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Why Fair Trade is important to me

It grew in me like a disease over the course of a couple of years; this knowledge that my Stuff comes from Somewhere.
I can point to a few incidents in particular, but mostly the awareness came slowly, not crashing like for some.

I bought Tanzanian Peaberry coffee to remind me of my dear friend who lives in Tanzania, and she said, “Yeah, we can’t get that here. It all gets exported.” Wait, you mean my Tanzanian coffee is made by people all the way in…Tanzania….? What’s that like?

A friend from India was in my house and picked up a napkin and exclaimed, “My mother makes these!” I guiltily realized I have never even thought about who made my napkins. In fact, I uncomfortably realized that I could not tell you where most of my things were made. Maybe I could tell you where I got them, or if they were on sale…but country of origin? Oh goodness.

As a Christian, I think that I should live the life of Jesus in the world. And I’m not sure Jesus places my *need* for another brown tank top (even if the one I have is kind of stretched out) above someone’s need to be able to provide food and medical care for their family, just because they live in India or China and I live in the U.S.

Now, we all do the best we can with the information we have at the time. We bought our first house around “The time the High Cost of Low Prices” became a thing. I wouldn’t watch it yet, because I wanted to buy paint and curtain rods, and I had this awful feeling that after I watched that documentary I wouldn’t be willing to shop at Walmart anymore and the items I wanted would be twice as expensive anywhere else. And I wasn’t prepared to make the jump to figuring out how to make my own, and I wasn’t ready to justify the expense of paying more and so I just closed my eyes and bought them.

What I’m getting at is that I don’t begrudge anyone their learning process. I don’t think everything I buy is perfect and better than what other people buy. But much of Christianity in my culture focuses a lot on stamping out the injustice we see (like boycotting American Apparel because their advertising is sometimes ridiculously inappropriate–people who feel strongly about this are not wrong) but overlooks injustice we don’t see (is anyone really fooled by those horrible ‘sweater-bot’ commercials Old Navy has been running?? No robots. 12 year-olds in sweat shops in Bangladesh–or somewhere. Their website just conspicuously says “imported” under each item rather than listing a country of origin. The actual garments are still required to be more specific, I believe).

I can not close my eyes to oppression for the sake of my own luxury any more. Because it feels really wrong. And selfish. And like the opposite of everything I read in the Bible. And yes, I felt this way before I started reading The Hunger Games.

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The Spectrum of Conversation

Right now we are dealing with some behavioral challenges. It’s somewhat helpful for us to call this a “negative developmental phase”. Somewhat helpful because it helps us to remember that this, too, shall pass. It would be easy in some moments to throw up my hands and abandon E. to herself. It is hard work to model calm, loving gentleness under normal circumstances; even harder when I am running on 3 of my four cylinders sleep-wise.

So when something comes to me like an idea-gift I have to write it down because chances are I’ll need to read it again in a few days because I’ll be tired and I’ll forget.

So here it is. Today’s revelation that is helping guide my daughter through this negative phase:

In any given conversation, there are constantly varying levels of passion on both sides.

Now, everyone has their own lexicon and might define marks along the spectrum a little differently, but this is what I came up with on the fly, starting with the least passionate and becoming increasingly heated:

Conversation, Discussion, Disagreement, Argument, Fight.

Here’s how that plays out in our family…we did some role-playing and here’s what we came up with:

Conversation-

“I think we should paint the room blue.”

“I think we should paint the room red.”

Discussion-

“I think blue would be better for the following reasons.”

“I get that, but I think red would be better for these other reasons.”

Disagreement-

“I hear your reasons, but I still think my reasons are better and I still like blue.”

“I know you like blue and I know why but I really think red would be better.”

Argument-

“I like blue better and I will not really listen to anything about red.”

“I like red better and I will not really listen to anything about blue.”

Fight-

“I don’t like red and I don’t like your shoes!”

“I don’t like blue and your hair is ugly!”

One way this is useful in our interaction is that I can check in with E. and say, “We are talking about this and I thought we could discuss it, but you are full on fighting right now.”

Another way it’s useful is to check in with myself and figure out where on the spectrum I am at opportune moments. If I am broadsided by a three year old who comes out swinging (so to speak) when I ask her to use the toilet, it’s easy to match her at the angry end of the spectrum. But even though it’s hard, it’s worth it to pull myself back for a minute and leave space for a “gentle answer” which “turns away wrath”.

