The Lord of the Harvest

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.  Luke 10:2

This year we decided to try out our own square foot garden, and despite getting a late start, it's growing up nicely with minimal space and work.  We've already enjoyed some homemade pesto pizza from our basil, but this week we got our first real harvest of vegetables, some yummy green and yellow wax beans.

Harvesting is no easy business.  Sure, when you just have a few plants (and a toddler-sized helper) it goes pretty quickly.  But when you think about picking most vegetables on a larger scale it is incredibly tedious.  Gently lifting up the leaves, taking only that fruit which is ripe and carefully leaving the rest to grow and mature.  In many cases it must be done by hand.  It's no wonder that in the US and throughout the world, this task of harvesting lends itself toward some terrible abuse, where farms enslave vulnerable adults and children to work such difficult jobs, with little or no pay and dangerous working conditions.  (This is just one of many compelling reasons to grow your own food or buy food locally from farmers with whom you can build relationships.)

God also has a challenging harvest waiting for us.  And unlike our typical American way of doing things, it cannot be outsourced, automated, or forced upon the poor.  We, the people of God, are called by him to go out into his fields and get our hands dirty with the needs of people, the gospel, and the sacrificial work of pouring out grace to the world.  It is not easy work, but it promises real joy, the kind that sustains you in all circumstances.  This is God's purpose for your life, and it is not only his plan to draw all people close to him, but to draw you close to him as well.

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Do you want to do something about human trafficking and slavery in modern agriculture?  Dagbé is an organization founded by a friend of ours that is making a difference in the lives of children, especially in regard to agricultural slavery.  Dagbé serves primarily in Benin, Africa (a region prone to human trafficking) and they are presently trying to raise funds for an anti-human trafficking training program for members of the community.  Their fundraising project only has 10 days left, so please consider making a donation today and pray for God to work through Dagbé to prevent the tragedy of slavery among these children and families.

Apple Day and the Rhythm of Seasons

He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy. Acts 14:17

I've been pondering lately how the seasons provide so many opportunities for families to grow and create shared memories together. I have joyful recollections from my own childhood, all centered around the seasons. Every year my parents took our family apple picking, and we spent the day at the orchard and afterward making apple pies and pots of applesauce for canning. The tradition started many years before with my grandparents, and two generations later, we'll never let a year go by without taking our daughter on an apple adventure of her own. I have countless memories from these family times together. I remember the time we saw cider being made and we all ate so many apples that we got "apple sick" as coined by my younger brother (the golden delicious did us all in!).

We have had many different guests accompany us on our family apple excursions over the years, ranging from neighbors and school friends to foreign exchange students and a punk rock band! Everyone lent a hand peeling apples for the big pot of sauce, and in turn went home with a jar or a yummy slice of pie. There was the time the boys tried to see who could throw apples the furthest, and the time my mom had a prize for the one who picked the "biggest apple." There are the times it was sunny and beautiful and the times it was rainy and cold, all fun in their own ways. When we lived far from home, we many times travelled back for Apple Day, as us kids grew to call it. Apple Day became our very own little family holiday, nothing else to really celebrate except each other.

Then there is the german potato salad that my grandmother made every year for Christmas dinner (and that day only), connecting us in a small way to our family heritage. On the other side of my family, my grandmother almost always brought paczki on Fat Tuesday, and I often got stories from my mom of her Busia making traditional prune-filled paczki and how she loved to smell them cooking as a child. There are the more subtle things too, like husking corn on the deck into brown paper bags, and chomping into them later... and picking out just the right sized cucumbers for my grandma's bread and butter pickles.

Now with my own family, I am convinced how much families and children especially thrive on this kind of family rhythm, and how much the seasonal activities can teach our families and grow them together. Kids love to help and be a part of a family project, even more knowing it is purposeful (and delicious). These things are a great leveler between parents and children and siblings of various ages. It gives our family a stability and a rhythm of the year, and gives us a common anticipation for each coming season.

Our family has been intentional this year about cooking through the seasons, and as we do, I can see how we are forming these traditional family meals - the kind we only eat one time of year and look forward to them coming again. As I labor over these meals I can imagine it, anticipating next spring when we can again make a simple mixed green salad with strawberries, quinoa stir fry with fresh peas from the pod... and in the summer a fresh pesto pizza with homegrown tomatoes, and pasta with pesto and zuchinni, all from our own garden or farmer's market. This week has been a week of corn on the cob in our home, and cooking dinner has become a family affair, with daddy and our todder learning to husk corn on the deck (into a paper bag, of course), and enjoying the sweet look on our daughter's face as she eats up an entire ear of corn... when normally she rarely eats corn by itself at all.

