The Dirtier the Better

I have been thinking a lot lately about the cover story from the June issue of Scientific American, "The Ultimate Social Network," about the important role of bacteria in our bodies. The article reveals research indicating far more microbes in the human body than previously thought and identifies possible linkages between these microbes and human health. Specifically, the article mentions that as we have become "cleaner" over time--creating overly-sterile environments, delivering more babies via C-section, breastfeeding for shorter periods of time, prescribing more antibiotics (especially to children), consuming more filtered foods, having smaller families with fewer siblings sharing childhood germs--we have potentially exterminated some of the good bacteria that boost our immune system leading, the researchers suggest, to the influx in modern autoimmune diseases and rising obesity rates. As one of the researchers in the article states: “What we’ve done as a society over a short period is completely change our association with the microbial world. In our efforts to distance ourselves from disease-causing infectious agents, we have probably also changed our associations with beneficial organisms. Our intentions are good, but there’s a price to pay.”

It makes sense, really. The cleaner we become, the less connected to the soil and bacteria that naturally share our world, the more unhealthy we become. I was one of those moms who in the beginning of this parenting journey was fanatical about ensuring that my baby girl avoid all of those dirties and nasties.  While not quite living in a baby bubble, she was still surrounded by a deluge of disinfectants, sterile toys, and ultra-clean hands.

But as my motherhood perspectives have evolved, as I've come to be more focused on parenting naturally -- both in terms of following my own natural instincts and in terms of embracing natural family living in everything from the food we consume, to the cleaning products we use, to the healing remedies we rely on, to the connection we have to the natural world-- I have learned to love dirt. Or at least to have a hearty respect for it. I like that we spend our time digging in good soil, exploring along wooded paths, eating foods that retain a bit of the earth in them. Don't get me wrong: we still wash our hands A LOT and I appreciate a very clean kitchen floor; but I have become much more tolerant of the dirt in our lives--and thankful for its important role in both our fun and our health.

Making Time for Barefoot Days



There's nothing quite like the barefoot days of summer, days for our children to run and leap and dance with the warm earth beneath their toes.

Even as the unmistakable hints of fall emerge--the auburn patch of leaves at the peak of the maple tree, the blanketed nights, the scent of autumn in a crisp gust of wind--we know that there are still many more barefoot days to enjoy in the coming weeks.  And we will make time for these days.  Even as fall classes and activities emerge--piano lessons, a nature class, a math workshop, various homeschool group meet-ups--we will make time for those warm, open barefoot days of late summer and early fall. 

For it's important, don't you agree, to grant our children that time and space--that freedom--so singularly represented by barefoot days, to just be.  Even as jackets and schedules tighten, even as we move into newer fall rhythms, we will make a clear effort to hold on to the message of these barefoot days, the message of slower, simpler schedules and wide-open days.

As Simplicity Parenting author, Kim John Payne, states in his recent Huffington Post article: "When we really look at what happens for a kid when they slow down, tune in to themselves, take space and get busy in serious play, we can see that what they are learning is how to create a kind of inner structure that will serve them (and us) well in the world ahead."

It takes some doing in the hurried pace of modern life to prioritize simpler schedules, to place a higher value on open, unstructured time for our children--and ourselves.  As Payne states: "Until we see clearly what our goals are and how to meet them, we will forever be on this rollercoaster of trying to zoom ahead and then putting on the breaks -- a life of whiplash for American families." 

Holding on to summer's barefoot days even as September nears, even as commitments grow, can help us to avoid that whiplash and place a higher value on slower, simpler days.  It can help us to clarify our values and achieve our goals, and can help us to connect more deeply with family, community, and the earth beneath our toes.

Our Whole-Diet CSA

Ever since reading The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball a few months ago, I have been fascinated by the idea of a whole-diet CSA: a farm partnership in which one regional farm fulfills all of your family's dietary needs for an entire year with fresh, organic foods ranging from seasonal vegetables to pastured meats and eggs, to raw milk, grains and legumes.  I wondered if such a farm existed as brilliantly in real life as it sounded on paper.  It turns out, it does.

