GOING DEEP

“I wanted to know more about who I am, and figure out where I wanted to go,” says Jay Wood, a recent participant in Hartford Family Institute’s Human Relations Training Program. Now celebrating its 50 th anniversary, Hartford Family Institute not only provides an array of counseling services to residents throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts, but also offers popular

Donna Berman training programs, including the Human Relations Training Program (HRP).

“HRP is a way to learn and grow with others. It is a complement to individual therapy,” explains Program Director Donna Berman. “The program enables people and gives them the tools to get in touch with and take responsibility for their whole selves—the light and the shadow—and to experience what it feels like to have acceptance for all of who we are.”

HRP uses the somatic wisdom of body-centered Gestalt therapy to help people understand and have compassion for themselves and, as a result, others.

“The whole point of HRP is to contain what we feel, not to suppress it, and to live in our own bodies and experiences,” Berman says. “If I’m feeling angry, I can say, ‘wow I’m feeling angry,’ instead of acting it out on someone.”

Berman, who spent just over 20 years in the program as a student, acknowledges that it changed her life. “It was like an earthquake,” she says. “Many long-held things I thought about myself got shaken to the ground. I felt liberated. To have the opportunity to share what I have learned and am continuing to learn, to help others along their way, is a true blessing.”

HRP participants come from all walks of life and from throughout New England and parts of New York state. In some cases, people drive several hours to attend. Since the pandemic, sessions have been held online. While that has meant less driving, the sessions still deliver the same amount of deep connection and learning.

“Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect going in,” says participant Aaron Wartner. “I was unsure of sharing my darkest struggles with a group of strangers. In the end, I’ve discovered just the tip of the iceberg. It helped me go to a deeper level of understanding in all facets of my life: personal, my career, my family relationships, my friendships. I was able to examine parts of my past and to let the things holding me back go. And I had the support of the facilitator and the group.”

Another participant, Cindie Caganello, agreed that the group format helps students grow with each other, and through that, grow yourself. "I developed bonds unlike anything before," she said. "It's like a light was turned on, and I became progressively more aware of the origins of my "issues"... but without any anger or blame, just awareness, clarity, hope. With that kind of knowledge comes the power to make positive changes."

Berman says, “The program is about teaching techniques that go inside, to make room for our feelings. Ultimately this is the only way find true peace. It is a way of knowing ourselves, feeling safe and being honest with ourselves and others. As soon as you are allowed to admit anything, you make room in yourself and bring acceptance to it, and the group helps you know that. It’s about being awake about how we feel and what we need.”

The HRP format begins with a kick-off weekend, which will be held September 26 and 27 this year. From then on, classes meet every Wednesday starting at 5:30 with a lecture from one of Hart ford Family Institute’s partners. The lectures focus on a range of topics, such as the basics of body-centered gestalt therapy, including the various character structures, the significance of dreams, “victimizers” (like the negative voices in our heads) and more. For each 90-minute lecture, the HRP participants are joined by stu dents from the Professional Training Program (developed specifically for therapists). After the lecture, there is a 30-minute break, and then students meet in their small groups of eight to 10 people for 90 minutes of discussion, therapy and mindfulness exercises.

Students also have the opportunity to choose from two weekend intensive workshops. The topics range from Animal Imagery and Healing Physical Pain to Bonding and Attachment.

“At Hartford Family Institute, we talk a lot about recognizing our defensive systems,” says Berman. “We come by them legitimately. We develop this armor to protect ourselves, especially during childhood. When we grow up, we forget that we are wearing the armor. Then as adults, we inadvertently keep people out because we can’t get past our armor. Inside we are someone who wants to connect.”

Stuart Alpert, PsyD, LCSW, and wife Naomi Lubin-Alpert, PsyD, LMFT, the founders of Hartford Family Institute, sought

to “create a unique place of warmth and welcoming,” says Alpert. Together, they developed Body-Centered Psychotherapy, a combination of in-depth body emotional work, energy healing, shamanic spiritual healing and trauma work.