Scripture talks about the seasons often, and we are foolish to think that we have somehow as a society "progressed" beyond them. We need these seasons, even if only metaphorically as we create a rhythm to our own lives that is filled with purpose and always seeking after God, allowing him to feed us spirtually in our need. After a long cold winter, we need a reminder of a resurrected Jesus, along with a coming up of the first greens. We need the refreshment of the summer, vacation, and the nutrition of fresh vegetables and sunshine. We need the rewarding work of storing and preparing for the winter, and we need that reward in the cold months of a warm hearty soup, the foodstores of the harvest season, and the hope of a Christ child. I am feeling incredibly grateful today for these yearly rhythms in my life, especially the kind that have served me as memory markers, allowing me to catalog and cherish the many moments of gratefulness I have had in my life. God himself has provided me with plenty of food and filled my heart with joy.

What seasonal memories do you cherish from your childhood or family?

Red Lentil Coconut Curry (gluten-free, non-dairy, vegan)

The busy life of mommyhood has taken over the last few weeks, so even though June is over, we still have a few more meatless recipes to share.  This is one of our own creations, inspired by a new love for coconut milk, which is a great substitute for the lactose-intolerant in our family.  The use of coconut milk really adds to the flavor of this dish. 

Red lentils do not hold their shape when cooked, and they have less flavor than french lentils, so they cook down into excellent soups, dips and sauces and blend well with different flavors and spices. Like Eygptian Kushari, this lentil and rice pairing offers good complimentary protein.  This is also super easy, really fast, and results in very few dishes to clean!

Red Lentil Coconut Curry
Prep/Cook Time: 30 min
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups dry rice
1 cup dry red lentils
1 cup coconut milk (in a carton, not a can! that stuff is sweetened)
1 cup water or stock
1/2 cup chopped onion
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
~2 cups chopped/cubed vegetables (carrots, potato, celery, or cauliflower work well)
1 Tbsp or less of coconut oil (yum!) or olive oil
1-2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt

Instructions:
Cook rice according to package directions.

Heat coconut oil in a sauce pot over medium heat, add chopped onions and garlic, and saute until they start to turn translucent.  Rinse dry red lentils and add to pot, along with chopped vegetables, and 2 c of liquid (1 c coconut milk and remainder water or stock).  Bring to a boil and then simmer on low heat for about 15-20 minutes.  Stir occasionally, and add more water if necessary.  The lentils are done when the mixture starts to resemble a thick sauce.  Check that vegetables are done before removing from heat.  (if using celery, saute along with the onions before adding other ingredients)

Add 1 teaspoon of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, or more of each to taste, and stir.  Serve over warm rice.

If you're wondering what to do with the rest of that coconut milk, I love to curl up on a rainy day with a warm mug of coconut milk, mixing in a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon and a bit of honey or sugar.

Black Bean Enchiladas with Cilantro-lime Rice

In order to make eating less meat feel good for your family, sometimes it's necessary to revamp some of your old standbys to a meatless option. One of the meals we used to love cooking together was chicken black bean enchiladas, which contained quite a bit of chicken breast and bacon, along with black beans and fajita veggies. I know, sounds good right?! However, it always ended up being an incredibly expensive dinner, especially if we used organic meat, whole wheat tortillas, canned beans, salsa, and organic veggies. I finally came up with a meatless version that we both salivate over! This meal still has tons of protein because of the cheese, beans, and whole grains.

I wouldn't consider this a quick recipe, but it is easy and cheap! If you want to make it even cheaper (and yummier), make your own homemade tortillas. You will be amazed how much better they taste than store bought, and they are so much cheaper. Or if your family eats gluten-free, try making spelt tortillas, they are amazingly good.

Black Bean Enchiladas with Cilantro-Lime Rice
Prep/Cook Time: 2-3 hrs (some night-before prep)
Ingredients:
12 whole wheat tortillas (10-12 inch) at room temperature
1 package of shredded cheese (or shred a block yourself, montery-jack works well)
1 large onion
1 pepper (green or red, we prefer red)
1 cup dry black beans (or 2-3 cups pre-cooked/canned black beans)
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14oz can tomato puree/tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4-1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (dried cilantro works, but isn't as tasty)
2 Tbsp lime juice (fresh is best)
1-2 Tbsp olive oil or cooking oil
1 small can of chopped chili peppers (or substitute ~1/2 tsp chili powder per 1 Tbsp chopped chilis)
1/8 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp paprika
pinch cayenne pepper
salt to taste

Soak overnight, 1 cup of dry black beans in 3 cups of water. Before cooking, drain and rinse the soaked beans. Place beans in a medium-sized pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low (should be a slow boil) and cook until beans are tender and just starting to fall apart (~1 hr). Alternatively, cook pre-soaked beans in a crockpot on low for 6-8 hours. Strain cooked beans and set aside. (I usually cook more than this at once and freeze the rest for another time)

In a rice cooker or stovetop, cook 1 cup brown rice according to package directions (this step could be easily done the night before). Once cooked, set aside to cool.

