Miso Soup

  

A fantastically light, satisfying and healing soup for warming the digestive system.

6 cups bonito stock (dashi)

½ cup bonito flakes

5 inch piece of kombu

½ carrot sliced into half moons

½ cup daikon sliced into half moons

6 inch piece of wakame

1-2 scallions sliced

½ cup organic sprouted tofu chopped

¼ cup brown or red miso

Tamari to taste

To make stock:

Bring 6 cups water and a 5-inch piece of kombu to a boil. Boil for a couple of minutes then add bonito flakes, stir, remove from heat and strain.

Simmer bonito stock with carrot and daikon for 5-10 minutes. Soak wakame during this time. Chop and add to soup along with scallions and tofu. Simmer 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. Dissolve miso in some stock and then add back to soup pot. Add tamari to taste.

Learn more about nourishing your Earth Element at "Indian Summer: Nourishing the Earth Element" an online class taught by Mentor, Dr. Thea Summer Deer at Wise Woman University. 

Indian Summer: The Abundance of Earth

This was the year for me to let things go to seed. In the past I was too busy to be bothered with the collecting and storing of seed. Anxious and impatient I couldn’t stand the thought of letting the garden get so unruly. I either wanted to clear the way for a fall garden and greedily harvest right up until the first freeze, or put the garden to bed altogether. But this year I waited. And as I waited and watched the chard took over half the garden until by mid August I harvested enough seed to plant the whole town in chard. I am currently harvesting coriander seed; sweet basil and Thai basil seed, marigold, bush bean, heirloom tomato seed and more. There are also the wild edible and medicinal seeds like lamb’s quarters and primrose. I did well to wait this year and appreciate the power and abundance contained within a seed.  There is something very satisfying about saving seed and not needing to go to the store and buy it.  It feels rich to gift my neighbors with seed: a promise for a future full of potential.

This saving of seed puts me in touch with the cycle of the seasons. I love these seeds rich in primordial oils and containing DNA. The plant devas are all about DNA because they are the keepers of the cellular blueprints and genetic codes. And they were telling me – pay attention in the waning light of summer to the magic in a seed.

And so, in the lateness of this summer season – I paused. Late Summer is the season, according to Chinese Five Element Theory, that corresponds with the element of Earth, more affectionately known as Indian Summer. It is the transition point between the yang expansion of spring and summer to the inward yin of fall and winter.  The time between late summer and early fall metaphorically speaks to the transition between all of the equinoxes and solstices.  It is when the middle way is summoned between the extremes. It is the pause between the in-breath and the out-breath at the change of the seasons when the pendulum reverses its swing. 

We are currently at such a global transition when the energies of the masculine shift toward the feminine.  It is important for us to give pause and come to center. “Center” is the direction that corresponds with the Earth Element in Five Element Theory, also know as Five Phase Theory. It is a passing phase and one that is worthy of our attunement.

Some of the ways that we can attune with Late Summer is through the Earth Element correspondences. Two of which is the flavor sweet and the color yellow. My attention immediately turns to the spaghetti squash, golden pumpkins and sweet potatoes in the garden awaiting harvest. Sweet potatoes, yams and winter squash are what are known as a “full sweet.” Many people today have lost touch with the sweetness of life. A full sweet is one that nourishes on the deepest level and satisfies the body’s need and desire for sweet.  Empty sweets never satisfy this deeper craving and leave us robbed of vital nutrients.

On both the physical and mental levels Earth is responsible for digestion and the assimilation of food and nourishment as well as information and ideas. Earth helps us to focus the mind so that we may achieve our goals and realize our dreams.  When overburdened from excess on any level, whether it is from food or information our Earth Element cannot digest or assimilate what it receives and this produces congestion instead of providing nourishment.  When Earth is exhausted, the mind becomes disoriented and easily distracted, the body fatigued.

Earth easily assimilates nourishment from a variety of sources including food, relationships, and creativity. The Earth Element in harmony enjoys diverse relationships and is able to set goals and achieve them without distraction. On the other hand, individuals who have an Earth Element imbalance may be chronically tired, lethargic, lack mental clarity and be compulsive. They typically have weak digestion, a dulled sense of taste and abdominal bloating. Blood sugar imbalances are common.

