Pretty Things In My Yard

Spring is my favorite time of the year. I love how beautiful my yard gets, especially my tree. I'm not exactly sure what kind of tree it is, but I love it. It blooms in the spring with these sweet little white flowers, and is spectacular in the fall.

It reminds me of how good God is! Being outside in the spring (or anytime, really) is so theraputic, everything from the grass to the sunshine to the sweet little sparrows singing point to a wise and beautiful heavenly Father.

Psalm 19
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language

where their voice is not heard. [a]
4 Their voice [b] goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,

like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens

and makes its circuit to the other;

nothing is hidden from its heat.

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Simple Things

It really is the simple stuff in life that makes me happy. We got some wonderful fresh organic potatoes in our Abundant Harvest box, so I had to make mashed potatoes and it is just not right to make mashed potatoes without some sort of buttery vegetable. Why not carrots? We got some of those in our box too. It is not often that I am pleased with EVERY ingredient in my meal, and this is no exception... however, it is pretty close. Other than the Costco EVOO, this is a very nourishing meal. Free range, organic chicken, organic produce, pasture butter, raw milk, Celtic Grey Sea Salt... it doesn't get much better! The best part about all of these ingredients though, is the taste. When I started to research organic and whole foods, I assumed that I would be sacrificing flavor or quality. Not so! I have been pleasantly surprised with just how much more delicious foods are when they are in their natural state. We are so used to the SAD diet that we assume that it is optimal, I mean, why on earth would we be eating this way if not?? It is amazing to me that not only is it terrible for you, but it is just terrible in general. I could never go back to the way I was eating 2 years ago! Fresh, organic carrots caramelized in rich pasture butter sprinkled with fine ground Celtic Sea Salt... there is not another taste in this world to compare that to. Very simple, yet VERY satisfying!

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Lemons

We got a beautiful bunch of lemons in our Abundant Harvest order this week. I love lemons. and will eat them raw with a little bit of celtic sea salt, but I was happy to learn from my newslettter that there are many more uses for lemons that I was not aware of! Here are a few:

*If your lettuce has become limp and you want to revive it, squeeze a halved lemon into a bowl of cold water and add the lettuce. Refrigerate the bowl of lettuce for an hour and then dry your lettuce. It should be crisp and ready for a salad!
*Adding a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice to boiling water before adding eggs will make them easier to peel after they are hard boiled.
*Warm or hot water with fresh lemon juice will help flush out your digestive system.
*Warm lemon juice will soothe a sore throat.
*Lemon juice can be used to remove berry stains from your skin, or pine tar from your hands when mixed with a little table salt.
*One cup of milk plus one TBS of lemon juice is a great substitute for buttermilk.
*Run 1/4 cup of lemon juice through your dishwasher on the normal cycle to remove mineral deposits or odors. (This really works, and makes your house smell fresh and lemony as the cycle is running!)
*A quarter cup of lemon juice mixed with water in a spray bottle will remove grease from your countertop, stove, etc.

Other helpful hints: Store lemons in the refrigerator. If you need just a little juice, poke a hole in your lemon and squeeze out the amount you need. The rest will stay fresher longer.

Now I'm off to search for some lemon recipes!

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