Ecosalon’s favorite inspirational quotes on spring.

1. I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.  -Ruth Stout

2. The cool wind blew in my face and all at once I felt as if I had shed dullness from myself. Before me lay a long gray line with a black mark down the center. The birds were singing. It was spring. -Burl Ives

3. The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also. -Harriet Ann Jacobs

4. Each flower is a soul blossoming out to nature. –Gerard de Nerval

5. Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush. -Doug Larson

6. She turned to the sunlight

And shook her yellow head,

And whispered to her neighbor:

“Winter is dead.” -A.A. Milne

7. All through the long winter, I dream of my garden. On the first day of spring, I dig my fingers deep into the soft earth. I can feel its energy, and my spirits soar. – Helen Hayes

8. And forget not that the Earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. -Kahlil Gibran

9. You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.  -Pablo Neruda

10. Every spring is the only spring, a perpetual astonishment. – Ellis Peters

11. If spring came but once a century instead of once a year, or burst forth with the sound of an earthquake and not in silence, what wonder and expectation there would be in all hearts to behold the miraculous change. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

12. If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. -Nadine Stair

13. If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. –Anne Bradstreet

14. One swallow does not make a summer, but one skein of geese, cleaving the murk of March thaw, is the spring. -Aldo Leopold

15. I stuck my head out the window this morning and spring kissed me bang in the face. -Langston Hughes

16. Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!”  -Robin Williams

17. Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come. –Robert H. Schuller

18. It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart. –Rainer Maria Rilke

19. Spring is God’s way of saying, ‘One more time!’ -Robert Orben

20. Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world. –Virgil Kraft

21. Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day. -W. Earl Hall

22. When Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil.-Bishop Reginald Heber

23. Can words describe the fragrance of the very breath of spring? -Neltje Blanchan

24. Spring is the time of plans and projects. -Leo Tolstoy

25. All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today. –Indian Proverb

26. Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence. -Yoko Ono

27. April is a promise that May is bound to keep.  -Hal Borland

28. Florals? For Spring? Groundbreaking. -Miranda Priestly in Devil Wears Prada

29. Earth teach me to forget myself as melted snow forgets its life. Earth teach me resignation as the leaves which die in the fall. Earth teach me courage as the tree which stands all alone. Earth teach me regeneration as the seed which rises in the spring. -William Alexander

30. If people did not love one another, I really don’t see what use there would be in having any spring. –Victor Hugo

31. I had always planned to make a large painting of the early spring, when the leaves are at the bottom of the trees, and they seem to float in space in a wonderful way. But the arrival of spring can’t be done in one picture. -David Hockney

32. An optimist is the human personification of spring. – Susan J. Bissonette

33. In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.  -Margaret Atwood

34. April hath put a spirit of youth in everything. -William Shakespeare

35. The only thing that could spoil a day was people. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself. -Ernest Hemingway

36. Sweet springtime is my time is your time is our time for springtime is love time and viva sweet love. – e.e. cummings

37. Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer.  -Geoffrey B. Charlesworth

38. Nature’s first green is gold. -Robert Frost

39. No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow -Proverb

Want More Quotes in Ecosalon? See Also:

37 Inspirational Quotes on Creativity

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images: JapanDave, Juliette Donatelli, Mukumbura, Juliette Donatelli, Juliette Donatelli

The post 39 Rejuvenating Quotes About Springtime appeared first on EcoSalon.

EcoSalon’s favorite quotes about the change of seasons.

