Foodie Friday: Greek Yogurt Fruit Salad

Welcome to the first Foodie Friday of summer, dear reader. Summer is coming in hot and strong. In Southwestern Pennsylvania, we are experiencing record-high temperatures. It is so hot that my chickens are experiencing reduced egg-laying, and my goats' milk production has declined. The Bibbed Wonder reports to me each morning that the girls have "not made sh**." This is to be expected. We are not surprised or frustrated. It's too hot to want to do much of anything besides sit in the shade and try to stay cool. It is even too hot for the girls to have much of an appetite. My three grannies, Red, Lily, and little Merribelle don't finish their grain during their morning and evening feedings. We, too, are experiencing a lack of appetite. Our meals consist of small helpings of easily prepared foods like cheese and crackers, fresh fruit, stir-fried vegetables, and lots and lots of water. All three of us are always carrying around reusable water bottles filled with icy cold water.

With the hot temperatures and lack of appetite, nobody feels like cooking, let alone eating a heavy meal. I thought I would share a cool, light fruit salad recipe today. With The Bean's new willingness to try fresh fruit, the plentiful berry season, and the ease of this recipe, I thought it would be a good time to introduce this light, easy recipe. The berries are fresh and seasonal. With their high water content, consuming berries helps to keep one hydrated in the heat. The addition of Greek yogurt is good for digestion and packed with probiotics. This fruit salad is mildly sweet and very refreshing. Although it can be served right away, with the hot temperatures, I like to refrigerate it for a few hours. It does not hold up well overnight. Berries, especially very fresh ones, are quick to go limp and mushy. I suggest consuming it on the same day it's made. I hope you enjoy this simple, refreshing treat.

Greek Yogurt Fruit Salad

6-7 cups of fresh fruit (I like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and grapes)

1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt (I've also used Lone Oak Farms honey Greek yogurt)

8 ozs. low-fat cream cheese, softened

4 Tbls. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract ( I like Sweet Home Vanilla's vanilla extract)

Directions:

Wash the berries and fruit well, and allow them to air dry on a muslin towel or paper towel.

Combine the yogurt, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, add the fruit. Pour the yogurt mixture over the berries and gently combine using a large spoon or spatula.

Refrigerate for a few hours and enjoy.

We will be at our usual Saturday spot at The Ligonier Country Market tomorrow. It is going to be a scorcher. My gentle advice is to shop early in the cool morning hours. The market offers a large variety of fresh, local berries. Yarnicks Produce carries lovely fresh strawberries, and Sand Hill Berries always have gorgeous berries in interesting varieties. If you are local to Indiana, Stutzman's Blueberry Farm will be open for pick-your-own or pre-picked berries next week. Our strawberry season is winding down, but you still have a few weeks to enjoy fresh local strawberries. My gentle advice is not to wait too long. As strawberry season fades, blueberries make their beautiful and delicious debut. Our Blueberry Verbena soap and moisturizer will soon be available. Check out our friends at Stutzman's Blueberry Farm for all things lovely and blueberry. You won't find a more beautiful setting to enjoy picking fresh blueberries or a more lovely family to support local.

On this hot, steamy Friday, stay safe, be smart, enjoy simple, fresh, local produce, support your local farmers, stay hydrated, and keep washing your hands

Appreciating What You Have

I am, not unlike you, dear reader, goal-oriented. I feel that most of us have goals that we set for ourselves. These goals may be personal, professional, physical, or financial, but most of us have a goal that we are working toward. I strongly believe in setting goals, making a plan, and conquering those goals. I genuinely believe anyone can achieve anything they want with a plan, hard work, and commitment. Obtaining said goals may be challenging, but everyone is better off having something to work toward. That's just a bit of insight into how my mind works.

