Basil Pesto

The first year planting my very own garden had me experimenting with a few items outside of my traditional planting realm. Herbs. Prior to this season, well, call me the dill queen. Our garden housed fresh parsley, sage, dill and the new favorite, basil! There is nothing like fresh basil atop whole wheat pasta and homemade spaghetti sauce or paired with cherry tomatoes and a fried egg on toast! The herbs are arranged in the center of our medicine wheel garden and the plants blessed us with hundreds of bees, which are rare in our rural community, as I have been told.

Before the first frost hit, we made sure to store some of our lovely herb in a delicious sort of way, pesto!

Adapted from Ina Garten's Basic Pesto Recipe.

Ingredients
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts)
3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions
Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer.

Notes: I omitted the Parmesan, with the intention of adding it when thawed. I stored the pesto in freezer bags. Air is the enemy of pesto. For freezing, pack it in containers with a film of oil or plastic wrap directly on top with the air pressed out. To clean basil, remove the leaves, swirl them in a bowl of water, and then spin them very dry in a salad spinner. Store them in a closed plastic bag with a slightly damp paper towel. As long as the leaves are dry they will stay green for several days.

Full Circle.

Having just concluded chapter 16 of Barbara Kingsolver's, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle appropriately titled, Smashing Pumpkins: October. I fell into a bit of an emotional state. It's mid-August and my garden is slowly dying, coming to an end, ceasing to exist, expiring, kicking the bucket, what have you. Although once the garden meets its fate, the seasonal change will bring newfound, weekend freedoms consisting mostly of..hockey. Don't get me wrong guys, I'm a fan, but still, heavyheartedly speaking!

Having developed a deep connection with a piece of land for the past 6 months (call me crazy); marking the four directions, wiping dripping snot from the nose while making fence in the chill of April, planting the seeds, experiencing garden foes (below), harvesting a plethora of rich bounty only to see it wilt, shrivel up and be cultivated and/or die will be difficult. On the brightest side, I am now a firm believer in the power of the circle, the medicine wheel, natural healing and native american practices, both agriculturally and spiritually. But mostly, I trust the influence that nature has on us miniscule beings and our minds, our bodies and our souls.

What does this mean? It means that within the past week, Jon returned from his school trip to UC Berkeley with a sense of relief after presenting our project to some pretty important people. I don't blame him. In addition to the academia involved, the garden alone was a huge undertaking. The only thing on my mind is grad school. The second I found the major, it was decided. But, which college? Will I go for a Master's, Doctorate? And location, where do I see myself living, working and BE-ing in the next 2-6 YEARS?! TBD. Our garden may be 'dying,' but our project has only begun.

"The Circle has healing power. In the Circle, we are all equal. When in the Circle, no one is in front of you. No one is behind you. No one is above you. No one is below you. The Sacred Circle is designed to create unity. The Hoop of Life is also a circle. On this hoop there is a place for every species, every race, every tree and every plant. It is this completeness of Life that must be respected in order to bring about health on this planet."
Dave Chief, Oglala Lakota

It appears that the title, Refrigerator Pickles isn't fitting for this post after all.

Sunflowers!

The first sunflowers have finally graced us with their lovely, sunny presence. What started as sunflower seeds in the birdfeeder, sprouted into a not so welcome guest in my mom's flower bed. Can't wait to see the rest!

The Miracle of Seed

As I was browsing through photos from our garden, I stumbled upon two pictures that caught my eye.
The before....

And, the after.

 It may definitely be impossible NOT to have a garden from this point on.

Earth Day 2012

"We must protect the forests for our children, grandchildren and children yet to be born. We must protect the forests for those who can't speak for themselves such as the birds, animals, fish and trees." Qwatsinas

As a whole, the world celebrated Earth Day 2012, this past Monday. One special day, named to honor and recognize the miraculous planet that we live on. My hope is that most of us try to recognize, honor and respect the earth every day. As for me, my connection with nature and our mother earth is only becoming stronger. I have been a city dweller for the past 5 1/2 years, but mind, body and soul have pretty much stayed in the rural countryside, where I was born, raised and lived for all 18 years of prior existence. I'm longing for it and I can no longer ignore it. 

I miss the woods, trees, the fields, the birds, the green, the stars in the night sky, dirt, the crunchy leaves, butterflies and the sun. I miss it all and more. For me, it's time to transition back to the basics, back to my roots, but in my own way.

