised about abundance, distribution, ecology. I was excited to come home and learn more. I wanted to know why morels appear after a fire, and the question seems somewhat unanswered by science. While much research has been conducted in recent years regarding the extraordinary and fascinating importance of mycelium or “mushroom roots” in the forest floor (check out this video– SO COOL!), morel ecology, spatial distribution, and abundance are not widely researched. In order to make sense of one hypothesis, it helps to have basic knowledge of the mushroom life cycle.

Some scientists suggest that after a fire destroys many of the plants the morel hyphae may have been working with, the hyphae are stimulated to form fruiting bodies and send their spores far and wide in hope that some will land in areas with living plant roots. Totally plausible in my eyes.

It is fascinating to think about how ecosystems are adapted to respond to catastrophe. It gives me hope in our changing world. If a morel mushroom can withstand the hottest of fires and not only survive, but thrive, can we heal our hurting planet? Can our natural world adapt fast enough for climate change? Is that part of why our hearts are buried so deep in our chests? I like to think that is why for some of us, our fears, happiness, vulnerability, our joy are buried in emotional vaults that they are just waiting to be tested, to have the opportunity to rise up, to spread, to be released.

It makes me think about the projects I am working on right now, which have a strong focus on “resiliency”. It seems to be the new buzz word, superceding sustainability. Like the theory of morels acting out of a need for survival, I wonder what the catalyst will be for individuals and communities to summon the vision of resiliency into the action of resiliency. It is already happening, I know, but at the same time it feels like our world is constantly bracing, building, preparing. I am grateful to celebrate the ways in which our community builds resiliency. Great weekends away with great friends. Breaking bread, sharing food, spreading ideas.

I employed a variety of methods to preserve my bounty but focused on dehydrating. My favourite morel recipe so far was a simple Risotto Bianco with morels and garlic scapes sautéed in butter. If anyone is inspired to go hunting for morels, I think that area will still be good until mid-June or so. Keep a watch on fires happening this summer and plan a trip for next spring. Like most trips to the woods, it deeply satisfied the nerder naturalist and philosopher in me!

June 11, 2018
Is oregano worthy of your love?

I never buy herbs.

With the exception of cilantro – of course. And basil. But only during basil season.

I used to spend big bucks for that recipe that needed two, yep two, sprigs of thyme. And I’d think to myself, what the hell am I going to make now.

I couldn’t eat roasted cherry tomatoes with goat’s cheese, thyme and lemon on fresh pasta all week (a recipe ripped from a friend, which may have been ripped from the internet, which could probably be re-ripped from the internet through the Googling of the list of ingredients, if by chance one’s taste buds are tingling at the thought).

Lemon Thyme

Invariably, thyme, rosemary and oregano went to waste in my fridge.

It wasn’t long before I got wise to how easy it is to grow a pot of herbs. And not long after that did I realize herbs make for an amazing rock garden display – even in my frigid and often sun-challenged sideyard.

The shapes, colours and smells in my rock garden have changed immensely over the years.

Lemon Balm

I have fewer traditional flower garden flowers and an abundance of lemon balm, lavender, rosemary, oregano, chives, mint, tarragon and thyme. Most return each year. Each dependant on the winter weather.

Although my favourite trailbuilder often suggests oregano isn’t worthy of the dirt it rests in, the bees love it — especially when it flowers.

Oregano Flowers

And I think the oregano flowers look stunning once dried. And so does @therocketnarcissist, but he never makes the oregano connection. Nor do I remind him.

Today, was a bit damp, but it didn’t stop me from getting eye level with a few of the lovely herbs that make up my rock garden “passion” project.

I like mornings best. The light is gorgeous. The bugs are sleeping in.

Chive Flower Buds

The only downfall is the need to watch out for the banana slugs on your way through the garden. That slime is certainly the most unpleasant thing about gardening. It’s disgusting.

~

Lisa Severn lives in Pemberton South South (aka. Emerald Estates) with her trail-obsessed “husband”. Pembertonians can be seen around town asking Dan and Lisa, “So, what are you doing in Pemberton, again. Did you move here?”

~

Follow Lisa @rhubarbstreet for more of her food photography. Click for more on Lisa and her co-conspirators… err… co-contributors.

