Author: Adena Rose

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Back from Kripalu – Garlic Season

Courtesy of thegardenerseden.com

The first part of Foundations of Ayurveda was INCREDIBLE.

I have so much to say, and it will slowly come out is a series of millions of blog posts. In fact, I think it’s really going to shape the direction of this blog.  Awarenivore meet Ayurveda.

Courtesy of itztours.com

While I was away, Autumn came to Old Pump Road.
Actually, I was able to usher it in while at the Kripalu Center, with a swim in the lake during the full moon. Our red maple is already naked, and it’s about time for raking. I’ve dug up all of our potatoes, and we’re starting to work on the delicata! It’s a good thing the garden was a bit bigger, Jamie and I are tighter than ever this Fall, and eating from the garden is not only a nicety, it’s become sort of a necessity for now…here’s to voluntarily becoming unemployed.



Side note ~ As I write this, on the local ABC news there is a feature on the commonality of backyard chickens in cities around the country.  Yahoo! This is the kind of news we need.  It might be informative to know which priest may or may not have slept with young boys, or which violent offender is running loose in the next state, but at least intersperse those redundant horrors with more NPR like stories. I’m ok with ‘boring’ sometimes. ~

On that note, one of the strongest themes of the weeks and Ayurveda itself is redefining what it means to take in, to ingest our world.  Of course we mean good foods – organic, healthy and nourishing – but also what we see and hear – it’s just as important.  We know our bodies to be resilient, and we push them to the limit working long hours, and stuffing our guts with whatever we can to keep going. In fact, we have a lot of guilt (myself included in all of this!) when we don’t feel as if we’re working as hard as we should/could be.  We need to work well to be human, and to survive in the world that we’ve set up for ourselves, so I’m not against work (completely 😉 ), but shouldn’t we also have time to keep ourselves healthy and live in a way we really believe in? I am sure the ideal is different for everyone, ans I’m interested to hear about yours…

Dr. John Doulliard proposed a question to us: “Which do you think is the most important? How, when or what we eat?”

The answer he gave us was a resounding HOW.  Give thanks (even a moment of silence.) Chew many times and slowly (80% of carbohydrates are broken down by saliva only, and if you don’t chew long enough, you won’t get the nutrients.)  Eat a reasonable amount, at regular intervals everyday (Only 3 meals a day – snacking makes our blood sugar fluctuate, giving us cravings for sugar or coffee or needing naps in the afternoon.)  Eat in silence, or at least sitting down in a quiet atmosphere (or in good company :).)  Even tonight I broke the rules, eating in front of the television, though I did have my back turned to it as I sat at the table. Does that count, John!?!?  Help me.  At least I made the pizza dough myself.

“Eat standing up and death watches over your shoulder.” Another of Dr. Doulliard’s mantras that will stick with me forever.  I felt for the few New Yorkers in the group, since that city was used as the poster child for everything that is wrong with our modern culture.  There is nothing ‘wrong’ with cities, they show our passion and ambition as a human race.  I just truly believe we’re smarter than we seem…and we’re not using our full potential.

Ugh, I am letting cliche take over. Apologies. I am getting sucked into the gubernatorial debate on television. It’s probably wrong to blog while watching television, too 😉 Doing two things at once is never conducive to your best work.

I desire to plant garlic this year! I think all that I need to do is get some cloves in before te ground freezes, about mid-October.  Our neighbors did an absolutely amazing job with their garden – they already gave us some tomatoes and potatoes, and yesterday handed off two pumpkins and spaghetti squash to us as we walked by. They promised more potatoes. I’ll welcome all they’ve got!  I’m already brainstorming the herbs I want to plant come Spring – and speaking of herbs, I think our front steps are a wild herbal garden of their own. I hope by the next time they gorw, I’ll know how to utilized them!

Wish me luck…I’ll write more about this  later, but when I was at Kripalu I realized that I was right int he middle of where I was supposed to be – in school….and I hope to continue and be able to do the full, year long program. Hire me?

