Jen and I are fortunate to have 2 wonderful brothers. John Prosser (featured in previous post) enabled us to go to Italy where we spent a couple of days with John McElhinney (Tree’s brother) who teaches 2nd grade in Trieste. While there we crossed the border to Slovenia and visited the Predjama castle which dates back to the late 1200’s and is built into a rock cliff. Later we had a delicious home-cooked meal using fresh local ingredients at a Slovenian gostlina.

John and Tree at Predjama Castle - Slovenia

Jen and John at a Slovenian Gostilina

We mentioned in a previous post that our recent trip to Italy was the first time we have been away for an extended period of time since getting goats, chickens, dogs (and cats!) and going online with sunstoneherbs.com. We were able to do this because of the wonderful John Prosser - Jen’s brother - who has been living with us since we moved to New Mexico in September.

When he is not milking goats or helping out around the homestead, John is a musician who writes and records original compositions. You can check him out on MySpace.

Last night, Jen and I went to listen to John perform with 3 String Bale at Johndhis Barbecue in Albuquerque. Below are some photos and a short video of the boys performing John’s song Tangerine. Bard Edrington is on banjo and Tom Studer on electric guitar and harmonica.

John Prosser performing with 3 String Bale.

Contrary to popular opinion goats do not eat just anything. Yes, they can be impish and grab a piece of paper out of your hand and start to chew it up, but when it comes to the food they ingest for nourishment they are fastidious, choosing only those hays and forages which give them the nutrients they need. We learned this quickly living in New York as we watched in dismay as they rooted through a clip of hay for that choice piece of timothy while a large pile of rejected grasses accumulated below the feeder.

Now that we are in New Mexico the goats are eating alfalfa-grass mix grown right down the road from us in the South Valley and are no longer as wasteful because they LOVE it. The three of them look great and their milk production is on the mark.

Desi with a mouthful of the good stuff.

Here’s a review of Robin Rose Bennett’s Healing Magic: A Green Witch Guidebook that I originally wrote for the Journal of the Northeast Herbal Association back in 2004. -Jen

There is a scene in Michael Moore’s film, Farenheit 9/11, where several Representatives go before Congress to protest the acceptance of the 2000 electoral vote. Their courage in speaking their truth even without the needed support of a single Senator brought tears to my eyes. I thought of how this courage and strength to “stand in your own power” and honor your intentions is such a vital part of being an authentic human being.

Healing Magic: A Green Witch Guidebook by Robin Rose Bennett invites you to develop your intuition, to live magically with abundance of nature, working with herbs, trees, ritual and spells. At its essence, however, it is a book about becoming who you fully and truly are. It might seem odd to open a book review on magical healing with a political documentary, but if I learned anything when I apprenticed with Robin it was that living your truth means not just walking your walk at the Women’s Herbal Conference or Women Gathering but letting your spirit shine through in all areas of your life.Robin has been practicing Earth Spirit healing, herbalism and Wise Woman ways for twenty years and is an incredibly gifted spiritual teacher, healer and ceremonialist.Robin’s powerful teachings come to the reader through a personal writing style that is immediately engaging, sharing practical wisdom through anecdote and example.

Whether guiding you through the Chakras or sharing a song about the moon, spirit permeates this inspiring and empowering book. Although I am familiar with Robin’s skill as a writer, I was surprised at how magical a connection I felt just from reading Healing Magic. Robin’s vivid and often very personal stories are captivating from the start. One story about an encounter Robin and a group of women had with a bear illuminated both the possibility of magic and the forgiveness we must have when we don’t live up to our expectations.

What I was hoping and glad to find in Healing Magic was the book I always wanted after the end of a weekend or a ritual with Robin -a recapturing of the inspiring magic that we created. Healing Magic is filled with simple and beautiful practices or exercises in ritual to bring yourself closer to Mother Earth and all her relations. For example, in the section on “Moon Magic and Women’s Wisdom” Robin encourages us to practice the delightful ritual of bathing in moonlight to bring us closer to lunar rhythms. What a magical way to slow down and connect with the rhythms of life.

Healing Magic will be a inspiring resource for both the experienced Green Witch, the non-denominational spiritualist and those who simply wish to awaken to the magic that already exists all around us. As Robin writes in the chapter on Engaging Mystery “you can limit your perception, but not life itself.” This book will give you tools to experience your life more fully. It is also structured to clearly introduce a novice to these practices and to be used easily as a reference guide. Sections include: Reconnecting with the Earth, Engaging Mystery, Herbal Magic, The Medicine Wheel of Magic, Spells, and Rituals. Each section contains Robin’s teachings, stories and many spells, rituals, songs and practices to begin “cultivating our physical and magical senses.” Where appropriate, Robin shares many sources to further expand your knowledge. Make no mistake. This is not just another book on spellcraft. Healing Magic fills a need on the bookshelf, going beyond trendy broomstick guides to address the need for deep healing that comes from the full expression of our true selves through ritual connection to the natural world. A beautifully designed trade paperback. Healing Magic is the perfect book to cozy up to this winter in front of a blazing fire, sipping a cup of magical black birch tea. It is with pleasure that I heartily recommend Healing Magic and eagerly await Robin’s next literary adventure. Magic is afoot! •

We were just looking through our photos from our trip to Italy earlier this month and have decided that perhaps we’ve become a little obsessive about plants. There were about 10 shots of what we initially thought was yarrow (Achillea millefolium) growing in the remains of a Colosseum wall until closer inspection revealed it to be some variety of mustard. Not to mention that it was way too early in the season for yarrow…

Thanks to all of you who patiently waited for us to return to process your orders. This has been the second time we have closed sunstoneherbs.com since going online in 2000 (the first being during the week we moved from New York to New Mexico).

