Breathe Deep Productions

Chris to Read His Children's Story at South Whidbey Libraries

2012-01-10T01:09:00.005-06:00

Come and hear Chris read from his adventurous children's story, "A Dragon Rose," the tale of a fearless knight who, while on a quest to slay a dragon, happens upon someone, both strange and unexpected.

The story won first prize in the children's literature category in the 2011 Spirit of Writing Contest sponsored by The Whidbey Island Writers Association.

He along with some of the other award winning writers will be reading at libraries in South Whidbey over the next few weeks.

Thursday January 12th 7pm Langley
Saturday January 14th 10:30am Clinton
Thursday January 25th 7pm Freeland

Biodynamic Gardening Class on Whidbey Island

2011-09-14T19:02:00.001-05:00

Biodynamic Gardening and Farming
Workshop for Beginners
with Chris Korrow

Gardening with biodynamics and understanding what nature is telling us about our gardens.
Plus, making and spraying biodynamic preparations, Barrel Compost and Horn Manure (BD #500).

When: Saturday, September 24, 2011, 11am-early afternoon

Where: Langley Community Garden
(Anderson Family Farm: 1041 Al Anderson Ave, Langley, WA 98260), Whidbey Island

Call: 221-0430 (local) or 270-406-9116 (mobile)
Email: 90acres@accessky.net

Bring: A chair if you think you might need one, sun hat and water.

Cost: Fee by donation. Farm interns are free.

Chris has been farming and gardening organically and biodynamically for more than 20 years.
Learn more about Chris at www.breathedeepproductions.com

Random Localness

2011-09-02T16:57:00.004-05:00

This yummy sauce is made here on Whidbey Island.

Gabbi and I picked blackberries today, she made tarts and cobbler.

Chris picked this horsetail yesterday, so we brewed up a big vat of tea for the garden. It's one of the nine biodynamic preparations, also known as BD #508. It helps combat fungus and mold, and regulates water forces. We'll spray it on plants, and use some in the compost piles.

Amy gave us these big green apples from her tree on Maxwelton. I can't remember what they are called. They taste like a yellow apple! So crisp and sweet.

Local Food Challenge or Boy Am I Glad Washington is a Wine Producing State

2011-09-01T01:00:00.008-05:00

—Christy Korrow

September, (starting now!) Chris, Gabe and I are participating in Transition Whidbey’s local food challenge to, as much as possible, eat foods grown within a 100 mile radius of our home on South Whidbey Island, Washington. Mind you, I have only lived here for six weeks, so I thought this challenge would be a good chance to learn more about our local food shed, and the rest of the family agreed to give it a try.

I also want to use this challenge as a chance to become more aware of what we eat in general. I expect it will be an interesting exploration and take me to the next level with my commitment to making the right food choices and remind me of the social and economic consequences of my and my family’s food choices.

I don’t want to attempt to eat “only local” for the month, instead I want to use the challenge time to examine my non-local food choices, and to discover new food choices that we can integrate into our family diet for a long time to come.

We are blessed to grow all of our own vegetables in a community garden within walking distance from home. Right now we have plenty of potatoes, chard, spinach, lettuce, carrots, onions, green beans, beets, what else...assorted herbs, cucumbers, zucchini. Right around the bend, we’ll have kale and collards with broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage coming on before winter. This seems to provide us with more than enough variety of vegetables. We buy an occasional avocado and also fruit. Neighbors and friends either give us eggs or we trade for produce.

Last month we ate a lot of bing and Rainier cherries (organic were available for almost the same price as conventional). Now plums, pluots and peaches are all for sale at the farmer’s markets. Since I am new to the area, I am not sure how long these fruit trees of Eastern Washington continue to produce. Blueberries from Oregon have been for sale at the grocery store, and yesterday, a friend brought by some apples from her tree.

With all of that, we still eat a lot of food that we don’t grow, and there are a number of foods we eat which might or might not be available locally.