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Introverts make me nervous.

They didn’t used to. As an insensitive extrovert, it was really easy to be around your stereotypical introvert because if I said whatever I wanted without worrying about consequences (I did, and often, too), they never said anything and I just figured it was always fine.

Except that it wasn’t.

And now I know that.

Now I have become what I’ll call a sensitive extrovert (if you know me personally you can feel free to disagree here), which means that I still often feel compelled to talk about things to get other people’s input, or for any of a myriad of other reasons (I talk a LOT), but it’s much trickier now because every time I say something I wonder what their reaction to it will be, whether they will understand what I mean, whether they will be hurt by what I say (this can be a slippery slope toward a swamp of people pleasing, and not living into who God is making me to be. Still, other people have feelings and now I notice them. What am I to do with this sudden windfall of information!?!?). With my fellow stereotypical extroverts, that’s still not too bad, because I feel pretty confident that if they have a problem with me I will know because they will tell me.

But with people who are less likely to say something, it’s hard to know where I stand. If I say something that, upon reflection, may have been ungracious/unkind/too sarcastic/too opinionated, I don’t know what the rules are for dealing with it. If it’s really bad, obviously I can just bring it up again and apologize. But when I can’t tell what people’s reactions are, it’s hard for me to know how to proceed.

I know this one guy…he’s very much of an introvert. I was very excited to meet him (he’s kind of a famous musician type) and said a moderately long stream of words at him after a show which ended with an invitation to dinner sometime. His response, “Uhhh, you’d have to talk to my wife about that. She’s the extrovert.” I left, feeling pretty sure that I would not get a chance to talk to his wife. Happily, I was wrong (he was right…she IS the extrovert) and after they eventually came over for dinner she related a story about the text he’d sent her right after meeting a very nice couple with a cute kid…presumably us. 🙂

So from that particular introvert, I have learned that when he doesn’t say anything, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t like you. That is a very helpful thing to remember as there are many introverted people in the world that I love and want to be in relationship with. I just have to learn the language, now that I care to, rather than just taking the dominant “you live in the land of extroverts! Speak up!” approach. I don’t do that to people for whom English is a second language, so why would I do that to introverts? Although I have to admit, sometimes I think it was easier learning Chinese than learning Introvert. Good thing I have some very patient introverts to help me along.

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These are a few of my favorite things….to make in my food processor…

Lots of food processors in my immediate vicinity just now…I’m feeling inspired to explore new recipes for mine, so please feel free to add your own favorite ideas in the comments, if you like.

Here are some of my most commonly home-processed foods:

 power bites/bars (recipes from Healthy Snacks to Go from Kitchen Stewardship blogger Katie Kimball)

slicing potatoes

grating cheese

chopping onions, garlic, peppers….

Grinding up meat– if you buy meat at the grocery store, buying a regular cut of meat and grinding it yourself is a good way to ensure that you aren’t getting any ammonia (a “process” used in many ground meat products).

pesto– basil pesto is the most common, but I also like to use broccoli, arugula, or other greens as a base.

pie crust

this strawberry face mask from Crunchy Betty (although I didn’t eat the rest of it like she recommended. I froze it in individual use sizes and defrost one whenever I want to use it).

Scones
I just made these today:

Here’s the recipe:

Cocoa Pecan Brownie Scones


The ingredients:

2 1/4  c whole spelt flour (you could use all purpose or whole wheat; just use less), plus more for dusting the work surface
1/4 c cocoa powder
1/2 c cane sugar
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1/3 c olive or other vegetable oil (non-gmo if possible)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 beaten egg
1/3 c yogurt or buttermilk

1/2 c pecans (or other nuts, chocolate chips, or whatever dried fruit you enjoy the taste of with chocolate. You should adjust the name appropriately when you present them to your friends, of course.

1 egg
1 tsp chocolate syrup -or- a little sugar
oil for the cookie sheet, or parchment paper, if you’re into that.

The method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil or line a cookie sheet (I pour a little oil on and smooth it around with my hand. Unless E. is around. If she is, that is her favorite job).

Combine dry ingredients in food processor with dough attachment. Pulse until well mixed.

