At some hour of the evening every Thursday, Brooke of Big Fork Farms drives by in her pickup to deliver the bushel box of vegetables. I never see her, as it is that evening that I teach at the community college over the summer. I return home at 10, anticipating an evening of stewing down kale with onion to put in freezer bags, blanching carrots, crunching down cabbage, radish, and homegrown nigella into a saurkraut for my morning eggs with toast. Can you freeze saurkraut? Inevitably I turn to the interwebs for answers before the evening’s tasks. (the answer is no, it kills the good bacteria). The whole point of joining a CSA is to also “put food by”, preserve it somehow for the winter months ahead. Extend the enjoyment and nourishment of the bounty. An accumulation of chard stems, carrot, onion, and beet tops becomes stock tonight, then potato is boiled in it to make a vat of soup base that will freeze well for many dreary February nights.
This brings me enormous pleasure. In my current state, it provokes the same peace that a good day of making pots can bring. Which begs the question: which part of the peace is the active part? The clay is elemental, as is the food. I spend more and more time in the kitchen these days. Mandy asks me what I read- eventually I have an answer- I read cookbooks. I love to eat well. I love learning about the balance of sour, salty and sweet as I do the balance point of one of Clary’s mugs. I am not your beans and rice artist, sorry. I skip the truffle oil but I don’t hesitate to buy goat cheese. My wine is cheapish, and I share it.
A punk that I was dating some time ago said that she wanted to have an attitude that the world is abundant. Fair enough. Admirable, even. And it is, if you make it that way. She was also stingy with her time and ended the relationship. Do I blame her? Nah. She was doing her best with the available information. But sometimes I miss her… among sharing other delights, I think there was plenty of space for me to show her the seasons- this is harvest time- this is the time when cabbages are as big as my head, so lets do some work now, we animals with tools, to have more later when the cold settles and the land is unyielding. I don’t want to take your anti-depressants in the winter of your discontent.
Creating my own health. Growing it, soil first. I’m going out on a limb here, and I mean no offense, but I associate her kind of hopefulness with faith. Oh, God will provide me with what I need. Maybe God looks like the grocery store full of packaged imports, but what happens when Monsanto invades the food production and pushes the shutdown of family farms? What happens when both your lovers move away and the big art fair that killed your summer barely pays back expenses? What happens when it seems like all my hard-working friends inventing so many better ways to move forward lack community critical mass? And the misogyny and idiotic racism is still there, the soldiers are killing themselves, and the galleries are closing too? Apparently God’s not on our schedule. Or as Tom Waits proposes, “God’s away on business”…
....But at risk of leaving you with only sour, not salty and sweet, I will happily acknowledge the abundance of my life: the fact that my personal expression does not precipitate a hate-filled death, the steady help from my parents without which I might never have dared to live the way I try to do, my numerous friends from so many backgrounds, and the serendipity of other meetings and opportunities in this fair city in this lush NW in this, the most spoiled country in the world. May you and I live out these days of abundance in as little frustration as possible…..
Here’s to that….
oh, and by the way- hope to see some of you at the Utilitarian Clay Conference soon! My ears will be wide open to your stories, as encouraging as you have been of me telling mine.
also, hey Portland!: Remember Portland Open Studios! This is the annual self-guided tour of art studios when 100ish artists will open their creative space and share with you their working methods and inspiration. I'll be making pots, if you want to come see me in action. I always look forward to this event, since so much of my story is around me in my studio and I don't have to go on about it in words. Kid-friendly, all over the metro area, educational, and often a great place to pick up great holiday gifts made by people that you love... do swing by! My studio will be open, and I'll have plenty of work for sale, including seconds at $5 a pound. Pick up a ticket at New Seasons Market or online at their website. Hope to see you!
Best Wishes-
Careen