Fry Bread Dreams

Fry Bread Dreams

In the Fall of September, 2001, My sister, mother and I made a journey to Southern Oregon.  My Great Grandpa Rand was from here,  the Rouge River.  While at the Sherman Indian school in Southern California, he met my Great Grand Mother, Rose .  They eventually married, and moved back to the Rouge,  he a River Guide and mail boat operator,  She, the Postmistress in Illahe .  They had many children and grandchildren,  and my mama spent many of her favorite times as a youth there at the old house in Illahe. 

For me, this trip was a chance to reconnect with my Native roots.  There had been a longing in me, to know the ways of my ancestors, yet there was no one I knew, who had the answers I was searching for.  My Grandma, and sisters were told not to talk about being Indian, when they were growing up.  Their mission was to blend in.  Grandma Rose had been taken to the Indian school at the age of 5.  Blonde Hair and blue eyes, ( she was ½ native) She was taught  how to make lace, Keep house and inventory, how to be a servant.    The break in knowledge had already occurred, and I could find no threads back to this place of knowingness I held with in me,  A place where we were equal with all beings on this earth, and our connection to it as natural as breathing itself.  Where were the tools, stories, teachings for me?  Lost in the assimilate or die reality of my ancestors.   My heart ached for the knowledge lost and forgotten. 

We arrived at Big Bend as they were getting set up for the Pow Wow.  We were so excited to be there.  In asking what we could do to help, we were told we could pick up cow pies so the dancers wouldn’t step on them as they were dancing.  Being the farm girls we were,  we proceeded to pick up cow pies…  and thus started my first, real deal, Native involvement.

It was a beautiful small, local Pow Wow.   We met  some of our distant cousins, The Fry’s,  and Gilbert Towner, An elder who was one of the last speakers of Tututni.  I loved the traditional dancing the most.  We were able to dance many dances that weekend, meet many beautiful people, and even have a bear visit our tent in the middle of the night. And of course…. 

 The FRY BREAD!  Oh yes The FRY BREAD! 

Fry bread with powdered sugar, fry bread with berries, indian tacos…..  we ate till we foundered….  At least 3 a day,  it was so good!  Sitting around the campfire with my sister,  tummies full, hearts full, and minds still searching, we hatched a plan.  When are kids were grown up,  we would travel the Pow Wow circuit with a food cart and sell fry bread! It was brilliant!  Surely we could learn then.  We needed more time to hang out with all these beautiful people who obviously knew more than we did about this being an Indian thing.  Here stood the beginning of our Fry Bread Dreams.

My children were still small, my youngest 3 or so,  and I realized it would be a long time for me to be able to set off on this quest.  In the mean time I thought,  I will do what I can where I am at.  I would 

read , study, and pray.  Jamie Sams, Black Elk, Lame Deer, …..  too many to list.  Trips to the REZ at Morongo,  Warner Springs, and Santa Isabell, meeting our Linton Cousins.  Canyon de Chelly , Acoma, Sadona, Globe.  Grandmother’s Council.

 My sister went on to study with Gilbert Towner in one of the first language courses they taught down on the Rouge.   My Mother and sister bought land on quosatana creek.  My  children, when staying the summer on the Rouge river, would learn Tututni from the language CD’s at night before going to bed.   Gilbert has passed now,  he is still one of my constant companions on this journey.  Eventually Ester (the lady with the amazing fry bread) her family  and colleagues  started holding the Indian Education Summer Camp there.  They have done this work for over 30 years.  My youngest daughter Megan,  has had the privilege to go to this camp, learn drumming, dancing, Songs, and Native ceremony and ways.  She has also been a counselor.

I have spent most of the past years deepening into plants, and through them understanding my ancestors.  My children are grown now.

Last year, my sister hatched a plan, a fund raiser for my Grandbaby who had a Liver transplant.  Our family and friends got together and did a Fry Bread booth at farmer consumer awareness day.  It was a beautiful coming together of many people and talents.  The committee recently sent my sister a packet with all the information asking if we wanted to do another booth this year.

    Our answer…  Are you crazy! That was way too much work! 

