Minestrone, the unsung hero of the Italian table

“Each of the six villages in Sardinia’s blue zones area prides itself on recipes for both summer and winter minestrones: these chunky and hearty fresh vegetable soups are made and enjoyed year-round with in-season vegetables. Not only do these soups provide several helpings of vegetables, but they also deliver a full daily dose of beans, a favorite longevity supplement. This bountiful dish is eaten for lunch every day by the world’s longest-lived family, the Melises.” - Dan Buettner, The Blue Zones Kitchen.

Minestrone is my favorite all-around soup. A steaming mug of minestrone on a cold day is soothing to the tummy as well as the soul. This recipe is my personal favorite, and I love having a pot of it in the refrigerator that we can heat up any time.

I used canned cannelloni beans and canned pinto beans instead of dried beans. I also used gluten-free peas, lentils, and cauliflower pasta instead of the Sardinian Fregula. Remember, this soup is typically made with your own available in-season vegetables from the garden or pantry. So be creative! 

The following recipe is the Melis Family Minestrone:

7 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

2 medium carrots, peeled, and Chopped (about 2/3 cup)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

½ cup dried cranberry beans, soaked overnight (or ½ 15 oz can drained)

2 medium celery stalks, chopped (About ½ cup)

2 teaspoons minced garlic

½ cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (or ½ 15-oz can, drained)

One 28-oz can crushed tomatoes

3 medium yellow potatoes, Peeled and diced (about 1 ½ cups)

½ cup dried and peeled fava beans, soaked overnight (or one 15-oz can drained)

¼ cup loosely packed fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, Chopped

6 to 8 cups of water

⅔ cup Sardinian Fregula, Israeli couscous, or acini di pepe pasta

Salt and pepper to taste

Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat.
Add the onion, carrots, and celery: cook, stirring often, until soft, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds.

Stir in the tomatoes, potatoes, fennel, parsley, and basil, the drained beans and chickpeas. Add enough water (about 6 to 8 cups) so that everything is submerged by 1 inch. 

Raise the heat to high and bring the pot to a full boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the beans are tender, adding more water as necessary, about 1 ½ hours. If using canned beans, simmer for only 10 minutes.

Stir in the pasta, salt, and pepper. Add up to 2 cups of water if the soup seems too dry. Continue simmering, uncovered, until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.

Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the bowl before serving.

Having an Attitude of Gratitude

Pax (Possum) and Chase (Fox) show their gratitude.

"On the other side of the fires, what will grow is so much more lush and green, fertilized by what was, growing into what will be" - author unknown

An autumn crispness fills the early morning air as I walk my Labrador Francesca up the road above my house. The mountains on the horizon stand tall and magnificent below a mixture of pink and blue-hued clouds, reminding me that I’ve been gifted with another new day, still freshly made and yet unwritten. All is silent as my eyes scan the tall pines, standing like they’ve always stood since they were just seedlings. Yet not far off lies the Whychus Creek Canyon, changed forever since the ravaging fire that barely a month ago roared through its deep, winding ravine, devastating everything in its pathway. No longer a lush and natural wildland with pathways leading down to the melodic creek below, it is burnt and stripped of all its prior beauty. What was once a pine-infused wonderland of wildlife and eagles’ nests is now a hollow cylinder of emptiness. 

My heart aches with longing for what once was - an oasis of natural beauty. Yet what is more important are the firefighters and first responders who gave their lives, their hearts, and their souls to save our homes from destruction. Time and again, we witnessed their staggering, bent-over bodies climb out of the ravine, faces blackened and hair below their hard hats singed to a crisp. Axes and shovels hoisted above their shoulders, evidence of a full night’s duty of fighting fires that they knew could not come up the hill to engulf the houses and neighborhood that lay beyond. 

