Firstly, the summer issue of TEND magazine is now available and I’m delighted to be a part of the pages. I had the honor of being interviewed for Back at the Farm, where I share behind the scenes aspects of our day to day living. TEND is a quarterly downloadable magazine designed to nourish a mindful life. You can get your copy here and find their facebook page here.

I really enjoyed reading through this summer issue. The School Garden to Fork article brought tears to my eyes. I love seeing the inspiring things people are doing in this world. And there’s a lot of inspiration to be found throughout these pages. Dyeing with natural dyes. Creating new positive habits in your family. Tips for how to actually get out the door in the morning when you are trying to get somewhere. I adored the illustrated kid’s pack list for travelling and I had forgotten all about the block the dots game I played as a kid. Also, the preschool section was full of good ideas.

And the recipes? Refreshing and healthy drinks to make for hot summer days. How to make homemade hemp seed milk. The many ways of using calendula flowers, how to infuse them and how to make balm. A recipe for Carrot and Beet Salad (it looks so good.) And my mouth literally watered as I read the recipes for Basic Fruit Puree and for the Raw Fruit Tart with Creamy Filling, recommended for hot summer days when you don’t feel like turning on the oven to bake a pie, but would prefer a cool, refreshing dessert instead. (The crust is made with nuts and dates and I’m envisioning coconut cream in the filling.) “Ricotta cheese” made out of pine nuts? The picture looks so yummy. For those of you with food allergies in your family, you’ll find many recipes well suited for that or easily adapted.

Yes, I feel very grateful to be among the pages.

Secondly, Bracken and I went huckleberry picking in the woods last week. Our red currants weren’t ripe yet, and discovering that the red huckleberries were ripe really helped Bracken have the patience to wait for those currants in our garden. I love the taste of the little red huckleberries. To me, they have a subtle taste with a bit of tart. Yum. We know the most prolific bushes to pick from, after stumbling across them with friends last year. (Oh, and yes, they are edible. People often ask me when I mention red berries in the wild.) I filled up my hand to share some with Jeff and Bracken filled up his pocket. (Then he offered his lint covered berries to everyone, bless his heart.) The dark colored huckleberries won’t be ripe for awhile yet. The red ones are an earlier season treat. And very much enjoyed right now!