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Okonomiyaki gone Local

We all have our cheap and fast go-to dinner.  Maybe it’s mac n cheese, or breakfast for dinner in the form of some sort of omelette. Why is it that at the end of the day, there are always eggs in the fridge? (…and of course when we’ve decided to bake, eggs are the only thing we’re out of?)

Okonomiyaki are Japanese pancakes – I’ve read that the word ‘okonomiyaki’ means, ‘everything’ or ‘anything.’  I had found a recipe online, and started making these a while ago and whenever the cupboards start to look sparse.  Traditionally, okonomiyaki have some sort of meat, likely bacon, layered underneath, and are served with ketchup and mayonnaise.  I think they are like the beef tacos or kebabs of Japan – late night, greasy, regrettable snacks.

Courtesy of gawd’s Flickr stream
Courtesy of gawd’s Flickr stream

Actually, the last time I was in New York I found out about a quick hole-in-the-wall place called Otafuku that served them, and I had to go.  I’d been making them at home for months, and hadn’t even tried what would be considered the ‘real’ thing. (Though, yes, were in NYC not Tokyo, but it’s still closer to authentic than me in my Vermont kitchen.)
They offer only about 5 things on their menu, and in lunch special packages.
Okonomiyaki with takoyaki (fried octopus ‘balls’) or a sort of udon noodle salad, and any combination of those things you could want.  I did not try to octopus balls, all I wanted was to compare my home-made concoction with what was served here.  I ordered, then waited outside for about 10 minutes while they prepared everything on the iron griddle inside. I did not take the free soda it comes with.  I snuck back in before it was finished, though, to watch.
She topped it with mayo, soy sauce, shiracha and a huge handful of bonito flakes. I almost passed on those, because really, they look and smell exactly like the bonito flakes I fed Phelps (our goldfish R.I.P.).  I had to bring it back to Seb’s apartment (who had gotten food poisoning the day before, sorry Seb!) to check out.
It was more gelatinous than I was used too, and I almost wanted to hate it. It was greasy, but delicious.  There were chunks of pork in there, cabbage and it seemed like bean sprouts.  The toppings were just as large (and important) and the pancake itself. I ate the entire thing, regretting it (but not due to any sort of indigestion, surprisingly!) and realized that my little creation is simply a different animal altogether.

Courtesy of rankun76’s Flickr stream

Okonomiyaki gone Vermont
(Mostly, everything’s optional. Throw in what you have. Even chopped broccoli…tomatoes change the equation, though, I do not recommend them.)

Courtesy of geishaboy500’s Flickr stream

1/2 c. wheat flour (Butterworks Farm)
2 eggs (Steve and Wendy’s?)
Enough cool water to make a pancake batter consistency
Throw in:
1 c. chopped local cabbage (purple is pretty)
chopped onion
shaved carrot or zucchini
and handful of baby spinach
salt and a few red pepper flakes if you’d like

Make sure all the veggies are coated with the batter. Take a medium sized sauce pan and coat with olive oil over med-high heat.
Pour in all of the mixture, and pat down with a fork into a pancake that takes up the entire pan.
Fry for about 7 minutes, then flip the pancake over by sliding it onto a plate first, then flipping back into the pan (you may add a bit more olive oil if you think you need it.) Cook for another 5 or 10 minutes, until you think everything is cooked through, and the pancake stays together.

Slide on to a plate, chop into four large slices (more if actually serving it guests…)  The only traditions I stick with are serving it with a bit of mayo, hot sauce and soy sauce. Jamie HATES mayo, but he will go the soy and spicy route.

Sadly, I do not have any pictures of my creation! BUT I’ve littered the post with others’ so you can get the idea.

I’ll use this as my go-to for a couple of weeks, then shelve it until I crave it again, maybe months later.  Japanese comfort food turned Vermont! Mmm.

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Italian in September

Working for tripwolf (for a few weeks longer), I look at maps all day, and it properly and evilly tickles my travel bug, and usually without much release…

Last week I wrote a blog post for tripwolf about Florence, and waves of nostalgia came rushing in. I’ve been lucky enough to spend over 6 months in the city. It was the place of my first ever apartment, living with 6 other girls while studying abroad, and I’ve also been lucky enough to revisit after my trip to India. I can taste the thin pizza, watery with cheese and sauce that I used to buy for 4 Euro (pizza and cafe being the only affordable eats in the major cities) at a cafe within walking distance from that apartment. Mmm. Italy has a special place in my heart, and I will get back soon.