The whole-diet CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) model, sometimes called whole-farm CSAs or full-diet CSAs, is rapidly expanding across the country, propelled by surging demand from consumers who are disillusioned by industrialized, chemical-laden foods and who want to regain control of their food sources.  Over the past several weeks, I have written about my summer challenge to "give up the grocery store" and buy all of my family's food direct from farms, farmers' markets, and farm collaboratives.  The discovery of a year-round, whole-diet CSA farm in my area is the logical next step to ensuring a continuous supply of organic, nutrient-dense, ecologically sustainable foods for my family.

Today we took a ride to the bucolic central part of our state to visit this agriculturally diverse, biodynamic farm that promises to feed our family the majority of its food over the coming year.  We visited with the 100% grass-fed cows whose milk is unlike any I've ever tasted.  We watched the piglets endlessly desiring to nurse and their mama shooing them away for a peaceful moment in the mud once in a while (it turns out we all need a break when our nurslings get too demanding!)  We walked the pasture with the chickens, visited the newborn calves, and savored the piles of freshly harvested vegetables that, along with pastured meats and dairy, will form the foundation of our weekly meals.

We will continue with our other local farm partnerships and ample farmers' market fare to round out our food sources, but partnering with one lovely farm for the majority of our family's meals feels good, right, and oh so needed in this time when most American food spends more time in factories than farms.

But what if they want to go to school?

This question, usually prompted by a well-meaning great-grandmother, always slightly baffles me.  Now, I guess I can see the logic that if we are, indeed, a child-centered family, following the lead of our children, then we should in fact send them to school if they want to go.  My response, though, is that being a child-centered family does not in any way mean that the children run the show.

What if our children want to watch television all day?  What if they want to eat junk food all day?  What if they want to act discourteous, throw and hit?  We don't let them.  And what about all those kids who don't want to return to school this fall?  Should their parents not send them?  It's a parent's job, our responsibility, to do what we think is best for our children and our family.  For some families, that means sending kids to school and for others it means homeschooling.

In truth, my children show no desire to attend school.  They have a large group of homeschooled friends and have been immersed in our local homeschooling community since toddlerhood.  They also have many friends and neighbors who attend private and public schools. In their eyes, the world is a wonderfully diverse place with lots of different types of "school."

The Home Is A Powerful Place

The home is a powerful place.  It is a place where birthing, growing, learning, feeding, healing, loving, living and dying can occur with authenticity and respect.  It is a place where we can celebrate grand milestones and appreciate mundane moments.  It is a place where we can accomplish both the ordinary and the extraordinary: a place to peel an onion and welcome a new life, to clean a counter and comfort a child.

The home is a powerful place.  We can produce amazing things in our homes: wholesome meals, clean diapers, knitted socks, healing remedies, fresh-baked goodies, gardens big or small, pantries stocked with summertime preserves.  Within our homes we can produce our family's own music and art, entertainment and enrichment.  

The home is a powerful place.  Within our homes we can ignite our children's imagination, cherish their original spirit and style, follow their lead as they learn and grow.  Within our homes we can help our children discover their innate gifts and true passions.  Within our homes we can nurture meaningful family connections and enduring sibling relationships.

The home is a powerful place.  Within our homes we welcome friends and neighbors, fostering community and collaboration.  Within our homes we read and learn, talk and listen, wonder and act.  

The home is a powerful place.

Sidewalk Gardening

Gardening in the city can take a bit of creativity.  Over the past few weeks, we've undertaken some sidewalk gardening on neglected patches of dirt in our neighborhood.  Over-run by toddler-size weeds, some of these sidewalk patches were in desperate need of attention and the kids were eager to do some city gardening.  

With the help of our local florist who offered suggestions and tools, we pulled and raked and planted.  The sidewalk got a pleasant facelift and the kids got the opportunity to plan and execute a great gardening project.

