Singing for Your Supper

After dinner tonight (make your own wraps -- kids got to choose between ham, chicken, and cheese to stuff their tortillas, plus green beans on the side) Natalie asked if she could have dessert. I did some quick thinking and pulled out a bag of pecans in the shell and our lovely Olive Wood Nutcracker. So the children had to work for their dessert! Even Rebecca, who is only a few days past three, was able to crack the pecans very easily. Half the fun is in screwing and unscrewing the thing...

It reminded me of a book review I read on Amazon for Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle. One woman was saying that her child was absolutely amazed at all the steps our protagonist had to go through and all the work it took just to get his breakfast! It's good for children to see the process and not just the end result, which is one reason why I'm excited about our gleaning day this Friday. We are taking some friends along and I hope we have pleasant weather so that the children can roam the fields. It will be very exciting to find some produce. Here is the list they sent us of what was still available (as of Monday December 31):

spicy mix (plenty)
bok choi (plenty; both full-size and dwarf varieties)
arugula
hakurei turnips
purple-top turnips
watermelon radishes
kale
collards
swiss chard (plenty; consider using the stems instead of celery in your Thanksgiving stuffing)
mustard greens
turnip greens
a scattering of tiny beets
a bit of lettuce and spinach that are newly visible now that the weeds have been killed by frost
sage
oregano
anise hyssop
cilantro
dill
winter savory
mint
lavender (leaves, not flowers)
thyme
lemon balm
parsley
onion chives