This weekend I got a taste. A friend and co-worker of Jamie’s, Justin, came over with his girlfriend and a batch of home-made pasta and sauce.


Though we had one of the most intense heatwaves of our summer only last week, the weekend brought the first very cool nights, reaching down into the 40’s. Gotta love Vermont’s manic weather. But really, I do – it’s September already – I can’t admit I ever wish for summer to end, but when it does, I won’t mind that it’s baking season.

There’s nothing more lovely and comforting on a cool evening than a warm meal, particularly fresh bread. I’m working on memorizing a recipe. My downfall is that I am not a born baker – I do not get pleasure out of weights and measures. I throw in a little of this and that, but bread is a science that does not agree with my methods of madness. I had to split the recipes half wheat flour, half white, and threw in fresh sage and garlic. The bread was certainly not bad, it’s texture (brought on my mostly the wheat flour) is what can be a little confusing. I loved it (a good thing, because I will end up eating most of it.)

Justin (the boys planned the meeting, or we could have been more organized) also brought his own home-made bread! He must have heard the season calling. It was delicious, puffed and rounded, filled with rosemary and garlic. Herbal appetizers. It was a battle of the breads.

Battle of the Breads

Justin was certainly the winner…but maybe partially because he brought a secret weapon – pesto dipping oil.

On to the pasta. Pasta in general does not just invoke Italian cuisine to me. In fact, while I was in Italy, I rarely ate pasta. When I did, it was light, flavorful, and usually in very small portions.  This is why Justin’s pasta seemed truly Italian – light enough to eat on a late summer evening, yet filling and harvest-fresh. It held up with a red wine just fine.

His sauce was made from the veggies he gets in his CSA from Jericho Settler’s farm – carrots, zucchini, garlic and onions, and of course tomatoes.  The pasta was a linguini, shaped by a new attachment to his mixer. Eggs and all. (Sadly I do not have a photo.)  We burnt the candles to their ends.

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A free weekend

This summer has been a great one, a busy one! I think the last 8 weekend I have had some agenda, some driving plans or adventure. This weekend, I get to enjoy Vermont!

Jamie had thought of going down to New Jersey to visit friends and family, but the weather down there (Earl!) helped to make our decision to stay around here much easier.

Phew. It’s been a long week. I don’t think I have ever felt this relieved to have two full days off. 🙂 I am becoming a believer in the weekend (as my days of having an easy two days off dwindle….)

I’ve been surfing the Vermont State Parks website for hours this morning, as Jamie sleeps off last night’s car-bombs and the week’s doubles at the Wind Jammer. What a different wilderness experience, planning it out online with a cup of warm coffee next to me before I even step outside. I bet the state parks have more visitors than ever before, though.

It could get down into the 40’s tonight – kind of a bummer for the ‘long weekend’ (neither Jamie or I really get the long weekend) after a week of days in the 90’s. But I am really looking forward to building a fire and even breaking out the winter hats. The leaves will certainly feel the weekend.

I have had to be very frugal because of the job shift, and the two weeks off (5 total) I am taking to go to Kripalu, but I can’t help thinking of the food we should buy bring that does not include the words hot and dog.

I think Maybe I’ll bring along my cast iron pan 🙂 Maybe garlic, kale, white beans over the fire? Hahaha. Done.

One of the parks we may visit is in Hyde Park. Hyde Park, Vermont is about an hour from here along route 15 and 100, and it’s also the location of Applecheek Farm, the farm from where Jamie and I were getting our meat share this Spring. I’d love to visit, or even just check out the small town.

The other park that’s tempting me is called Brighton State Park, and it’s smack in the middle of the Northeast Kingdom. I have to be truthful, and one reason I’d like to visit here as well is that the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium in St. Johnsbury is nearby.

No matter where we go, I really hope to avoid any car-camping – I think we had enough of that two weekends ago haha. The Escape is not as cozy as we’d hoped.