Category: Uncategorized

By Joyce

If you are looking to add more fermented foods into your diet this summer, try making shio-koji(salt koji).  It’s uber-easy and extra tasty. Koji, rice inoculated with the Aspergillus oryzae spores, is commonly used in making traditional Japanese fermented foods like miso, sake and soy sauce, but it is also used to make this salt seasoning which is made from just three ingredients: koji, salt and water. Left on the kitchen counter for one to two weeks, and stirred once a day, it will ferment into sweet/salty creaminess.

Although it can be used  simply as a salt substitute on all foods, one of my favorite ways to use shio-koji is for an overnight ferment on garden vegetables like root vegetables (especially radishes and turnips), or sugar snap peas, peppers and cucumbers.  Immerse vegetables (whole or sliced) into the mixture; the next day serve them as side dishes to meals or add them in salads.

On raw salads, I enjoy using shio-koji is as a stand alone addition or in a dressing of olive oil and rice wine vinegar.  One tablespoon will give that mystifying savory sweet & salty umami taste which will keep your dinner guests guessing and wanting more.

A common and delicious way to use shio-koji is as a marinade for tofu, beef, pork, chicken or fish.  Just coat your tofu, meat or fish with the shio-koji and put it in the refrigerator overnight, then bake or grill.

I know I sound all ga-ga about shio-koji, just like the nukazuke pickles, but it’s the kind of stuff I love having around my kitchen because it lends itself to experimentation and fermentation is my preferred method to get probiotics into my body.  With lots of fresh garden veggies and summer grilling, shio-koji brings sparkly savory sweet/salty flavors to the table.  If you make shio-koji, let me know all the ways you use it.

You can buy koji at most Asian Markets in the refrigerated section. Cold Mountain sells Koji in a 16 ounze container. I like to double or triple this recipe for a larger batch.

Shio-koji Recipe:

1/3 cup salt

1 cup dried koji

1 cup water

Mix salt and koji together then add water.  Ferment for 1-2 weeks in a loosely covered bowl.  Outside temperatures will influence how long it takes to ferment.  Stir every day.  It’s ready when the sharply salty taste balances with a sweet taste. Keep in refrigerator in glass container with lid.

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By Joyce

May 30^th was the 49^th day after my mother’s death.   I, who still had the urge to do for my mother, followed the Buddhist grief ritual of reciting the Heart Sutra for 49 days after her death. It is believed that by reciting the Heart Sutra, one can help the mind/spirit of the departed by encouraging them to let go of their earthly attachments and move toward their own enlightenment.  Basically, the sutra speaks to the fundamental emptiness of all phenomena.  Because in my grief my days have felt empty and vague, almost vaporous, I could relate to the contemplation.

But when day 49 came along, I wanted to not just recite the Heart Sutra, I wanted to give my mother one more taste of earthly life before sending her off to the next rebirth or whatever.   So, to lighten things up a bit, I invited my mother’s spirit to join me on a four store food-shopping extravaganza.  She, or my mental hologram of her anyways, came along as I bought specialty foods for our upcoming month long hiking expedition on the John Muir Trail.

When she was alive, she had a true hunter-gatherer’s love and fortitude for shopping so I had no doubt she would be up for this adventure.  In my mind’s eye, I could still clearly see her in each store browsing the aisles, studying the deli selections and searching for bargains.  We ended the day at Costco. It was probably not the best choice to end there because my mother might have been tempted to haunt the food sample carts for the rest of her spiritual life.   How can one really let go when there is so much free food being handed to you?

When our domestic duty was completed, and the contents of the grocery bags were put away in the refrigerator or cabinets, I sat down on the couch, and wept while reciting the Heart Sutra.  Letting her go one more time tore open the temporary sutures that were holding together my own broken heart. I realized there was nothing more I could do for my mother.  The doing was over, but just being with her as a spiritual mother was just beginning. How we move through space and time will never be the same; now we move together as free spirits, whirling through each other’s empty heart space, unencumbered.

I can hear her saying, “Enlightenment…..the Buddhist enlightenment is very nice, but you really should try the Jewish version.”

Video by Claudia Groom, Costco parking lot, Tukwila, WA.