Most know the genesis of fry bread.  Our ancestors were given poor quality white flour as one of the commodities the government handed out to the Indians put on reservations.  Fry Bread was our Grandmothers making the most out of a bad situation.  It was not what they were accustomed to. Their skill and ingenuity produced something new, with what they were handed. This  is what  sustained them.  Perhaps I cannot find some of the threads back to the old ways,  and yet the spirit and connection somehow remains.  I still grieve the loss of direct experience of my heritage, and still see ….it is what you do with what you have, and choose to use in a good way that matters.   Still I search, still I go deeper.  These are my Fry Bread Dreams…………….

Navajo Fry Bread

4 cups unbleached all purpose Flour                           2 TLB Baking Powder

1 ½ tsp sea salt                                                             ½ tsp Baking Soda

2 cups warm milk

Mix dry ingredients together in bowl. Slowly add milk.  Turn our and knead on floured surface until smooth.  Let set for at least 30 minutes.

Heat oil in fry pan (I use an electric fry pan with thermostat)  to 400*.

Divide dough into 8 portions.  Stretch out into thin rounds.  Fry in batches in hot oil.  Drain on paper towels.  Serve warm with whipped berry butter, Honey butter, or as a base for Indian Tacos.

Tips for success:

 Letting the dough rest an hour or more before stretching will make a softer fry bread.

Stretch the dough 2 or three times letting rest in between.  Have a parchment lined cookie sheet dusted with flour to let them rest.  Cover with a Flour sack Towel to keep from drying out while waiting to fry.

A soft white flour like the Famous Blue Bird Flour,  work really well.  Bread Flour has more gluten,  and in this case,  will make a tougher dough and Fry Bread. ( I use Safeway Organic All Purpose Flour)

When Frying,  always flip bread  away from yourself. 

Raspberry Butter

            ½ cup butter softened                                                  1/3 cup Raspberry Jam

            1 tsp Lemon Juice                                                        2 TLB Powdered sugar

Beat together until light and fluffy

Sacred Ground

Sacred Ground

I drove to Lake Lenore yesterday…  To Drum and Pray for Sacred Ground.  As Lake Chelan burns, I went knowing some of my dear friends and family were affected.  First Creek is where I grew to be an Herbalist.  These plants, People, and Animals, and Spirit of the Land have been my anchor,  the place I come back to time  and time again for comfort, connection, and learning.  When you pulse in a place,  it becomes an intricate part of you. 

I have been taught that the rocks,  hold memory of the land, the people, feelings, events, whether good or bad.  The stones are the record keepers of this.  So, when we  go to a sacred place,  our prayers and intentions are magnified by all the other Prayers, Intentions, and Holiness that resides there.  This is true for a church, a home, and a piece of sacred ground.  It is also why sometimes a place seems “off” to us.  Something may have happened there tragically in the past,  or someone just left who had an argument.  When we come together and pray for each other and the Earth as a group,  the land remembers…….

I have seen big fires take places before in 1988.  I watched Yellowstone burn.  I also watched the land repair itself…  new trees, different plants coming up…  I know fire is a part of Nature, and is a fundamental Element of Life.  I found it most interesting the words the Head Firefighters used to describe their relationship to the fire…..  a plan for “Initial attack”  “chasing these things down and trying to secure a line”.  It is a live force,  and it is a battle……..

So far  my sister’s  home on First Creek is intact…  which is an amazing …………..  I still feel the empathetic pains of losing a home.  A place of Sacred Ground.  I have lost a home,  not to the Element Fire…  but to a Difficult divorce…  losing my business and home.  The people who bought the house tore it down for another parking  lot for their church.  It was an old house….  An eye sore to them.  It was sacred space to me and mine….  And I still feel the pain of having to leave it.  My children also grieve the loss of this house…. It was beautiful…  hard wood floors, built in china hutch,   claw foot tub.  Certainly not a Historical restoration picture perfect house,  but a BEAUTIFUL HOME.I know, in remembering the sacred, nothing is ever lost to us.  The funny stories, some I am only privy to now that my children are grown…  (because they would have been in BIG trouble if I had found out then!)  LOL  but that is another story……

  I am comforted that the land remembers….  And so do my children.  They grew up here,  and the memory remains. I am thankful for the beautiful place of shelter this home was for us.