Have you tackled any creative gardening projects in your neighborhood?

Giving Up The Grocery Store

Welcome to the August 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Farmers' Markets
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have written about their local farmers' markets.
***

The challenge is on this summer: can I give up the grocery store and buy almost all of my family's food through local farms, CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), and our city's daily Farmers' Markets?  Yes!  I would estimate that this summer I am purchasing over 90 percent of our food products directly from local farms and farm collaboratives, completely bypassing the grocery store and its often heavily processed, industrialized food.

With bountiful summer harvests, convenient Farmers' Markets, and the growing buzz about buying and eating local foods, I thought summer would be an ideal time to examine our family's food habits and begin to introduce more farm-fresh, local foods into our diet.  Fresh fruits and vegetables are available daily at one of our city's nearby Farmers' Markets, along with fresh seafood, meats, eggs, nuts, cheese, wine, breads and baked goods, local honey and maple syrup, grains and dried beans-- more than enough food to feed our family a local, well-balanced, mostly organic diet.  I round out our Farmers' Market fare with weekly trips to our local organic CSA farm for supplemental produce and meats.  I find this local farm partnership to be an essential part of our learning, offering my children a greater understanding of where their food comes from, who is producing it, and how it is grown and harvested.  Finally, I get our milk and other foods delivered weekly from a Vermont organic farm collaborative, and I try to visit the raw milk dairies in my state whenever I can.

So what's left for the grocery store?  I can't seem to fully give up on oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, peanut butter, and bananas and oranges, but I am finding that we are eating less of these staple foods as a result of our effort this summer to eat more local, farm-direct foods.  I also buy baking and cleaning items, namely vinegar, baking soda, baking powder, butter, yeast, and salt, but these are things to stock up on occasionally and eliminate the need for regular grocery shopping.

As the colder New England months near and the farm-pickings grow slimmer, I will likely increase my visits to our neighborhood grocery store, but I will do so as sparingly as possible, relying as much as I can on my fall and winter CSA partnerships, the summertime foods that I am learning how to freeze and preserve, and the local farms that will continue to offer us grains, and beans, and storage foods throughout the year.

Most significantly, this "giving up the grocery store" summer challenge has led my family to think much more critically about the food we eat, and how and where it is produced.  It has helped us to change our eating habits, replacing, for example, morning oatmeal with homemade cornbread and fresh berry jam.  It has given us a much greater reverence for the food we eat, for the farmers who grow it, for the soil that nurtures it.  It has made us appreciate connecting with our food in a deeper, more meaningful way, under bright sunlight, not fluorescent glow.  And it has made us much more committed to supporting local, sustainable agriculture in both words and actions.

What about you?  What might a "giving up the grocery store" goal look like for your family?  Could you commit to buying half of your family's food items directly from local farms or farm collaboratives? More than half?

***

Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be live and updated by afternoon August 14 with all the carnival links.)

10 Simple Ways to Make the Farmer's Market More Fun for Kids — Lorie at Reading Confetti shares ideas and books to help kids get the most from the farmers market experience.

10 Things I Want To Teach My Daughter About The Importance of Shopping at the Farmer’s Market — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares the ten lessons she hopes to impart to her daughter about the importance of shopping at local farmers markets.

Charmed by Two Small Town Markets — Shannon at GrowingSlower was charmed by two small-town farmers markets while on vacation.

The Olympia Farmer's Market (and a giveaway!) — Shannon at Pineapples & Artichokes and family took a trip to their state capitol to experience a new market. See what they saw, and enter to win a book written about that very market.

On the Hunt . . . At the Farmer’s Market! — Exploring the farmers market by Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy writing at Natural Parents Network — with a scavenger hunt!

Exploring the Market ... Alphabet Style — That Mama Gretchen is in the midst of creating a learning tool for her toddler and it's all about the market!

Unschooling at the Farmers Market — Megz at Aspen Mama loves building memories as a vendor at the Market.

Montessori-Inspired Vegetable Unit — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares links to Montessori-inspired vegetable printables and activities to help your family get the most out of a trip to the farmer’s market.