Earth Day 2012 was extra special, because after weeks of devoted composition, The Peace Project's first 'sign' of life, a true labor of love, is standing proudly; no turning back now!

Feng shui

...in the apartment has just imploded.

After receiving one very hefty quote of $500 for a professionally made sign, we decided, we've got this. A little ambitious, but it wasn't in the budget. Some particle board (free) and $30 worth of paint later and we're about 75% done with the beaut. I'm supposed to be helping my 'partner' with the second coat as we speak but, shhhhh, priorities. 'COMING!'

The plan is to have it UP, implanted in the ground this weekend; rain or shine. Hoping for rain, needing the rain, but when you're cooped up all week, it's nice to have that shine. Win some, lose some.

This is exciting, and a bit of a milestone in TPP's timeline, since it will be Litchfield's very first, physical entity or 'sign' (so to speak) of the project.

Off to paint. Peace.

Living and Breathing...

the native culture.
Before, it was all in my head, floating around like some dream cloud. But slowly, slowly, it's becoming real. Jon and I took a little weekend trip to Mankato, MN. We celebrated 5 years of love on St. Patrick's Day and wanted to do a little something special. We ended up mixing business with pleasure and actually spent the majority of our milestone day researching at the Blue Earth Historical Society. Nerds, right? We love it. Although it's basically been a second, full time job, we couldn't be more passionate about our little brain baby.

Here's what's 'dangerous' about this project. The Peace Project; the four As: call to action, awareness, activism and accountability. The more we learn, the more we expose ourselves to, the more we explore, the more we. are. changing. Personal change and growth is inevitable, but it's a turn off for a lot of people. We have learned that there is a fine line between preaching and practicing. We have also learned that there is a big difference between planning and doing, although they are both fully dependent on one another. Thankfully, we have developed a major support system through many impromptu emails, phone calls and in-person meetings; it's great to connect with those that are willing to listen as well as share what makes you tick. As more paths are crossed and more ground is covered, the inspiration only increases. Did I mention we are about a month away from planting season!? 
POTENTIAL MEMBERS: If you, or someone you know, is a Litchfield, MN native, is able to commit/tend to a garden plot for the spring/summer and partake, open-mindedly, in a series of workshops throughout the growing season, we want to hear from you!

Email Kelsey & Jon at: thepeaceprojectmn@gmail.com

Follow us on twitter: @plantpeacemn
'Like' us on facebook: www.facebook.com/plantpeace

Things.

You guys, I have been so busy lately. Good busy, to the point where I am almost OK that I am neglecting this blog; just OK though. As much as I love, love, love unleashing my inner mind and often nonsensical thoughts via head in the clouds, my head has actually been so far UP in the clouds lately, that it's been a little difficult to come down, down, down and take a second or two to fill you in on Kelsey lately. Grounded and balanced; It's good to be most of the time. But mostly, light bulb moments don't give a $#&*! as to what stage you may be at in the game, they hit you. Hard. The thing is, things are great.
Life is great, work is great, love is great. But no matter what, I always have something on my mind and that is my unsatiable urge to attempt to change certain things. I say attempt, because I am not one to expect nor acknowledge to fulfill such a task. The thing is, I know what I know and I know that I am here for a reason. I am constantly reminded that life is way too short and the time is now. Our project is coming this Spring. It has consumed me, invaded my mind, set up shop in my heart and will be my mission, because it will not be escaping me anytime soon. Things can change. Social responsibility, accountability, awareness, activism: They've become some of my favorite things. We have the land, we have the support system, the tools, the passion, the determination, the dream...but we will not succeed in our vision without help. It's funny how things change; in life, in love...in the environment..in the economy. Are you asking questions? If not, the time. is. now. Apologies in advance for simply being M.I.A., but it's time to cultivate knowledge and other, miscellaneous things.