One of the best ways to increase digestive qi is with carminative herbs, digestive bitters and demulcents. Carminatives like garlic, cinnamon, ginger and caraway warm the digestive system. Digestive bitters like dandelion, gentian and yellowroot help to clear congestion and stagnancy. Demulcents like marshmallow, slippery elm and cornsilk soothe and protect irritated or inflamed tissue.

The Earth Element embodies divine nourishment and abundance.  As I stand looking out my window at the yellow finches flying through the goldenrod fields of late summer, I notice the shifting light of the season and my mind returns to an earlier time. I see women performing the ancient ritual of winnowing the chaff as they toss their fan shaped baskets to the wind. The lighter chaff blows away and the seeds return to the cradle arm of the basket.

The seeds we are saving now are the seeds we will plant for our future in the light of a New Earth. May the abundance of Earth be yours and may you enjoy this Late Summer recipe that incorporates yellow squash and the warmth of garlic and basil.

Spaghetti Squash Pesto Bake

2 spaghetti squash, sliced in half lengthwise

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 Tablespoons butter

1 cup pesto

½ cup walnuts, chopped

1 organic tomato sliced

¼ cup Parmesan-Reggiano cheese

½ cup breadcrumbs

Celtic sea salt or other mineral rich salt and freshly ground, fair-trade black pepper

Place the squash face down in a baking pan or tray on top of the olive oil and crushed garlic so that the garlic infuses the squash during baking. Bake at 400º until tender, approximately 30 minutes (do not overcook!) Allow to cool. Remove seeds. Scrape remaining squash into a large mixing bowl and toss with butter, salt and pepper. Make pesto, add to squash and toss (you will have some pesto left over.) Place entire squash mixture into a large baking dish and spread evenly. Cover with walnuts, sliced tomatoes, cheese and bread crumbs. Dot with butter, cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350º. Place under broiler for an additional five minutes or until breadcrumbs are lightly toasted.

Pesto:

2 cups fresh basil leaves from the garden or your local farmer’s market, packed

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ cup walnuts

3 garlic cloves, chopped

salt and freshly ground, fair trade black pepper to taste

In a food processor add garlic and walnuts and pulse.  Then add basil and pulse. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while processor is running. Scrape down sides and add Parmesan cheese and pulse until well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.

~ ~ ~

Thea Summer Deer, PhD is a clinical herbalist, singer-songwriter and author of Wisdom of the Plant Devas: Herbal Medicine for a New Earth.

Learn more about the Earth Element and Digestive System in Thea’s new class, IndianSummer: Nourishing the Earth Element at Wise Woman University. This class includes four interactive webinars. Visit (website link) for a class overview and free introductory webinar.

Cream of Potato-Leek Soup

 In the exuberance of spring this year I planted a raised bed vegetable garden.  Previously we had tilled the existing ground and planted what was most inclined to grow there.  But I wanted more.  I wanted things that grew deeper like carrots, potatoes, onions and leeks.  So I hauled a bunch of organic manure from Carpe Diem Farms, and hay bales to use as retaining walls. Hay bales compost at the end of the season, retain moisture during dry spells, keep the bed warm when it gets cold and protect the garden from wind and driving rain. My efforts were rewarded with a generous row of leeks that made their way into this fragrant and heart warming soup.  Leeks are frost tolerant and can be grown (organically of course!) in the early spring and late summer for a fall crop. They take approximately 95 days to harvest.

2 quarts organic vegetable or chicken stock

3 large leeks or 4-5 smaller ones including some greens

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

4 russet potatoes, scrubbed and quartered

freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste

¼  teaspoon white pepper

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

½ teaspoon granular kelp

½  cup heavy organic cream

2 tablespoons organic sour cream

Prepare leeks by cutting down the center lengthwise and wash thoroughly.  Remove the tough outer greens and trim the tops. Add leeks, caraway seeds, and bay leaf to broth and simmer for 20 minutes. Add potatoes, kelp, salt and pepper, cover and simmer another 20 minutes. Add parsley and simmer until potatoes fall apart.  Remove from heat and cool.  Puree in blender, return to pot, add cream and sour cream and heat through.  Serve with fresh baked bread and garnish with parsley and/or toasted ground caraway seeds.