We had a wonderful, relaxing time - lots of good food and lots of art - and are now ready to jump into the growing season. Here are some parting shots.

Us posing in front of the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence.

St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perfolatum) is one of my favorite plants. I love its buttery yellow flowers and the way they magically produce a deep red ruby juice when crushed. I love how it pops up in unexpected places like craggy, dry slopes where one would think nothing could grow. And when it is infused in olive oil it makes one of the prettiest oils we offer at sunstoneherbs.com.

I’ve used this oil in the past to relieve pain from shingles (in a former life I worked 50 - 60 stressful hours per week as an IT project manager for a financial services company in NYC), but recently, I’ve been dipping into our stock for a new purpose.

As readers of this blog may know, we recently moved our homestead from upstate New York to New Mexico where the sun is more intense than I had previously imagined. I’ve gotten very good at wearing an enormous visor to protect my face, but occasionally I’ll run out to hay the goats without it, and then after 15 minutes (often more) of playing with them, I’ll end up with a patchy mild sunburn or, sometimes, a blotchy wind burn. Not pretty, uncomfortable, and not good for my skin. Gently applying a little bit of St J’s oil, however, relieves the dryness and soothes the burn until the next time I forget to wear my hat. -Tree

Jen and I dropped by the 2008 New Mexico Xeriscape Expo yesterday to check out the exhibitors, visit our friends Bard and Zoe at the Soilutions booth and attend Brad Lancaster’s seminar on harvesting rainwater. We bought a copy of Brad’s book before moving to New Mexico and are in the process of designing both rainwater catchment and grey water systems for our new homestead in the South Valley.

Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands (Vol. 1): Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life And Landscape

Brad is an energetic and gifted speaker. His talk was exciting because it was filled with common-sense (and easy to implement) solutions to managing rainwater so that it creates and supports sustainable landscapes rather than ending up as stormwater runoff that is directed away from communities and the watershed.

One of my favorite recipes for herbed goat cheese I learned from a friend I knew in San Francisco. He was a chef and explained the recipe is those vague chef like terms, just add a bit of this and a bit of that. At the time, I still needed recipes to follow, though now I’ve graduated to the bit of this, bit of that cooking school.

Basil, Garlic & Walnut Goat Cheese

1. Toast approximately 1/2 cup walnuts (I generally toast a lot more and then add extra nuts to cheese or save for snacking). When cool, chop. Set aside.

2. If using store bought chevre, let cheese come to room temperature. Blend 8oz of cheese in a small bowl till smooth and soft. Add a handful basil, finely chopped. Add one or two minced or crushed cloves of garlic, depending on how garlicky you like your food. If you’re not a fan of garlic, mince the garlic and use a small clove. Add the walnuts to the cheese. Adjust seasonings to taste. Sometimes I sprinkly finely chopped walnuts over the top of the cheese before serving.

This cheese is always a big hit. Caveat: I never measure amounts, and I usually make 2 pounds at a time with this cheese (this is based on the amount of milk my goatie girls produce on a daily basis) so take the recipe amounts with a grain of salt. -Jen

Making your own goat cheese at home is simple. Chevre, queso fresco, neufchatel, farmer’s cheese are all varieties of the same type of fresh soft cheese (though neufchatel is traditionally made with cow milk). If you can’t get fresh raw goat milk, then I suggest using cow milk, as store bought goat milk has been pasteurized and is usually “goaty.” Fresh raw goat milk has a clean sweet taste like cow milk (only better). A fresh soft cheese made from cow milk will be much more bland than goat milk but you can dress it up with herbs.

I usually make cheese with 1 1/2 gallons to 2 gallons of milk because that is what I get from a day’s milking right now. You can make smaller amounts with say half gallon, just adjust the amount of culture and rennet you use. For reference a gallon of milk will make approximately 1.5 to 2 pounds of fresh cheese, depending on the animals stage in lactation (has to do with milk solids vs. water in the milk).

Step 1. Gather your milk. Only use clean fresh milk. I don’t like drinking pasteurized or homogenized milk, but you can use this kind of milk. Just make sure it is as fresh as possible.

Step 2. Sterilize your cheese pot. Using a large stainless steel or enameled pot (no aluminum please), place about a half inch of water in the pot. Bring to a boil, covered. Let boil/simmer for about 5 minutes. The steam will sterilize the pot. I pour the boiled water over my whisk to “sterilize” it, then place the clean whisk in a glass jar so it doesn’t get recontaminated.