Several years later they were joined by partners Donna R. Baker-Gilroy, PsyD,LPC, David Gilroy, PsyD, LPC, and Sylvia Gingras-Baker, MA, LMFT. Together, they have several publications, including Alpert’s Roads Back In Time, Seeing The Invisible and Healing The Impossible, and Transforming Relationships: Come As You Are by Gilroy and Baker-Gilroy. The partners have also lectured widely, including throughout the Northeast, and conduct workshops in various places including Kansas City, Santa Fe, and Germany.

Located in West Hartford, Hartford Family Institute has four associates in addition to 14 independent practitioners. “We’re thrilled to be celebrating 50 years of helping people to a better place,” says Alpert. He estimates that over 5,000 people have been a part of the HFI family over the years.

“Our professional programs are a cornerstone of the entire practice,” added Alpert. “We see many of our individual clients ‘graduate’ to the training program. We find that our students learn deeper self-acceptance, find greater meaning and purpose in life, clear old patterns and beliefs that are no longer useful, and develop stronger bonds with others.”

Organizers are hopeful that the 2020- 2021 program will, at some point, return to in-person meetings, but for now, the beginning of the year will be on Zoom.

According to Berman, “Whether in person or on Zoom, HRP is a rare opportunity to enrich your life, make deep connections with yourself and with others, to flourish and to blossom into the fullness of your own unique self.”

For more information about the Human Relations Training Program at Hartford Family Institute, visit HartfordFamily Institute.com/HRP. A free introductory session will take place on September 9 at 7pm. See ad, page 20.

presented by the Holistic Community Professionals

Sunday | November 1 | 10am - 5pm 75+ Exhibitors and Speakers! CDC-Compliant! DoubleTree by Hilton 42 Century Drive, Bristol, CT 06010

Speakers all day Donations Accepted Free Raffles • Drumming * All door donations to benefit: gRanD PRiZE: Hartford Hospital's Integrative Medicine

A Hilton Overnight Stay for Two! Angie’s Spa and CT Children’s Medical Center. For more information please contact:

Shirley R. Bloethe at 860-989-0033 Vendors apply at: yourholisticevents.com Email: yourholisticevents@gmail.com FB - Passport to Health and Wellness Expo

by Ariana Rawls Fine

To say we are living in unprecedented Start by “Deschooling” times is an understatement. Parents One of the first pieces of advice a veteran who expected to be sending their homeschooler will give those contemplatchildren to school in the fall are facing ing homeschooling is to start out with “dedilemmas in terms of both school safety schooling”. In the homeschooling world, and restrictions. The reasons run the gamut the term refers to giving children (and from apprehension about virus transmisparents) time to phase out of traditional sion to distance learning not working well schooling’s way of thinking and routines. to concerns about masking children all It is generally recommended that parents day to the frequent use of harsher cleaning deschool one month for every year of supplies to sanitize schools. Due to this, the traditional schooling. It allows children number of parents investigating homespressure-free time to pursue their own chooling as an option is growing exponeninterests, for parents to observe how they tially every day, and more guidelines are learn and for taking family trips that can being released by school districts as the new lay the foundation for a vibrant, engaging school year approaches. The good news is homeschool life for the whole family. that Connecticut is a great state for homes“If you are coming out of the school chooling families, whether it was a planned system, be gentle. Start slowly, have a perichoice or something being considered now od of deschooling, ease into studies,” says simply because of the current situation. Diane Connors, a founder of the Con

It is important to remember that honecticut Homeschool Network (CHN). meschooling is flexible by nature; parents With the current urgent interest in homesor guardians can adapt homeschooling to chooling, the top concern she is observing better fit their individual children’s learnis about time management. ing styles, attention spans, interests, family “People need to realize it doesn’t traveling needs, parental work constraints, take six hours a day to homeschool. A religious traditions and other aspects. key thing to keep in mind when planning There are also helpful options for suppleyour homeschool lifestyle is that there are mental education. supposed to be 180 days of schooling out of 365 days. We as homeschoolers have seven days a week to choose from, so 180 days really comes to 15 days a month,” says Connors. “We can have consistent ongoing learning that allows for family time, parents that work, extra activities outside the home and more.”