They are no longer in the canyon fighting fires now, but their heroic acts of self-sacrifice are fresh in our minds. My grandson’s Pax and Chase were so touched and relieved they had a house to go home to that they took some posterboard and made thank you signs for the firefighters who were slowly packing up their gear and leaving the neighborhood. It was a job well done by all of them, and our hearts were full of gratitude as we stood and waved them on while they passed by.

Life is like coming and going sometimes. Tragedy strikes in various ways, and we feel like we just can’t breathe. Devastation shakes our souls and numbs our minds for a time. Loss and grief engulf us as we come to terms with the reality of our situation. We miss what was, the beauty that flourished so profoundly. 

"That's when I saw it. A single green blade of grass... A shoot of life among the black. The future surging from the past". - Celeste Ng

And yet our hearts have grown to rest in gratitude and peace. Yes, the canyon has changed forever, but our houses are still standing and our lives are still waiting for us. Our families, friends, and neighbors are here as they were before. The blessings of each other, of life lived together, day by day, are more than enough to fill our hearts with an abundance of gratitude. 

As I stand to survey the beauty of the morning and drink in the freshness of a new day, I feel alive with possibilities. I know that difficult seasons will eventually pass, but joy, hope, and restoration will arrive with each fresh new day.

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning,” Psalm 30:5

Fire!!! And what we learned

How could a wildfire 20 miles away come crashing down the canyon with such velocity and send us all scattering to safety within days? What started in Culver, just north of Sisters, spiraled quickly out of control, sending firefighters and first responders no option but to risk their lives in desperate attempts to head off the blazing force. Reinforcements were on their way from destinations near and far, but they couldn’t get to the fire scene fast enough. 

A few days before, our little backyard farm lay peacefully under the dark swirling clouds. The chickens turned a weary eye upward, their clucks becoming silent. A stillness settled on the flock. Something was brewing, and nature was responding. 

Hmmmm, somethings amiss, said our little red hen

The wind picked up in gusts, causing the accumulating smoky air to swirl about. My eyes were stinging, and my throat was dry. I checked the Watch Duty app on my phone. Much to my surprise, I found that my neighborhood was classified as a level one, which meant we should be plan for the possibility of evacuation. 

My daughter, Rose, who is the alchemist for Possum Fox Tallow Skincare, was at the Redmond Farmers Market managing her booth. I whisked around the house gathering important memorabilia like old photo albums, my metal box of treasures, clothes thrown in bags, shoes, toiletries, and so on. 

It wasn’t long before we were moved to level two. That’s when it became real to me, and I flew through the house with a vengeance, packing and sacking whatever I thought we might need. Rose was folding up her booth at the market, packing it all into her van for the 20-minute ride home.

Rose never arrived! We went to level three in just a few minutes. I jumped in the car with two big dogs and a loose cat and backed out like a madwoman. Most of the neighbors were already hooked up to trailers and began leaving in caravan style. The air all around us grew darker and smokier. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry…

Mystified Little Mary Jane…

I met Rose at the farmers' market and followed her to a place to stay for the night. But what about the chickens? I had left them loose in the yard, so at least they had a chance. It wasn’t until the next morning that we were able to return to the deserted neighborhood. We put them in the dog crate, which was on the pickup bed. Sadly, we found only four of the five hens. One of them had obviously become dinner to a predator by the trail of feathers that led through the yard and over the fence to the sagebrush pasture beyond.

We relocated the four surviving hens to a friend’s empty chicken coop. No doubt they were well looked after, and I was relieved to know there would be no more loss of chicken life.

We stayed for a week at our friends’ house in Bend, which was so convenient for all of us. They were packed up and ready to leave for a one-week vacation and could use a dog sitter. With their two dogs and ours, it worked like magic. All four got along very well, and we quickly grew accustomed to walking through a sea of dogs wherever we went.

