Merry Christmas from me and my green bin

Winter Solstice

Diagram of the winter solstice from " Windows to the Universe"

     Welcome to the Winter Solstice—the longest night of the year and the shortest day, when the sun  reaches its lowest point in the sky at noon. The word solstice is derived from the Latin sol 'sun' + stit (sistere) 'stationary', and the winter event is, of course, associated with many festivals. The Wikipedia link.
     On a positive note:  Technically, the winter solstice lasts only a moment in time, after which the days  start getting longer. And in the Southern Hemisphere, residents are welcoming summer on the longest day of the year.

Green Bin filled with seasonal flora gathered in my neighborhood for the winter solstice

Candy Cane Cookies

Freshly-baked Candy Cane Cookies

 
      Every Christmas during my childhood my mother baked Candy Cane Cookies and Starlight Mint Surprises. My sister and I would demand these two favorites, and we helped with the baking and testing. These were classics of their era (the 1950s) and in a recent search of the web I found so much nostalgia for these delicious morsels that I realize my family was joined by a nation of Candy Cane Cookie-lovers. By all accounts, they are still admired and included in Christmas baking lists. The preparation is a bit time consuming, since you have to divide the dough, color it, braid it and form it, but that was part of the childhood ritual and totally fun. Miraculously, I still have my mother's old metal file and her original recipe, clipped from who-knows-what magazine. This is the very copy we used to bake cookies  every holiday season. She covered it in a plastic sleeve, so there are no smudges. Talk about nostalgia!

The original clipping from my mother's recipe file

     Since it is difficult to read the yellowed original Betty Crocker recipe (above), I advise clicking on the link below for a clear and legible recipe. Many websites offer this, but interestingly, the current Betty Crocker website prints a version using peppermint instead of almond extract, which would disrupt the perfect balance of flavors and ruin the cookie for me. I advise sticking with the original. Be sure to read the helpful comment below the recipe.   RECIPE FOR CANDY CANE CANE COOKIES

     As well as recipes, one can find specific cooking videos on the Internet. Above, you can access a terrific demonstration from the Joy of Baking website which takes you step by step through the baking process, ensuring that you will create a perfect batch of Candy Cane Cookies. As my mother's copy says, "So different, yet so easy!"

December Persimmons (#3)

 Hachiya persimmon tree on Shasta Road, Berkeley--Dec. 4th

                                                                                    Lingering Fruit
                                                                               On barren branches
                                                                                  Lonely Winter                                                              
                                                      

 

                                      

Arch Street persimmon tree in early November

 Tree in December with one half-eaten persimmon   

For one last persimmon treat, I reached for Fresh from the Farmer's Market by my friend Janet Fletcher. She suggests freezing persimmons and making a simple "ice cream" in the food processor. But smoothies are even more fun and much easier. She freezes two super-soft hachysas, then takes them out of the the freezer, softens slightly, removes the core, quarters them, and puts them in the blender with some brown sugar, or honey, buttermilk and vanilla. They make a fabulous thick smoothie, and with buttermilk, it's low-cal.  Now's the time to buy (or pick) persimmons and load up the freezer.

Buddha's Hand

Buddha statue with buddha's hand         

                                 
                            "True freedom comes when we follow our Buddha nature,
                                     the natural goodness of our heart."
                                 
                                 

Jack Kornfield. Buddha's Little Instruction Book. Bantam Books,1994.
The above quote comes from this small handbook of instructions and
words of wisdom by the well-known American Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield. He has managed to distill and adapt ancient teachings to the needs of contemporary life, as he has done in so many previous books and classes.


For information on the amazing citrus fruit, buddha's hand, photographed by Ricki Pollycove, check the always useful source Wikipedia Description of buddha's hand

"Chasing Ice"

One of many exquisite photos from the film

      Green Bin gets ignored once more, because I must urge everyone to see the film Chasing Ice. Link to official site for CHASING ICE.  James Balog, veteran nature photographer and author, has made an extraordinary documentary about the receding and death of glaciers. That, in short, is the visible proof of GLOBAL WARMING. He documented the process by painstakingly setting up cameras in Greenland,  Iceland and Alaska.
     The film is gorgeous, dramatic, fantastic and scary. I hope everyone sees it. As we overheard one viewer say on the way out of the theatre, "It's beautifully depressing."

Turkey—Friend Not Food

     The week before Thanksgiving my friend Jenny (famous for her pumpkin bread) began wearing this necklace.

Friend not Food necklace from Vegan Cuts

     She is a faithful vegetarian and I highly respect her for that. Her husband Dean is very supportive even though his family owns Golden Gate Meat Company! I too have become more and more concerned about the  inhumane treatment and slaughter of farm animals, so I was pleased to read this front page article on Mary's Chickens in The Chronicle this Sunday, "Poultry Bet Pays Off".  Mary and Dave Pitman's philosophy is that all birds must be free-range (every hen house has a spacious yard where they're free to wander). Because they won't feed the birds antibiotics for non-therapeutic use, their barns must be roomier, cleaner and warmer than most conventional farms, so the fowl won't get sick. And they have instituted a much more humane method of slaughtering their chickens. They purchased a controlled atmosphere stunning system in Europe, approved by PETA, which renders the killing process much less traumatic for the birds. They would like to buy another for their turkeys. I've always liked Mary's chickens because they're air-dried and flavorful, but now that I know about the ethical treatment of their birds, I won't buy anything else. It's a first step.
     Though I will be feasting on roast turkey on Thursday, I will not forget to give special thanks to the bird who gave his life for my pleasure; and I will think of Jenny happily eating her Tofurkey among a large family of meat-eaters.

Jenny's Thanksgiving Tofurkey roast

I also want to mention that Jenny adopted a turkey through "Adopt a Turkey Project", created by an organization called Farm Sanctuary. They rescue and rehabilitate turkeys and other farm animals, and for a small fee, they provide an opportunity to adopt and visit their animals at  their sanctuaries in California and upstate New York. What a great idea!