Once the decision has been made to homeschool, the first logistical step is to withdraw the student from conventional school. Connecticut General Statute 10-184 (find out more legal information at CTHomeschoolNetwork.org/ Home-Schooling/Link-Legal) covers what subjects the child’s guardian is supposed to cover. Other than that, Connecticut homeschoolers benefit from freedom from government oversight to find the best learning fit for each child.

If the student is already registered in a public school system, a letter of withdrawal must be sent to the local school district’s superintendent, according to CHN. It is highly recommended that the letter is sent as certified mail with a return receipt requested so that there is a signed receipt for the parents/guardians’ records. The child is subject to truancy laws until they are officially withdrawn. A school district may ask for a Notice of Intent to be signed; however, this is not a statutory requirement but rather a suggested procedure, explains Connors. The majority of parents withdrawing their children do not file the Notice of Intent nor do they submit an annual portfolio of student work for review; these are suggested practices but are not requirements (the link above includes reasons). If a child is transferring from another district, they need to be withdrawn from that district but do not need to file with the new school district. If a child has never been enrolled in a school district, no withdrawal paperwork is required.

Veteran homeschoolers advise not buying an expensive curriculum right away. Get a feel for how each child learns best. They may be a grade ahead in one subject and challenged in another, making a set-grade curriculum an inadequate investment. The

deschooling process grants adults the time to figure out a child’s interests as well as figuring out how each child best learns. By taking the time to observe, challenge and offer various learning opportunities to children before deciding on a curriculum, parents/guardians can find a collection of learning resources that fits each child.

Additionally, free or low-cost field trips can be incorporated based on subject lessons or a child’s interests. Many museums, centers, art studios and businesses have been open to creating classes. Common Ground (New Haven), Sticks and Stones Farm (Newtown), Mystic Seaport (Mystic), The Connecticut Historical Society (Hartford), Connecticut Science Center (Hartford), Old Sturbridge Village (Sturbridge, MA) and The Connecticut Audubon Society have held homeschool days or courses. Some are open to teaching classes to homeschool groups organized by parents. These excursions and classes have been an integral part of many homeschooling families’ school year. During this unusual time, check in with these places as they may have restrictions on how and what they are able to offer for Fall 2020.

The annual cost of homeschooling can vary greatly based on curriculum choices, memberships, learning and crafting materials and even travel. Once a curriculum has been chosen, check state and even regional/national homeschooling groups’ used-curriculum marketplaces first. CHN, for instance, has a marketplace group on Facebook where used resources are being sold by other parents. Vendors also will offer discounts on new curriculum.

Although borrowing materials from the library is a bit different now due to COVID-19-related safety measures, it is possible. The local library and the state book borrowing system are invaluable resources for homeschooling families as they offer free resources and books to supplement any curriculum. Audiobooks and DVDs can be beneficial for challenged readers or for more audiovisual learners. And audiobooks are great for learning while traveling in the car.

There are many ways to engage students in learning. Here are some of the possibilities: • Purchasing a box curriculum with all materials included • Buying a curriculum guide and then purchasing books and other resources separately • Doing unit studies to dig deep on specific topics of interest, which can incorporate math, English, science, social studies and other skill-building components into the learning • Subscribing to online education resources—such as

Time4Learning, Education.com, Khan Academy and others— in order to pick and choose workbook, game or online work sheet assignments according to each student’s level (and even attention span on a specific day) • Taking online video classes on a variety of subjects through sites such as Outschool.com or VarsityTutors.com • Joining a local homeschool co-op or group where parents collaborate on the structure, time commitment, topics and more

“The first thing you need to do as a parent is to change your mindset about what it is to learn. What does that look like for you? We set ourselves up for parental failure when we judge ourselves against the school model. That is not what homeschooling is about. Learning can happen any time,” explains Connors. “You can be out and about in the world and see something in a museum that coincides with what a child learned about geography or history on Netflix. They are connecting real life to what they are learning.”