Whychus Canyon devestated

Our home was reduced from level three to level two five days later. Some of our neighbors had returned home, but we knew that the air was still filled with smoke toxins. Although we longed to be back home, we decided to wait a few more days. When we did, we were so relieved to see that little had changed at our house and those of our neighbors. I parked the car and, after unloading it, walked down to the canyon. I was blown away by the looming devestation spread out before me. Ugly blackness filled the canyon. It would be years before our beautiful canyon was teeming with tall pines and green underbrush. A rush of sadness coursed through me, and my eyes filled with tears. What I had once taken for granted was no more. Everything was changed. But I knew that after the coming winter, when springtime returned, I would go back down to the canyon and see little sprigs of green stirring under the warm sunlight.

In this time of turmoil, when everything around us seemed to be disintegrating before our eyes, we clung tightly to each other. Life demanded much more from us; it reached deep down inside and pulled up courage we didn't know we had, a solid steadfastness, and faith in a God that proved his guiding presence time and again.

Respecting the Gift of Life

Here at Possum Fox, we share a passion for honoring traditional wisdom by embracing a great respect for the land. Working with nature means gently assisting its activity with love and compassion. From the butterfly to the beef cow, our vision is one of utmost respect, which in turn fuels a sense of wonder and joy in a privileged participation. 

In pondering the organic, grass-fed beef tallow used in our products, I was reminded of the great gift of nourishment these animals provide. I greatly admire the Native American Indians, who valued the bison, showing respect and honor after the hunt by using every part of the animal.

The bison gave the gift of life by sacrificing its own.

The flesh and blood of the bison were a part of the flesh and blood of the Plains Indians. They were a symbol of life and abundance.

These mighty bison provided nourishment, clothing, shelter (tipis), and horns and bones for tools. The Plains Indians had more than 150 different uses for the various bison parts. They would even use the bladder to hold water.

The tribes used tallow ( rendered fat) predominatly in food and skincare. They made pemmican, a staple, calorie rich food especially for travel. It consisted of dried pounded meat mixed with rendered fat and sometimes berries. The tallow preserved the meat and added a food rich in vitamins and essential nutrients.

They also used tallow to make skin moisturizer to protect from the dry desert sun and wind on the open plains. They relied on tallow for medicinal ointments and insect repellent.

For the Plains Indians, bison equaled survival by providing all the necessities of life. Without the buffalo, there would have been a serious lack of sustenance for the tribes.  

They lived by the traditions of their ancestors, which taught them to cherish and protect the earth and all its plants and animals.  We at Possum Fox possess the same mind, embracing the same values. We attain our beef tallow from organic, grass-fed beef, typically raised on small ranches. These animals are raised with compassion and respect. We believe that an animal treated with care and consideration for its welfare will, in return, nourish the life of the consumer. 

We are grateful to be a part of that.

"The cattle and the land, they are connected to each other, they are connected to the environment, and they are connected to us.”

Grab Some End Of Summer Fun!

A mid-August panic is once again building in the minds of families across the nation. School break is about to end. The question is: what last-minute excursions can we take with the kids before school begins?

My mind was swirling with possibilities when my six-year-old grandson came into the room, dripping wet from a dip in the pool. Like water streaming off a duck's back, the wood floor beneath him pooled within seconds. My first reaction was to grab a towel, shoo him back out, and proceed to wipe up the water mess. What happened was a slow movement to hand him a towel and usher him back outside. I promised ice-cold root beers and chips to follow. 

The hot August was slowly inching by under the toasty Central Oregon sky. I had just made some hamburger patties to put on the outdoor grill for later that evening. Gazing out the window, I watched my grandsons languishing beside the pool, taking an occasional opportunity to slither back into the cool water for another water gun war. The family dog was watching from a shady corner, relieved to remain an observer.  

Ah, the dog days of summer…

The thought of school starting up again in just a few weeks made me think about grabbing some last-minute memories with the family. There was plenty of summer fun to be had yet, and time was growing short. Visions of camping trips, trail trekking, and picnics on the shores of a lake began to take shape. Dangling our legs from the dock and dipping our toes in the cool water, telling scary stories from our makeshift tents, and catching fireflies in jars as they glowed in the dark were all summertime memories that I cherished. I grabbed a notepad and began to recollect the fun I had as a kid on the farm.

