The rain is arriving to the nw, and the temperature is dropping. In these early days of fall, each rain brings a proliferation of mushrooms and fungi. We often walk right by these amazing organisms. Literally over night a bare field may awake to find itself covered in mushrooms, and a few days later they will disappear.
As I was foraging for wild edibles with some friends the other day, a lesson was brought to light that I think we all know, but too often forget.
We made several stops- First we found a patch of Birch boleets under some Birch trees. The next 2 sites didn't yield much at all. One was a perfect spot, but we were perhaps a few days or a week too late. The next was not as appropriate of an ecosystem, and the timing was off- we found nothing.
Finally we came to our last spot, a north facing slope with mature forest, most covered earth etc. Prime conditions for mushrooms. And our timing was better in this location.
What can we learn from this? 2 important lessons:
1) The importance of putting ourselves in the proper environment so that we can flourish.
When the conditions are right, life flourishes of its own accord. Things happen easily, and we happily go about our business and everything is smooth. We are in harmony with the rhythm of life. A mushroom will never grow in the desert. If we are not living in an environment that supports who we are and nourishes the best parts of us, we will suffer, our growth will be stifled, and we won't be able to find the nourishment that sustains us. When we live in the right environment, everything feeds us just what we need. Birch boleets grow under Birch trees, not Cedars. Its their nature.
If things are such a struggle and we feel like our growth is being stifled, sometimes one thing we can do is examine our environment- both the physical environment around us and even more so the community in which we live. Are we around people that share common goals with us? That support our growth in healthy ways? That give us the strength to be ourselves in the best ways? That give us encouragement to change our bad habits into good ones? That help us develop our weaknesses into strengths?
We should all give each other the strength to continue growing healthy and positive ways.
2) The importance of timing.
Even in the most perfect of conditions, if the timing is off life cannot grow. A flower that blooms too early will be killed by the frost. A fall mushroom will never sprout in summer. They wait and they wait, and then just when the stage is set perfectly- the temperature is not too hot or too cold, the moisture is just right- they come out and they flourish. It seems to come naturally to other organisms, but for us humans it can seem so difficult to get the timing right. Yet if we can settle ourselves down, if we can reconnect with the rhythm of life I think we will find that things will become much less of a struggle and we won't feel so much like we are paddling upstream.
You'll know when the time is right, trust yourself.
Keith
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Seasonal eating, seasonal living: a good way to stay healthy.
The other day a mycologist friend took me out mushroom picking. In a few hours we found a bag full of boleets and chantrels and cooked them up that same day and had a fresh, delicious feast. (note- don't pick wild mushrooms unless you are an expert or your harvest has been supervised and approved by someone who knows what they are doing!).
This brings up a great point that I would like to share with you. The value of seasonal eating. As the year goes through its cycles, and the seasons rise and fall, we the living creatures of Earth also go through cycles. Our needs shift with the seasons, and it is healthy for us to be mindful of these changes and to adjust our behavior accordingly.
Generally speaking, the food that will give us the most nutritional value and the type of nutrients we need most at any given time, is what is in season locally. Nature knows how to provide for us, we just need to learn to listen.
In the summer, fruits are abundant. The vital energy is on the surface, in the fruits. Fruits generally speaking have a yin, cooling cleansing property. In the heat this is beneficial, but in winter we shouldn't eat so much fruit.
In the fall, we need to start gathering in our vitality so it can be preserved through the winter. Just like the plants that shed their leaves and retreat into the depths of their roots, so for us it is a time to move inside and to consolidate and refine ourselves. Fall is a great time to eat squash and other vegetables that are in season, and in particular root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, beets, radishes. As the plants shift their vital energy into their roots in the fall, it is the roots that will provide the most nourishing sustenance. Of course the fall fruits such as apples and pears are great right now as well. (And I can't forget the fresh mushrooms popping up all over the nw).
Fall/ late summer is also traditionally when the big salmon runs happen in the nw, as well as hunts to prepare for the winter. For those of us who eat fish or meat, the fall and winter are times when this diet is more appropriate. We don't need to eat meat for every meal or every day, but a small portion a few times a week can be beneficial. For those of us who are vegetarian and don't eat meat or fish, nuts and legumes (ex. almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, lentils, split peas, beans etc) and whole grains can provide us with that heartier sustenance that will help us build our reserves for the cold season.
In winter, life is still, resting. We should also rest, allowing ourselves to sleep more in order to recharge ourselves so we can be full of energy when the growing seasons return. Winter is a time when nature lives off of its stores. We can benefit from the yang warming and building type of hearty sustenance- whole grains, nuts, legumes, root vegetables, fish, meat, etc. Soups are great to keep us warm, as are stews. We can benefit from our evolution today because we can find fresh vegetables in our markets that in the past were not available. A guiding principle is to eat the more yang, warming and building foods, and not too much of the yin cooling dispersing foods such as fruits.