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By Joyce

With my mother’s recent passing in April, I am aware of an empty feeling, a hole in the fabric of my being.  Yet, that hollow spot doesn’t feel empty as in lonely or depressing, it feels hallowed.  When I return to the moment during and after my mother left her body, a profound sense of peace fills me.  Witnessing her let go was a blessing and a necessary learning. In that moment, my mother showed me how to let go of suffering, of struggle, of life itself. Like a reverse birth, instead of a womb becoming vacated to give birth to life, her physical body became vacated to give birth to spirit.  The space in my consciousness, which she previously occupied, I now experience as a deep calm. Not too many thoughts or feelings, not many remembrances – just vast space.

After a death, life insists on moving on and yet I find myself not too eager to stitch up that hole because in its emptiness, I am in touch with the undeniable fact of impermanence.  Before, this sense of transience seemed threatening, but now it just feels real. Buddha really had a handle on this, and I can see the worth in dwelling on the matter for a spell.

As I slowly move back into the current of my life, I am more drawn to emptying than filling it.  Weeding, clearing, sweeping and cleaning are the activities that sooth me because they burnish that quiet, loving, internal space that is lit up in remembrance of my mother, Evelyn Greenberg.  This high gloss, continuously polished, kind of grief is a way for me to stay in reflection, and also a way for my mother’s light to continue shining through me.

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By Joyce

I went to my GP, Dr. William Shaul, at Group Health today.  As we sat together discussing my current concerns in the exam room, he, sitting on the black stool in a pink-stripped shirt, was, as I have come to expect, very attentive.  Even though he was trying to get a read on my issues, I couldn’t resist diagnosing him.  You see, he is a heart type in Chinese Medicine, with the classic physical characteristic of a round, bald head and red tinged skin; however, the warmth in his eyes and genuineness in his laughter is what really gives his elemental type away.  Just as I get his type, he gets mine.  I’m the kind of patient who is primarily interested in practicing self-trust when it comes to dealing with my health issues. Respectfully and tactfully, he offers suggestions, tests, and diagnostic scans but doesn’t judge me for not choosing them.  Or when I do, he promptly facilitates their procurement. After he thoroughly and expeditiously handles all the medical business, he usually asks me for the real tell, “So, what books are you reading these days?”  And, that’s when we get down to the business of talking about our real fix: literature.  My husband, Craig, on his medical appointments, also shares his own love of books with Dr. Shaul; they, both voracious readers of the same genre of guy-lit, have a lot to discuss on his infrequent visits too.

When I was my mother’s caregiver, I went to see Dr. Shaul for a routine check up when the weariness and stress was at its highest, most crushing level.  After hearing my story and asking questions, he wrote orders for metabolic and blood panels, but it was his next set of recommendations that set this doctor apart from every other.  He handed me a list of five books on caregiving, most written by caregivers themselves. After reading over the list, I asked, “Is this my prescription?”  He laughed and said compassionately, “Yes.  It might help.”

That prescription of books was narrative medicine at its finest.  I read all the books Dr. Shaul recommended only to find that not one writer really exposed the rigor and risks I experienced as a caregiver.  Understandably, most caregivers either are dead, too exhausted or shut down to their own experience to ever give voice to it. This prompted me to start working on my own manuscript with the goal of shedding light on the interior life of a caregiver.

Dr. Shaul could not have known at the time when he prescribed his book medicine that it would be a springboard into intensive reckoning and reflection, not only about taking responsibility for my mother’s life, but ultimately, my own too.

He belongs in the tradition of healers who treat their patients with a good story.  Now, that’s a remedy I will gladly take.

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By Joyce

In my last post, I shared the benefits of using nettles for morning blended drinks and infusions.  I can attest that these drinks have successfully replaced for my morning coffee.  Because I collected more nettles than I could use in a week, I tried think of more ways to use them besides in soup, and then my brain was stung with a stunning idea: nettle chips.  It took me about 2 seconds from having the idea to getting my bag of nettles, gloving up and removing the stems from the leaves. I washed the leaves with cold water which softened the nettle’s stingers, spun dried them in the salad spinner and then set them out on a towel to air dry.  Afterwards, I made the nettle chips exactly like I make kale chips.  The nettle chips are lighter, almost flaky, a little fuzzy and more delicate than kale chips, but just as tasty and satisfying.  They’re sorta an elevated kale chip.  It definitely elevates my mood to think about how much they would cost if I bought them at Whole Foods.