At the start of each new year, I crack open a new spiral-bound notebook and write down my goals for our business. My goals are written on the first page of that year's notebook, and I have to look at them whenever I open the notebook. This is strategically placed to keep my goals front and center in my mind. My yearly soap notebook also holds our soap year calendar, plans, designs for new soaps, scent blends that work, and sent blends I want to try. We jokingly call my notebook The Soap Bible, which is pulled from its storage space and reviewed frequently.

My personal goals are not quite so organized. Most of them are written in random notebooks I store around the house. I have a notebook for menus and recipes, a home cleaning notebook filled with ideas and schedules (which I usually don't adhere to for long), an idea notebook filled with every hobby under the sun I want to try, and a home design notebook filled with pictures, ideas, color swatches, and pages torn from magazines so I can remember rooms I admire and want to replicate. My notebooks are the butt of many jokes between myself and my child. Mock me as she may; she is also a list maker and notebook user.

Although I firmly believe in goal setting, I also firmly believe in appreciating what one already has, where one is on one's journey, and enjoying the path to getting where one wants to be. Appreciating the milestones we meet is essential, but respecting the time it takes to reach those milestones is more important. When I meet a milestone, I remind myself to look around, note who is with me, how I feel, and where I am, and reflect on the steps I have taken to get here. I try to think of it as a mental snapshot. It isn't easy to be mindful, at least not for me. However, as I get older, I realize there are things I want to enjoy, and I don't want to miss.

The first year I went to The Ligonier Country Market, I was new to the world of handmade artisans and live shows. The Bibbed Wonder and I practiced our tent set-up several times before our first market because we didn't want to look like amateurs. This was The Bibbed Wonder's idea. I am pretty comfortable flying by the seat of my pants. Amazingly, we fooled quite a few of the other vendors. Several asked if it was our first show and were surprised when we responded in the affirmative. I remember we sold between $50 and $100 in products. As long as we made our table fee, I would call it a success.

The day we sold $200 in products was a milestone for me. I took a mental snapshot of that day. I was in the car with Eric and Jordan. We were driving on Route 30 as I counted the money in our cash box. It was our sixth market (I think); I called GramBarb and excitedly reported that I had sold $200 in soap. I remember the conversation I had with Eric. It went something like: "Who would have thought that many people would buy my soap? If I can do $200 weekly, that is a nice side income." At the time, soap was just a hobby, but it became a small side hustle. As my sales slowly grew, I realized there could be real potential with my little side hustle.

Fast-forward to 2024: We are now in our 8th year as market vendors; my goal is set just a wee bit higher (insert a wink), we are now doing soap full-time as a family, and my side hustle is our sole source of income. To be transparent, I never thought we would do this full-time. I also never thought I would see the day when the gas industry died out (gas is what my dad did and where my husband worked before he became the soap-making Bibbed Wonder), but we were put on this path for a reason. This scenario reinforces my belief that everything works out how it is supposed to, and all will be well no matter what. Has it always been an easy journey? No. Is it scary as hell? Absolutely! Do I lose more sleep than I am willing to admit? Yes, ma'am/sir. However, is it worth it? Definitely. Do I love it? Most days, yes. Would I change it? Sometimes, I want to fast forward five years ahead to see where we are, but I remind myself to enjoy the journey. I try to remember to take a mental snapshot of milestones. I remember to appreciate where I have been and trust where I am going. When I feel like I am going backward in life, I remind myself that I have always wanted this kind of life, whether I knew it or understood it at the time. I try to remember to be appreciative that I am living my version of my dream.

It's good to have goals, and it's lovely when one meets a set milestone. However, it's most important to remember and appreciate what you already have. Don't become so focused on the end of the journey that you fail to enjoy the path along the way. Take those mental snapshots, bank them in your memory, and revisit them. It's essential to understand and review your journey.

Most importantly, be mindful of each step. I really should take my mental snapshots one step further and write them down while they are fresh in a new notebook. Perhaps I will put this idea on my goals list for 2025. It will be one more notebook for my kid to make fun of, but maybe someday, when I am dead and gone, she will enjoy perusing her mother's random, twisting thoughts. This, dear reader, is a journey you take with me almost daily. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

On this steamy, sultry first day of summer, stay safe, be smart, be mindful, enjoy the journey, take a mental snapshot, and keep washing your hands.