To make the sauce:
Taking part of the onion, chop about 1/4 cup. In a small saucepan, saute onion along with 1 clove minced garlic in some oil over medium heat. Add the tomato sauce, 1-2 Tbsp of chili peppers, 1/8 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir together, cover and simmer on low for about 30 minutes.

While the sauce is cooking, start the bean and rice fillings. Heat 1 T olive oil in a large skillet. Slice the rest of the onion and the bell pepper into strips. To the skillet, add the onion, pepper, and garlic, and saute over medium heat until onions start to get translucent. Add 1-2 T of chili peppers, cooked black beans, 1 T lime juice, a can of diced tomatoes (first drain some of the liquid out of can), 1/4 teaspoon paprika, 1 tsp cumin and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Mix it all together until heated through. Add a 1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro, stir in and remove from heat.

While you cook the onions and peppers, you can prepare the cilantro-lime rice. Take your ~2 cups of cooked brown rice, add 1 T of lime juice, a handful of chopped cilantro (1/4 cup or more), and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir together and set aside.

Now its time to fill the tortillas! Heat oven to 350. Take a large 9x13 casserole and coat the bottom with a thin layer of sauce. Make sure your tortillas are at room temperature or slightly heated to make them pliable and prevent cracking. In each tortilla, spoon a few tablespoons of rice and about 1/4 cup black bean filling. Top with 1-2 T of shredded cheese. Roll up the tortilla and place seam-side down in the casserole dish side-by-side the others. Repeat until the dish is full, and don't be afraid to squeeze them in there tightly. If they crack a little, just use them anyway, it will be fine. I can usually fill a 9x13 pan and another small one. Once you have all the tortillas rolled and in the dish, cover generously with the sauce, making sure to moisten the whole surface (to prevent the tortilla from drying out). Take the rest of the cheese and sprinkle on top.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until heated through. Laying foil over the top of the pan during cooking may prevent it from drying out or burning on the top in some ovens. You can prepare the tortillas the day before, follow all the steps, but just cover and refridgerate instead of baking. If baking straight from the fridge, add about 10 minutes to the baking time.
 

Egyptian Kushari or Mujadara (Lentils and Rice) - gluten free, vegan/dairy-free option

Thanks for joining us for the Month of Meatless Recipes!

Since we began our sustainable food journey, lentils have become a staple in our home. If you have never tried them, they are in the legumes/bean family, and they are truly a super food. They are more convenient to cook than many other types of beans, since they are small and cook in 30-40 minutes or less with no prior soaking required. In addition to being a wonderful, low-fat source of protein (one cup cooked offers 18g of protein with less than 1g of fat!), lentils are also high in iron, an important nutrient for those eating less meat. Lentils pack a lot of fiber, making them a great way to lower cholesterol and maintain healthy blood sugar levels and healthy digestion. They are an excellent source of many nutrients, but especially folate and magnesium, which team up to do wonders in preventing heart disease. When planning meals with lentils, it's a good idea to pair them with a whole grain (rice) to make complete protein.

Lentils have a rich historical heritage and were likely one of the first foods to ever be cultivated! And if you think eating meatless is only for the faint at heart, remember that even Esau, the "man of the open country" sold his birthright for a simple bowl of lentil stew and whole grain bread (we have a recipe for that, too).

This is the first meal we ever made with lentils, and it totally hooked us! It is a very common dish in Egypt and throughout the Middle East (with a few variations), and it is so flavorful, yet very simple and easy.  It also happens to be a favorite for our toddler!  If you can cook rice, saute onions, and heat up pasta sauce on the stove, you can definitely rock this recipe in your kitchen.

