Hex Magazine » Issue 3 Harvest

The Importance of Becoming ~ Editorial

Harvest — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 07:59:10 +0000

Since this issue appears at the onset of the invigorating, transformative season of Spring, we felt it only natural to turn our attention to the subject of our own growth, and the way it is also divided into almost seasonal stages. In this spirit, we solicited accounts of pivotal life events that change us as we grow ...

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A Call to Hoes ~ Sowing the Seeds of Hope

Harvest — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:20:44 +0000

“If we don't turn around we'll end up where we're going,” has no truer (nor more frightening) an application then to the current state of our food production and consumption. An average meal takes a voyage of 1500–2500 miles from the farm to your fork. An average food calorie, after the fertilizing, processing, packaging, and transporting, takes 7 to 10 'calories' of fossil fuel energy to produce. The implication of these statistics and how they reflect pollution, global warming, and the all around destruction of the earth, should make us more than a little uncomfortable. Trumpeting is a wake-up call to ‘turn around,’ reestablish our connection to the land, revive the self-sustaining ways of our past, while, as Alisa Smith, co-author of Plenty explains it, “We [can] immerse ourselves in the here and now, and the simple pleasures of eating [will] become a form of knowing.” Choosing to reduce our impact on the environment by the way we eat, is an important (and delicious!) place to enact change. But you don't need to take our word for it. Here is a collection of lists, suggestions, excerpts and quotes from those who have taken up the shovel to create a better ...

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Viriditas ~ The Greening Power of Nature

Harvest — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:08:23 +0000

In our culture, most basic living skills have been forgotten. There is so much confusion surrounding even simple life choices, that people look more and more to ‘experts’ to assist them. What should I eat? How should I raise my children? How can I have healthy relationships? How do I take care of myself? The problem is, experts all have their own agendas—which are often at odds with what is best for you and your community. Until recently, our ancestors answered these questions through cultural traditions, passed down without much fanfare, generation after generation—which is, unfortunately, an inheritance we don't always have access to. But where did their ancestors learn them? The common belief seems to be that they learned through trial and error over time. But the idea that people would systematically test all of the plants of a new terrain, to see what was edible—or that they would stumble upon a vast knowledge base of plant lore (with many varied cultures coming to the same conclusions) by accident—seems a bit absurd to me. In fact, the people themselves tell quite a different ...

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The Ancient Folk of the Isles

Harvest — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:05:44 +0000

And we'll return from cavern and from ...

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I Am

Harvest — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:02:01 +0000

I am the rays of the radiant sun, the willow tree and its shade; I am the giant mouth of the ocean, the fossil that never ...

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Spicy Ginger Elixir

Harvest — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:53:13 +0000

This is a rather strong syrup, you probably won’t want to drink it ...

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Lancashire Hot Pot

Harvest — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:49:29 +0000

Lamb is a spring meat, to be sure, and if you use new carrots, new potatoes and new onions in this recipe, the whole dish is a delicious homage to the fresh first growth of the ...

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Dandelion and Spring Onion with Warm Vinaigrette

Harvest — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:46:37 +0000

Freshly emerged dandelions herald spring—and good eating. Dandelions grow in abundance everywhere in the spring, it seems, but be sure to only choose the ones which grow well away from the road. Your own backyard is best. Is there anything more enriching than picking your own wild dinner greens right outside your own door? Here is our own recipe for ...

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Yogurt Honey Fruit Dressing

Harvest — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:44:59 +0000

This is a creamy dressing that can be used to liven up just about any combination of sweet fresh ...

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Finnish Summer Soup

Harvest — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:00:19 +0000

Serves ...

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