Nettle Chip Recipe

(amounts vary on quantities used so just use your judgment)

Drizzle and toss enough olive oil to coat leaves. (Use a glove or metal tongs)

Add sea salt and nutritional yeast to taste

If you like spicey chips, add garlic powder and chipotle for seasoning.

Dehydrate at 145 degrees for an hour

Or, put in oven at 200 degrees on parchment paper.  Turn leaves after 20-30 minutes.

While nettle season is in full swing, my dehydrator will be continuously humming with nettles inside.  They will be an excellent snack food and addition to our summer’s backpacking food, given its high amount of protein and minerals.  I learned from www.skipthepie.org that 1 cup of cooked nettles provides 43% of the recommend daily intake (RDI) of calcium, 8% of Iron, 5 % of protein, 35 % of manganese, 36 % of Vitamin A and 555% of Vitamin K.

It takes some mettle to work with nettles but they give high rewards — even more vigor.

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By Joyce

It’s that time of year.  Yep, time to get off coffee.  A half a cup a day was fine, desirable even, during the cold winter months but now that the days are lengthening and warming, the uprising Qi in the earth and in my own body, wants to burst out.  Sorta, but, not really.  I can’t quite manage any amount of burst, never mind an energetic spurt, because the heavy, sluggish feeling I’m walking around with is stagnant Liver Qi.  Coffee temporarily gives me a lift but it also generates heat and stagnation, ultimately creating more drag in my system.

In this season, there are many ways for me to activate Liver Qi like getting acupuncture, increasing exercise, eating more sour and vinegary foods, and eating lots of greens. During early spring when the garden isn’t yet producing greens there are a few common plants like dandelions and stinging nettles that pop out of the soil just in the nick of time to assist me with my Liver activating Spring regimen.

Most people are aware of nettle’s intense sting but few appreciate nettle’s nutrient values, making it a fierce physiologic ally.  In fertile soils, the purple hue on the top surface of its green leaves looks almost iridescent, shimmering with potency.  That’s why I consider stinging nettles to be one of the best shots in the arm, a rich injection of minerals, and most importantly, a choice replacement for my AM coffee which, incidently, will help get rid of the bags under my eyes.

In Chinese medicine, nettles are categorized as a blood builder, cleanser and kidney tonic. Stinging nettles are known to be high in calcium, magnesium,manganese, iron, chlorophyll, vitamin C, and contain more protein (10%)than another other vegetable. As a blood builder, greater vitality, lustrous hair and stronger nails will result. As an antidote to seasonal allergies, it is thought to reduce the amount of histamines the body produces in response to free floating allergens if one drinks an infusion three weeks before pollens are released into the air. As a kidney tonic, it purifies the blood by eliminating toxins and metabolic wastes through its diuretic properties.

Whether it is used as a food or a tonic, I have little doubt that its deep dark green constituents are worth the effort to go foraging for them.  If you go collecting, don’t handle this plant without long sleeves and pants, high boots and leather gloves on.

Nettles are commonly used in soups. It can also be used as a substitute in any recipe that calls for spinach. Here are the two ways I prepare nettles as spring tonics:

Raw Nettle Juice

Blend one cup raw nettle leaves (packed) with one cup water in high-speed blender.  I blend the juice for an extra long time to make sure to mash up the stingers on the leaves.  Strain (if necessary) and drink.

Nettle Infusion

In quart mason jar add:

I cup raw leaves or one ounce dried nettles

2 cups boiling water

Let mason jar sit on kitchen counter for at least 4
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By Joyce

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By Joyce

It’s fifty-seven degrees in Seattle today; there is no doubt the axis of the earth is turning and spring is on schedule.  But I’m not.  Usually I feel happy, excited about the emergent buds and early flowers, but I’m noticing I feel retractive, not quite ready to bust out of winter mode.  Try as I might to seal myself into my own psychological envelope, it won’t stop the natural progression of increased daylight and temperatures, and all the resultant growth.

I get the sense I will be a late bloomer this spring. Yesterday Marge gave me a Lesson of the Day, an important reminder about what I might need in order to flourish in the coming season.

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By Joyce

There are some foods that are just too damn exciting, and not just to the palate.  Nukazuke, rice bran pickles, fall into the “I wish I would have done this sooner” category.  Not only are they crisp, their flavor is subtle, but with a complexity unique to each vegetable’s qualities. And, just as significant, the fermentation process for making them is very simple and downright entertaining.  My own definition of what cures me is any activity or experience, which engages, vitalizes, and catalyzes healing.  It might be hard to imagine that a traditional Japanese pickling process could elicit such fizz in me. But it does. I always pay attention when any food processing activity excites, or as my friend Danny says, gives me juice. We all know this…if what we do gives us energy then we must be on the right track.