What I Love About Our Life

The herd polishing off the last of the autumn olive in the field

There is a lot to love about this life. I'm not speaking about my life specifically, but our collective experience, which we are gifted with for a short time. If you look for it, you will find joy, goodness, and light in every situation, interaction, and connection. Most of the time, I feel uncommonly blessed. As with everyone, I, too, go through seasons of doubt, frustration, and feeling misguided. However, as a whole, life is good, the blessings are abundant, and I feel happy, content, and at peace.

I recount these blessings every morning as I walk my canine best friend. How can one not feel blessed, happy, and at peace when gifted with the opportunity to live where I do? The small things put a smile on my face, brighten my day, and make me wonder about the universe's workings. When one thinks about the complexities of nature and how perfectly balanced our world is, one cannot help but feel awed. I note the small changes each day brings as time and seasons progress. The fragrant autumn olive has stopped blooming, and the fresh, green, damp scent of wild ferns, blackberries, and grape blossoms has replaced the lovely scent of the autumn olive. The once bare woodland floor is now lush, dense, and green with May apples, ferns, and lilies of the valley.

Our fields are bright green and thick, and green grass will turn to hay to be harvested to feed our small herd throughout the winter. Corn has been recently planted amongst the waning wheat, and peeks of green stalks are beginning to make their appearance. The wildlife are fat and healthy as they graze in our fields, hunt in the woodlands, and forage the treelines. The streams are running strong, and the water is plentiful for all. Our feathered friends who come to stay for the summer are thriving along with their little ones, who are no longer so little. The bullfrogs sing, the blue heron finds food and refuge at our ponds, and snakes, turtles, and lizards thrive and balance the ecosystem. All creatures have their place in the workings of nature.

My co-workers are not judgmental or narrow-minded but four-legged, loving, trustworthy creatures who add so much joy to my days. Walking with the herd to the pastures' outreaches brings me a sense of calmness and peace. There are few politics within the herd. Issues are handled swiftly and bluntly; there is no pretense, sneak attacks, or backbiting. One does not have to worry about what is being said behind their back when dealing with goats. If you annoy them, they bite you or headbutt you. It is evident when one is out of line and quickly reminded of one's place. Sometimes, I feel more attuned to my goats and how they handle issues than my fellow humans. My goats are by far the best group I have had the pleasure to work with.

Creating useful, high-quality, helpful products satisfies all facets of my personality. I get to be creative, do research, and pour my all into something that brings a smile to others. I am satisfied to know that something I create with care and love makes a difference to someone or improves their quality of life. It's just a little bar of soap, but when I receive messages, thank you cards, or have conversations with others who find relief or happiness from using my soap, it makes what I do feel worthwhile. It's the connection that is created that brings a smile to my face.

Knowing that my family gets to work together, stay together, and create something meaningful together is immensely satisfying. I love that we all work together to build something that sustains our family, hopefully creates a family legacy, and touches the lives of future generations. I am not a short-term thinker. When I look to the future, I am hopeful that what we are doing now will impact the lives of my daughter's future children, their children, and so on. I think I understand why my dad worked as hard as he did to build his business. He wanted to ensure that his present and future family would benefit from his hard work and sacrifice. It's a noble cause to try to build something for future generations. I can only pray to be as good of a person and a business person as my dad.

I gently encourage you to take a long, hard look at your life, your world, and your circle of people. Some days, it feels as though one has to look harder than others, but the blessings, joy, peace, and goodness are there. One does not have to look too long or too hard to find the light and wonder this life grants us. Embrace it. Nurture it and hold it tightly. You, too, are part of that beauty.

On this sultry summer-like day, stay safe, be smart, look for the wonder and beauty in the world, recognize it for what it is, and keep washing your hands.