Egyptian Kushari or Mujadara (Lentils and Rice)
recipe adapted from the More-With-Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre
Serves: 5-6
Prep/Cook Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups green lentils (i.e. french lentils)
1 1/2 cups brown rice (white is ok too)
4 - 4 1/2 cups water (substitute any or all of this for vegetable or chicken stock)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 onions
1 (14oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar (optional, or to taste)
~ 1/2 - 1 cup chopped green pepper (optional)
plain yogurt (for serving)

Instructions:
Rinse and drain the dry lentils. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and add lentils, saute for 3-5 minutes over medium heat (this helps them keep their shape when cooking). Add 4 cups of water and the brown rice and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 35-40 minutes. (If using white rice, allow the lentils to cook for about 10 minutes before adding rice, then recover and let simmer another 25-30 minutes.) Check doneness toward the end of cooking time and add more water if necessary.

In a small pot, heat the tomato sauce, adding cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt, sugar and chopped green pepper (optional). Simmer on low for 20-30 min to get those flavors cooking.

Heat another 1 Tbsp olive oil in a frying pan. Slice onion into strips and heat over medium-high heat until carmelized. They are best if they are very brown but not burnt!

To serve, spoon lentil/rice mixture into a bowl, add a spoonful of tomato sauce, a dollop of plain yogurt, and top with carmelized onions. This time we served ours with some homemade naan (Indian flatbread). Enjoy!

Note: This dish is also good without the tomato sauce, so you can omit this if you want. For a vegan option, simply omit the yogurt.
 

Warm Quinoa Salad (gluten-free, non-dairy, vegan)

One of my favorite quick dinners is a quinoa salad. Here is a recipe for one I made last night, but it is so versatile and I frequently make up new versions using whatever I have on hand.

This dish contains garbanzo beans, which we buy in bulk and cook up ourselves. It's a lot cheaper this way, especially if buying organic beans (and tastes better, in my opinion!), and you can make a lot at once and store dinner-sized portions in the freezer. Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) are a great cheap source of protein, and they are high in fiber and iron.

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is fairly new to our kitchen pantry, but it is an amazing food! It is considered an ancient grain, but technically a relative of leafy greens. Quinoa is also high in protein, but contains all 9 amino acids, making it one of few non-animal foods to have complete protein, the kind of protein typically only found in meats and dairy products. I love it because it is really convenient - it cooks up like rice but in nearly half the time. It is a must-have in any meatless or meat conscious diet.

Warm Quinoa Salad with Garbanzo Beans
Serves: 2-3
Prep/Cook Time: 30 min

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water (substitute all or part of this with vegetable or chicken stock for even better flavor)
1 carrot, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced (optional)
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans (you can use canned, but rinse first)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
1 Tbsp olive oil (or less)
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1 cup prize choy or kale, chopped, or another seasonal vegetable (chard, spinach, etc - be creative!) I had some prize choy from our weekly farm CSA distribution, so this was a great way to use it.

Instructions:
Before cooking, soak the quinoa in water for 5 minutes and then rinse well. This is essential to remove the natural saponin coating that is present especially on organic quinoa, as it will result in a bitter flavor.

In a medium saucepan, combine 2 c water (and/or stock), rinsed quinoa, sliced carrots (optional celery), and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, until water is absorbed, quinoa is translucent and you can see the germ ring on the outside of the grain.

While the quinoa is cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet, and saute the garlic for a few minutes over medium heat. Add your leafy green veggie of choice (prize choy or kale) and saute until just wilted and a bright green color. Don't overcook! Remove from heat promptly, and set aside. Add the garbanzo beans to the hot skillet for 2-3 min or until heated through, adding 1 tbsp lemon/lime juice and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar.

When quinoa is finished cooking, add cumin, salt and mix through. Combine garbanzo beans and lime/balsamic liquid with the cooked quinoa, along with the cooked greens. Add green onions and mix it all together.

Experiment with your own favorite ingredients . Some chopped fresh herbs would be a great addition to this dish, so toss in some parsley, cilantro, or chives (I didn't have any this time). Another yummy option is to serve the warm salad over a bed of fresh arugula or other salad green. It's in season now, too! I adapted this recipe from one made with rice that I found over at the Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen. It is a great resource for gluten-free and dairy-free recipes.


 

A Month of Meatless Recipes

We have been experimenting a lot this year with meatless or vegetarian cooking, and this month we'll be sharing some of our favorite recipes. We developed several of them in our own kitchen as we tried to use what we had and keep our food budget low.  Many of the recipes are gluten-free, non-dairy, or vegan.

Getting most of the meat out of our freezer has been refreshing.  Our food keeps longer (including leftovers) and we waste less.  I always forget to set meat out to thaw the night before, and I hate dealing with raw meat in my kitchen.  Good riddance!  However, I have traded that in for remembering to soak the beans!