                                      

The land renews and remembers…………

I have been going to First Creek for many years….10 or so.  In ’96 I believe , a fire went through the area on both sides of the creek.  The trees ,  some lived, some didn’t.  The brush has grown thick again with Buck Brush, Oregon Grape  and Kinnikinnick….  Another fire went through west of the homes a couple of years ago….  There is now achers of arnica growing underneath the trees.  The Land knows how to heal its self.

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This Tree was in the ’96 fire.  It is still covered in black soot….  And it is the tree I harvest pine resin from.  I think my biggest sorrow is that as a human,  I may not be around to see the Forest I love get back to the place it was before the fire.  A generation or so from now,  I hope my Great Grandchildren will get to walk these sacred grounds…..  and remember…..

Remember the stories of their ancestors,  remember their connection to the Earth, and remember that these lands have always been sacred to Great Spirit.  May we make all the lands we walk, the homes and spaces we live, and places we visit become Sacred Ground by our actions and our prayers.  It is with gratitude in my heart I write these words,  to my Ancestors,  and the Ancestors of the Lands we walk on,  to my Children and Grandchildren,  who make life such a precious gift; and to the Fire fighters, whoes great work helps preseve our balance with sacred fire.  Aho.

Wrestling With Red Root

Long before I knew the physical medicine of this plant,  I loved this plant.  The smell of the Blossoms in the summer is rich and deep.  The heat of the sun brings out the resins in the leaf, and walking in the woods at my sisters one day I asked ”what is that smell?”  She showed me the plant….. and so the love affair began. I made an infused oil with the flowers.

A few years later, I was in Portland, studying at The School of Traditional Western Herbalism.  Matt wood was talking about Red Root, and its uses.  I was intrigued.  Each class I would come home with a list of plants to get to know deeper, seeds to buy, plants to find, or herbs to order so I could start building relationship with them.  Red Root was on the top of that list.

The next class I had with school was a camping trip on Mount Hood.  Scott Kloos, was the instructor, along with Chris and Hanna.   It was beautiful to be in the woods and learn,  We met many plants that weekend. (including Dragon Root, but that is another story…)   Songs, Food, and stories were shared.  Mount Hood and the special group of people who were there still speak to my heart. 

One of the conversations while setting up camp,  “Did you see all the Red Root Blooming?”  “Yes” others said,  but I was confused.  The Red root in Matthew’s book Ceanothus americanus.  Red Root, or New Jersey Tea. A picture of a single up right plant,  I did not see this plant anywhere on Mount Hood.  I looked and looked,  and yes,  I was with amazing teachers…. I COULD have asked….  But I am the type of student that feels I should work on it myself first……  and what would they THINK?  Everyone else can see this Red Root……  What the heck is wrong with ME!!! 

So I went home, and driving down the beautiful Mountain I searched in vain for the illusive Red Root.  I told my sister all about my wonderful trip,  and of how disappointed I was that I could not find this Red Root on my own…..  I was defeated…….  Frustrated,  and determined to find it.  I scoured my plant identification books…  and brooded.

Up to the Mountains again to visit my sis….  And she says…..”hey,  by the way,  I guess Red Root is what we call Buck Brush.” 

WHAT! BUCK BRUSH!  I LOVE THAT PLANT!!!!!!!  And that was my FIRST teaching with Buck Brush….. and it still teaches me!  Humbled, and laughing……  Oh I love this plant.  It is a different variety of Ceanothis.  It has many common names. There are over 30 varieties in the Pacific North West.

I came back in the Fall to harvest some root.  It was not easy……  let’s just say I ended up bleeding and crying while digging…..  with many blisters by the time I had the roots processed.  It is beautiful Medicine. I make an infused oil out of the blossoms and make an amazing soap.  I have used the tincture of the root to treat lymphatic issues in  low grade infection.  Infused oil of the root  for clearing energetic blockages in the torso.  Tea of the root for swelling  from histamine over reaction.

 Matthew Wood writes of it in the Earth Wise Herbal, and The Book of Herbal Wisdom.  Michael Moore has brought out much information  about working with this plant.  His writing of it in Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West are my favorite.