I am hoping to meet with Georgina, a woman who is producing kamut, hard winter wheat and barley on a seven acre plot in the historic Ebey’s Landing National Historic Preserve. While her land is not Demeter Certified Biodynamic, Georgina uses biodynamic farming practices. I’d like to buy some locally grown wheat from her, although I have no grinder, so I am not sure how we will put it to use. I think she offers flour. The barley we could put in soups.

I spent over an hour on the internet trying to find out how to buy lentils grown in the Palouse region Eastern Washington, even though it is the (self-proclaimed) lentil capitol of the world and home to the National Lentil Festival. I finally did find a couple of sources, but nothing organic so far. Go figure.

So the challenge begins!

Happy Birthday From Far Away

2011-08-28T22:44:00.003-05:00

Chris is getting ready to play Kaysha one of her favorite songs for her Skype birthday party..."Milk Thistle" by Bright Eyes.

Someone Left the Package Out in the Rain

2011-08-18T00:08:00.011-05:00

—Christy Korrow

Today when I went to the post office, the prized proofread copy of the fall issue of LILIPOH magazine had arrived in the mail. I knew it because of the red card in my PO Box. I took my tag and handed it to the lady working behind the counter. She presented to me my Express Mail package encased in a plastic bag, stamped with the words “We Care.”

Normally, the cardboard envelope was not surrounded in plastic. As I picked the package up, it went limp. It was soaking wet. I could see through the clear wrapping that the envelope was torn. The postal looked at me with compassion, “It arrived that way,” she said. She also noted that it arrived late, which meant that Caryl, our proofreader, could obtain a full refund of the $18 dollars it cost to insure the package arrived in my hands the day after she’d mailed it.

Now, for years I have been studying the process of thinking, watching thoughts arise, trying to be mindful and awake to the understanding that thoughts are realities and have an impact on the physical world. I noticed what was surfacing in me as I held my soggy pile of important papers. I was annoyed. Pissed. Discouraged. A refund just wouldn’t be good enough. Someone had to make this right.

I walked home, and peeled the package open for closer inspection. The pages were damp all the way through, but luckily, not to the point where the ink had run. The copy was still legible. I pulled each article apart and spread them out across the living room floor, near the open front door so the air blowing in would help them dry quickly.

As it was, I was running late. I was headed out to attend Just Write for the first time, a writer’s group in Coupeville hosted by literary agent Andrea Hurst. I brushed off my annoyance and rushed out the door.

On the 30 minute drive north to the midpoint of the island, I thought about the following:
My package was wet, and though the label on the outside said “We Care,” the subsequent fine print said, in so many words, “We’re sorry, but mistakes happen.” I can understand that sometimes a machine might tear up an envelope, or a piece of mail might get lost. But this—this was clearly the result of someone who did not care, someone who was sloppy or negligent. So here I was, a mind full with negative thoughts (as opposed to mindful). At least I noticed that much.

Later, I began to wonder about the man or woman who’d mishandled my package. What kind of day might he or she been having? Underpaid, overworked, feeling pressures of family, economy—while here I sat, in the sun, on the Coupeville wharf writing this blog post. As I looked out over the water, the wet manuscript suddenly didn’t bother me one bit. This unnamed postal worker had a careless moment, and it resulted in a wet package. But then, I had personalized the unfortunate experience.

Thankfully, I realized I had a choice. Did I want to say “yes” to the negative thoughts I was having toward this person, when, by thinking them, I was only solidifying the truth that this person disappointed me and negatively affected my experience? OR did I want to hope for a healthy, happy, peaceful life for this person who maybe did not have the presence of mind to care about my package?

By saying “yes” to caring about the individual, I did something for myself. I released myself from reliving the idea that I am a victim, that I am merely the object of someone else's circumstances. By changing my thoughts, I freed myself from recreating a negative reality (“Why did you do this to me?”), and instead, retrained my attention, my thoughts, onto a mental picture of “I wish you well.”

An interesting inner shift. It might not change the reality of this other person, who I don’t know, but it has changed mine by giving me a more compassionate vantage point, and a softer, more humane point of attraction. So, for that, I thank the postal worker who left my package out in the rain.

PS Suggested flower essences to support our best self in this kind of situation to come soon!