A Review: Aladdin Senja Desktop Mug

Usually I'm not one to dissect something as trivial as a desktop mug, but I figured that this product is just that fabulous and no, I'm not getting paid to do this! In all seriousness, or as serious as one can be regarding this matter, I have honestly been on the lookout for a coffee mug for quite a while now. Since a trip to Caribou became part of my daily routine (sometimes double-daily) I have been searching for something that just simply, made sense; For one, I am sincerely trying to reduce my footprint and this is such a simple way in which I can do that: I figure that using the mug will cease personal consumption of around 300 paper cups and paper sleeves, or more, per year.
Also, Caribou discounts 50 cents for each time one utilizes his or her own mug, which totals about $200 a year in savings. Reduce, reuse, RECYCLE. The mug is double-wall constructed, stainless steel (meaning rust-proof, odorless, tasteless) has a nonslip bottom, sturdy (welded) handle with a nice grip, BPA free, seal-tight cover that caters to both lefties and righties and did I mention the lagoon-esque color?! LOVE. My coffee, tea, hot cocoa, stays HOT for at least an hour and perfectly warm for around two. But, for how many of us does it actually take more than an hour to finish that 16 oz. coffee at 8:00AM? ....that's what I thought. Target. $15. Enough said.
For more information about Aladdin's products, visit http://www.aladdin-pmi.com/

Yet Another Reason to Love IKEA..

With the exception of the blue pot (Bachman's), everything is from IKEA. Cacti, $2.99 each. Pots, $1.00 each. Rocks, $1.50/2lb bag. Boom. Saharan desert, meet Antarctica. Hey, if I can't get it outside, I'll try anything. Also, avoid getting poked during the transportation, transplantation process. It hurts.

Responsible by Nature

About to make some yummy soup, I turned on the light above the stove. With a zapping noise and burst of light, I realized I now would be without. After a bit of thought and contemplating a trip to the store, I remembered that I was given a free light bulb when Jon, myself and some highschool friends visited Split Rock Lighthouse in Two Harbors, MN.
As per the information provided on the box, I now know that 'CFLs use 75% less energy than traditional bulbs, saving you up to $50 over the life of each bulb.' My accomplished face was probably brighter than the bulb, itself, after I screwed it in and turn it on. Let there be light. Thank you, Xcel Energy. Although you are a monopoly, I am hopeful that you're at least doing your part in producing efficient electricity and household items that will make our future greener. They had me at 'Efficiency in your socket. Money in your pocket.' responsiblebynature.com

Homemade Vegetarian Broccoli Cheese Soup

A personal spin on a recipe I found called, Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup, courtesy of Food.com (love this site). Of course, there was a ton of positive feedback just luring me in...and I was raised on one of the best cheesey soups ever; thanks mom. However, sometimes you just have to figure things out for yourself and find your own way of doing it, the 'second-best' way. But mostly, I was craving it - - which is always good enough of a reason for me to cook anything. It has finally cooled down a bit here in MN, and although some might consider me crazy for wanting to make a hot soup during the summer, I see it as fabulous timing. Between what I had in the pantry and what I found in the garden, I had to buy two things: half-n-half and sharp cheddar cheese. It's really a perfect course for this time of the year - broccoli, carrots, potatoes, peas and beans are all pretty much in full force.

Here's the deal:
Serves 8
1 tsp melted butter
1/2 medium chopped red onion
1/4 c melted butter
1/2 c flour - then add to desired thickeness
3 1/4 c half-n-half cream
3 c vegetable broth
2 1/2 - 3 c fresh broccoli
2 c carrots - coined
1/2 c fresh peas - out of pod
1/2 c green beans
a sprinkle of nutmeg *careful
8.5 oz. sharp cheddar - the bolder, the better
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1] Sauté onion in butter. Set aside.
2] Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.
3] Stir constantly and add the half-n-half.
4] Add the vegetable broth. Simmer for 20 minutes.
5] Add the VEG: broccoli, carrots, potatoes, peas, beans and onions. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes, or until tender.
6]  Add salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add cheese. To avoid curdling, especially if you're using low fat goodies (HOPE NOT!), do not heat/boil soup after adding cheese.
7] Stir in nutmeg.
I know this will now be my GO-TO recipe for years to come - honestly! It turned out fabulous - took a little time and babysitting, but it was well worth it!

Pair with a your favorite dipping bread and you have a lovely meal - ideal for any season!

A Veg-Lover's Dream:

Consists of fresh goodies from the garden.

Organic. Free. Fabulous.
Just one more reason why I wish summer could stay and play, all year round.

Simple Beauty.

These were taken in Two Harbors, MN: Beyond touristy areas, lies untouched wonders.

Gooseberry Falls

Location: Two Harbors, MN