ROCK AND ROLL
LIVING ON THE EDGE...
...YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF FROM FALLING
The morning got off to a nice start when Jen and Happy did some yoga. Aaron got a little early morning chores in and then we got to work. We started by feeding the birds and giving them fresh water for their baths. Off to weed in the garden was next, which is different here than other places. Here, many weeds are utilized instead of put in the garbage or on the compost pile: wild mustards are eaten for lunch, wild grass is juiced, and a leathery wild mint too bitter to eat is made into tea. After selective weeding outside we moved to the indoor greenhouse. Aphids, small insects, are taking over some of the plants growing in the greenhouse and we are going to try to come up with a gentle solution to rid them from the garden. Both indoor and outdoor gardens received generous waterings from the rain catchment tanks and then we foraged through both for lunch. After lunch we bailed out dirty water from the hot tub which we plan to scrub tomorrow and have up and running by the weekend.
Unlike our last WWOOF experience, where we weren't allowed in the kitchen, here, one of our tasks is to cook. Or rather to prepare foods, since we're not "cooking." Although the rules vary, most people who eat raw believe food should not be cooked or heated to more than 115 degrees Fahrenheit. People who choose to eat this way tend to believe there are nutrients and enzymes in food that are destroyed when subjected to high heat. In fact, when we were on Cumberland Island we spoke with Glenn Roberts, a representative from Anson Mills, and he told us that cooking rice in boiling water strips the rice of many essential amino acids, not to mention the flavor. Eating raw does not mean you must be a vegan, or even a vegetarian. Anyone who has ever eaten sushi knows that lots of people enjoy eating raw fish. While we're here, we plan to eat like our host, raw vegan. It may not be what we're used to, but we're up to the challenge and plan to get creative.
We made a big salad for lunch with: arugula, mustard greens, mizuna, mint, dill, parsley, cilantro, and edible flowers, all which we foraged from the gardens. We topped that mix with carrots, beets, radishes, red cabbage, oranges, chia and pumpkin seeds, and raisins dressed in a light olive oil/apple cider vinegar dressing. For protein, we made hummus from soaked, hulled sunflower seeds. We soaked them overnight and then blended them with oil, tahini, cumin, cayenne pepper, chile, salt, pepper, and topped it with olives. We ate our hummus with celery and cucumbers. For dinner we made "live" gardenburgers by processing almonds and pecans with carrots, onions, nutritional yeast, paprika, and agave nectar which we formed into patties. We served that alongside beet greens and shiitake mushrooms marinated in sesame oil, Bragg's Liquid Aminos (raw version of soy sauce), kelp, and miso paste. The mushrooms were initially dried were rehydrated after soaking overnight. In a raw diet, soaking and sprouting foods is critical to having a balanced diet. You can soak a grain in water and it will become soft enough to eat in a few days--you just have to plan ahead. Eating just salad and fruit all week is not our intention.
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