How to Make an Ecological Kitchen

I just got back yesterday early AM from a trip to Bolivia. It was a great experience to return to the dear community of Rodeo where I had been last summer as well. Rather than writing a comprehensive review of the trip (which I may post at some point but likely will not, since I am giving an oral presentation at my home church tonight) I will just post random events from the week that I really enjoyed.
If you're wondering what an "ecological kitchen" is, this is a term that Food for the Hungry (FH) uses to refer to a very fuel efficient stove. In addition to saving fuel, this model also features a stove pipe that carries smoke out of the room. Smokey rooms can lead to lung disease, so this is a preventive measure for the health of the children. This stove was advertised to families in the community. Those who wanted it then paid a small amount of money (about $3 US) and helped with the construction of the stove. FH contracted two men to come and build these stoves, which reduce the need for firewood- a scarce commodity in the arid community located at about 12,000 ft above sea level.

The first step involves mixing up "barro"- a mixture of mud, clay, sand, and donkey excrement. I didn't really do much of this, I just helped to mix a wee bit, under the supervision of an expert!



Then, you must make molds for where the pots will be placed.


Next, place the barro around the molds.



Smooth it all down.



Add a chimney, and ta-da: you've got an ecological kitchen!

2 in a day?

So, maybe it's silly to post 2 blogs in one day, but I just wanted to let you know that my journey takes me away from the Joshua Farm for the next 2 weeks- I'm heading to Bolivia with Food for the Hungry! I'm super excited, and I hope to blog a time or two while I'm there. I'll be going back to the same community where I was last year, but I doubt that I'll get to help harvest potatoes again. Maybe there will be a new crop out in the field that I can help with.
Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support.

Salsas and Dips

Yesterday the Joshua Farm celebrated 5 years of sustainable agriculture and youth employment in Harrisburg. It was a busy day, but I missed most of the flurry out in the field because I was happily chopping and mixing in the kitchen. I started out with a laundry list of recipes and ingredients, and proceeded to fill a large rubbermaid tub with delicious veggies and herbs from the farm. We purchased a few things, such as parmesan cheese, plain yogurt, chickpeas, and mayo, but the majority of the dips came straight from our productive little plot.
Here's what I started with:



And here's a glimpse of the mess in the middle:


Sadly, I don't have any photos of the finished product because I barely had time to finish everything. 8:30-5 dancing around in the kitchen with a knife, with a brief break to have Cameron help me make lunch and to eat with the rest of the busy farm workers. That's my idea of a good day :)
For those who were interested in the recipes, I'm going to just list all of the ones from the "Simply in Season" cookbook- if you want them, buy the book!

• Herb Veggie Dip
• Pesto
• Fresh Summer Salsa
• Green Surprise Dip (I used Kale)

I also made Peach Salsa (at Kirsten's request and her verbal recipe):

• Equal parts chopped tomatoes and peaches
• A handful of minced red onion
• A dash of finely minced garlic
• Chopped cilantro to taste
• A pinch of salt
• Lime Juice

This was my first time to ever have peach salsa and it was delicious!

Other items included:

Blueberry Cornmeal Loaf Cake from the "Recipes from the Old Mill: Baking with Whole Grains" made with cornmeal from my daddy's field.

and last but not least:

Roasted Garlic Hummus from Annie's Eats
http://annies-eats.net/2010/04/21/roasted-garlic-hummus/
This was my first time to roast garlic and it was really fun. You should try it sometime!

Hot Pads = Wedding Presents

I've been pretty crafty recently, but I have not spent much time blogging about it.

I prefer to make things for friends when they get married, rather than just choosing something off of a registry. A classic gift is a pair of hot pads, sometimes paired with something else.



I love patchwork because is full of memories- I had dresses made out of the blue gingham and sunflower print, made aprons for church camp out of the light floral and green fabrics, a skirt out of the plaid (WHAT was I thinking as a 10 year old?!?!), and I think the little blue and red print was from old feed sack fabric.

To be honest, these hot pads are not my most recent ones- I made a stack of 6 for my mom for Christmas, and I wasn't photo documenting too much these past few weeks.
I just gave a pair to my friends who got married last weekend, I am almost finished with the pair that I'm making for my cousin who just got married a week ago (yes, I'm not always the most prompt at getting presents to people!) and I have another pair in the works for myself when I move.

Moving, crazy! One month from now, I will be in West Virginia! But between now and then, I will be in Bolivia for 2 weeks. This summer has flown by.