It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want – oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! -Mark Twain

Now every field is clothed with grass, and every tree with leaves; now the woods put forth their blossoms, and the year assumes its gay attire. -Virgil

Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems. -Rainer Maria Rilke

What a strange thing! to be alive beneath cherry blossoms. -Kobayashi Issa

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. -Charles Dickens

I think that no matter how old or infirm I may become, I will always plant a large garden in the spring. Who can resist the feelings of hope and joy that one gets from participating in nature’s rebirth? -Edward Giobbi

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. -Margaret Atwood

Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day. -W. Earl Hall

Spring is the time of plans and projects. -Leo Tolstoy

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow. -Proverb

Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!” -Robin Williams

When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself. -Ernest Hemingway

Can words describe the fragrance of the very breath of spring? -Neltje Blanchan

Never yet was a springtime, when the buds forgot to bloom. -Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer. -Geoffrey B. Charlesworth

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden. -Ruth Stout

The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also. -Harriet Ann Jacobs

An optimist is the human personification of spring. -Susan J. Bissonette

Spring is when life’s alive in everything. -Christina Rossetti

You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming. -Pablo Neruda

In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours. -Mark Twain

April hath put a spirit of youth in everything. -William Shakespeare

In springtime, love is carried on the breeze. Watch out for flying passion or kisses whizzing by your head. -Emma Racine deFleur

Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night. -Rainer Maria Rilke

The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month. -Henry Van Dyke

Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come. -Robert H. Schuller

The sun was warm but the wind was chill / You know how it is with an April day. -Robert Frost

Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world. -Virgil A. Kraft

To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring. -George Santayana

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Images: seyed mostafa zamani [2], mendhak

The post 30 Quotes on Spring appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnThe masochism of spring cleaning.

Was it Ma Ingalls of Little House on the Prairie lore who invented spring cleaning?

My own mother kept a very clean house, or rather, we helped her keep a very clean house, especially when winter turned to spring. Suddenly it was all about gutters and polishing pieces of wall-sized wood furniture I didn’t even know we had.

Begging off on the grounds of homework, I festered in private as I read whole paragraphs about the joyous seasonal beating of rugs and gay shaking of springtime sheets over the bubbling banks of Plum Creek beside the little cave or cavern or whatever the hell it was. That Ma, so seasonally attuned. The delusional bonnet.

And so I should have known better than to embark on a virginal spring clean this year. A great fan of stowing Laffy Taffy wrappers in the My Little Pony castle turret as a girl because they fit, I might have guessed I’m not the best candidate for seasonal rebirth. My mother was helpless in the face of my bedroom’s Lego and Nancy Drew chaos, eventually washing her hands of her unwashed nine-year-old and commanding my father to step in.

Dad introduced me to the half-pint’s version of the spreadsheet: a large white chart with gold stars awarded for snugly made beds and cleanly shelved toys. The first week went well and Dad was awash in the heady stew of his disciplinary success.

By week two I was negotiating for concessions (how could the cereal bowl under the bed count against the gold star when I forgot it was there?). My mother would shake her head as she passed by yet another heated scene of The Stray Sock Was an Inside Job and make predictions about my future in politics.

By week three, I came to the obvious realization that gold stars were stupid. Luck rewarded me as ever in the form of siblings, for my little brother had taken to digging custom-shaped “lakes” in the backyard about this time, and I returned undisturbed to my nest of gum wrapper sagebrush and drifts of expiring socks.

Arriving fashionably late to the spring cleaning party last week, I had high hopes of transformation which were quickly abandoned. But at least I’m aware, and that’s the real victory. I’m owning my shit, including all the shit I own.

It began with my closet. Once I really took a look, I was horrified at the disorganized, overfilled storage containers – cracked! plastic! unmatched! – and the corner of designer heels gathering dust like grosgrain skeletons. Out of the closet it all came and soon half my apartment was a textile Appalachia of handbags, shoes, boots and bathing suits. I posted about a tote and jeans I could part with to friends on Facebook, clothing swap plans were made, and before I knew it I had myself a new pair of jeans with clutches and a laptop bag on the way. Success, any way you look at it.

Twirling in front of the mirror in my new jeans, I realized how much the mirror needed repainting. So I hopped to with a new black high-gloss, only to realize halfway through that for one thing, painting always takes longer than you think and, further more, how oppressively dingy and un-springlike my fireplace mantle is and also how have I been living in this place with its unacceptable wall smudges in at least four locations below ankle level? Casting my eyes to such lows was my next mistake: the floors. A shameful sea of scratches, hiding in plain sight all dreary winter.