June 8, 2018
Nootka Rose Jelly

For me the art of slowing down and smelling the roses has turned into taking advantage of the surplus of this native shrub behind my house, plucking their petals and creating something delicious. As it is in my garden where I rarely follow my planting plans the same holds true to my style of cooking; recipes are but a base. I’ll admit my first batch, from a recipe I followed, did not set. This led me to taking matters into my own hands, going with the flow and trusting my strong sense of jamming. So, queue up some Bob Marley as I guide you to making your very own wild rose jelly.

INGREDIENTS

≈4 cups wild rose petals, lightly packed

4½ cups boiling water

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

5½ cups sugar

2 pkgs liquid pectin

Other: cheesecloth, jars, lids, tops, a big pot & lots of love

Start by foraging for rose petals: try to pick in areas away from the roadside and pick higher then a dog may pee! Give them a small bath in the sink to get rid of the majority of bigger bugs and pick out any of the greens. Don’t stress too much about getting everything, as you’ll end up straining the lot later. Place them in a nonreactive bowl, cover with the boiling water and allow steep for 1-2hrs. The petals will lose their colour and look quite dull but patience is key here.

While your petals are steeping prepare your jelly vessels. This recipe makes approximately 8-9 cups of liquid gold; I use a mishmash of 125ml and 250ml jars and usually prepare a few more then what’s needed, just incase. Wash every thing then put the lids and tops in a pot submerged in water and place on the stove over medium-high heat. Jars can go on a cookie sheet in the oven at 250°F. You want these to sit in their respective mediums for at least an hour.

When you’re satisfied with how long the petals have steeped or you can’t wait any longer get ready for some magic. Add the lemon juice and watch the water go from blah to vibrant pink! It’s science.

Pour the petals and water through a strainer lined with cheesecloth straight into a big pot squeezing all the liquid out that you can. You want 4 cups of rose water; if you’re a bit short just add a bit of filtered water. I found this recipe made the right amount of water so you should be fine but feel free to measure if you’re not sure. I like to wing things. Add the sugar and bring up to a boil, stirring to ensure all the sugar incorporates into the rose water. Once at a hard boil keep it here for 2 minutes skimming any foam off the top. After the time has elapsed remove from the heat, add the pectin and stir to combine for 5-6 minutes – no less – more is okay but no less.

Now you’re ready to put your creation into jars and await the sweet satisfying sound of popping lids. Some recipes call for a water bath to finish the canning process but I’ve never done that. I just go with what my mom taught me, which is what’s outlined here, and it’s never failed me just like her.

This simple tasty treat can be enjoyed may ways but my favourite thus far is on coconut ice cream or straight out of the jar… Happy jammin’!

June 4, 2018
Where There’s Smoke…

Summer is almost officially here, although it’s basically felt like summer this past month with the weather we’ve been having. The sun is out, the flowers are blooming, and the rain clouds have stayed away for the most part. While this is incredibly enjoyable, it makes one remember what else comes with sunny, dry weather.

Fire.

According to the BC Wildfire Service, since April 1st of this year there have already been 242 fires, with an area of over 37,000 hectares affected. And that number is only going to grow. Just last week the historic Ladner Creek trestle bridge went up in flames from a simple, discarded cigarette butt. I will never forget the wildfires from three years ago that caused smoke to hang like a pall over our beloved valley, mixing with the 40°C weather to create an uncomfortable miasma. I imagine that most of you, like me, feel some trepidation when hot weather lingers, and look to the horizon with dread for signs of smoke.

But thankfully, unlike the old adage, smoke doesn’t necessarily mean fire. If you are heading up Reid road to Mosquito Lake this summer and happen to smell smoke, don’t panic. It’s probably coming from our house, and it’s not a fire.

My boyfriend’s birthday was this past week, and I gave him a new digital electric smoker. He’s over the moon. Visions of smoking everything from bacon, salmon, trout, and even mac n’ cheese are dancing through our heads. Our first creation was this beauty, smoked pork shoulder, and it couldn’t have been easier. A simple spice rub, a five hour stint in the smoker with some apple and hickory chips, and the occasional spritz with an apple cider vinegar and apple juice mix, and voilà. And yes, it tastes just as good as it looks.

This summer, I sincerely hope the only smoke I have to reckon with is the kind that produces delicious results like this.

June 3, 2018
The power of sharing your story.

One and a half years ago I moved to Pemberton, and I started working at the most amazing health food store & juice bar – Stay Wild Natural Health.

If you’re a regular at Stay Wild you might have noticed the abundance of amazing humans that walk through those doors on a daily basis. I would say I am extremely lucky to have met some pretty incredible, driven, and inspiring people from this area.

