Seaweed is flexible, tenacious, and immersed in the deep pulses of watery consciousness held in the depths of our blue planet. Since my life is integrated with these patterns of wholeness, my healing of this recent “head bonk” (subdural hematoma) is progressing smoothly. Immersed in the deep pulses of ocean/universe, I am flexible and tenacious. I feel much gratitude for the prayers and letters of support filled with positive advice and information that you have sent my way via the post, the internet, and the Cosmic Internet. Thank you from my heart.
Today I am on the road with Nina. We are traveling to Basking Ridge NJ to the summer macrobiotic conference where I will be presented the Aveline Kushi award for 40 years of service to the macrobiotic community. More about that later.
I promised you a soup recipe, and it comes with a love story. Love as in “We will be dependable people for each other. We will support each other’s growth and differentiation apart from ourselves. We will remain immersed in the realm of affectionate talk and kind, sensuous touch. We will transcend gender differences and focus our relationship in the realm of the heart.” Paba and Maduma. Older sister, younger brother.
This is how I see them, working together, immersed in the love and clear light that underlies all our daily activities on this year’s harvest crew. Paba was referred to me by Kacie, one of my former seasoned apprentices, and after I accepted Paba to the crew, Maduma asked if he could come to Maine and work with his sister. Both of them have lived in Sri Lanka and Berkeley CA, but the east coast of the US is all new to them. They have been home-schooled by their parents, they are independent learners, and they are very capable apprentices with good sense of order and work ethic. Both of them were quick studies when it came to rowing harvest boats, they worked quickly when we harvested in the surf, they hung up seaweeds evenly spaced in the dryers, and they tended fans and fires in the wee hours of the night so that we maintained our drying standard: “Bone dry within 48 hours of harvest at temperatures below 85 degrees F.” They spent many hours at the bandsaws sorting and cutting seaweed to package length, and they managed to put it in bags with recipes, all ready to ship.
On top of all that, I notice that Maduma is a good artist, and Paba is an artistic centered cook. Next year I predict that you will be seeing some of Maduma’s art work related to our ocean work, and there will be a collection of recipes that describes the wonderful daily food that nourishes us from the garden and the sea.
Customers ask me, “After 40 years of doing this work with seaweed, what seaweeds do you actually use in your own daily life, your own kitchen?” The answer is, “Soup Mix, a blend of digitata, kelp, and alaria. Digitata is highest in iodine, alaria is highest in calcium.” I’ve settled on this blend because it is a balanced representation of the brown seaweeds that are rich in minerals and iodine, it delivers the nutrients dissolved in water so that our digestion can absorb them, and everyone who uses soup mix on a regular basis reports better health, sense of deep nourishment and well-being. When a customer asks, “How much should I eat?” I reply, “3-5 grams per day, or about three pounds per year, dry weight. This will give you enough dietary iodine to protect your thyroid from radioactive iodine, and your bones will thank you for the minerals that help maintain a healthy alkaline bloodstream that nourishes them.
Lentil Soup
2 cups red lentils
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion
4 or 5 carrots
3 stalks celery
5 kale leaves
1 bell pepper
1/4 cup seaweed soup mix
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp black pepper
salt
Chop vegetables. Saute onions and garlic in oil. Add vegetables. Saute for 15 min. Add 8 cups water. Add seaweed soup mix and lentils and spices. Bring to a boil then lower heat and let simmer until lentils are cooked. Add salt. Enjoy!
When you order Soup Mix, I will ship it as three 1 pound bags. These make great presents, and I hope you will stock your pantry and a few other pantries in your circle as well. This will help pay my hospital and doctor bills, and we’ll all heal and grow strong together.