Step 3. Pour the milk in the pot. If you’re using fresh milk straight from the goat or cow, you will not need to heat the milk; it should be at about 68 degrees. Milk comes out of the goat at about 90 degrees, so by the time you’ve strained the milk, and gotten around to cheese making, it should have cooled down a bit. If you’re using milk that has been refrigerated, then heat the milk gently until it is about 68 degrees. I don’t get real specific with this. Just warm it slightly. I don’t pasteurize milk for making soft cheese, though many recipes will have you scald milk.

Step 4. Once the milk is warmed, whisk in 1/4 cup buttermilk. You can also use mail-order chevre cultures at this stage. I never do this because buttermilk works just fine. The purchased cultures are costly over time, but they make give you a sharper “chevre” flavor, where this recipe will produce a milder soft cheese.

Step 5. Add the rennet. You have two choices here:

1) Use inexpensive sort of easy to find Junket Rennet tablets. Junket rennet won’t actually be that easy to find in an urban grocery store, but ask the store manager, they’ll probably order it for you. Stores in rural settings will be more likely to carry junket rennet tablets. You can also order them online. Some cheesemakers are very particular about not using junket rennet, but really, it works just fine for a simple cheese, is inexpensive and lasts for years. If you’re using junket, use a half tablet dissolved in lukewarm water. Stir into the milk (don’t overstir).

2) Use vegetable or animal based rennet (traditional cheese making used animal rennet which was a piece of a sheep or calf stomach lining -the enzymes found here are essential for making the curd. Although you can make vinegar cheeses or cheeses using other substances to curd the milk besides rennet). You will need to buy rennet from a cheese making supply or you may be lucky to find some at your local co-op. I ordered some vegetable rennet years ago from our local co-op, but haven’t seen it lately. If using liquid vegetable rennet add two to three drops to the milk and give a quick brief stir. If using animal based rennet, then add two drops to a quarter cup water, then use two tablespoons of the water -briefly stir into the cultured milk.

Step 6. Cover the renneted and cultured milk and let sit for approximately 24 hours. Cooler temperatures may require longer time to set. Higher temperatures will make the curd set faster. For example, if you leave the milk on your stove, and bake something in the oven, the milk will likely overheat, set curd too fast and become drier in texture. Better to leave the milk to curd on a counter.

When the milk has set, a fine layer of whey will appear over the curd. The longer you let the curd set, the more whey will appear, till your curd is half the size usually floating at the bottom or top of the whey. Don’t let this happen. Try to cut it when there is just a quarter inch to half inch of whey on top.

To cut the curd, take a straight spatula or knife and cut straight down from the top of the curd to the bottom (hitting the bottom of the pot). Cut parallel lines from one side to the other, about 1/2 inch apart. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Then rotate the pot, and make the same cuts perpendicular to the first, from one side of the pot to the other. Then take a stainless steel strainer spoon and scoop out cubes of curd, about a 1/2 inch layer at a time.

Set colander in the sink (over your pot if you want to collect the whey). Put a flour sack cloth/dish towel in the colander. You can use real cheese cloth (not the webby stuff you buy in the craft store), or an old pillow case, or even an old clean t-shirt. Scoop the curds into the cheesecloth/colander. When finished, I usually let it drain for a half hour or so to make the bulk of curd easier to handle, but you can tie up the curd right away.

Tie two edges of the towel together. Using a wooden spoon or other strong straight implement (not a chopstick), tie the other ends over the stick and knot them. You will be able to rest the stick between two cabinet knobs or find some other method in your kitchen or fridge to hang the cheese.

I hang the cheese usually overnight. If it is very hot out, I will put it in the fridge after 6 hours or so. The curd is ready when the whey stops dripping. I usually let the cheese age and further drip whey out in the fridge for a day or so. This makes a firmer cheese that I prefer. At this stage I remove the cheese from the cloth and blend with salt, about a teaspoon or two per pound of cheese according to your taste. I generally put less salt and more herbs. The resulting cheese will keep, covered in a glass container or packed in olive oil, for about a month in the refrigerator. You can also rewrap the cheese to further drain whey and make an even firmer cheese. Enjoy!

In an earlier post we briefly mentioned La Plazita Institute and our participation in its community garden project called Sanchez Farm. A recent article in The Alibi talks more about this project and gives a good overview of what La Plazita is trying to accomplish with the South Valley youth.

From the article:

Word has spread about Garcia’s success with at-risk youth, and last spring semester, he was asked by then Principal—now APS Superintendent—Linda Sink to open an office at Albuquerque High School. In addition to this office, the café and headquarters, La Plazita has a rather unlikely “campus” at Sanchez Farm in the Armijo neighborhood. There, T-MAC members weed the soil and plant corn, squash, beans, tomatoes and herbs. Overlooking the farm, like a group of leafy grandmothers, stands a grove of cottonwood trees, a big stone for a picnic table and a fire circle. The cottonwood grove is a gathering place for T-MAC youth and community members. Sometimes “curanderos,” traditional healers, visit from across the continent or Aztec dancers come to perform.

Read the rest here.