butternut, black bean & beef chili
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Hello from the other side of my much anticipated, much needed, much savored California girls trip. For a magical 72 hours, I wore dresses! Sipped spritzes on the pier! Shopped for non-farming clothes! Strolled the farmers market! Danced all night in a piñata costume! Slept in until 9am without any toddlers crawling on me!
Yes, of course I missed my kids and Matthew and our quiet little farm, but mostly I just soaked up every ray of California sunshine, soaked up all the wildly delicious food and wine, soaked up epic girl time with one of my best friends, soaked up the feeling of being my *own person* with my own wants/desires/needs… something that often gets pushed aside in the chaos of motherhood.
All to say, Santa Barbara was a dream, and I’m wildly grateful that I could spend a few blissful days back in my old stomping grounds.
But back to reality, back on the farm!
Last week we rocked out our last veggie box of the season, and it was bursting with fall goodness – carrots, butternut squash, cabbage, lettuce, peppers, etc. Our little farm still has a good supply of fall veggies in the ground, which will keep our family and friends well-fed through the winter (and we will absolutely be donating produce to our local food pantry, SAFE, which is doing the much needed work to support families in our community, especially in light of recent SNAP cuts).
But now that the season is winding down, we’re turning our attention to putting the farm “to bed” for the winter. That means catching up on weeding, clearing out beds, covering everything with tarps, and generally cleaning up the chaos that gets unleashed during the hectic farm season. This time of year honestly feels a giant exhale, a time to reflect on the season’s successes and failures, a time to move at a slower pace, a time to dream and scheme and pour over seed catalogues for next season.
Oh, and one last update! Big thanks for all the love following my update a few weeks ago about my recent art endeavors… I’m excited to share that for all my local friends, there will be a guest artist artist reception at Riverside Collective in Saxapahaw on Sunday, November 16th from 12-4pm! Come check out my new work (which make great, one-of-a-kind holiday gifts, btw), chat /
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