Stargazing is crazy fun!

It was on one of those warm August nights that my family and I spread blankets out on the lawn. When the last light was turned off, I quickly noticed how incredibly dark it was in the country.

I looked up at the sky, littered with thousands of stars. All of them sparkled brightly and looked like tiny windows into another realm. As I continued to watch in silence, I noticed one dart across the sky. Before long, I saw another one, and another, and on it continued. I had never seen anything so beautiful and so thrilling in all my life. There were a lot of ooohhhs and aaawwws from everyone that evening before our eyes grew heavy with sleep.

Don’t forget lake-life…

Another favorite was spending time on a local lake. We brought a picnic lunch tucked inside an old woven basket that usually consisted of baked chicken, homemade bread, butter from our cows, home-canned pickles, fresh-cut vegetables and fruit from the garden, and some of my mother’s wild blackberry pie. For whatever reason, eating in the great outdoors made everything taste better, and there was hardly any food left over by the end of the day.

Afterward, we did some fishing at the lake. I loved watching my dad open his tackle box, full of brightly colored fishing lures. The greens, blues, oranges, and yellows shimmered in the sunlight. Dad did the grunt work of baiting the hooks and taking the fish off to clean them after the catch. I was cool with that, so I hunkered down on the bank and waited patiently for that first tug on the line. 

Foraging for wild blackberries while on a nature walk…

Some of my best summer memories were foraging for wild blackberries. While on a hike, I mentally marked the spots with ripe fruit to pick and continued on my way. Heading back, we’d stop to pick bags of fruit that were often nearly bursting at the seams by the time we were done. It was a chore just to get them home, but the rewards of canned fruit, jam, and pie were so worth it. 

My childhood musings were interrupted by the sliding door opening and two inquisitive boys asking me what happened to the root beer and chips. Oh, those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer that pull at your brain and tickle your mind with imaginings. Needless to say, the boys dashed back out to the pool while I followed behind with root beer and chips, and a good dose of hugs.

Tallow, Why All The Hype?

Tallow, why all the hype? Is tallow just a fad that will fade out like so many other claimed miracle-working ingredients for the skin? Does it work? 

Similar to every trend that captures public attention, becoming a source of fascination and enjoyment for a period before eventually diminishing, tallow is currently enjoying a peak in consumer popularity. However, this particular item is unlikely to fade anytime soon, if at all.

Grass-fed organic beef tallow is a major powerhouse of essential vitamins and minerals guaranteed to penetrate the skin, providing rich nutrients that nourish our bodies from the outside in. Because beef tallow contains specific fatty acids, such as palmitic, stearic, and linoleic acid, it provides a protective layer on the skin that prevents water loss and strengthens the skin barrier. Hydration is crucial for achieving soft, healthy skin. In addition, beef tallow is rich in vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Tallow is closely related to our skin’s oil, known as sebum, which is primarily composed of a type of fat called triglycerides. Tallow consists mainly of triglycerides as well. Hence, tallow, a bio-identical lipid, is closely related to human skin.

The ancient Egyptians knew the secrets of tallow and utilized it in their advanced beauty rituals to maintain plump, youthful, and hydrated skin. They highly valued tallow’s ability to moisturize and protect the skin, especially in the harsh desert climate.

The Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans recognized the rich benefits of tallow and utilized it as the primary component in their skincare products, balms, and ointments. 

In more recent times,  early pioneers and settlers utilized beef tallow as the primary ingredient for skincare. Tallow was frequently used in homemade skincare products, like soaps and balms. Early Americans used it to soothe chapped hands and lips, particularly in winter. They found tallow very effective when used as medicinal ointments for treating minor wounds and skin ailments. 

Today, many people are beginning to embrace the nourishing and hydrating properties of organic grass-fed beef tallow. And the numbers are growing dramatically day by day. Tallow is experiencing a resurgence in popularity, and for good reasons. It works!