Markets — How sustainable mum has fitted a monthly farmers market into a weekly food shop.

The Farmers Market In Under An Hour ("Carl Style") — Andrea and family at Tales of Goodness adapt their farmers marketing approach to make everyone happy.

Tales Of a Troubled Gardener — Sam at Love Parenting writes about her dream of self-sufficiency and her lack of gardening skills!

A Few {Of The Many} Reasons Why I Love Our Farmer’s Market — Even though the experience can sometimes be less than peaceful, MomeeeZen shares why she enjoys taking her family to the Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings.

Experiencing the Farmer's Market from a Different Perspective — Emily at S.A.H.M. i AM had a great time letting her toddler lead the way at the farmer's market...

Ask A Farmer's Daughter — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter answers questions about her life growing up on a small family farm in New England.

Giving Up the Grocery Store — Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling shares her family's summertime challenge to eliminate trips to the grocery store and rely almost exclusively on local, farm-fresh foods.

Urban farming and fresh food in the city — Lauren at Hobo Mama takes trips to farms, gardens, and markets within reach of a big city.

Market Tip: Get to Know Your Farmers — Justine at The Lone Home Ranger finally gets up the guts to talk to her farmers and learns she is among ardent food lovers.

New Farmer's Market Find — Kellie at Our Mindful Life is excited to make a new find at her new farmers market.

"The Real World" Grassroots Edition — jessica at instead of institution takes some time out to write a love note.

9 Insider Tips for Farmer's Market Newbies — Dionna at Code Name: Mama chatted with a few farmers to bring you some insider information on how to get the most out of your local farmer's market.

The Place Where I Can Say "Yes!" — Erica at ChildOrganics gives you a tour of her favorite vendors at her local farmers market and discusses the benefits of creating community through the market.

Raw Local Milk — Jorje shares her family's field trip to a local dairy. Learn what you can appreciate from a small town farm at Momma Jorje.com.

Italian Secret Vegetable Soup Recipe — Alinka at Baby Web convinces an Italian Farmer & Cook to reveal a precious minestrone recipe and shares it with her readers.

Where do our eggs come from? A visit to Sucellus Farms. — Carli at One Fit Mom takes her family to meet the chickens that have been providing their daily eggs.

Beyond the Farm — Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy and her family enjoy looking beyond the food at the local farmer's market to see the wares of the over vendors.

Magic at the Market — Do you ever take time to really look at the food you eat? Amy at Anktangle enjoys marveling at the beauty (and the utility) of the foods and goods available at the farmers' market.

Farmer's Market Discoveries — Laura from Pug in the Kitchen reminisces about the discoveries she's made at the Farmer's Market throughout the years.

Are You Getting the Most out of Your Farmers' Market? (My List of Not-So-Common "Musts") — Sheila at A Living Family shares some uncommon ways to squeeze even more joy and connection (and yumminess!) from your local farmers' market experience.

Pick Your Own And Eat It — Luschka from Diary of a First Child shares their trip to a PYO farm and the journey from picking to eating her favourite food

Summertime Thanksgiving

There is nothing quite like hosting a weekend dinner party (kids included, of course) and having the satisfaction of knowing exactly which farm produced each morsel of food on our plates.

Neighborhood friends joined us tonight for a delicious meal of roasted pastured chicken and fresh roasted vegetables from our nearby CSA farm; bread, wine, and cheese bought earlier today from the local Farmers' Market; beet, arugula and goat cheese salad, and a fruit cobbler for dessert with Farmers' Market fruit, and flour, honey and maple syrup from our regional farm collaborative.

As we share our thanksgivings at the start of such special dinners, I hear the kids acknowledge with more frequency how appreciative they are for such farm-fresh food, knowing that their hands harvested the onions on the table (even if they don't eat them...), knowing that they understand the chicken we eat was one that clucked along at the farm a few weeks prior, knowing that the fruit was purchased at our nearby Farmers' Market and brought home in a basket brimming with local, farm-direct fare.