Add olive oil and pulse until dry ingredients are fairly evenly coated. Beat the egg with the vanilla and yogurt (I used my homemade yogurt from skim milk), add, and pulse until a soft dough is formed. You may need to add more flour during this step.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat into a long, narrow rectangle (a bar about 3 or 4 inches wide). Cut it into alternating right triangles to make traditional scone shapes like the ones pictured, or shape them however you like. Baking time may vary depending on the size of your scones.

Place scones on the oiled pan. Brush the tops with the egg mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops start to look a little golden brown (this might be a little hard to judge since they are chocolate, but a toothpick should come out clean, and you want  the outside to be a little crunchy).

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A few weird (and a few not so weird) things you can make in a crockpot

Yogurt-I tried this once and it worked okay, although I’d say it was more the kind of yogurt that’s good for using in recipes in place of buttermilk (pancakes, waffles, etc.) since it was so runny, although I could have strained it through cheesecloth or a coffee filter and it would probably have been fine. Honestly, I usually use this recipe from Beth Terry of My Plastic Free Life  because it’s very easy, although it doesn’t make as much…unless you use multiple thermal coffee mugs.

Carrot Ginger Soup

Chickpeas-beans, water (make sure you use a lot of water…if there’s not enough the beans won’t be covered once they expand during cooking and they will be inedible), overnight or all day. Then you can freeze them, use them in hummus, or add them to salads, soups, or whatever you use your canned beans for.

Garbanzo beans (Psych! Those are the same as chickpeas)

Many other dried beans– Same method. Cooking times vary by bean, so google your bean before you cook it so you can not end up with undercooked or mushy beans.

Whole chicken– Whole chickens are much cheaper to buy than boneless skinless parts, and then you can make stock. If I’m going to eat meat, I prefer use the whole thing! You can do a fancy sauce, or just stick the thing in there and put it on high for a few hours. Longer if it’s frozen (I never think ahead enough to thaw them beforehand). You can add a few small potatoes or carrots or parsnips if you want to serve them as part of the meal.

chicken stock– after we eat our chicken, the bones go straight into the crockpot and then I cover them with water and make stock overnight, then strain it and make soup for the next night. Maybe Leftover Soup?

vegetable stock (my friend J keeps carrot peels, apple peels, onion bits, etc. and sticks them in the freezer until she has enough to fill a pot. Easy and free using bits you would have otherwise just thrown in the trash or compost.

Cornmeal grits

Chili– obviously.

Apple Butter– cook apples down until they are apple sauce (I like to peel and core them, although I got a fancy shmancy apple peeler corer slicer thing for christmas so I’ll probably do that next year), then take the lid off, add spices and cook them down more until they are apple butter. Then make biscuits. Or toast. Not in the crockpot though.

Dal– Indian Red Lentil stew…served with chapates or brown rice or both. Delicious and very good for you!

Sausage, potato, and kale soup-the only ingredients that aren’t in the title are salt, pepper and some kind of stock. Brown the sausage first. It tastes better. Wash the kale and rip it into smallish pieces. Half a pound of sausage is enough to make a pretty big pot of soup. Cook it all up and use a potato masher to mush up the potatoes so the soup will be creamy and delicious.

Leftover Soup-combine veggies from the freezer, crisper, or pantry, cover with any kind of broth or water, cook all day and then spice it up as you like it…curry spices and a wand blender will make everything better. Okay, not everything. But this soup.

My favorite Leftover Soup usually consists pretty much of these things:

  • a few potatoes, washed and quartered, if they’re big (no peeling)
  • carrots if I have them (again, washing is good enough)
  • a jar of tomatoes (pint or quart…dealer’s choice)
  • 1-4 cloves of garlic
  • salt & pepper
  • frozen summer squash, winter squash, or other veggies you froze because you didn’t know what to do with them at the time. 😉
  • maybe an apple or two
  • some wine
  • curry spices-either curry powder, or some configuration including some or all (but not limited to) ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, chili powder, mustard, and/or cumin.

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On giving thanks in an integrated way

Just now, while getting the baby to sleep, I happened upon a Thanksgiving post from a blogger that I like. With the unpopular-sounding title “The Call to Mourn on Thanksgiving.”

She makes a point that is unpleasant. My first reaction was, “Oh geez…I don’t want to read that. It sounds like a downer.” I still read it, though, because I don’t want to go through life with my eyes closed.

