I often become withdrawn and reflective in December. While the chaos of the holiday season is certainly upon us, the need to ‘do’ is less pressing for me. The garden is in a state of hibernation where less attention is best, the long days of summer activity are well behind us and the colder temperatures tend to keep us indoors a little more. This end of year lull offers the opportunity to reflect on what has worked, what hasn’t, and what has run its course. I am a woman of action and am most comfortable when engaged in movement and activity, but I have also learned that if I always plow forward in action, the action does not necessarily move me forward. In order to see new opportunities, I need to pause. Some years, not much needs to change and other years, a complete overhaul seems required. 2024 falls somewhere in the middle, with significant changes needed, but within the boundaries of what I’ve created at Table Root Farm over the past two and a half years.
The farmhouse has absolutely taken off as an Airbnb and I have found a surprising amount of joy in providing the ideal space to getaway, celebrate, and relax. The guests have felt the same sense of peace there that I have always experienced and as many of my younger guests have stated, ‘it just has the perfect vibe’. With this success, I am moving away from any regular cooking classes or scheduled events at the farm. I will continue to be available for requested classes and events, both at the farm when it’s available and at locations of your choice.
I plan to continue putting my heart into the Table Root garden and am looking forward to seeing what bugs, fungus, and weather accompany my journey to successful crops of produce and flowers. In order to reduce my workload around the garden, I am not going to be offering memberships or produce CSA’s in 2025, but will do my darndest to be sure the farmstand stays full throughout the growing season, offering healthy, organically grown produce and flowers to those who pass by or choose to seek us out. I will keep my social media sites up to date on what is available in the farmstand starting in the spring.
The most terrifying revelation this year has been that I am going to write a book. Whelp, I have actually written that down and when I press send on this email and publish on this blog post, I can’t take it back. I have wanted to write my entire life, but have always been scared to write ‘for real’. I am ready, ready to put in the work, to do the research and to be patient enough to make it happen, one day at a time. While I am in the most infantile stages of this process, I do know that this book will be, at least in part, a cookbook. And here is where I need help. Beginning early next year, I would like to start getting my recipes ‘cookbook ready’ and I am looking for 20-30 volunteers who can commit to cooking 1-2 recipes a week and providing feedback. I will provide a google form with each recipe that should take no more than 5 minutes to complete and will help to modify either the contents of the recipe or the directions for preparation. The majority of recipes will include modifications for dietary restrictions so don’t hesitate to volunteer, even if you feel like you have a restrictive diet.
You may be thinking that you cannot commit to being a recipe tester, but you’d still like to help this project move forward…or maybe not, but I’m putting that idea in your head! I fully expect this process to take years and in the meantime, I would like to build my social media following so that by the time the book is published, I have at least a handful of people, who feel invested enough in me, to purchase the book. So please follow me on Instagram and/or Facebook and like, share or comment on posts that interest you. I would also love to get feedback on what kind of content draws you in. If you are interested in being a recipe tester or have social media recommendations for me, please email me at your earliest convenience.
If you missed my latest blog post on Menopausal Nutrition, you can find that here. It helps to condense and simplify the abundance of information that is currently available to those of us lucky enough to be 40+!
I hope everyone is able to enjoy the holiday season and celebrate the New Year with optimism and joy, allowing us to focus our energies on the changes we want to make in ourselves and on the world around us.
All My Best,
Kalee