It's evenings like these, surrounded by family and good friends, enjoying summer's abundance, that I am most thankful for this season's bounty, most appreciative for the farmers who produce it and the earth that nourishes it.  As the night creeps a little later into each morning and the apples and pears grow plumper and sweeter, I am most appreciative of these fleeting August days and of the opportunity to give thanks for savory summertime harvests enjoyed with dear ones.

{this moment} Summer CSA

{this moment} - A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Visit SouleMama for more "moments" and to share your own...

But what about math?

Families considering the homeschooling option can usually grow increasingly comfortable with the idea of helping their kids to learn reading and writing, history and social studies, art and music.  But what about math?  This question often freezes parents, particularly when they consider higher-level math, and can make them question their ability to homeschool their children.

When I get asked how I know what to teach my children my common response is: I don't teach them; I help them to learn.  That means giving them the time and space to explore and discover on their own, but it also means recognizing interests and abilities and learning styles and identifying resources to help them to learn.

For math, helping children learn may mean investigating various math curricula, using an online math program (I like IXL.com), and/or tapping into ample community resources.

One of the great benefits of homeschooling, I think, is the opportunity for our children to learn subjects from subject-matter experts: people in the community who are passionate and knowledgeable about their field of expertise.  Children learn history from historians, botany from botanists, economics from economists, science from scientists, art from artists, and so on.  For city homeschoolers, these subject-matter experts are everywhere--at museums, universities, libraries, community centers and enrichment programs, and in our own neighborhoods--and they are usually very eager to share their wisdom with others.  For example, our neighbor is a biology professor specializing in snails and mollusks, which my kids happen to be very interested in, and he provides information and resources that ignite their imagination.  Dropping off snail shells, letting us "babysit" his lab's hermit crabs, talking with the kids about some of the vocabulary they have learned from their books (what is the correct way to pronounce "operculum" and "anemone"), has led the children to want to learn more, to read more, to know more.

The same is true for math.  Homeschooling allows our children to learn math from actual mathematicians--those who have studied and trained to be mathematicians, who are currently practicing mathematicians, and who are passionate about getting others excited about their subject.  My kindergartner has developed a strong interest in math, especially multiplication, and I thought I would see what community resources might be available to her this fall.  Through my homeschooling network, I discovered a local, MIT-trained mathematician who teaches math workshops for homeschoolers and non-homeschoolers and is adored by those who learn from her.  

I wonder how many of us would be more excited about math, less intimidated about teaching and learning it, if we learned from a passionate, practicing, trained mathematician when we were young.

Not-Back-To-School Essentials

* Library card
* Museum pass
* Good books
* Music
* Paper, pencils, crayons
* Sneakers
* Caring grown-ups
* Imagination
* Freedom
* Time

The rest is optional.

{this moment} Ocean Leap

{this moment} - A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Visit SouleMama for more "moments" and to share your own...

Farm-Fresh Family Food Ideas

In my last post, I wrote about my effort, made easier during summertime, to avoid store-bought food and to feed my family using our city's bountiful farmers' markets, and my local and regional CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm partnerships.  The post seemed to resonate with many of you who feel the same urge to avoid industrialized food and opt instead for farm-direct nourishment.  Summer is a great time to focus on eating more (the majority?) of our food from local and regional farms, and hopefully use what we learn in summertime to forge year-long farm relationships.

I heard from several readers looking for meal ideas on just how to feed one's family (especially with little ones), while avoiding the neighborhood grocery store.  I do not profess to be any type of chef or culinary expert or nutritionist.  Most often my meals are prepared under rapid fire with a toddler at my feet screaming "NURSE!" and two bigger kids scattered about the house.  I do like the new book, The Farmer's Kitchen: The Ultimate Guide to Enjoying Your CSA and Farmers' Market Food, written by local Cambridge homesteader, Julia Shanks, and chef Brett Grohsgal, which gives some nice suggestions on preparing and storing farm-fresh foods, as well as many recipes that can be used and adapted for little ones.