Couldn’t I just buy a house plant and bring out a new throw pillow or two?

Momentarily deflated, I fled from my disaster which had the day before been an adorable city studio to buy a birdhouse because birds are lovely and chirp, and I’m sure the landlord won’t mind them hanging out on the fire escape for a while. While I was at it, I bought new drapery rods since brass isn’t really a very “clean” color.

Then I called my hair stylist, who is also an artist and professional upholsterer, about recovering the occasional chair, which was looking frayed. And the drapes: what fresh hell is this? Sagging. Completely sagging. And the bedskirt, which isn’t there but wouldn’t one look gorgeous? Lena of the scissors has no idea the spring cleaning carnage she has enabled. I did manage to stop myself when I ventured the word “bolster” with a straight face.

Digging up my drill, painter’s tape and tape measure, I knit my brows in further riot: why was there gift wrap and a birthday card from an ex in this box of handygirl tools? And so apart came the storage cabinets and my heart. What a mess.

Spring cleaning: the Russian nesting doll of chores.

Last year, when I moved into this same apartment during a hectic week, I quickly shoved everything into drawers and closets just to have some space. Not one to abide clutter, after a few weeks, I pulled it all out to organize and arrange my new digs properly. The rooms became fjords of questionable navigability, cardboard cliffs of swaying boxes covered in the sorts of things you hate having around but feel like you might need someday: cables to electronics you’re not even sure you still own, diplomas, wrist guards.

I sent a picture of my “progress” to a friend, who texted: “Congrats! Your place will look so awesome.”

“…When you’re done next year!”

Such an apt observation would rightly be called domestic delusion at any time of the year other than Spring Cleaning, when instead it is packaged and sold as a perfect happy Martha cake covered in twig-woven icing bedecked with fondant woodland ribbons that say things like Connection to Life and Personal Renewal but actually makes you fat and gives you a migraine headache.

And here I was just getting over the holidays.

This is the latest installment in your editor’s column, The Insider’s Guide to Life, exploring topics such as media, culture, sex, politics, and anything else. Cheers and spellcheck!

Image: Shereen M

The post The Insider’s Guide to Life: But Wait, There’s More! appeared first on EcoSalon.

I’m not much of a holiday decorator. I don’t spend two days unwrapping little chotskies out of bubble wrap (you know, the same ones I spent two days re-wrapping last year) and setting them up all over my home. I don’t hang hundreds of blinking lights from my roof or station large plastic figures on my front lawn. My holidays are a tad less elaborate and adorned. And I like it that way.

First of all, I hate packing and unpacking of any kind. I’d rather stick needles in my eyes. And I don’t like excess stuff sitting around, especially theme-oriented, color coordinated stuff.

Having said that, autumn is upon us and with the changing weather and falling leaves comes a feeling of nostalgia and celebration. But not to worry – there are plenty of simple, subtle ways to express the approach of the holidays without going over the top.

I’ve gathered an idea or two for garnishing your home – from tabletop to mantle to martini. Things that aren’t always exclusive to the holidays but that celebrate the seasons nonetheless. Here’s hoping you’ll see something that tickles your yearning for decoration, in the simplest most sensible sense.

On the top of my list but the farthest from reality, is this platinum and diamond encrusted skull (image above, For The Love of God). It’s the creation of British artist Damien Hirst, who has a morbid fascination with death and dying, and it sold for $100 million dollars in August 2007. No it isn’t simple or sensible. It’s glamorous and shocking, but I couldn’t resist.

Speaking of glamor, I’m a glutton for black. It goes with everything and makes everything look good. Just check out Leigha’s post last week for more details about bringing on the black.

I’m loving these touches of black with the slightest twist of orange or cream or candied apple (images above). And dried anything, from twigs to flowers, placed in a simple vase, turns an ordinary tabletop into interesting, without going gauche (image below).

All things metallic are hip right now, so use your imagination with gold paint and old buttons or beads. Preferably not all at once, just dabbing a little here and there does the trick.

So the table is set, but what’s the point of a party without a flavored martini?