Usually the most common response when we mention that we consume little meat  is concern about getting enough protein.  In the U.S., most people actually eat around double the recommended daily value of protein, which is about 40-60 grams per day.  As you start to eat less meat, you do need to be concious of eating protein-rich food in the right way.  Most non-animal foods contain only some of the 9 essential amino acids (protein) making them incomplete proteins.  But pairing them with complimentary foods throughout the day provides complete protein sources in your diet.  Pair legumes and beans with whole grains (rice and beans), or nuts and peanuts with whole grains (peanut butter and jelly sandwich).  Eating protein sources with dairy also helps to complete the protein. 

If you want to learn more about our reasons for going meatless, check out these earlier posts: Goal #1: Eat Less Meat and Would the Good Shepherd Use a CAFO?

A Month of Meatless! hyperlinks will be updated as we post recipes
Warm Quinoa Salad with Garbanzo Beans
Egyptian Kushari (Lentils and Rice)
Black Bean Enchiladas with cilantro-lime rice
Red Lentil Coconut Curry
Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
Easy Pasta Dinner with Lentils
Red Lentil Sloppy Joes

Happy meatless eating!

Would the Good Shepherd use a CAFO?

This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.

Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet? 
Ezekiel 34:2-4,18-19

I stumbled upon these words recently and found it interesting that God used this analogy to relate to his people. In the context of this passage, God is telling the leaders to do better in caring for their sheep, his people. I assume that cruelty to animals as explained here was looked poorly upon, otherwise this imagery would not have been so effective.

Please don't dismiss this as an "animal rights" argument, because it is not. But God certainly makes it clear that we shouldn't go around wreaking havoc on everything in our path, simply to serve ourselves. And perhaps you are unaware of the way your food choices affect the "flock."

Nearly all commercial meat in the U.S. comes from factory farms, termed CAFO - concentrated animal feeding operations. You may not know what happens to animals in today's CAFOs, but perhaps it is time we take some responsibility.

Here are some CAFO quick facts:

• Animals in CAFOs (most commonly pigs, cows, chickens, and turkeys) are kept in abnormally close quarters, often with very little, if any, outdoor exposure. Animals may not even have enough room to turn around, and they undergo mutilation like beak cutting and tail amputation to make it easier to confine them.
• Living literally in their own waste products, antibiotics are administered on a regular basis to prevent outbreaks of disease, but still disease outbreaks are common. To increase animal growth quickly, additional hormones and antibiotics are often used. Hormone use in poutry and pork is illegal in the U.S. but is commonly used in cattle feed lots.
• Producing an abnormal amount of waste products per square foot, CAFOs present a clear environmental problem. So much manure is present in such a small area that contaminents and bacteria can easily leach into groundwater or run off into surface waters, such as lakes, streams, and drains.

We think there are many reasons to avoid CAFO meat, but above all is the conviction that we have "ruled [the flock] harshly and brutally." As Christians we should consider how our decisions (including our purchase of food and other goods) affect others.  Are you trampling on the world around you?  God holds his people to higher standards, and instructs us to not just take care of ourselves, but to increase in our concern for others and for all creation.

At the end of Ezekiel 34, the same chapter, God says, "You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God."  What a relief that God doesn't treat his flock like we treat our own flocks and herds!  From him we learn how to care for others in love instead of cruelty, with tenderness instead of harshness.

If you are interested in affecting positive change away from the CAFO methodology, the best thing to do is limit your meat intake.  Secondly, find local, pasture-raised meat sources, or buy organic.  Eating locally sourced food is good for the environment, good for the economy, and good for you!

Learn more:
Time Magazine - The Problem with Factory Farms
U.S. EPA - How do CAFOs Impact the Environment?

A Seedling

For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. Isaiah 61:11

In accordance with our goal to buy local food, we are experimenting with a vegetable garden at home this year.  Since we don't have a lot of extra money to put into a garden, we are starting many of our plants from seed, which is significantly cheaper.  This takes more advanced planning, since seedlings have to be grown indoors until the final risk of frost has ended. 

We should preface this post with the disclaimer that we absolutely do not know the first thing about gardening, much less organic gardening.  But with a little help from our local library, we are learning as we go.  We found that one advantage to choosing your own seed is that you can choose a variety that works best for your region, soil type, and garden ecosystem.  You can also choose to avoid seeds that are genetically modified and experiment with some ancient varieties of plants, including heirloom vegetables that have been preserved and passed down over generations. 

About a week ago we planted our first tomato seeds, a french variety known as Carmello, which promises to grow large fruit with skin resistant to cracking.  How anxious a person must be waiting for seeds to sprout up from the soil, in particular when their very livelihood and survival depends on their success.  But yesterday we saw our first sprouts - a sweet little victory in our amateur gardening adventure!

