Fall is truly here, and as much as I adore the summer, there’s something so beautiful about the changing seasons. I have to admit, one of the best parts about fall to me is all the root veggies and squash that we’re able to access in our region! The Indian tradition of Ayurveda (and undoubtedly many indigenous traditions worldwide) teaches that when we eat with the seasons we often find the qualities in our food that balance out what we are experiencing in our bodies. For example, when the temperatures drop we may find ourselves getting more anxious, cold, dry, flighty. According to Ayurveda, the naturally sweet taste can help counterbalance these qualities in us. That sweet taste is found, beautifully, in things like squash, sweet potato, pumpkin, beets, parsnips- all of which we are starting to find in abundance around us!
Even as our schedules ramp back up in the fall, slowing down and taking in our meal with all the senses can counter that flighty energy that we may feel inside. The perfect time of year to get together with friends to cook and eat and celebrate life. We can’t wait to start bringing you some sweet grounding foods in our upcoming Thanksgiving Boxes on October 10th!
(Feel free to place an order here if you haven’t already! They are part of the regular subscription, so if you’re a subscriber you’re all set.)
As we celebrate and give thanks for the food and all the gifts that come from our good land, we also acknowledgment the pain brought upon our First Peoples throughout history, especially in the history of residential schools. In honour of the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation (Monday, September 30th), I wanted to share some indigenous recipes put out by the Council of Yukon First Nations. These recipes come from first nations across our land and feature a variety of traditional foods!
I also want to highlight one of our vendors: Wabanaki Maples. Did you know that Wabanaki Maples is indigenous owned? It runs out of Tobique First Nation here in New Brunswick (Wabanaki territory), and you can find their Orange Label maple syrup in our shop! $1.00 from the purchase of every orange label syrup goes to the National Centre for Truth & Reconciliation.
If you’re looking for an event to attend on Monday, here are a couple happening in Saint John and Fredericton:
Under One Sky is an amazing organization in Fredericton that offers space and programming to support the indigenous community as well as bring non-indigenous friends into the community. It’s one of the Friendship Centres of Canada (check) and it’s where I (Miriam) have taken Wolastokwey language classes. Really good people.
Additionally, you may be interested to know more about the Natoaganeg Community Food Centre, which is New Brunswick's only official Community Food Centre, and is located in the Mi'kmaq community of Eel Ground First Nation. This is an organization that our business has given to in the past, and we plan to do so again int he future.
We’re going to do a couple of features this year on various food security initiatives in our own community of Saint John as well, so stay tuned for those!
See you soon.
Miriam