The thing is, I struggle to walk the line between keeping my awareness and losing my joy. It seems incredibly garish to put on a celebration with no thought at all toward where our food came from or how it was raised, who made all the decorations we spend our money on and put up once a year, or where all the disposables will go once we throw them “away.”  I have been in churches with people I respect in many other ways who roll their eyes and say, “I just try not to think about it” at the mention of free-range or vegetarian alternatives (not from me…I have long since learned not to bring up certain topics in certain types of mixed company…no sense arguing about things other people don’t care about at all and aren’t willing to change their opinions about, and I don’t want to be “that girl” unless some fruit is going to come of it).

So I get where angry hippies (or so we might be called behind our backs) are coming from.

The thing is, I think there is more to living the life of Jesus in the world than just being outraged by things that are wrong. At a wedding one time Jesus’ mom said to him, “They’re out of wine. Do something.” He didn’t give a sermon on drunkenness. He didn’t even call them irresponsible for drinking so much wine when other people didn’t have anything to eat or drink at all. It doesn’t mean that those things weren’t true. Another time he told people who were fasting to get up, wash their face and go on about their life instead of making a big dramatic show about it. Not every moment is the right moment for speaking out the truth, and God is the only one who can really know for sure when we are lovingly sowing seeds that will result in actual change  or casting our pearls before pigs. He will tell us, if we will just listen.

If we know we are doing our best to be obedient to that prompting, then we can trust also that we are not responsible for people’s reactions. If we take “speaking the truth in love” as a license to be a jerk and speak our minds as we please, then we are entirely responsible for the consequences. I wish I had learned this lesson much earlier in life. It would have saved me lots of apologies and relationships over the years.

Some Bible verses we are thinking on this week:

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of Jesus*, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

*There is this movie that I didn’t like very much that had this one really great scene wherein Queen Elizabeth finds out that someone has been going around doing all sorts of inappropriate things “in the name of the Queen.” She catches him at it and says, “Young man, have a care with my name, else you will wear it out.”

Doing something in someone’s name means that you think before you do things about whether they would be happy about it.

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Some Brainwaves I Didn’t Waste…

After my last post, I have done tolerably well (meaning really well some days and not well at all other days…we all do the best we can) at monitoring my thoughts and at least recognizing when I am wasting them.

So what kinds of things do I consider to be worth my energy to think about?

Well, here are a couple of things that I’d blog about if I had myself more together:

Plastic diapers – I recently read this alarmist and judgmental article and was left with the feeling that my baby would be sterile, have autism or possibly even burst into flames if I continued using the polyurethane laminate diaper covers that I have had for 3 years as they likely contain PVC, phthalates, and other neurotoxins. So I called all the makers of all the diapers that I have (about 8 different phone calls) and then called several PUL manufacturers when I couldn’t find the maker of one of my diapers (Captain Fluffy Pants has disappeared off the face of the earth, apparently. It happens. She was a WAHM and has moved on to other things that don’t involve answering emails from someone who bought her stuff 3 years ago) to ask them questions.  One very kind man at a manufacturer’s customer service line assured me there was only a 10 percent chance that my baby would burst into flames. 😉

He explained to me that there was a short period from about 2006-2007 or so when PUL was very popular but hadn’t yet been regulated. before that there was really only one manufacturer who sold it and they didn’t use pvc in their production of PUL. Then cloth diapering got trendy and CPSIA certification became a thing and now it seems like most cloth diaper companies (I say most although I don’t want to generalize…do your own homework and make your own decisions, people) are using certified PUL which means it is presently understood to be the most stable and least toxic plastic possible. Yes, it’s still plastic. It’s not the best thing possible. Yes, ideally we would diaper our babies with hopes and dreams and marshmallow fluff. Okay, maybe not marshmallow fluff, but you get the idea. Natural fibers or bust. I have looked into wool covers for diapers, and even made a few of them myself. But they are too expensive to be something I would use exclusively, and require a lot of extra work to care for that I frankly am not willing to put in at this moment in my life. Even plastic reusable diapers are still reusable (each one of my diapers has now replaced hundreds of ‘sposies at this point) and we are doing the best we can.