I found out about nukazuke pickles in the most traditional way — from my neighbor, Stewart.  He borrowed one of my most cherished books, The Art of Fermentation, by Sandor Ellix Katz, made a batch of the nukazuke pickles, and then gave me some samples. In due time, he offered me a lesson on how to ferment vegetables using this method.  Because Stewart has spent significant time in Southeast Asia and had previously tasted these pickles at their source, he was drawn to making them.

Stewart warned me that recipes for making these pickles vary widely, but since it’s a no-fail kind of process, he advised doing my own research and experimenting since ingredients were cheap.  That’s exactly what I did so the recipe that follows is a composite recipe based on The Art of Fermentation’s instructions, Stewart’s recommendations and my own google searches. I offer it as a guide, and like Stewart, encourage readers to try out their own versions, becoming their own resident authority on a method that they can share with neighbors.  One reason I love live culture foods is they survive because they are passed from organism-to-organism, household-to-household, and generation-to-generation.

In this fermentation method, we bury any and all types of vegetables in a rice bran and salt paste with a consistency like wet sand.  Depending on the ambient temperature, vegetables can pickle in a matter of hours or overnight, retraining their crispness. If you like a stronger, more sour taste and softer texture, the vegetables can be left in the rice bran for a few days or even months. This method of fermentation is reliant on a continuous supply of lactic-acid producing bacteria colonies, which comes from the surface of our bare hands and the skin of fruits and vegetables.

It is important to stir the nuka pot (crock if you have one) everyday with your hands to keep the healthy bacteria alive and to prevent mold.  Since this is a live culture, it emits an earthy almost nutty scent.  It can also be refrigerated if ambient summer temperatures become too warm (which might sour your nuka-bed), or if you go away for any length of time.

The reward for getting
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By Joyce

I love my shoes. Seventeen years ago, I ordered a pair of these custom made shoes at Michigan Women’s Music Festival, and have enjoyed both their durability and perpetually hip style all these years.  Currently, with these shoes and my black skinny jeans on, I fashion myself as one of the original albeit unrecognized Beatles. I love you ya ya ya.  Maybe it’s because I love them so much that I started fearing their inevitable break down, and so three Sundays ago, I went in search of new ones at the DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) store in Tukwila with best friend Anna who was on her own shoe hunt.

After entering the store, I initially felt confident I would find something with aisle after aisle of shoes and boots awaiting me. But, I wasn’t in the store more than ten minutes before I starting seeing all the single shoes on display more like cheap chess pieces than footwear.  I had the sick-in-my- gut feeling that if I bought a pair, I would end up being the pawn, the loser in this consumer game.  Upon inspection, and after trying on different shoes, I started feeling even more revulsion creep under my skin.  All these made in China shoes, even the brands I preferred like Keen or Merrells, were cheaply fabricated at a not-so-discounted price.  It was probably the sheer volume of shoeboxes that reminded me that every square inch of the store was designed to capture my money. Regardless, we both left DSW without spending a dime and feeling strangely vacant, at a loss for how to fulfill the longings which brought us there in the first place.

Which is why I redirected my attention and gave my old favorites some love this weekend.  I brought them to a shoe repair store for new heel plates (only $4.00), bought some soft insoles (only $3.95) for added comfort and then gave them a shine at home.  Taking good care of these well-crafted (and repairable) shoes reconnected me to their integrity and value.  With good maintenance, they could probably serve me for another ten years at least.

When I was in acupuncture school, I learned about the significance of taking care of one shoes during a session with a middle-aged man who came into the student clinic. He was an unusual patient because unlike most other patients who dressed casually, he came dressed in a nicely pressed suit and tie. I remember when the other intern and I sat with our supervisor discussing our observations and diagnosis, and she asked, “Did you notice his shoes?”  In fact, I did.  His shoes were old, worn and scuffed, and not at all in keeping with the rest of his expensive outfit. She reminded us that the state of his shoes suggested a kidney deficiency pattern because he was not taking care of his root, his feet. Other symptoms like fatigue, back and knee pain also supported this diagnosis.

I am reminded time after time that doing basic maintenance, whether
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