Many homeschooling resources can be found through the Connecticut Homeschool Network (CHN), a local homeschooling support organization for parents with up-to-date information. Visit CTHomeschoolNetwork.org for more information. The organization’s CT Parents Seeking Homeschool Info group on Facebook offers prospective homeschooling families more specific information from other parents.

Ariana Rawls Fine is an experienced homeschooling parent and contributor to Natural Awakenings. She resides in Stratford.

Thousands of Years of Food Wisdom in Twelve Months The Institute of Sustainable Nutrition Offering a One-Year Certification Program in Sustainable Health & Nutrition This Innovative School Integrates the Science of Nutrition with:

Practicing Sustainable Preparing Traditional Learning Kitchen Identifying Nutrient-rich

Gardening Methods Kitchen Medicine Culinary Skills Wild Plants Embark on this life-altering journey and be part of the movement to change the paradigm of our food for future generations. Join our experienced staff one weekend a month as you use hands-on education to delve into and explore diverse aspects of how food and herbs enhance the health of your clients, friends, family, yourself and the environment.

Out, About, and

Beyond Four Walls

Two local nature-education programs—Two Coyotes Wilderness School and Common Ground—offer homeschooling parents weekly options for outdoor science enrichment. For those who decide to send their children to school, parents can work with their school district to apply for approval for their children to attend both programs’ science and nature education program one day a week.

With locations in Granby, Killingworth and Newtown, Two Coyotes Wilderness School (TwoCoyotes. org) offers a 35- week program and seasonal trimester wilderness-based mentoring options for 5- to 12-year olds from homeschool and traditional school backgrounds. They also have a Firekeeper program for teenagers and Coyote Pups classes for smaller children and their caregivers. All programs are held outside, except in inclement weather.

Students are immersed in plant and animal identification, scouting techniques, playing nature games, stewardship of the land, and much more. While younger students focus on forest mysteries, games and crafts, older students learn more advanced survival techniques. Each program varies based on the age of the group and the instructor’s specialty. Students are encouraged to develop qualities such as leadership, team building, emotional intelligence, resilience, confidence, expression, service and integrity.

“We are a low-risk environment for COVID. We have adapted activities to be less ‘on top of each other’ and we wipe down the little amount of gear that kids may be sharing,” says Stephanie Niles, Two Coyotes’ program director.

For the Common Ground environmental education center in New Haven, its year-long NatureYear group sizes will be modified based upon Connecticut’s final group guidelines. As of July, there were more than 200 kids interested in the program, which usually serves 140 students. The science learning and outdoor play program is almost entirely conducted outside with students, says Rebecca Holcombe, Common Ground’s executive director. A key component of the program is giving children time for unstructured, independent exploration and play in nature.

The weekly Family Nature Club Class offers environmental enrichment to families of children from 5- to 12-years-old while the Seedlings class focuses on the younger children. In addition, they offer the Kids Unplugged! after-school program from 3:15 to 5:30 p.m., several days a week (homeschoolers are welcome). Some activities are mixed-age groups and others are divided by age.

Common Ground will publish a weekly email starting in September to support the community with lesson suggestions, videos, outdoor activities, suggested hikes of the week and more.

Comprehensive, holistic healthcare in a relaxed, nurturing environment. Blending advanced diagnostic testing with safe, effective, time-honored healing arts for you and your family.

SERVICES OFFERED: Acupuncture Biofeedback Craniosacral Therapy Freqency Specific Microcurrent Therapy Homeopathy Naturopathic Medicine Pain Management Annual Exams Gynecology Exams

CONDITIONS TREATED: Acute & Chronic Endocrine: adrenal, thyroid, diabetes, and hormonal imbalances Cardiovascular Gastrointestinal Fatigue and Sleep Issues Weight Loss Programs Auto-immune disorders

CELC (CTExperiential.org) in Branford, Connecticut, is a small program, by design, with a 1:6 teacher-to-student ratio that focuses on project-based learning and includes different teaching artists instructing in the classroom and remotely from places such as Guatemala. They are planning to have in-person classes in the fall as well as options for virtual learning, says co-founder Melinda Alcosser.