Pumpkin Pie Martini (image above)

1/2 oz Sylk Cream Liqueur
2 oz Vanilla Vodka
1/2 oz Pumpkin Liqueur (or substitute pumpkin spice syrup)
1 tsp (or more) Whipped Cream
1 Cinnamon Stick for garnish

Pour the cream liqueur and vanilla vodka into a shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Add the pumpkin liqueur or syrup and shake again. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with the whipped cream, and garnish with a cinnamon stick. Serves 1.

Of course, you can’t have autumn without pumpkins, although I fly on the shy side with these gourd-like squashes. Carving with the kids is great fun, but when it comes to decor for your home, let’s leave the knives in the kitchen.

I’m needing a few of these velvet critters, so soft and snugly (image above). Or try your hand and paint them in plaid or polka dot; winter white or graphic delight (images below).

Draw a black raven or bats, use a doily as a stencil or monogram your initials (images below)….

…clothe them in old black stockings or leftover lace.

Let’s move on to flowers and wreaths; mantles and cakes.

Like I’ve said, crafts and such just aren’t my thing – I seek out simple and easy. So these orange calla lilies (image above) do just the trick. I’m loving how they’re arranged leaning to one side – asymmetrical is where it’s at.

I often have an aversion to wreaths – they are so easily overdone and embellished with too much garnish and frill. But these two gems (images above and below) capture the pure and crisp of the changing seasons and upcoming holiday cheer. You might even find one on my front door this year.

I’m crazy about these cheesecloth covered glass vases (images below), in all heights and sizes. Look closely and you’ll notice the black medical stitches down one side. Fill them with dried flowers or twigs and you’ve got a subtle way to share the Halloween gore without going too far. Add a spider if you’re so inclined.

Last but not least, these cakes made the cut. I’m not a pastry chef, nor am I competent in the ways of the kitchen, but I had to include them for the mere fact that they say Halloween at its most simple and sophisticated. Bon appetit and happy holidays.

Images: Better Homes and Gardens, Molly Findlay, this is glamorous, Delia Creates, Shelter Pop, Wise Craft, coco + kelley, green wedding shoes, style me pretty, Michelle Rago Ltd., Pinterest, Martha Stewart, Simply Grove, Country Living, Fina Art & Paper

The post Autumn Inspiration: Just Don’t Say Holiday Decoration appeared first on EcoSalon.

You’re nearing mid-August and feel in limbo with seasons, sales are picking up everywhere and you ask yourself, “Self – do I get a few cute pieces for next summer or look forward to fall?”

The answer to this is to find a few pieces that can work for you now and into the fall.

I found this entire outfit online at Verdessence (minus the shoes) and on sale (minus the earrings but they’re a very reasonable at $18). I love this Edun top and can imagine it with a skinny belt (blue to match the shoes and perhaps gold to pull the earrings in?) to cinch it in adding an hourglass shape when paired with this slim skirt.

Del Forte Camilia High Rise Skirt $99

It’s always good to throw some color into an outfit and these Cri de Coeur heels are the perfect solution to what might be an otherwise plain outfit.

Cri de Coeur Abby Round Toe Pump $216.87

The earrings add a little more depth to the outfit with all metal colors represented, so if you wanted to slip on a simple ring with this too, it won’t matter if it’s gold or silver. Just don’t over-do the jewelry!

Mata Traders Layered Leaf Earrings $18

Want to bring this outfit into the fall? Throw on a pair of black or grey tights, a long black or grey cardigan and pair of three-quarter lengthed boots like these vegetable dyed Osage Boots from Coclico, on sale for $207, and you’re falling into fall and away from summer.

And for the record, my favorite leggings hands down are by Nixxi. And guess what? Verdessence just so happens to have them on sale for $39. Please take my word for it and grab a pair, lightweight and silky, they are the best leggings year-round.

The post Stylish Steals: Falling Into Summer appeared first on EcoSalon.

1. Reface Rather Than Replace Cabinets

Innovative companies can work with your existing wood and reface those cabinet doors with sustainable woods rather than trashing and starting anew. Read this post for more tips for the kitchen cabinet facelift.