 “Red Root is for healthy people under stress, not sick people under treatment- the best kind of herb” M.M.

I went up to the woods this weekend to harvest Red Root.  I was a little more proactive in my planning (I thought)  this time.  I waited till after the rains.  I asked my brother In Law if there were any he was planning to take out.  He had already started on an area the day before,  so I started digging….  For about a half hour covered in mud…  with no luck..  I went back to the house and asked if he would help me with the tractor….   He came out to work on it for me.  I went for a little walk about,  going to visit Angelica, as he worked.  I heard a huge pop. Soon the tractor was turned off.  I hiked back to the spot,   and started digging through the piles of dirt left on the side.  Red Root is a Nitrogen fixer, so Rose roots, and Ghost berries, all like to tangle around the roots of this plant…..  I saw what was left of some of the tap root,  so I worked on getting that out for a while…..  I kept thinking….  “Wow,  I know the base of that plant was huge….  Where is it? “

Then it dawned on me that perhaps my brother in law brought it up to the house for me…..  so of course it was sitting on the front porch for me when I got there!!!!   LOL  oh Red Root…… Buck Brush,   you still teach me…..  thank you my dear friend……  for the humor, and the help,  in so many ways……..   and only a few blisters  this  time…….

Working with Plants on Multiple Levels

 I would like to communicate my approach to working with the Plant Kingdom beyond the basic physical aspects.  I work with plants in many ways, many levels.  They, like us are multi layered.  I am a Vitalist, which means to me that the body has the innate ability to heal itself, and giving it the nutrition/support it needs is the basic way to healing. Hot-Cold, Damp- Dry, Relaxation- Constriction. Seeing patterns and blocks....... 

  As human BEINGS I believe we are multi layered.  BODY- MIND- SPIRIT. In Hawaiian terms these are roughly translated as- unihipili, uhane, aumakua. Each having their own qualities and intelligence. Working together (hopefully) to create a balanced Being.

  In  Kabbalah  teachings I see this process as the four realms of the cosmos.

According to Jewish Mystics these are respectively.

 Aziluth-(Emanation) involving the endless undifferentiated energy of the divine;

Beriah- (Creation) encompassing ideas but lacking specific forms or structures;

Yetzirah-(Formation) incorporating the patterns or blueprints but not physicality itself;

and lastly our own familiar domain of 

Assiyah- (Action) where tangible reality- that is, matter exists.

                              (The Kabbalah Deck- Pathway to the Soul.  Edward Hoffman)

 All things of this world pass through these other layers before becoming Matter. My belief is  Plants can work on all these levels of being, as they too pass through these realms into matter. Treating the whole person, Physically, Mentally, Spiritually, and Energetically. They can hold sacred space for us on these other levels, (along with the nutritional/chemical constituents) and assist us on our healing path.  I have seen this for myself, over and over again.  I am thankful for the support they so freely give.  I am truly blessed to have them in my life.

When choosing plants in this way I try to find the plant that threads its way through all these places in our being.  Most of my friends are eating well, exercising, have a spiritual practice, and yet they still bump up against some health and pain issues that they cannot shift.   Looking at these other places in ourselves, as connected, not separate from the body, can really help the healing path.

 I work with singles of Plants.  I like to know how they work alone before I combine them with others.  I read, study, ask others, and take in to account my personal experience. I ask Great Spirit to guide me.

Infused oils are one of the main ways I incorporate this.  I like hot processed oils,(because I come from a food background, this made more sense to me.)  You could call these "meditative" oils I suppose.  I use very small amounts, and get very good results.
An example would be Mugwort oil.  I usually start here with pain.  If it is stuck energy in the meridians it usually does the trick.  It moves the pain out.  (you still may need to address WHY it was stuck in the first place)

I also use Flower Essences. Poke flower essence comes to mind.  I use this for Lymphatic issues in general.  I also use it for ancestral patters that are being felt (in the body, or the mind) that are not of service anymore  and would like to be shifted.

I custom blend tinctures for each individual.  I recently made a Back Support blend with Poke FE, Black Cohosh, and Boneset tinctures, to help with pain in the back , and "carrying the weight of the family".  Drop Doses.