Gabbi and Christy's travel haikus

2011-07-13T21:00:00.003-05:00

Gabe and I wrote haikus as we traveled Hwy 50 across Kansas and Colorado, then on up to Idaho and Oregon. We would each select the topic for the other. — Christy

July 2011

Tattered —CK
Wind blows across grass
Finally reaching my yard
Torn flag points the way

Travel —GK
Carried down this road
that stretches out like a prayer
asking for a map

Vindicated —CK
My word was not loud
I got my message across
I can now move on

Mountains —GK
Oh the looming walls
taunt me to scale the brown earth
I climb toward the sun

New Faces —CK
I cannot find you
No one looks familiar
I once knew them all

Colorado —CK
Acres of sage brush
line roads that look wet from sun
The mountains are close

Sangre de Christo —CK
Pilgrims reach the sky
Saints live high in these mountains
Dust devil follows

Four at the hot springs —CK
Red tape stuck to glass
Wind makes it crackle and move
Pieces of windmills

Spacious mountains span
distances and horizons
A bird flies across

Red, yellow, purple
Flowers shout out their colors
Desert sands listen

Ghosts in tee pees hear
desert rabbit run through brush
Ears above cactus

Baker City, OR —GK
Empty town houses
looked perfect from the surface
Quiet streets were home

Cows —CK
One calf leans under
Drinks milk in Oregon field
Cascades watch the herd

Leaving Home —GK
Suitcase packed with dimes,
I’m leaving the fields I’ve known
for copper windows

Summer Heat —CK
Road so hot and black
makes eyes turn to red flowers
Warm winds blow them closed

Railroad Tracks —GK
Wrapping round the hill,
my ear to the steel waiting
for ground to tremble

Red Lipstick —CK
Lying alone, deep
under the ground, white, but for
her lips still so red

Flower Essences: Calm Down, Catch Up

2011-05-26T11:21:00.012-05:00

As a busy editor who also works in various other sectors of publishing, I wanted to share the following flower essence combination with any of you who are also multitasking your way through the world, and at times find it all to be a bit too much. Typically a remedy is taken on an as-needed basis as acute situations arise by putting 2 drops into a glass of water and sipping it throughout the day, or for ongoing situations, 2 drops, 4 times per day is a standard recommendation. Remedies can be purchased at local health food stores, or ordered over the internet. I can do a session with you over the phone, drop me a line if you are interested. christy@accessky.net

Elm

Elm is the remedy for those of us who take on a lot of responsibility, but then begin to feel that the responsibility is too much, and who feel that our confidence begins to slip. Thoughts such as -- how can I ever accomplish all of this? I am on over my head, and I am not going to be able to do a good job with all of this, I’ve overcommitted myself and the quality of my work is going to slide -- are indicators that Elm is in order.

Elm will help to bring about a sense of balance, and a renewed sense of feeling as though you are on the right track, and the work load will be placed in its proper perspective. Mechthild Scheffer notes that the stress of the Elm state is the higher self calling for moderation, and on some level this stress we are experiencing is a warning to us -- we are not meeting the demands of our own soul.1 It is helpful during times like this to visualize or picture a task completed, this is especially effective at bedtime, right before sleep. When we sleep we connect with spiritual beings who assist us on the astral plane and help us work out our problems. Our impatient and doubting ego is out of the way, and all the voices that say “I can’t” are quieted during the night. When you wake up in the morning, quietly pay attention, and notice if you are receiving a solution or resolution to an issue from the pervious day, or sink in to the sensation of knowing you are capable of meeting your responsibilities. This exercise enhances the effects of Elm.

Hornbeam

Hornbeam is for when we feel mentally overwhelmed at the thought of all that we have to do. Where Elm will help us regain confidence with our responsibilities, Hornbeam will bring about an inner strength and knowingness, an enthusiasm. For it is with enthusiasm that we can accomplish great things.2 We can accomplish things with sheer mental will, but this is not sustainable. When the intent behind our actions is lined up with the mission of our higher self (one of love and service), a strength comes from this, and we can trust in the outcome of a plan larger than ourselves.