2. Swap Decor with Family and Friends

You don’t need a piano and I don’t need that daybed in the TV nook, so let’s trade and recycle our stuff and get what we really need. It’s a match made in eco heaven when it doesn’t cost you a dime to swap decor, especially with people who have a good eye like you do, and are low on storage space. It’s how they did it in the olden days before widespread consumer waste and climate change. Here’s more.

3. Baby Steps Can Equal Full Grown Changes in a Room

Rearrange the furniture, buy a few new pillow covers, paint a wall. These easy fixes will refresh your pad without sinking lots of cash. As you’ll discover in this handy how-to post, it can all be done for under $30.

4. Repurpose Excess Upholstery Materials

Those fabric rolls are not doing anyone any good just sitting in the closet. Cut them up and redirect them to your interiors for pillow covers, framed art, bedding, even wall coverage like the picture shown above, if you have enough for adequate padding. See these great ideas for repurposing your excess.

5. Clean Before You Replace

Perhaps that rug can come clean with eco spot remover techniques. Why rip it out if it’s still useful? Another option is to cover a damaged section of the carpet by layering with a small, affordable area rug, one made of eco fibers that won’t cost the same as new carpeting or a large are rug. Go shagging for answers here.

6. Seasonal Accents Make Great Distractions

A collection of seasonal organic blooms and greens from your garden, lanterns, greeting cards, photos and tablecloths – they all can act as happy distractions in a room that is begging for a redux. Don’t have a garden? Head to the farmers’ market, the flea shop, the vintage shop in your hood, and spend little to stage your spaces with renewed charm. Head over here for inspiration.

7. Paint can Perk it Up

Even a dingy clawfoot tub can look ultra modern and cool by finding the right low VOC paints and giving the bath a new coat. You will find sprucing up furniture with paint can be a great cheap fix that refreshes your spaces.

8. Be a Thrift Shopper

It’s no wonder second hand shops in cities nationwide do well during hard times. These are outlets that actually offer discounts while more upscale sights like 1st Dibs are peddling vintage treasures that cater to those with lots of spare cash. Do some research and check out the shops in various neighborhoods to find out where nifty castaways are being parked.

9. A Room of Her Own

Sometimes just carving out one room of your own in your dwelling can suffice until you have a bigger budget to fix up the place. Are you craving that Project Runway sewing room? How about a closeted dressing room out of a spare bedroom? Having a blast doing just one space for yourself can be very rewarding, even if it is a multi-use corner for working, painting and reading. Own it with visuals on the walls and a fun rug that speaks to you. Experts say you will accomplish the most in a space you gravitate towards.

10. Spa Makeover

So you can’t afford to tear out the old tile and tired tub to make way for stone and steam. Use zen decor touches and nurturing elements to turn your blah bath into spa bath: Ideas include indulgent, organic towels; sensuous beeswax candles in an array of holders; yummy creams and oils displayed in a vintage tray; and my favorite Nob Hill Day Spa element – a large pitcher of spring water filled with sliced cucumbers or lemons and a pretty glass.

Image: Elle Decor

The post 10 DIY Tips for Redecorating on the Cheap appeared first on EcoSalon.

Sure, you’re forced to take down the ghosts and fuzzy spiders (news flash: your neighbors are pissed if you haven’t done so), but some of the seasonal elements we put up to get in the mood  should endure until the end of the year, if not beyond.

Here is my list of favorite affordable decorative displays for the festive and frugal in all of us.

1. Lanterns

Rice paper lanterns bobbing outside (with solar lights) or in your rooms make a huge, happy statement. I love the cylinder shapes with Asian motifs like the ones found at My Green Party Goods, $3.50 each.  Keep out of wind and rain and purchase eco options.

2. Mini Pumpkins

Don’t toss these babies out with the bad Halloween candy. They transition to the Thanksgiving table (orange+pumpkin) and even co-mingle happily pomegranates and pepper berries for winter holiday merrymaking. You can buy organic by the case at Baldor, if you haven’t already succumbed to the adorable guys at the farmers’ market.