Herbal Bath blends are another way to incorporate the healing power of plants, along with the beauty of being held by water.  It is a great combination.

Salves, Lotions, Teas, Soaps,  Lip balm, adding honey to a lip balm so only sweet words come out of your mouth..........   

Working with plants in these places requires more ATTENTION to the INTENTION.  We are asking for help with Creation, Formation, and Action. BEING humble, asking for guidance, and for the greatest and highest good for everyone involved is a great place to start. 

There are many ways to work with the Plant Kingdom.  I hope this has helped you to understand the way I relate, and work with them.  I am honored to be able to do this work.  Aho

Elderberries

I am posting a link to a blog I wrote in 2009 about elderberries, for Medicine Women Gather.  A group of herbal sisters from across the Pacific North West.  I hope you enjoy it!




http://medicinewomen.wordpress.com/2009/09/23/the-blue-elderberry-my-fall-obsession/

New Year, New Dreams

I was reading on facebook the other day.  My friend KiKi posted a comment..... " It was time to dream new dreams to get to watch them come true.".......

  It struck me how wonderful the world has been to me these last few years, and how many amazing people and adventures I have been on as of late. I have learned alot the past few (5) years about plants,  deepened into relationship with them and my Herbal community.  Sitting in a little conservative town in the center of Washington State, I sometimes wonder what the heck I am going to do with all this passion, knowledge, and insight. I am called to it, just as I was called to be a Mother, to be a Chef. I love it, and there is no separating myself from being an "herbalist" in my daily life any longer.  It informs how I view my world daily in my musings, my interactions, and my personal beliefs, and my politics. So this is a big thank you to those teachers and friends, who have been a part of this journey, and a wish list included for the future, to get to watch new dreams come true. 

To my ancestors, who reminded me through learning from the plants that we always have teachers.  To my Huna Kumu Kanalani, for setting me on the path of apprenticeship.   To my mom,  she is a naturalist at heart,  she is a keeper of sacred ground and lover of trees.  To my Nana, She loved roses, who in her parting from this world gave me a gift that was used to start my herbal journey.  To my sisters, Kally and Lyn,  both keepers of sacred lands,  Thank you for allowing me to walk your sacred spaces. To my dad, a farmer, and lover of the dessert.  Thank you to my children,  for drinking my tea.........

Thank you to my first formal herb teacher, Suzanne Jordan, of Cedar Mountain Herb School.  The way you teach about plants, where they live, is priceless.  To that amazing spring/summer apprenticeship Group!  Ellen, Kate, Carrie, Whitney, Cassandra, Myrha,........  all of you, you are still held close in my heart, and I love it when we get to chat even if it is only on line! What an amazing group of women!  You inspire me.

To all the teachers at The School of Traditional Western Herbalism.  Matthew Wood especially.  He is a Master, and I am honored to sit at his feet and learn, anytime that can happen. I am a "Woodist" plain and simple.  (I see a T-shirt design coming on.....)
Scott Kloos, I am so thankful for your sharing of Plant Spirit Medicine. Thank you for being true to yourself, and showing me how that is possible. Paul Bergner,  I have learned so much from you,  and I hope to be able to live up to your standards.  Margi Flint,  I think I reference your book more than any.  You are a wonderful teacher, and I am deeply grateful for the time I have got to spend learning from you.  Chris and Hanna,  thank you for taking all the time and care to make this school possible........ I can't wait to see the new teaching space.....  :)

To my dear friends Dina, TJ,  Alyssa, Coko, Chris, Matthew, Lynn, Mikey  (Carrie and Kate) and the rest of my classmates through this school.  What an honor it is to talk plants with you.

Herbal conferences in AZ.   Martha Burgess, Mimi kamp, Charles Kane, Eric Yarnell......  to name a few.

Grandmothers council,  What an example of how to truly be in community. Learning plant medicine from  Flor De Mayo, Grandmother Julieta, and Grandmother Rita.  Red Spider Woman,  in asking you about Tobacco: holding my hand, you looking into me, saying,  "so, you want to know about Tobacco huh...." with the eyes of spirit....... a moment in my life I will never forget.   Thank you Grandmothers.

