Please read! Even if you think you hate – gulp! – asparagus…
This adventure isn’t really so much about vegetables as it is about hope and newness!
And creativity!
Are you with me?
First, a tiny history lesson… My sister, who has turned into a charming person, was not a fan of veg growing up. The only two vegetables she would voluntarily eat were corn and peas.
Mom, being a dedicated sort, was afraid her baby would starve. Thus, we ate a whole lot of corn and peas. I was fine with the corn part. I, emphatically, did not care for peas.
All this began when we still lived up North. Mom tended adventurously in the direction of frozen veg instead of canned. (Blessed be!!!) Trust me, though, when I tell you that there was only so much frozen corn & peas a foodie sort of kid (me!) could handle.
(Don’t even get me started on the whole tv dinner bit with peas and carrot cubes!!!)
Fast forward to the move to Florida. Suddenly, there were lots more choices and many of those were fresh! I was thrilled. The fan of frozen corn and peas, not so much.
I learned asparagus, steamed. With Granny’s lemon butter sauce. I liked it. Much better than peas!!!
Still, all those years ago, I had no idea how great veg could really be! The secret… roasting! (Recipe to follow.) First, the reason all this is bubbling inside me today!
I learned something new!
In one of the lands where I hang out, we are concluding the month on our very quirky calendar which is dedicated to the womb chakra and Intimacy essential oil. And, yes… this is all relatively new for me, too!
We did not cover chakras and essential oils in nursing school or seminary! These things are filed, in my mental library, under the notion that there are some things that were true before the things that we learned were true were true… and some of them are helpful, still!
Anyway… when the lightbulb came on yesterday, in our Sister Circle, what I realized is that, in the midst of this Crone Moon phase, lots of the womb and intimacy energy is around creativity. Not the kind that makes babies, so much, as the kind that births images which allow me/us to interact with our deepest hopes and dreams in new ways. In the world.
One of those recent acts of creativity, for me, looked like this in the early days:
And, yes, I’m making leggings out of this, too. A way to walk through the world wrapped in a great reminder of what it means to me to create in partnership with Creator. (And they’re really comfortable!)
But, first… let’s roast some asparagus!
If you don’t already have a patch in your garden, hunt for fresh, sustainably raised asparagus. (The myth about the bigger the stalk, the better, is just that. A myth!) I choose stalks about the size of my little finger.)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Rinse asparagus lightly, under cold water. Snap off the bottom ends where they want to separate. We’re keeping the tops!!! Pat dry.
Line a sheet tray with parchment paper. (Preferably the non-tox kind!) Spread spears across the tray, leaving some room between them.
Drizzle lightly with really good olive oil – even garlic olive oil! – and dust with good sea salt and ground pepper corns… not too fine!
Roast for about 10 minutes, until hot and tasty… not mushy!
Enjoy!
Then, take a minute to notice, please, what might want creating in your world! It’s going to take a whole lot of us!!!
ps… one of those things for me is an upcoming book-baby with a whole village full of mamas. Stay tuned!
pps… a great many veg can be roasted in the same way. Green beans, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, winter squash…. Use your imagination! Just adjust sizes and times!
ppps… there are more leggings with great stories, already, at FierceArtWithHeart! Also, it’s now way easier to find sizing details. Thanks, Cherie and Veronica!