Lamb's Quarters Spread

Lamb's Quarters ~  Photo by Thea, June 2012

3 cloves garlic

1/2 small red onion

2 cups Lamb’s Quarters

1 ripe avocado

½ cup toasted almonds or walnuts

8 pitted Kalamata olives

2 TBS mellow white miso

1 TBS fresh lime juice

dash cayenne pepper

In food processor: garlic-process, add onion-process, add lamb's quarters-process, add remaining ingredients and process. Use as a spread on cucumbers.

Lamb's Quarters

Chenopodium album is a common weed, also commonly known as pigweed because it will fatten you up! Loaded with nutrition and as much Vitamin A as carrots it contains; phosphorus, calcium, potassium, B vitamins, and more vitamin C than spinach. It is cultivated in North India where it appears in Indian cuisine and is used in South Africa as a medicinal plant for hypertension. Lamb's Quarters has a mild flavor and can be eaten raw in salads. In North America it is a non-native having been introduced and naturalized. It produces shiny black seeds that are very nutritious and is closely related to quinoa. Prepare and eat like a leafy green. Contains oxalic acid.

Jamaican Black Bean Soup

Jamaican Black Bean Soup

From Thea’s Kitchen

Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for a Better World

2.5 cups dried black beans

1 quart veggie stock or water

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons oil

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 potato, diced or grated

1 carrot, diced or grated

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon savory

¼ teaspoon fair trade cinnamon

dash allspice

¼ teaspoon fair trade black pepper

1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

2 tablespoons tamari

1-2 limes

garnish: yogurt and chopped onion

Wash beans and soak overnight in water in a glass, clay or enamel pot. Transfer beans to covered saucepan (or leave in enamel) add bay leaves and cover with water by about 1 inch. Bring to a full, rapid boil and then simmer for 1 hour. Meanwhile, sauté the celery, potato, carrot, onion, garlic, and fresh grated ginger in oil until the onion is tender. Add along with remaining spices to the beans and continue simmering for another hour or until beans are done. Add salt when beans are tender. Remove bay leaves, puree ½ the soup and return to saucepan. Stir in lime juice and tamari just before serving and warm through. Serve with a dollop of yogurt and chopped onion.

Rancho Gordo is a great resource for learning more about cooking beans or for ordering the best in heirloom beans. Check out this video on how to cook beans:

Diggin' Burdock

Find more photos like this on Wise Woman University
I learned so much about burdock this past weekend as spring is being heralded in, waking me from my winter slumber. A long time friend and I made our way to another friend's homestead where burdock was happily growing in one of her favorite places -- the barnyard. We were both drawn to the back entrance of the barn where one was just beginning to raise her first leaves. Zealously we began to dig to see just what it was that we had here. We caught ourselves in mid spade having forgot to ask permission of the plant to remove this beauty from her barnyard. We paused, asked forgiveness, sang to her, made prayers, asked if she was the one who wanted to come with us and then plucked a few silvery grey hairs to leave as an offering. What we discovered was a second year root that had most likely been cut off at some point, producing two roots that grew entwined together like lovers. Two women, digging two roots joined together as one. My understanding is that as long as some part of the root is left in the ground when harvesting, it will grow back. I suspect this one got cut back because it was in the entrance to the barn, and then married with a first year root. That might also explain why the color of their respective leaf tops was different and one was woodier than the other.

First year roots are the most desirable because they haven’t given up their medicine to make flower stalks and seeds. They contain the most inulin and are sweeter. My feeling that burdock is best consumed fresh in the fall was confirmed upon doing further research. You can dig it anytime during its first year between fall and spring, but first year roots dug in the fall are the best. The leaves on a first year plant are a rosette, stay closer to the ground and don't produce a flower stalk. Burdock is biennial. If you pay attention and mark the first year plants, then you can dig ‘em up in the coming fall!
I have made an herbal vinegar tincture with almost all of the root(s) and cooked the remaining with rice. Special thanks to my husband, Chuck, aka The GreenMan, for taking these pics, to Joyce for her adventuresome spirit, and to Susun Weed for reminding how much more potent wild roots are compared to domesticated ones.

Morning Attunement with Wood