There are still spots available for their weekly, in-person summer program. CELC is hiring additional faculty to offer more parents the CELC schooling experience for this coming school year. In their new design for Fall 2020, students who do not feel comfortable coming in person or who live farther away can learn remotely with those in the classroom or participate in a hybrid in-person/online alternative. Other options include homeschool Monday classes where students sign up for a trimester. Although masks will be required indoors, CELC provides opportunities to get students outside, where activities will not necessarily require masks.

CELC also will offer support for parents looking for middle school curriculum guidance. They are looking to hold online Zoom workshops about content, curriculum ideas and more in addition to private consultations with parents.

Disclaimer for all programs: Availability, class size, set up and more for all these programs are subject to change and contingent on guidelines published by the State of Connecticut.

New Milford’s Education Without Walls (EWW) is a micro-school, mainly geared toward homeschoolers, that offers large spaces and a teacher-to-student ratio of about 3-to-1. They create areas where students socially distance but also have their own workstations so they can remove masks (when moving around, however, they need to wear them). Spaces are cleaned continuously.

In addition, EWW (EducationWW.org) tries to create as many indoor/outdoor classes as possible, including yoga, stretching classes and movement outdoors. There are less than 24 enrolled in the high school program and fewer than 15 in the middle school program.

EWW offered online classes before the COVID-19 crisis, deploying Google Classroom to connect with students. Subject to changing guidelines, EWW will offer a mix of online and on-location classes. Options available for middle schoolers include core academics, cooperative education (co-op) and core academics/co-op bundle. Parents pick the types and numbers of classes with student input.

On the high-school level, EWW offers a plethora of subjects and accredited classes, transcripts and diplomas in addition to a dual-credit program with Post University. Students take the online classes at the New Milford location or with EWW teachers who are adjunct professors with the university.

Admission is rolling as space is available, and fees are calculated with a need-based sliding scale. Merit scholarships and incentive scholarships are available.

Workspace Education (Workspace Education.org) is a co-learning community comprised of families, educators and experts united to create the best personalized pathways for their children. In addition to a network of member families, community training and events and teambased competitions, it offers educational guidance to families with resources and trainings, tutors and specialists, workshops on curricula development, and an on-staff “dream director.” The Bethel location serves as both a virtual hub and interdependent co-learning space. Workspace Education utilizes a membership pricing model.

The center is tentatively planning on opening two days a week in the fall, enforcing social distancing and requiring masks inside the building. With a coronavirus spike predicted for mid-fall, they are prepared to go online fully if necessary.

Workspace Education is launching Workspace in the Sky, an online co-learning community in the cloud, to enable students to connect, collaborate and learn. The highly interactive site will offer online events and classes, a member comment feed, pathway mentoring, an educator portal, a co-creation studio, parental support and more.

In addition to enabling parents beyond the Connecticut area to utilize Workspace Education, Workspace in the Sky will be less expensive because it doesn’t require the on-site experience or its overhead. It will include three platforms: one for parents to organize and cocreate; another for 7-to 13-year-olds to cocreate, learn, participate in clubs and more; and the third to house portfolios.

