Goings On

Thought you all might appreciate the fashion going on around here - and I'm not talking about Halloween. This was Ani's get-up this morning for going to market - pinafore? check. hoodie hangin' by the hood? check. visor? check. Ready to go! It was a windy cold one at the market this morning (I just have to marvel - this farmer's market, for this town of under 30,000 with all the undergrads - operates twice a week through Christmas. Isn't that amazing?), but we loaded up with so much goodness - broccoli and leeks for some wonderful soup we ate tonight, kale for, well, everything (we had a salad tonight with kale, pine nuts, and cranberries), two cooking pumpkins, a bag of Golden Delicious, a box of sweet bell peppers, kohlrabi, beautiful purpley bok choy...I think that was it.

After market, we stopped by the local natural food store to get a few bulk herbs for some afternoon medicine-making. I had read this post a few weeks ago about the Four Thieves Vinegar, and with all the stories Dan brings home about the number of people down in this town from H1N1 or something similar, I am interested in eating well and using what we have to ward off illness. The short version of the story is that during the time of the plague in Europe, there was a rash (no pun intended) of robberies in houses that had been hit with the illness. At first no one bothered with trying to catch the thieves, figuring they would get their due when they fell ill, but after a time it became apparent that they were managing to avoid the plague and continue their crime spree. It then became imperative to catch the men and discover their method of staying healthy. They did capture them and in return for their lives, they divulged their secret combination of herbs, given to them by one of the boys' mothers. I have found several versions of the story and the recipe, but thought it could not hurt to dive in and try this one, made with thyme and lemon balm from our garden (in addition to the lavender, peppermint, hyssop, sage, garlic and apple cider vinegar). It will steep for 6 weeks, so I'll have to let you know how it tastes!

I wish my photos of the evening had turned out - flash too glaring, no flash too blurry, ah well - they were of yarn...ribbon....thread...scissors....cardboard....silver duct tape...safety goggles...you know - Halloween preparations were underway. Trick or treating happens tomorrow around here (in order to avoid the drunken revelry that takes over many of the neighborhoods on the actual day - Halloween is BIG at the university), and boy howdy, are we READY! I think I've talked the girls into trading their loot for one large organic, eco-friendly, free-labor and truly yummy chocolate bar of their own (it's ok if you're eye-rolling - Dan gave me the same, but it's worth a try isn't it?). Eliza's on-board - she usually spits out most of what she tries before giving it to Dan to take to school - but Ani might be a harder sell...remember the Map of My Sweet Tooth? Mmmmhmmm...