In spring the shoots come out. The vital energy is bursting forth from the depths. We can come out of our hibernation refreshed and hungry to take on the new growing season, ready for our new growth. Following what is in season, we can eat leafy greens, sprouts etc. It is a good time to lighten up our diet and clean out the residue built up from winter. We should be more active, and get outside.
more on this as the seasons progress,
live well,
Keith
This brings up a great point that I would like to share with you. The value of seasonal eating. As the year goes through its cycles, and the seasons rise and fall, we the living creatures of Earth also go through cycles. Our needs shift with the seasons, and it is healthy for us to be mindful of these changes and to adjust our behavior accordingly.
Generally speaking, the food that will give us the most nutritional value and the type of nutrients we need most at any given time, is what is in season locally. Nature knows how to provide for us, we just need to learn to listen.
In the summer, fruits are abundant. The vital energy is on the surface, in the fruits. Fruits generally speaking have a yin, cooling cleansing property. In the heat this is beneficial, but in winter we shouldn't eat so much fruit.
In the fall, we need to start gathering in our vitality so it can be preserved through the winter. Just like the plants that shed their leaves and retreat into the depths of their roots, so for us it is a time to move inside and to consolidate and refine ourselves. Fall is a great time to eat squash and other vegetables that are in season, and in particular root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, beets, radishes. As the plants shift their vital energy into their roots in the fall, it is the roots that will provide the most nourishing sustenance. Of course the fall fruits such as apples and pears are great right now as well. (And I can't forget the fresh mushrooms popping up all over the nw).
Fall/ late summer is also traditionally when the big salmon runs happen in the nw, as well as hunts to prepare for the winter. For those of us who eat fish or meat, the fall and winter are times when this diet is more appropriate. We don't need to eat meat for every meal or every day, but a small portion a few times a week can be beneficial. For those of us who are vegetarian and don't eat meat or fish, nuts and legumes (ex. almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, lentils, split peas, beans etc) and whole grains can provide us with that heartier sustenance that will help us build our reserves for the cold season.
In winter, life is still, resting. We should also rest, allowing ourselves to sleep more in order to recharge ourselves so we can be full of energy when the growing seasons return. Winter is a time when nature lives off of its stores. We can benefit from the yang warming and building type of hearty sustenance- whole grains, nuts, legumes, root vegetables, fish, meat, etc. Soups are great to keep us warm, as are stews. We can benefit from our evolution today because we can find fresh vegetables in our markets that in the past were not available. A guiding principle is to eat the more yang, warming and building foods, and not too much of the yin cooling dispersing foods such as fruits.
In spring the shoots come out. The vital energy is bursting forth from the depths. We can come out of our hibernation refreshed and hungry to take on the new growing season, ready for our new growth. Following what is in season, we can eat leafy greens, sprouts etc. It is a good time to lighten up our diet and clean out the residue built up from winter. We should be more active, and get outside.
more on this as the seasons progress,
live well,
Keith
Friday, September 3, 2010
nature is my teacher, lesson 1
Nature is my teacher, lesson 1:
It is late summer, the fruits are full, the sun is still shining, there is dew on the grass in the morning, and the nights are getting chilly. We are reaching the end of the growing seasons (spring and summer), and entering the resting periods (fall and winter), times for growth of a different kind, the internal. Although the sun's calendar begins on the winter solstice, one might say that we are at the end of the Earth's year.
One lesson I see in this is that the plants drop their seeds now, but the seeds don't sprout until next spring. This teaches us about the importance of being prepared, of thinking ahead, of having a vision or plan for the coming year. Of setting the stage and knowing our goal before we embark on our next journey or project or chapter.
Yet at the same time, we must have the patience to wait for the right timing, for the proper conditions in which our new seeds may flourish. The seeds that sprout too early will not survive the last frosts and the lack of appropriate conditions such as sunshine and warmth and not too much rain. The last several years we have seen this in February in the northwest, with brief warm spells that entice an early bloom, only for the young plants to die off when the march frosts returned. The perfect plan executed with poor timing will fail.
Reflecting nature, now is a good time to reflect on last year, and to think about our vision for the coming year... Where do we want to be? What will it take to get us there? What aspects of life to we want to keep from last year, what do we want to let go...
patience, one step at a time...
It is late summer, the fruits are full, the sun is still shining, there is dew on the grass in the morning, and the nights are getting chilly. We are reaching the end of the growing seasons (spring and summer), and entering the resting periods (fall and winter), times for growth of a different kind, the internal. Although the sun's calendar begins on the winter solstice, one might say that we are at the end of the Earth's year.
One lesson I see in this is that the plants drop their seeds now, but the seeds don't sprout until next spring. This teaches us about the importance of being prepared, of thinking ahead, of having a vision or plan for the coming year. Of setting the stage and knowing our goal before we embark on our next journey or project or chapter.
Yet at the same time, we must have the patience to wait for the right timing, for the proper conditions in which our new seeds may flourish. The seeds that sprout too early will not survive the last frosts and the lack of appropriate conditions such as sunshine and warmth and not too much rain. The last several years we have seen this in February in the northwest, with brief warm spells that entice an early bloom, only for the young plants to die off when the march frosts returned. The perfect plan executed with poor timing will fail.
Reflecting nature, now is a good time to reflect on last year, and to think about our vision for the coming year... Where do we want to be? What will it take to get us there? What aspects of life to we want to keep from last year, what do we want to let go...
patience, one step at a time...
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