This morning’s trip to the market was a bit rushed. I wandered out of the house quickly, only to find the air crisp and, almost too cool for a light, wool sweater. It’s truly autumn now. Although I was rushed, NYC style, to get to the market, once I arrived, my whole rhythm slowed and I was mesmerized by the autumn bounty that seemed to have appeared over night in the market. Brisk air can center the mind and sharpen the senses. This time of year the Union Square Market is teeming with all manner of dark leafy greens, turnips (regular, gold ball, Hakurei), many varieties of winter squash and enormous heads of cauliflower and cabbage beckon; can I just sit home and play with food all day? Oh wait, that’s kind of what’s been happening in my life! Somewhere between the height of the economic tsunami last fall and a fast forward to now, I find myself more and more in both my own kitchen and in the kitchen’s of various clients. This has presented it’s own unique set of circumstances and has been requiring me to recalibrate my perception of the scope of my work. I move and I teach movement; hatha yoga, Gyrotonic and Pilates every day, but more and more the “work” that comes my way is food/holistic nutrition based. It’s requiring that I build a new set of skills, not unlike approaching a new yoga pose or any new situation in life. It goes like this (but not in a linear fashion, more like a spiral): situation arises, pose/ option presented, new set of circumstances observed, toes touch water, writhe at the thought of going to next level, have success dreams and nightmares simultaneously, realize old patterns don’t encompass new requirements. Require lots of sleep & tears. Then suddenly one morning or late evening I wake up in the pose/fully embracing the shift. It takes time but if I stay responsive it happens.
So tonight after a day of preparing food for clients, I come home and realize that it really is a new era. I arrive home to find a sink full of dishes and in my bag a dinner waiting to be constructed. I come back to the feeling and experiences I have had around the practice of being present and the practice of gratitude and I turn to what is basic, grounding and nourishing: ancient wheat (faro), kale & wild mushrooms.
Both recipes can be prepared either raw or consciously cooked.
WILD MUSHROOM “STOCK”
FARRO (or SPROUTED BARLEY) WITH MUSHROOM STOCK AND HEARTY GREENS