Check the website for more detailed information in mid-August.

by April Thompson

Most gardens are loaded with thought of as being ornamental have delicious, nutritious food that edible parts. Hostas are a common one that goes uneaten and overlooked, Zachos loves to nibble on as much as the from edible greens like sweet potato leaves deer do. “You can harvest at a couple stagto flavorful flowers like tulips, marigolds es: First, when spears are poking up and and wisteria. Getting better acquainted with the leaves have not unfurled. A little later the edible parts of common backyard plants in the season, you can blanch them and opens up a world of culinary possibilities. put in a stir fry or quiche, or roast them as With continued concerns around potential you would asparagus,” explains Zachos. exposure to COVID-19, maximizing a garRoses are another multipurpose orden’s bounty while minimizing trips to the namental, with organically grown rose petals grocery store is an added benefit. making aromatic additions to sweet or spicy

“Food foraged from your backyard treats. Leaving the roses to decay after the first is fresher, tastier and cheaper than storefrost rather than dead-heading them yields bought food,” says Ellen Zachos, the Santa rose hips rich in vitamin C for teas and jams. Fe author of Backyard Foraging: 65 Familiar Plants You Didn’t Know You Could Eat. Tip-to-Root Eating “There is also the novelty factor. People Several common vegetables are edible from don’t expect to be served a BBQ sauce leaf to root, including broccoli, beets, chard made from crabapples or a curd made and radishes, says Josh Singer, a garden with flowering quince fruit. You simply specialist with the U.S. Department of Parks can’t buy those flavors.” and Recreation, in Washington, D.C., who

Many plants and trees commonly teaches classes on “alternative edibles” from

Intuitive Psychotherapist & Consu Combining the best of traditional ltant Combining the best of traditional psychotherapy w psychotherapy with intuitive guidance in ith intuitive guidance in working wi working with child th children, teens and ren, teens and adults. adults. Offices in Wilton, Westport and Fairfield. www.victoriashawpsychotherapy.com Offices in Wilton and Westport VictoriaSh www.victoriashawin awPsychotherapy.com • tuitive.com VictoriaShawIntuitive.com 203-254-3403 • vfshawphd @ gmail.com 203-254-3403 • vfshawphd@gmail.com the garden. “One of my favorite recipes is a hummus made with chard stalks in place of chickpeas. It’s so creamy and delicious.”

Singer also cites borage, passionflower and squash flowers as favorite floral foods. “Unfortunately, it does mean making a hard choice between having beautiful flowers in your garden and eating them,” he adds. “It can also mean the plant not producing fruit or vegetables, but you can hand-pollinate female flowers in the case of squash and just use the male flowers for cooking. They make delicious fritters.”

Marie Viljoen, author of Forage, Harvest, Feast: A Wild-Inspired Cuisine cookbook, has one tip for daylilies (Hemerocallis fulva) that overagressively multiply: eat them. “Daylilies are nose-to-tail eating: their tender, cooked shoots are as melt-in-yourmouth as leeks, and their firm, underground tubers are delicious snacks, raw or cooked. I like to roast them with olive oil, like mini-home fries,” says the New York City forager, instructor and chef. “Their buds are juicy snacks and their open, fresh flowers are edible—and stunning in a salad—but so are the older, dried flowers, the so-called ‘golden needles’ that one can sometimes find in Chinese stores.” Viljoen cautions that a small percentage of people have a bad reaction to daylilies, and they should be eaten in moderation, especially when trying them for the first time.

Lindsay-Jean Hard, a food writer in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and author of Cooking with Scraps: Turn Your Peels, Cores, Rinds, and Stems into Delicious Meals, points out some common fruits with edible greens. Strawberry greens can be used to make a pesto or flavor water. Tomato leaves can flavor a tomato sauce (sparingly, as they pack a strong taste)—a tip found in Harold McGee’s On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen.

Carrot tops and celery leaves also make great pesto, says Tama Matsuoka Wong, a New Jersey forager, chef and author of Foraged Flavor: Finding Fabulous Ingredients inYour Backyard or Farmer’s Market. While pea shoots have gotten to be a trendy item on many menus, Wong says they have long

been an off-menu item at Chinese restaurants. “You won’t find it on the menu, but Chinese people eat pea shoots instead of beans all winter long, often stir fried with sesame oil, garlic and bamboo shoots.”