So whats next?  I have a few people I hope to get to study with someday..........  Sevensong......  I fell like I learn from you quite often,  you do a great job of educating anyone who wants to take the time to learn.  I would really like to do an herbal first aid class with you.  Jim Mcdonald....Calamus.....  what can I say?  Aviva Romm......  I am making Tinctures right now to help with pretussis.  I live in Grant Co. WA.  Where the outbreak was so bad last year,Thank you.
 Charles Garcia,  I have fallowed you for a few years,  Curadoism is a system that speaks to me, and your realism is refreshing.  "Give Care". I will try sir.
 Kiva and Jess,  you and Plant Healer are the only reason I would think about buying a  "kindle" or whatever the things are called so you can download books and read them.......  your words speak to my soul, and give me hope for the future.

It is with a full heart, I sit here and dream new dreams.......  Happy New Year Everyone!   

Gluten Free Lemon "Cream" Meringue Pie

I received my first Cook book at the age of 6........  It was a Betty Crocker Children's Cook Book,  and I am sure I still have it in my stash somewhere.  Food and cooking have been my life, passion, lively hood and way I have been able to take care of the  people i care about..  My baking experience has really given me great roots to start to explore Gluten free baking.  It can be easy, and it can be challenging, depending on what you want to recreate.  I believe you need to start where you are at.....  (in anything)  So , I will be giving recipes for both regular flour, milk, etc, and also subs for making things Gluten, and dairy free.  I bake quite often for my friends, and family members who are cutting gluten and dairy out of their diet.

A note about substitutions,  think of the Texture and color especially when substituting for dairy.  I prefer coconut milk, as I think it substitutes really well.  I have even used it in chocolate ganache.  My Katie,  doesn't do well with coconut milk, so I used Hemp milk for this recipe.....  it turned out a little brown,  but it was absolutely delicious!  And if you have never made a pie crust before......  there is a learning curve involved.  Handle it as little as possible, re-rolling only makes things worse.  It is better to patch and pat it in the pan.....  besides you are really going to cover it all up anyway with filling, so RELAX!!!!

I used Namaste foods Biscuits, Pie crust &More!  for my Crust.  I used butter(you can Sub organic shortening here) just fallowed the recipe on the bag, adding 1/4 cup pdw sugar to make it a sweet crust.  I divided this dough in 1/2, wrapped in plastic, shaped them into a disk, and put in the refrigerator overnight.  (at least an hour, this really helps distribute the moisture in the crust and chills the fat so it will be nice and flaky)  Roll out on a floured surface, use a pastry scraper to move the crust to the pan.  Pat int place, patching where needed.  Flute edges, and bake 400*  for 12 to 15 minutes.  Let cool completely.

Filling:

2 cups Hemp milk
2/3 cup turbonado sugar
1/2 cup fresh organic squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup corn starch (can sub sweet rice flour)
4 egg yolks
2 Tlb butter (can omit)

Heat Hemp milk and sugar in saucepan. 
Whisk cornstarch into lemon juice in a medium bowl. Add egg yolks.
When milk is almost to a simmer,  add a cup slowly whisking into the egg /lemon mixture.(this is called tempering)
Now add this mixture back into the simmering milk on the stove, whisking the whole time.
Cook over Medium heat until boiling, and continue to boil for 1 minute.  pull off heat and add butter.
Place in a bowl, placing plastic wrap against the filling, and cool in refrigerator. (a couple hours before you start on the Meringue)

Meringue:

4 egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
pinch sea salt

Bring a small pan of water to simmer on the stove.  In a stainless steel bowl,  mix egg whites, sugar and salt.  place bowl over simmering water. Mix by hand with wire whisk, continually mixing, until It is hot, (about 140*)  Remove from heat and beat by hand or with electric mixer until stiff, but still shiny peaks form.  (stiff peaks are when you slowly raise the beater out of the bowl, and turn it over, and the eggs come to a point,  they do not bend over....) 

Place filling in prepared crust, spread Meringue  over top, sealing all edges, and bake in a 400* oven for 7 to 10 minutes until Meringue is colored evenly. 
cool

We like to add a layer of Raspberries in the filling.
Happy Baking!