Planting a seed takes trust.  Nothing we do will directly coax a seedling up from the ground.  We provide sunlight and water, and we hope to see the seedling suddenly spring up.  How often God surrounds us like soil, waiting patiently to see that we will trust him.  But if we are fervently devoted to his instructions, to prayer, to meditation on his word, we find that God will not leave us in the ground dormant and unfruitful.  He will spring up through us a full, righteous life and we will be vessels of his praise and glory.

Generosity on a Budget

When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this. Deuteronomy 24:19-22

We have always been fairly good at setting aside a tithe (10%) of our income to the church. This is the standard amount commanded throughout scripture, and most Christian bodies agree that it is really the minimum we should devote to the God who in fact saved us from "slavery in Egypt." We have on occasion decided to give more than the 10%, usually in response to a pressing need in the world (natural disasters), an organization we hear about, or a fellow believer needing funding for a mission trip. Because we are not very intentional about giving above the minimum, it tends to not happen very often.

In the U.S., the holidays seem to invoke a spirit of giving in people. This happens with us too, although part of me wonders if the reality is that we are reminded how little we have given of ourselves in the past year, and we scramble to somehow "make up" for it before that new year comes around and the resolutions start all over again (or repeat, as the case may be).

So... here we are. It is November, and while we have tithed this year, we find ourselves wanting to create more of a habit out of this charity thing. The biggest thing in our way of course, is money (imagine that). We are on a strict budget, and barely making ends meet - I know we are not the only ones, and it seems we have cut a lot in order to make day-to-day life work. But I know that in the scripture passage above, these farmers, these winemakers - they were likely a little strapped for cash too. But God, remember, didn't decide to hoard for himself or spare any expense when it came to you. He gave it all. And although slavery in Egypt sounds pretty horrible, it is not even comparable with the havoc that the power of sin can have on a person's life, not just here on earth but for all eternity.

We have a budgeted amount of money set aside for food every month. So starting in November, we are going to take whatever is left over in our food budget (our sheaves overlooked, if you will) and give that money to someone who needs food. Sometimes it might be $5, or sometimes $20, maybe more. I'm sure we might have times where we will be lazy and eat out a few more times, look over our vine a second or even third time, and use it all, but I hope we can do better. Our prayer is that we continue to be creative about how we spend our money and conserve it in the direct interests of others. We want to eat out less, make more from scratch, waste less, and give more. We are no longer going to take the residual of our budget, and allow it to give us permission to spend more than we need. Instead, we can rejoice in spirit with those who will benefit from our overlooked sheaves.

This doesn't sound like too much for God to ask of us, and I think as we witness the poor and hungry coming into our vineyard to gather what is left over, our hearts will open to them and our desire will be to leave them with more and more of our abundance.

The Local Advantage

When we set out to eat more local food, we did so for a few good reasons. Namely, to cut down on our food's transporation footprint, support local businesses, and get away from the consumerism culture surrounding our demand for any type of food, any time you want it.

These are all still great reasons to buy locally, but as the growing season is nearing its end, we have some time to reflect on some of the extra benefits we discovered along the way!

Local food tastes better. We never really stopped to think about why the food we buy in the supermarket fails us so often. In order for most fruit to make it to the grocery store before going rotten, supermarket produce is picked way before it is ripe, and distributors count on it "ripening" on the way. When you buy it, then, it is either under-ripe, or, it is soft like ripened fruit but void of flavor. Fruit that is picked at its peaked ripeness is the sweetest kind. Thanks to some local farmers we will be enjoying some tree-ripened peaches from our freezer all year long, not to mention all of the other amazing fruit we've had this season. We also found out how much sweeter and juicier the tomatoes are when they come from your own garden.

Local food is more informed. Can you imagine going up to your grocery store butcher and asking him what he fed to the chickens? No one knows better than the farmer herself what the farm's practices are concerning pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Not to mention that it is just good to know what kind of business you are supporting with your food dollars.

Local food is more fun!! This season we learned how to cook with ground lamb, eggplant, and squash just to name a few. Our favorite meals were ones we had to invent with items from the farmer's market that week. We really enjoyed the culinary adventure!

You probably have a bit more time to visit a farmer's market or roadside stand and pick up some local produce. What do YOU love about eating locally?