 

Food and Community – We like food at our house. We like to make it, like to eat it, like to think about it, like to talk about it, love to share it. We try to eat things that are food, and for a long time that was stressful because I was working out what that meant for family get-togethers and things. I am not good at hiding what I am thinking, so as I went through this process I would make the most unseemly faces every time someone handed us a potato chip or a cookie at a function:

Well, what does that have in it? No way to check. Don’t think too long…it’ll be weird. They said they got it at Giant Eagle…ummm….ok…starting to think too long…quick, decide! Will compromise on: genetically modified foods, conventional vs organic, more sugar than normal, maybe a little high fructose corn syrup. Food dyes? Jury’s still out. Preservatives? Not too sure yet. Probably compromise. Will not compromise on: hydrogenated oils, chemical sweeteners, meat from suspect sources. Crap. Thought too long. Yep, 30 seconds of silence is definitely too long.

So that’s what would go through my head every time we were offered any food. And because it wasn’t settled in my mind yet, I was extremely awkward about it. I was trying to decide each moment what we were going to do, and trying to do it without being a Crazy Hippie Mom. I didn’t want to just say, “no, we don’t eat that,” because it felt judgmental but I couldn’t figure out what to say which ended up being way worse.

My very patient MIL confided to me the other day that I’ve gotten much better about this as I’ve grown into my opinions more. She said it’s a lot less awkward now because I just quietly explain what we do or don’t eat (she only told me this because I asked her if it was okay that I didn’t eat the croutons in our lunch salad because I knew from getting takeout from that restaurant before that they contain hydrogenated soybean oil…E asked me why she couldn’t have them and Iwhispered to her that there were things that weren’t food in them, but that we’d compromise and she could have the salad with the HFCS dressing and I wanted to make sure she wasn’t offended…she’s not the kind of lady who volunteers opinions like that, just FYI. She kinda rocks like that).

Sometimes people will take the choices that I make as a personal indictment, whether they are about food, natural living, or Jesus. Whether they are meant that way or not (they’re not, by the way). It’s not my job for everyone else to be fine with the choices I make. But it is my job to be thoughtful about them. As a church we are called to give an answer for our beliefs to anyone who asks us. It actually says that, in Timothy. And if we’re not instructed to be preachy and obnoxious and judgmental when sharing God’s love, who am I to be any of those ways about anything less important than that (which is everything)?

Well, kids are requiring focused attention again. Those are some brainwaves that I know for sure aren’t wasted.

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Wasted Brainwaves

I spend time thinking about things I shouldn’t. I’m not talking about forbidden, terrible things. I’m not even talking about big dramatic things. I’m talking about things that shouldn’t get to use up my thought cycles. I think ‘hey, if I change lanes now, then I can get around this other car and I might get where I’m going a few seconds earlier.’  And it doesn’t end there. If for some reason I don’t change lanes and pass, then I might get stuck at a red light, and spend the whole 30 seconds thinking about how if I’d gotten around them I wouldn’t be stuck at a red light right now and then it’s not just a few seconds-it’s a whole minute (See? I told you).

Or I think about how I should separate out the kale from everything else in my fridge so I can make soup later. But everything’s so mixed together, and what am I going to do with all the other greens that a friend gave me (I don’t even like them, but they were given to me and now I have a responsibility to not waste them, right?)? And there’s broccoli mixed in there too, and radishes, and oooh I detest radishes, but maybe I could pickle them. Yes, pickle them. Pickle them? Is that a thing? I’ve never heard of that, but it seems like mixing them with sugar and vinegar might help a little, and they do have a really nice crunch. Maybe I’m being unfair to the radishes. Oh, it’s time for dinner. Humm…how about some scrambled eggs?

These thoughts are like telemarketers. They call me when I could be doing something else, should be doing something else, and I get sucked into thinking. I have always been told that I think a lot. But as Sabrina says (well, actually it was Julia Ormond. Well, actually it was whoever wrote the script for that movie…oh nevermind.), “More isn’t always better, Linus. Sometimes it’s just more.”

Rather than ‘hanging up’ on these thoughts I have been too tired to stop the brain cycling in that direction and steer myself to more productive thoughts. But I think it’s making me more tired. I spend a lot of time trying to conserve things. I try hard to drive less, walk more, buy less, waste less food…the list goes on. One of things I am adding to it is that I need to conserve my brainwaves more intentionally so that I don’t feel like I’ve run out by about 2 p.m. and spend the rest of the day in a fog.