Once we trust in something larger than ourselves, we can relax into our daily demands, and know that each situation is bringing about the best for our highest good. It is helpful to pick on or two doable actions, and without further contemplation, just do them--this sets a flow in place where momentum can build on the feeling of having actually accomplished something. This sets off a domino effect where things seem to become accomplished on their own, or with very little effort, a person you are waiting to hear from calls you, a project is approved with no hassles, people are early on deadlines--there is an ease and a flow to the tasks at hand. Activities that takes us out of the mind like exercise, yoga, mediation, and time in nature are additional remedies for the Hornbeam state.

Chestnut Bud

Now, this is interesting. On the surface, Chestnut Bud helps those who continue to make the same mistakes over and over, and fail to learn from the lessons that life, God, the universe is trying to teach. But, when we go a little deeper, and look into why it is that we are met with the same kind of repeated lessons again and again, we see how this is often an issue of attention, of paying attention and of awareness. So often, we don’t move through life in an awakened way. If we are too busy and as a result too scattered, we aren’t fully incarnated into the moment, we skim the surface, going through the motions, while in our thoughts we have already moved ahead to the next task. This can quickly spiral out of control, not only do we not get the most out of our experience, we never feel fully alive because we are concentrated not on the NOW, but on the future, which doesn’t exist yet!

Chestnut Bud cultivates the inner experience of being in the moment, and the simultaneous experience of higher self awareness (our higher self is the part of us connected with that which is eternal, so when we let go of our worries of the past and future, the part of us that is constant can live in our consciousness). Deep breathing and stretching are both helpful body-based ways to help us slow down and integrate into the body--a solid representation of the now.

When we are filled with enthusiasm, balance and self-awareness, our thoughts are free from angst, stress, judgement (you get the picture). Our thoughts then vibrate at a higher level, which means that all of our bodily molecules are vibrating at a higher level. The result? Our gifts to the world are more evident and generous, we shine, and the world begins to shine back on us. The resistance which kept us apart from that which we were trying manifest, accomplish and attract has now dissipated.

—Christy Korrow

Scheffer, Mechthild. Bach FlowerTherapy: Theory and Practice, Healing Arts Press, 1988, p. 83.
Steiner, Rudolf. Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture, Bio-Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association, 1993.

For those not so familiar with flower essences, here is an excerpt from an article that appeared in the Winter 2011 issue of LILIPOH magazine, “Flower Essence Therapy: Blossoming to Wholeness with Plant Energies” by Elizabeth R. Mackenzie, PhD.

FET: The Inside Perspective

From the point of view of the FET practitioner, the essences are all about energetic vibration. According to [flower essence practitioner] Rhoni Groff, “Flower essences are made in water and begin with prayer.” Practitioners point to the unique properties of water, which is known to be an excellent conductor of electrical energy, as the reason the vibration of the flower is able to extracted and stored. They cite the work of Masaru Emoto, the Japanese researcher who demonstrated that water crystals appear to reflect the attributes of positive or negative words as evidence that water transmits energy.

FET practitioners believe that the spirit of the plant transfers to the water, which can then be preserved as a tincture, and that when the client imbibes the tincture, the energetic essence of the blossom interacts with the client’s vibratory field to catalyze changes in consciousness. Groff puts it this way, “Flower essences carry a high vibration, and through the process of resonance they raise vibrations with our chakra system.” As with the idea of entrainment, similar vibratory fields are drawn to one another, so that a person attracts people and events based on his or her vibratory rate. The basic idea is that a person with a relatively low rate of oscillation will end up surrounded by other persons with low vibrations, and vice versa. In this worldview, raising the rate of vibration becomes an obvious good for all with important healing implications for both the individual and the collective.

For most FET practitioners, the main goal is to use the energetic healing forces of the plants to help clients free themselves from habitual patterns and beliefs that no longer support growth.

¹ See www.hado.net.

²See www.GiftoftheFlowers.com. Rhoni Groff works with clients by telephone as well as in person.