3. Bowls of shells

It’s likely you have amassed these already. Gather them in a pretty bowl for the coffee table, scatter on the table, line them on the mantle. Shells – often used to evoke romantic, seaside summer lazing – work just as well in fall and winter. I like combing the beach for sand dollars and tossing them into my mix.

4. Strung Cards

I string three rows of natural wire along my dining room wall to hang beautiful cards from the high holidays and my daughter’s October Bat Mitzvah to Halloween, Thanksgiving and winter holiday greetings. Just pick up some clamps and you’re in business. Guests love them and cards are so cool, why toss them out?

5. Photo Displays

I’ve mounted many photo walls for clients and friends, which is affordable art for the home and a way to display treasured memories from the year. Of course, assorting eco frames on various tables throughout the house works well, too (school photos, Halloween shots, other fun scenes).

6. Foliage

Harvest leaves, twigs and pine cones and branch out in your earthy styling of tables, entryways and other venues that smack of fall color. I like how Arenamontanus gathered a grouping for a desk.

7. Candles

Beeswax candles come in all shapes and sizes and really set the mood for seasonal statements. Mix ’em and match ’em, turn off the lights and turn on the tunes. For a great assortment visit 1000 Markets.

8. Recycled Cloth Coasters

Like these vintage treasures from Etsy, turn your excess fabric into coasters with easy sewing for delightful results. When do you put them away? Never.

9. Table coverage

Roll out the organic runners and roll out the fun, kids. This sumptuous moss design from Amenity can take you through the seasons and inspire unique styling. I use them to dress up many surfaces from the dining table to the buffet and entry way.

10. Vintage Dishes

This peach glass from Step Toes is a lovely example of the menagerie of collectibles you can break out to display and use for serving, from favorite heirloom porcelain to tea pots and even plates hung for display. This is where you canhave blast and save on that styling budget.

The post Styling on a Yulestring? 10 Frugal and Festive Fall and Winter Displays appeared first on EcoSalon.

The usual Thanksgiving suspects can be so heavy – especially when all are combined – mashed potatoes, stuffing, and rolls, oh my!

Try this ethereal soufflé. It will dress up your Thanksgiving table without causing havoc in the kitchen. It really is easy. Cook the squash a few days ahead and you can mix it up quickly and bake it while the turkey (or tofurkey) rests.

When selecting your squash, do yourself a favor and visit a local farmers’ market to savor all the gorgeous local, organic varieties available right now in every part of the country. You’ll want something orange-fleshed and drier, rather than moist. I used kabocha (shown) when I developed this recipe.

Do the first step of the recipe up to three days ahead for Thanksgiving Day ease of preparation. Simply cut the squash into chunks of equal size and put it in a baking dish. Pour a little water in the bottom of the dish, cover it tightly with a lid or foil, and bake until tender at 400 degrees. When cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh from the skin and refrigerate until ready to use.

Now to the recipe:

Serves 8

3 1/3 cups of cooked orange squash flesh
1 teaspoon chopped fresh organic thyme
6 organic eggs, separated
2/3 cup organic buttermilk
Salt and pepper
1 cup grated organic cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the squash in a medium bowl and mash it with a potato masher until broken down and fluffy. Add the thyme, egg yolks, buttermilk and salt and pepper. (To taste for proper seasoning, microwave a small amount or cook a little in a non-stick pan.) Add the cheese and mix to combine. In another medium bowl, with a handheld electric mixer, beat the egg whites until medium peaks form. Fold the egg whites carefully into the squash mixture, being careful not to over mix and deflate the mixture.

Transfer to an 8 cup casserole dish and bake for 40-50 minutes until dry, firm, and beginning to brown. Serve immediately.

Recipe Copyright Vanessa Barrington 2008

Image: The Kitchn

The post Ecosalon Recipes: Easy Thanksgiving Squash Soufflé appeared first on EcoSalon.