Many scrappy cooks know to use garden produce that fails to ripen before the season ends or bolts too soon. Singer uses unripe tomatoes to make green tomato chili, muffins and bread, whereas Hard likes working with flowers from bolted herbs and greens, including arugula, basil, chives, chervil, kale, sage, rosemary and others. “I mainly use them as garnishes, but every year, I make a batch of chive blossom vinegar,” she says.

Leaving a plant like cilantro to bolt and flower not only feeds pollinators, but also provides free spices at the season’s end, says Singer. Simply let cilantro dry on the stalk, then gather the seed pods for home-harvested coriander seeds. Letting annuals go to seed (and saving the seeds) provides the start for next year’s food plot.

April Thompson is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C. Connect at AprilWrites.com.

Flower-ful

Feasts

This strikingly beautiful salad marries the sweet crunch of pea pods with crisp orange daylily petals and creamy cheese. Eat the flowers in moderation. 6 daylily flowers (Hemerocallis fulva) 2 cups snap peas or fresh garden peas in pods

2 Tbsp soft goat cheese (can substitute vegan cheese or leave out for a vegan version) 2 tsp toasted sesame oil 1 Tbsp aged balsamic vinegar 2 field garlic flower heads, separated

With a sharp knife, slit some of the flowers down the middle. (Remove the anthers and the pistil if following traditional Chinese preparation.) Top and tail the peapods if they have strings. Split half of them down the middle to expose the peas. Arrange the peas and flowers on a plate. If using cheese, crumble and scatter across the salad. At this point, the salad can be covered and chilled to make it ahead of time.

To serve, drizzle first the sesame oil, then the soy and balsamic vinegar, across the top. Finish with the field garlic flowers. Serve within 10 minutes.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Forage, Harvest, Feast: A Wild-Inspired Cuisine by Marie Viljoen, (Chelsea Green Publishing).

Yields: 6-8 servings 1 cup dried chickpeas 1 tsp baking soda Stems from 1 bunch kale 3 garlic cloves, minced ⅔ cup tahini 1 tsp fine-grain sea salt ⅔ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice Ice water Extra-virgin olive oil for serving The night before making the hummus, put the chickpeas in a large bowl, cover them with at least twice their volume of water and leave to soak overnight at room temperature. The next day, drain and rinse the chickpeas. Put them, along with the baking soda, in a medium-size pot over high heat. Stir constantly for about 3 minutes. Add 6 to 8 cups water until the chickpeas are covered by a few inches, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot and simmer until the chickpeas are very tender—45 to 60 minutes—checking on them occasionally to skim off any foam on the surface. Skim off any chickpea skins that float up as well, but there’s no need to try to remove the skins if they don’t come off. They were softened by the baking soda and will blend smoothly into the hummus. Meanwhile, fill another medium-size pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the kale stems and cook until they are very tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Drain them. Blend the kale stems, garlic and tahini in a food processor, scraping down the sides as necessary until well blended. Once the chickpeas are cooked, drain them, add them to the kale stem mixture in the food processor along with the salt and lemon juice, and process until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of ice water and process until the hummus is very smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add up to 2 additional tablespoons, one at a time, and process again as necessary. To serve, spoon into a shallow bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Note: The hummus can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. After thawing frozen hummus, we might need to adjust the seasoning—taste and add salt and lemon juice as necessary. Also, try this hummus with other scraps like Swiss chard stalks or cauliflower cores. Follow the same cooking method as outlined, boiling until very tender, 15 to 30 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Cooking with Scraps, by Lindsay-Jean Hard.

Natural Awakenings recommends using organic, non-GMO (genetically modified) and non-bromated ingredients whenever possible. More recipes at eNaturalAwakenings.com.

PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) Treatments & Adult Stem Cell Therapy Advances in Regenerative Medicine allow Dr. Henry Sobo to off er these cutting edge technologies.

wA natural and safe, non-surgical method for healing: • PRP for Hair Restoration • PRP for Arthritis/Joints • PRP for Erectile Dysfunction

w• Arthritis/joint problems–avoid steroids and surgeries. • Stem cells for your joints are being used by leading doctors and institutions around the country. • Stem cells are being applied for an expanding list of many other conditions.

uOther Services Offered by Dr. Sobo

IV Vitamin C and Nutrients Allergy Testing/Desensitization Anti-aging Medicine • Hormonal Health Thyroid • Dementia • Fibromyalgia MTHFR Genetic Mutation • Fatigue

inspiration in the cycles of life and the healing power of grounding practices like gardening, it could be. In hour four or five, I stumbled over something underneath a large moment any time I chose. laughing, cooking, music, connection with others and whatever we most need to feel alive. There is no predetermined path out of our suffering, except to abide by the firm conviction that we are obligated to create and maintain meaning and value in our everyday practices. Somehow, as the long quarantine impacted all of us, I have been blessed to Buddha in the Weeds connect with others who keep hope alive and push through the thorny weeds of fear and anger, greed and projection. I by Liz Driscoll Jorgensen less I need to buy and eat and become F or three years or so I had completely neglected my garden, as I stretched my limits of endurance with work and family duties, including caring for elders. I did only the bare minimum maintenance so that my muchloved plants and trees did not die. Quarantine gave me the time I needBuddha didn’t appear to suffer under the weeds; he was ready to be joyous and delight again if I was willing to dig him up. If you will allow me to extend this metaphor just a bit further, even relationships that have been hurt by neglect, anger and pride can sometimes be resurrected if we are willing to focus on our own weeds and attached. I have also learned that I can share my heart with others without concern for their acceptance or rejection and stay smiling in my heart, ready for hope to come around again. I wish for you the ability to find your own Buddha in the weeds and connection in the present as we travel on together. ed to address the thorny, weedy mess that engulfed my gardens. With determination and all-natural bug spray, I began the task of “digging out”. As I was carefully separating precious perennials from invasive species and weeds, I remembered how joyful gardening was, and what an intense workout “injuries”, digging them up to examine if we were too harsh, too frightened or almost gave up hope for others. As long as we are open to possible healing, the Buddha waits under the brush. Even as we face continued uncertainty and the real threat of illness and loss, we can find our own small, joyful moments Liz Driscoll Jorgensen is a psychotherapist and spiritual seeker who has been on the path of recovery for almost 35 years. She is the owner of Insight Counseling, llc, in Ridgefield CT and can be reached by email at Liz@insightcounselingllc.com or through InsightCounselingLLC.com. See ad, page 17. tangle of debris, a well-loved and worn Introducing… statue of the Laughing Buddha. His smile THE ANGEL WING, was eternal and his belly round, although A DIVINE SPIRITUAL CENTER he was half-covered in moss, and encircled by vines. Even though I knew he was 51 Ethan Allen Hwy (Rt 7), Ridgefield, CT The Angel W for individu workshops, c ing is available to al or group sessio lasses, retreats, o r n r ent s, for underneath my neglected garden, and I still had days of labor to go, finding him gave me a wonderful lift. A U th n e PURVEYORS OF POSITIVITY ique Lifestyle Boutique Featurin first Shungite Room in the USA. g any medi and a l therapeutic practice including yoga, tation, reiki, massage, musical events more. Optional rental spaces include arge open room and/or an intimate ,

No matter what my journey—painHOME • BODY • SOUL private room with massage/reiki table. ful as it was as I cared for my father • Wide selection of crystals & jewelry towards the end of his life, sad as I have • Candles, essential oils, incense & soap been over the state of the world and • Feng Shui & home decor instability in people I had loved and relied on—I knew this was a lesson: My spirit was always ready to be renewed. I could • • Spiritual gifts, statuary, decks, books & c Private & group readings, reiki, guided meditation, sound therapy & energy wor a k rds ( 49 Loc Ethan Al ated next len H door wy (Rt to The 7), An Ridgefi gel Coo e p ld, CT erative) let go and be present in this precious 203-431-2959 • WWW.THEANGELCOOP.COM have learned so much about how much