On Obtaining Nutrients from Plants

2011-04-25T17:22:00.002-05:00

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OBTAINING NUTRIENTS FROM PLANTS AND ANIMALS

—Christy Korrow

“There are no nutrients in animal-based foods that are not better obtained by plant-based foods.” —Dr. Colin T. Campbell

This is a surprising statement to many, but a basic study of nutrition shows that this is actually true. Both animal and plant foods contain essential nutrients required for human health, for instance, both contain fats, protein and calcium. But, once one analyzes the metabolism and subsequent function of nutrients from both sources, a marked difference can be observed between plant and animal-based foods as sources of nutrition. The scientific studies of Dr. Campbell have shown that, once metabolized, plant-based foods are the optimum source of nutrients for human beings for creating health, including an optimum source of protein. Though nutrients work in concert with each other, and not in isolation, we can learn a lot by examining the function of individual nutrients.

Nutrient quality

Protein: The research of Dr. Campbell and his associates showed time and time again how, even though animal protein is thought of as high quality protein, once metabolized, the function of animal proteins have the ability to foster the growth of cancer and the catalyze the formation of cholesterol. Whereas plant proteins showed the opposite—tumor growth was arrested in laboratory tests where animals with cancer were fed plant proteins, and those people who ate plant-based diets had low cholesterol rates—the data from The China Study confirmed these findings.

Fiber: One reason that plant-based foods are an optimum source for nutrition is the high fiber content. High fiber diets are correlated with lower rates of colorectal cancer. Meats and other animal products do not contain fiber. Though we do not produce the bacteria and enzymes to break down the molecules in fiber (as do ruminants), this unbroken down fiber remains in the intestinal lumen and performs important health-related functions in the body. Different fibers have different activities, for example, fiber will bind up unwanted substances such as chemical carcinogens, other toxins and bile acids, and remove them.

Fiber also we helps us manage the rates at which we absorb sugars and other nutrients into the bloodstream. As the body attempts to digest the fiber, more enzymes come in and this slows down the digestive process, thus metabolism is regulated, and nutrients enter the blood stream at a more controlled pace, will not spike blood sugar, etc.

Antioxidants: Evident in the beautiful colors in plants, antioxidants are manufactured by plants as a mechanism of self-protection to counter the formation of free radicals, rouge molecules which cause cell damage and are harmful byproducts of photosynthesis. Humans also generate free radicals as a result of aging, and exposure to agricultural chemicals and environmental toxins—to name just a few of the ways. Free radical damage can lead to many many diseases, ranging from cancer to cognitive disorders. But, unlike plants, we do not generate our own antioxidants. Meats, on the other hand, do sometimes contain small amounts of antioxidants if the animals has eaten plants and stored them. More significant though, is that meat and animal products actually “tend to activate free radical production and cell damage.” (The China Study, p. 219) Therefore, not only do animal products not aid us in the defense against free radical damage, they add to our free radical load. Clearly, plants can’t be beat for their generous doses of health-bringing antioxidants.

ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A VEGAN DIET AND A PLANT-BASED DIET

Based on people I have known, many who have adopted a vegan diet have done so for moral reasons, and may or may not have a strong interest in or understanding of health and nutrition. There is the likelihood of a vegan diet to be high in soy products and gluten based meat substitutes which have been shown to cause adverse health and digestive conditions in some people. There are no parameters indicating that a vegan diet should be primarily based in vegetables and fruits, therefore a vegan diet can include refined cards, sugars and processed foods, or it can mean a strictly plant based whole foods diet as described in The China Study.

On the other hand, those who adopt a plant-based diet, and who try to include a high percentage of raw fruits and vegetables in the diet, typically have a strong interest in nutrition. Many people have come to a plant-based diet because they had chronic health problems, did not get results with pharmaceuticals. In this case the plant-based diet is actually a therapeutic measure. And while the science in this course shows that an optimum diet would contain no animal products, there are no hard and fast rules. A person would ideally have the understanding of the nutritional values of the food they eat, and are therefore able to at least make an informed decision if they did decide to continue to eat meat in some capacity.

I can’t speak from experience, but I doubt there are many vegans who stay on an unhealthy vegan diet for the longterm, I would imagine that the results of the diets would manifest in low energy and possibly other health problems, which might prompt further exploration into nutrition.