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Assume the Best, Expect the Best

When you become a parent, it’s hard. You’re in over your head. You have a new person living with you and they’ve never lived with…well, anyone; they don’t know how to be a good roommate. They puke all over you and your stuff and you keep having to clean up their poop. They even invade the sacred space of your sleep, which can feel like torture. If you’ve never felt any of these ways, then congratulations. You’re a better person than I am.
What I’m getting at is that I get why people complain about their kids. It’s an easy way to bond with people by pointing out your children’s flaws so they can agree with you and complain and point out what’s wrong or annoying about their kids too. See? We can be good friends because we can laugh together about how our kids are ridiculous.
And on the surface, that makes sense. We bond over a shared experience.
But I’ve found that the problem with that is how it colors our perception of our children at other times too. We begin to look for things to complain about rather than ways to help problem-solve. We abandon our children in the places where they need us to stay engaged and be with them inside their emotions and even their tantrums. When they need us the most, we throw our hands up and say, ‘Gah! Kids!’ Like Pilate we wash our hands and blame the fact that they are an infant, a three year old, or a teenager.
You know what? I don’t want the easy out. If E. does something rude at someone’s house, I will apologize (and encourage her to do the same) even if it seems that rudeness is expected solely based on the fact that she’s three.
This doesn’t mean that I plan on punishing her severely for every social infraction. There is some truth to the idea that 3 year olds know less than older people about how to be in the world. They are also not likely to stumble on this easily by themselves. But we can teach them, by reacting in gracious ways to let them know what is or is not acceptable. My kids aren’t perfect, and neither am I. But that doesn’t mean that as a rule I should disengage from a crucial teachable moment because it’s too hard.
I know this is the difficult path, but I think it’s the one worth taking. As a parent I have a lot of power to affect changes in the culture of my family. And with great power comes great….well you know what Spiderman teaches us.

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Crockpot Carrot Ginger Soup

It’s the time of year when the common cold abounds. And the flu. And seasonal allergies. It’s a tough time of year for the respiratory and immune systems.

Not being the cold-medicine type, I usually stock up on fresh ginger root, raw cider vinegar, raw honey and eucalyptus, and look for recipes that use those ingredients.

This soup is delicious with crusty bread and has many ingredients that make it very good for what ails you. I found the recipe somewhere a long time ago, and have gradually tweaked and adapted it for the crockpot because, as I mentioned before, crockpot cooking is lovely.

So if you’ve got a cold, or you live where it’s cold, or even if you don’t, here you go.

Kate’s Crockpot Carrot Ginger Soup

The ingredients:

2-3 pounds carrots

3-4 medium or smallish onions, to taste

some fresh ginger root (to taste…this is a make-you-feel-better ingredient), peeled and roughly chopped

2-5 cloves garlic (depending on size…to taste)

1-2 tsp salt (to taste)

a dash chipotle or other chili powder or 1 small hot pepper (make it spicy in whatever way seems appropriate to you)

water, vegetable stock, or chicken stock to cover

raw apple cider vinegar or thieves’ vinegar*

The method:

Peel and roughly chop the ginger. Peel the garlic. No need to peel the carrots (especially if they are organic). Just cut off the top and cut them into pieces about 3-4 inches long. Peel the onions and quarter them. Cut them a little smaller if you like. They’ll cook faster. Or not. Whatever.

Put all ingredients except the cider vinegar in the crockpot, cover with your cooking liquid of choice. Cook on High for 4 hours or so, until veggies are fork-tender.

I use a wand (or “immersion”) blender because it takes under a minute and I don’t have to transfer hot soup. If you don’t have one of those, you could do it in batches in a blender or food processor.

Add the vinegar to taste, and adjust the salt and chili powder as needed.

And that’s it.

The ginger, cider vinegar, and heat of this recipe make it great for a cold.

I wish you good health this season.

K.

* thieves’ vinegar is a concoction with legendary origins…the story goes that these four guys were robbing plague victims. When they were eventually caught and sentenced to death, they were told they could have their sentence suspended if they shared the secret of how they were able to go into plague-ridden house after house without catching the disease. They then shared the combination of herbs they used to stave off the sickness. There’s lots of disagreement over what exactly the formula was, but the recipe I used called for packing a mason jar with equal parts thyme, lavender, rosemary and sage. Then you cover those with raw cider vinegar, put the lid on and let it sit in a dark place for 6 weeks. From what I understand, thyme contains thymerosol, which is a key ingredient in vapo-rubs and things. Thieves’ vinegar can be used in soups or salads or taken straight for a sore throat. But be warned it has a very strong taste. So go easy, at least until you know what it tastes like.

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