Goal #3: Buy Local Food

He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth. Psalm 104:14

God designed the world with provisions for us in mind. Plants that we can use as food, the water, soil and sunlight to cultivate them, and even weather seasons to provide for growth, harvest and renewal for the next year. Although all of these natural systems are so complicated that they encompass entire fields of study, really the concept for us is quite simple. God created the means, we work within his system, and we are given the privilege to partake in the goodness that comes forth.

We live in a culture that is demand-focused. We shop online and receive items on our doorstep days later - never seeing the raw materials, the laborers, the distributors, or even the delivery truck in some cases, and I think we have grown quite oblivious to the rest of the world. I am sad to say that we have done the same thing with our food. While our backs were turned, the food industry has globalized and at no fault of any one person, has become subject to our high demands and materialism.

God gave us food in our own backyards (sometimes literally), or close to it. And we wonder what God thinks when what he gives to us here and now is not quite good enough for our tastes. Instead we want ripe red strawberries in January. But it is possible to eat great tasting food from just around the block - and doing so has many benefits.

• Support farmers directly and help sustain your local economy
• Save the energy and pollution it takes to transport and refrigerate food products before they get to your local grocery store
• Enjoy foods that are fresher and minimally processed
• Get more for your money - pay for your food, not its travel costs

Buying locally is a huge challenge, and it takes a lot of work. Last year we found a website where we could look up "what's in season" for our area. We planned a meal around asparagus, only to find that the asparagus in the grocery store came from Peru. However, there are a lot of practical ways to get started in the local food movement.

• Shop at local farms and farmer's markets Find one here
• Sign up for a CSA (community supported agriculture) and receive regular deliveries of produce from your local farm. Find one here
• Join a food co-op, or just shop at one. Find one here
• Buy foods that are in-season, and preserve for use later by freezing or canning
• Grow your own food! Start a vegetable garden in your own backyard, or cooperatively with others in your community or church group
• Try new recipes designed for seasonal cooking. Subscribe for a weekly recipe

Goal #2: Eat Less Corn

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:7-10

This may seem like a strange goal. After all, corn is rich in many nutrients, including Vitamin B1 and B5, Vitamin C, folate, fiber, phosphorus, and manganese. But as we learn more about US agricultural practices, we can't help but feel a little angst about the topic of corn. After all, corn is the most heavily produced crop in this country, and the US is by far the world's top producer, but only about 10% of it makes its way into our food supply. And most likely by the time it gets there, it's not in its original nutrient-rich form. Of the 10%, about half of this becomes high fructose corn syrup, and the rest is mainly used to make alcohol, starches, sweeteners, and cereal products. So where else does corn go? Well, around 57% goes directly to animal feed (for more on this read Goal #1: Eat Less Meat), and 20% is used for ethanol.

With so much corn, you'd think that the United States must have really hit the jackpot with how to grow so much, so cheap. There has to be a good reason that we produce so much of this crop right? This is what we find so confusing.

• Corn is not exactly a profitable crop. Farmers need a subsidy if they even expect to break even on the cost of growing and harvesting corn. In other words, our taxes pay largely for our massive stores of corn.
• Corn is highly dependent on fossil fuels - corn is not really a "renewable" resource. In order to grow corn at the current massive yields per acre, corn requires large amounts of fertilizers and pesticides (both produced using fossil fuels).
• Corn is not environmentally friendly - harmful pesticides, runoff of nitrates into soil /water supplies, massive soil erosion and deforestation to name a few.

Most people would be surprised to find out that most of the corn that lines the plains of this nation is not actually edible as you would imagine. It is a "commodity crop" genetically modified so that it is easy to use as animal feed and easy to be processed into derivatives such as corn syrup and preservatives - specifically designed to be high in carbohydrates (from which we make sugar) and low in fiber and nutrients, which are discarded in processing. Soy is much of the same story.

A man reaps what he sows. We sow seeds that are largely useless as food, and we reap crops that are useless as food. As our hungry neighbors starve, we use most of our agricultural land to fuel our meat-heavy fast food diets, our 10-minute one box dinners, our soda and alcohol addictions. These problems are not exactly solved easily, but we'll do our small (and healthier) part by limiting the amount of food dollars we use to participate in such a system.

We'll still be eating good old-fashioned corn - organic and local if we can help it!

Hunger in Haiti

The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same. Luke 3:11

Haiti is one of the most hungry nations in the world today. Undernutrition occurs in over 30% of children and more than 2.4 million people in Haiti are considered to be food-insecure.*

Each year, the International Food Policy Research Institute develops a Global Hunger Index for each country that considers the percentage of people who are undernourished, the percentage of children underweight, and the mortality rate of children under the age of five. Using this index, in 2009 Haiti ranked 9th among the world's most hungry nations, termed by the IFPR as "alarming." This country is without a doubt considered the most hungry in the Americas.** Haiti is also considered a "food deficit" country, requiring about half of their food to be imported due to its inability to self-sustain.*

This was all before the earthquake.

