10/12/2024
Happy Thanksgiving from Camp Kawartha!
We want to express our gratitude to each and every one of you! Thank you for being part of our family and for joining us to explore our miraculous world. We hope that you connect with family and friends this weekend and, especially, get outside to see the beautiful autumn colours in the Kawarthas (or where-ever you are at the moment)!
We've been watching this pumpkin spontaneously and creatively grow at the Environment Centre. It is nourished from the left over compost used by our Nature School program, Rootwood, to build their raised tree-nursery beds for their Miyawaki Forest initiative that was generously funded and supported by the Jane Goodall Foundation.
Squash are part of the three sisters family in Indigenous teachings. Robin Wall Kimmerer speaks eloquently of the relationship between corn, beans and squash in her beloved book, Braiding Sweetgrass (2013: 132): "The way of the Three Sisters reminds me of one of the basic teachings of our people. The most important thing each of us can know is our unique gift and how to use it in the world ... Being among the sisters provides a visible manifestation of what a community can become when its members understand and share their gifts. In reciprocity, we fill our spirits as well as our bellies."
Here's the pumpkin pie recipe that Leigh and her son will be making this weekend:
Pumpkin Pie
2 eggs and 1 yolk
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon ( or to your taste!)
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
2 c. pumpkin
1 1/2c. heavy cream
1. Preheat oven to 425 F
2. Beat eggs, mix in sugars, salt and spices
3. Add pumpkin and cream
4. Pour into pie shell
5. Bake at 425 F for 15 min, turn down to 350 F and bake for at least 1 hour (more likely 1 1/2 hours)
6. The pie is done when a knife is inserted into the middle and comes out clean, or when the centre is just a little light and jiggly but only just a little!
Pie Crust (9 inch pie)
1 c. flour
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. sour cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp sugar
1. Cut butter into cubes and let sit
2. Whisk flour, salt and sugar
3. Work butter in with your hands until coarse meal
4. Add sour cream
5. Form into disks and refrigerate for at least 1 hr.
5. Remove dough, let sit a few minutes and roll out.
Enjoy!!