Below are some of the foods I have been preparing lately thanks to the bounty of farm goodness coming our way!  For reference, I get all of our milk from a regional organic farm collaborative, as well as much of my meat, cheese, grains, and legumes.  I try to buy raw milk from local farms when I can, and I purchase as much food and wine as possible from our city's daily local farmers' markets.  Eggs, other in-season fruits and vegetables, and occasional meats, in addition to what I buy at our city's farmers' markets, I purchase through our local farm CSA just outside of the city.

At this time of year, with so many great foods coming in, I am also trying to limit my trips to the store for those "processed" foods we still rely on quite a bit: brown rice, whole wheat pasta, oatmeal, peanut butter.  I can't give these up entirely--yet--but I am finding that summertime is a great time to rely less on these staples and hopefully develop farm-fresh eating habits that can last us all year.  I'll admit that there have been some grumblings around the dinner table--mostly from my picky three-year-old who would be content to subsist on peanut butter sandwiches--but for the most part we are all enjoying the summer harvests and are grateful for being more connected to food and farm.

Here is a sampling of our current favorite farm-fresh foods.  If you can find a local dairy source, and have access to local grains, meats, and legumes through your farmers' markets and/or CSA farm partnership, you shouldn't have to visit the grocery store for much more than a bit of baking powder and salt:

Breakfast

• Corn bread (farmers' market or CSA corn meal, whole wheat flour, and sunflower oil; local spices) with homemade or farmers' market jam and fresh berries
• Zucchini muffins (local grains, local raw honey)
• French toast (homemade or farmers' market bread; farmers' market or CSA eggs and maple syrup)
• Blueberry muffins (local grains, local maple syrup, homemade yogurt, local berries, local spices)
• Eggs with farmers' market cheese and fresh fruit
• Whole wheat pancakes (farm grains, eggs, and CSA or farmers' market olive or sunflower oil) with local maple syrup and fresh berries

Lunch

• Homemade or farmers' market bread with bean spread (I use whatever dried beans are available from the local farmers' market or CSA, and farmers' market herbs, garlic, and tomatoes)
• Whole wheat biscuits (or farmers' market bread) with melted cheese (and fresh tomatoes and herbs for whoever doesn't pick them out!), and sliced turkey breast from CSA
• Eggs - hard-boiled or scrambled are my kids' favorites -- from farmers' market or CSA

Snacks 

• Cucumber popsicles (peeled cucumbers pureed with homemade plain yogurt and local maple syrup and frozen)
• Local ice cream (eaten while shopping at the farmers' market!)
• Popcorn (with farmers' market popping corn)
• Cheese and veggie platters with homemade or local hummus from the farmers' market
• Smoothies
• Fresh fruit and homemade yogurt, sweetened with local maple syrup or local raw honey
• Homemade applesauce (farmers' market apples (yay for early apples!), cinnamon and local maple syrup)
• Fruits, veggies, fruits, veggies, fruits, veggies....

Dinner

• Farmers' market or CSA seafood, grilled or baked, with farmers' market corn, green beans, potatoes
• CSA ground beef or ground turkey meatballs with toothpicks and fresh veggie sides
• CSA or farmers' market chicken nuggets with veggie sides and cheese or honey dipping sauce
• Whole wheat tortillas with CSA or farmers' market flour and black beans, fresh veggies, homemade or farmers' market salsa, local cheese, etc.
• Fresh salads with local veggies, cheeses and homemade dressing

Desserts

• Fruit crisp (farmers' market cut peaches, plums, berries, etc. mixed with local maple syrup and honey to desired consistency/sweetness and sprinkled with a mixture of 3/4 stick butter and 1 cup local flour, drizzled with honey and baked at 375-degrees for 40 minutes...yummmm)
• Local chocolate from the farmers' market
• Local baked goods from the farmers' market

What about you?  What are your favorite summertime farmers' market and CSA family recipes?  Please share!