So....what's next? Get eating and better yet, get growing! Chris has a nifty little booklet that only costs $5 called The 30 Square Foot Garden, it teaches you how to turn a patch of lawn into a patch of green edibles.

Farm Supplies For Sale

2011-04-18T07:26:00.002-05:00

SOLD

Solar fence charger $120

T Posts $2.50 each (32)

Cattle panels x 2 $12 each

Plastic step in fence posts $1 each

Flexible electric fence tape 600 ft. $15

3/4 of a roll 4 ft high roll chicken wire $15

100 gallon stock water tank $30

Elec web goat/sheep fence 164 feet $30

Deep well pump $80

Tractor cultivator $200

90acres@accessky.net

270-406-9116

4 Reasons to Eat Plants

2011-04-14T23:12:00.001-05:00

Hello,

This is part of an assignment for a course called Nutrition Fundamentals, part of a series of courses in Plant-Based Nutrition (nutrition as a science and a component of medicine, to both maintain health and prevent disease) authored by Dr. Colin Campbell, which I am taking through eCornell. Dr Campbell is Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University (wow!) and many people know Dr. Campbell for his seminal work, published as The China Study, considered the largest and most comprehensive study of health and nutrition ever conducted. What I love about the course is the data and science to back up every claim!

Christy

My motivation for taking this course is my desire to be able to communicate clearly the facts and science behind the health benefits of a plant-based diet.

My strategy for provoking interest in this topic is to first begin with myself, and lead by example, and eat a plant-based diet as the basis for keeping myself in optimum health. As many have already mentioned, it is detrimental to push new ideas on a person who is not open to them. Additionally, if that person is already in the midst of an illness, he or she is struggling with so much already, therefore it is best to always leave people free to make their own choices, and understand that we might not always know what is best for another, and to still treat him or her with kindness and compassion.

Alternately, to those looking for answers, a few of the most convincing arguments for adopting a plant-based diet as a way of bringing about health are: it’s inexpensive; no side effects; it’s scientifically proven; it not only benefits your health, but also the health of the world.

It’s inexpensive:

As Dr. Campbell stated, we are currently spending more in the US per capita on healthcare than any other country in the world. Yet, we are not getting better health for all of this spending. We have been using costly pharmaceuticals for the last 50 years, substances which can only provide us with short term benefits, as we can see from the continued increase in disease rates. There is no evidence that these expensive treatments are bringing disease under control, and in fact cancer, obesity, diabetes and heart disease are all on the rise.

No side effects:

Medical care itself is the third leading cause of death in the US (with prescription drug adverse affects accounting for 106,000--almost half according to the JAMA).

Science:

Adopting a plant-based diet is not a fad, there is substantial scientific data showing the progress of plant-based diets in not only preventing, but reversing advanced late stages of heart disease—an example of the power of the dietary effect. Though the scientific community resisted accepting this, it is no longer disputable that advanced cases of heart disease can be reversed. Data has also shown that in societies where a Standard American Diet has crept in, high in meat and processed foods, a simultaneous rise in the diseases of cancer, diabetes, obesity and heart disease has been evidenced. Diet is a proven risk factor for both cancer and diabetes.

Worldwide implications beyond your own health:

By adopting a plant based diet, you are not only doing something for yourself, you are doing something for others. There are environmental, economic and political and implications to large-scale industrial meat production—ranging from overuse of resources, pollution, and disenfranchisement of peasant cultures.

Taking responsibility for your own health can be a big step for some, though the rewards are great!

HD Camcorder For Sale

2011-04-12T17:24:00.003-05:00

SOLD

Canon VIXIA HV30 MiniDV High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

$365

I've only used this as a second camera to my Canon A1 and as an occasional capture deck. In great shape, works great.

Link
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-HV30-Definition-Camcorder-Stabilized/dp/B00114PN1U

Canon, HD Video, Canon Lens

Email: 90acres@accessky.net

Eagles Are Beautiful

2011-03-25T12:04:00.003-05:00

Chris took these eagle pictures yesterday at Ebey's Landing on the west coast of Whidbey Island.