After the earthquake, it was estimated that an additional 2 million people would need immediate food assistance.* This number does not include the more lasting effects of the earthquake, including loss of trade and agriculture infrastructures.

Haiti has been in the news a lot lately, and many organizations continue to offer much needed support to this devastated area. Whether you have already given to this cause or have yet to do so, we encourage you to offer support in whatever way possible. Some organizations are offering strictly food support, such as the World Food Programme of the UN.

* World Food Programme: Haiti
** International Food Policy Research Group - 2009 Global Hunger Index

Where's the Beef?

We have been doing pretty well so far at reducing our meat intake, so we thought we'd share our first experience!

This past week we put our first goal into practice using some organic ground beef. 1 lb of meat cost us around $5-6. We made 40 meatballs from this adding bread crumbs, rice, onion, and green/red pepper, we froze them and that provided us enough meat for 10 meals (2 meatballs each). This costs less than $1 per meal to add meatballs, and we each eat only about 0.8oz of meat per meal.

Examples of meals we have tried so far:
- Meatballs with sautéed green/red peppers and broccoli, served in a light gravy over rice
- Spaghetti and meatballs in tomato sauce (a favorite)
- Meatballs in fried rice, with peas, broccoli, and carrots
- Meatballs sautéed with cabbage, onion, and green pepper, served in tomato sauce over rice (my quick version of Polish Golabki)

Yummm!

Goal #1: Eat Less Meat

Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. Romans 14:20-21

In this verse, the apostle Paul is talking about eating food that doesn't comply with others' religious standards, such as eating non-kosher food. This passage of scripture urges us to not eat in such a way that would cause someone else to stumble in their faith. But we had to ask ourselves - are there other ways in which our eating causes others to stumble? And perhaps this is not limited to a spiritual stumbling, as we often interpret it, but a physical stumbling as well. Can what we eat really cause physical harm to another human being?

The UN World Food Council estimated that using only 10-15% of the amount of grain fed to livestock, we could raise food levels enough to feed the world's hungry. Just take a moment to let that one sink in. Now consider that eating meat is one of the most inefficient ways to gain nutrients from the earth. It takes 10 lbs of grain to get just 1 lb of beef. For pork, the ratio is about 5:1, for poultry 2:1. The inefficiencies aren't just in the grain use, either. They are in water and land use too. Meats have the lowest yield of protein per acre, a whopping 45 lbs/acre compared to 356 lbs/acre for soybeans, 261 lbs/acre for rice, and 211 lbs/acre for corn. In terms of water use, beef is the worst, taking 1200 gallons of water to produce 1 lb. Comparatively, it takes 170 gallons for 1 lb of corn.*

Perhaps reducing the amount of meat we currently eat in America (200lbs/person annually in 2008!!! )** won't automatically feed the world, but most organizations and advocates believe that this is a crucial step in creating a sustainable way for us humans to produce the food we need to survive, without depleting natural resources in the process. It appears to us that we could certainly be harming our hungry neighbors by continuing to eat this way. So our first goal is to eat less meat, make more vegetarian meals, and buy organic and grass-fed meats whenever possible.

*Compassion in World Farming Trust. The Global Benefits of Eating Less Meat. 2004.
**United States Department of Agriculture. 2008 Agricultural Statistics Annual. 2008.

In Due Season

The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. Psalm 145:15

Not many people stop to think about the origin of their food. But scripture teaches us over and over again that our daily provisions are provided by God alone. God created a world that by nature provides food - the rain falls, plants grow and bear fruit, animals feed, fertilize, and we labor.

Lately, we have begun to ponder this creative design, and how much our modern culture has deviated from it. And after much prayer and searching, God has led us to take action in our family's eating choices. So here begins our journey to follow God through eating more sustainably day by day - choosing locally grown and organic foods whenever possible.

So why do we think this is so important? We thought that we'd begin with some of the basic ideas that led us down this path.

• We care about people. Modern agriculture and farming in the U.S. and other modern countries creates a system that negatively impacts world hunger and food shortages
• We care about the earth. The way we grow and raise our food today harms the environment, depletes natural resources, and does not work within God's created system of sustainability
• We care about how we live. Many of our food sources are produced using methods of questionable integrity - forcing human design on plant and animal life without concern for God's design

Check back often to read about our experiences through this journey of faith and obedience.