Happy holidays everyone! We hope you’re in the midst of some serious downtime. As it’s all about midsummer meals and cramming a year’s worth of days off into a week around here, we’ve all been hard at it.
Christmas day saw Floyd, Gigi, Michael and Lawrence (incoming market garden intern) harvesting and cooking the first ever Christmas lunch at the Tinyhouse, followed by a session with Caga Tió…
While Nick, Ashar and I headed for the ocean and grandparents for Christmas day, Milkwood Farm was rocking splendidly with battered zucchini flowers and chocolate avocado desserts.
The Christmas spread.
Stuffed zucchini flowers!
Lawrence’s Jamaican coconut rice and beans
Michael’s vegan chocolate avocado christmas dessert…
Once lunch was done it was time for Caga Tió! And so the Catalan ‘uncle’ was duly tapped with sticks until he poo-ed out gifts of nougat, and not salty fish. Have I lost you yet? The backstory on Caga Tió is here…
Caga Tió, awaiting the grand moment
Michael waiting patiently for his Caga Tió treats
Floyd, Lawrence and Michael learning the way of Caga Tió
Gigi (the resident Catalan) showing everyone how it’s done
Meanwhile at the seaside, Ashar was learning Woody Guthrie duets with our mate Rhyece…
Guthrie duet. Kind of.
When we got back to the farm yesterday, we walked into our beautiful hand-made house (with no ocean), sat down at the table and gazed out at our (less than half-full) dam and… breathed. After 6 years, we’ve finally manifested a little house to come home to. It was a special moment.
But not as special (to Ashar at anyrate) as this morning, when Gigi came around for one last round of Caga Tió, to teach us how it’s done. Ashar was somewhat confused at the whole pooing of presents thing, but the propolis lollies he received made the ultimate point of the exercise clear.
Gigi singing the Caga Tió song as Nick and Ashar learn how it’s done…
As Ashar was going to sleep last night, he called out that he loved our house, and he was so glad we lived at Milkwood Farm. I happened at that moment to be sitting at the dining table, reading in the Guardian Weekly about the food shortages and gathering humanitarian catastrophe in Syria.
We are blessed indeed – a solid roof, food in the ground, water in (relative) abundance, tree crops growing. Friends around, and a purpose in life. What lies before us we do not know, but being grateful for what we have is surely part of forging a good path forward. It’s good to slow down occasionally to consider all that.
Wishing you a bright and beautiful 2013 with all the good things in life – clean water, clean food, people you love, somewhere quiet to sleep. And a passion for work that is part of the solution, and the means to make that your life.
>> More posts about life at Milkwood Farm
All photos except the last two by Gigi
A beautiful post, as always, Kirsten, and lovely to see how Milkwood celebrated Christmas. Yes, we must be thankful for our many blessings. Happy new year to you all and may 2013 be productive and all you would wish it to be.
Happy Christmas and New Year gorgeous Kirsten. Drop in next time you’re at the coast xxx
This is what keeps us coming to read about Milkwood. A complete ethos backed up with solid hard work and simple soul filling rewards. Thank you SO much for sharing your lives with us all. It gives we struggling penniless hippies a real goal to aim for and the simple means to get there 2013 can only be better if we all work slowly and carefully towards making it so 🙂
Oh my, your little Ashar is growing up! Our Asha is almost 5, & we are going camping for his birthday. We spend so much time investing in building our urban homestead, starting to go on family camping trips is a way to get away, get the kids out of the house, and learn a little about making do/ making your own fun. Hope we can come camp at Milkwood sometime this year (when we take a course, of course)… how about a Butchering/ Smallgoods Making course, my husband and I would love to do that! I don’t ask for… Read more »
Zucchini crispies Wonderful tasty bites of zucchini, drizzled with olive oil and baked. 5 zucchini, cut in 1 cm slices on a diagonal 2 tablespoons flour 1 cup bread crumbs 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion Dash pepper 3 tablespoons milk 3 eggs 1/3 cup olive oil Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix liquid ingredients in another bowl, whisk well. Slice zucchini in a diagonal direction. Dip slices in egg mixture and let excess drip off. Then place in pan holding bread crumb mixture. Pile extra mixture on… Read more »
Yum. So making this one. Thanks jim!
Sounds great Jim!! Thanks for sharing that recipe.
Hey Kirsten and Nick — I hope that 2013 brings you everything you want it to — you already seem to have everything that you need. I’ve been lurking on your blog for months now, gathering inspiration and tips — thanks so much for sharing so much good information and warm humaness. Hopefully I will be able to apply some of what I’ve been learning from you — my partner and I have just purchased and moved, last month, to a smallholding in Central Portugal where we are establishing a permaculture garden and food forest as well as rebuilding our… Read more »