The tradition of celebrating Dia de Los Muertos or “Day of the Dead” in Mexico dates back to Pre-Colombian religious rituals of the indigenous population of Mexico. Death was not something to be feared or dreaded, nor was it something final. Instead, Mexican philosophy held that the spirit of a person continued to live even after the physical body ceased to exist.  

Halloween is around the same time that Dia de los Muertos is celebrated (November 1st and 2nd,  two of the most important dates for this celebration). While we are out gathering candy, in Mexico people are traditionally decorating home altars and grave sites and making elaborate food for picnics at the cemetery of their loved ones who have passed on. It is customary to prepare food and drink and offer up utensils to your loved ones who have died to assist them in their journey into the afterworld. Of course, I am sure a few of my relatives wouldn’t have minded a few Reeses Pieces or Mars Bars for their journey; however, some good home cooking at this culturally important time of year can leave all of us feeling pretty peaceful. Whether you celebrate Dia de Los Muertos, Halloween, or both, here’s a fantastic and healthy recipe that comes out of the dynamic celebration:

Pumpkin Guacamole

2 ripe Haas Avocados
1 small pumpkin
1 onion finely chopped
1/2 Jalapeño finely chopped (optional)
1/2 apple chopped
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
salt to taste
1/2 lime squeezed 

Cut off top of pumpkin. Scoop out seeds and roast pumpkin until soft in an oven set at 350 degrees. Mash in avocados, fold in onion, jalapeño, apples and pomegranate seeds. Squeeze lime to taste, and add salt to taste. Use shell of pumpkin to stuff avocado mix and serve with warm corn tortillas.

Image: tambako the dragon

The post Halloween Served Up Healthy and Green with Pumpkin Guacamole appeared first on EcoSalon.

This is my favorite season, late summer. I recall the dimming and faint sound of crickets as their time comes to a close and other sounds of nature simply just seem to be slowing down and becoming more still. Leaves are fullest and the wind captures this heaviness. Gardens look different, fruit and vegetables are abundant and some are even rotting on the vine. There is a gathering in feeling, a slowing down of production.

On the flip side, our culture doesn’t generally heed to nature’s call and we seem to get busier as school begins, and the hustle of both business and school take a spring-like feel. (Once again, an example of humans vs. nature, and humans go against the natural flow of nature’s slow-down at this time.)

In Classical Chinese Medicine, this season of late summer is referred to as the season of Earth. The Chinese associated the power of “decrease” with late summer, and at the same time referred to it as the period of abundance; as such, it connotes nourishment and abundance. With the coming of late summer, nature returns the fruits it has made, which are ripe and ready to be picked. And as we move into autumn we have an abundant harvest, enabling us to survive the winter without scarcity.

Though most of us today may not grow our own food, we ought to keep sight of the fact that prior to being put in packets and stacked in supermarkets, the food we consume is nonetheless a gift from the earth.

Here are my suggestions for living in harmony with the late summer season:

Enjoy the abundance of fruits and fresh vegetables. Be aware of their special qualities, each succulence different from the next. Luscious tomatoes, sweet peaches, dense eggplants, cool cucumbers, crisp carrots”¦

Look at the seeds, and reflect on the fact that within each harvest lays the seeds of the next. Be conscious of the harvest of your life. Think about yourself, your relationships, and your work. What parts of your life are bearing fruit? Holding your harvest in mind, ask what is overgrown or unneeded and consider what you need to do to make ready for the next season: autumn, a time of letting go.

My favorite recipe for this season: tomato salad.

You’ll need 5 ripe tomatoes (heirloom tomatoes are wonderful) sliced in half; some fresh red onion sliced lengthwise in thin paper-like slices; 1 cup of fresh basil leaves, no stems; 1 fresh garlic clove; 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil; white balsamic vinegar; fresh cracked pepper; a dash of salt.

Put basil leaves, garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar, in a food processor and mix until a pesto is made. Drizzle over tomatoes and onions. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss and serve. My favorite is to serve this with a pilaf of quinoa and finely-chopped dates. Recipe to come.

Image: ellievanhoutte

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