I am privileged to be a part of your lives in one way or another, whether just a momentary hello, or as a form of guidance. And I am extremely grateful to those who have allowed me to help them. Thank you.

Some of you may know that my passion is in nutrition and mental health. I focus a lot of my time on further study in anxiety, depression and eating disorders.

As this is my first post for Traced Elements, I would love to start by spreading awareness and shedding some light on the topic of eating disorders, as this is something people rarely speak of and something I endeavour to create a safe space for.

Around 5 years ago during Mental Health Week in Australia, I decided to share my story – my history facing an eating disorder. It had been a long time coming. I felt that I couldn’t fully help others until I could first be honest about how I came to be the person I am today, and why this is all so important to me.

Sharing my story was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done, but also one of the best things I have done. Since living in Pemberton, I have witnessed the power of others sharing their own stories.

Never doubt that your experience, your story, can help or inspire others.

For those still battling with body image issues, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, or any other mental health condition, know that you are not alone. Know that even though it seems like the darkness will last forever, it doesn’t. Know that you ARE strong enough. You ARE beautiful enough. YOU ARE ENOUGH.

Thank you Traced Elements, and Lisa, for providing this platform for people to share. What an amazing community this is to be a part of.

I will leave you with this, a message from the National Eating Disorders Association:

NEDA week vision:

“Our theme this year is Let’s Get Real and our goal is to expand the conversation and highlight stories we don’t often hear. Our culture has complicated relationships with food, exercise, and appearance.

30 million Americans will struggle with a full-blown eating disorder and millions more will battle food and body image issues that have untold negative impacts on their lives.

But because of stigma and old stereotypes, many people don’t get the support they deserve. Join the conversation and help us raise awareness, bust myths, get people screened, and start journeys to healing.”

A Message from NEDA: Let’s get real – eating disorders can affect anyone, anywhere. This National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (#NEDAwareness), we’re changing the conversation around food, body image, and eating disorders! Join us at nedawareness.org.

@NutritionistAbroad

May 28, 2018
Bees? Why not!

Several years ago my Aunt had honey bees. My sister Lia, @pembeehives, was cuckoo about those bees. I thought they were pretty cool until I started walking up to the hive and had a massive panic attack. I was certain they could feel my fear and that the whole hive would ascend on me and sting me to death. Death by bees, no thanks!! Since then I have had ZERO interest in raising bees. My sister, on the other hand, has only grown more fond, more bee crazy.

Last fall, my kids and I moved back into my childhood home. A little house on 2 acres. A small green patch of freedom to plant, grow, raise, and love. I brought my chickens, added a few more to the flock, and then a few more and maybe a few more after that! I also got 2 more horses so that my boy Banjo wouldn’t be lonely.

Horses and chickens, dogs, cats, rats and kids. I was set, and I am busy!! Then I had a thought. My sister loves bees, maybe she would like to get some bees and they could have a little spot here and she could be the crazy bee lady and I will be the crazy chicken lady and everything would be fantastic!

Bees? Why not!!

I forgot about the fact that I was terrified of a colony of bees coming after me while I weeded my garden or fed my horses, stinging me while I was just minding my own business. Lia, @pembeehives, was all in! She was already dreaming of hives, long before I offered. She and Alex built hives, they brought them up and she painted them with my kids.

The 2 nucs (boxes of bees) were ordered and the site for the hives planned, changed, replanned, changed and planned again. Still, here I am scared of bees. Terrified.

On Saturday, Lia and I went up to Delores’ for a bee keeping workshop. A few hours of listening to Delores talk about bees, watching her take the hives apart, standing closer to a swirl of bees than I ever thought I would, and I discovered that I am no longer afraid of bees! They are fascinating!

When I first put our names down for this bee-keepers’ workshop, I was going into it as a non-interested party. I was going for my sister, so that when she wasn’t around I would have a bit of knowledge and if anything needed to be done while she was in Vancouver I could help the hive out.

In the end, I have had the chance to face my fears and now I can go into this as a partner, not just a watcher. I can go into this beekeeping adventure with less fear and more enthusiasm, though I think I will let Lia hold the reins, and stick, for the most part, to being a crazy chicken lady.

Meg
Once a farm girl, always a farm girl.

Follow my farm adventures on Instagram @once_a_farm_girl

May 28, 2018