Chris has Camera for Sale

2011-02-25T12:16:00.003-06:00

SOLD

Canon 50D Excellent condition (approximately 11,000 shutter clicks)
18-55 IS Canon Lens (or a Tamron 18-200 for $100 more)
3 Batteries
Canon TC-80N3 Remote & Intervalometer
2 - 8 GB CF Cards
Lowepro Case
Original box, manual etc.

$800
$900 with 18-200 lens
Shipping is extra

Email: 90acres@accessky.net
or call 270-406-9116

Horses Need New Parelli Home

2011-02-21T14:19:00.002-06:00

SOLD

Hello,

I am working in Level 3 (passed my Level 2 assessment). We are selling our organic farm and moving out of state. Unfortunately this means I have to re-home my three amazing horses. This link will take you to my parents blog, where you can see some photos.

http://breathedeepproductions.blogspot.com/p/horses-looking-for-new-home.html
We have lived on an organic farm for 20 years, the horses are healthy and well cared for. I have done western pleasure and trail riding. I have invested a lot of time in these special horses and would really like to find a Parelli home for them.

Please call me with any questions,

Gabrielle Korrow
Burkesville, KY

My phone number is 931-252-4301

We live in Burkesville, in southern Kentucky, near Dale Hollow Lake. On the TN/KY border, due north of Cookeville.

At this point best offer will be taken, we really need to find them a new home ASAP!

Oliver (Ollie): Friendly, Loving Paint Gelding
I have had this horse since I was ten (for seven years). He is 10-11 years old. He is the horse I used to certify my Parelli, Levels One and Two. He is very smart and attentive. Ollie is a full bred Quarter Horse, we just don't have his papers --we have had him almost 7 years. He is very well balanced, good woah and go. Not extreme left or right brain. Just a really fun, smart horse! Friendly, Ollie, our gelding is a hair under 15 hands

Rosie Cotton: Adorable Four-Year-Old Fillie
Rosie the Buckskin--born here--she will turn 4 on March 21, 2011. She is the daughter of the white standard bred mare who was bred to a black Tennessee Walker. Since she has grown up with me from the beginning, her curiosity is very pure, she has an amazing amount of trust and interest in people. Very balanced as well , an amazing partner!!

She is ready to take her Level One assessment, though a lot of her work is already Level Two (I refer to old level one and two). She is just a darling of a horse! If you meet her, you're bound to fall in love! She comes running to the gate when called. Born on our farm, was raised with Parelli. She is almost like something out of a Disney movie. Call her name and she comes running. Can do tricks. Saddle broke, ready to take her Parelli Level One assessment. Very curious and interested. Huge amount of potential. A joy to be around. Gorgeous buckskin with black mane and tail. Rosie is 15 hands.

Lucy: Lucy is our 11 year old standard bred. She is the sweetest thing! She is a little timid and shy. And tends to be more right brain then the others, but after a little warm up she is trusting and confident and really wants to impress! We have had her for 5 years, and she is the mother of Rosie. Takes a while to get to know her, but once you do, you are sure to fall in love with her. Has been a wonderful mother. Well broken, just needs some brushing up since she hasn't been ridden much lately. Sensitive and alert. Ready to assess at Parelli Level One. Lucy, the white mare is 14 hands.

None of the horses are shoed at this time, all are comfortable having their feet trimmed. Ollie and Lucy have been shoed in the past.

Here are some pictures of my babies!
http://breathedeepproductions.blogspot.com/p/horses-looking-for-new-home.html

Chris Harvests Winter Cabbage

2011-02-04T15:12:00.002-06:00

Mature cabbages have stayed solid, healthy and sweet under a double layer of Reemay (agricultural fabric) this winter. They were mature by late October, and have kept wonderfully.

Reporting Frost Flowers

2010-12-07T12:34:00.003-06:00

We wanted to share this nice letter...

Chris,

Though I am a lover and an observer of nature I had never heard of ice flowers until I read the Lexington Herald-Leader piece about your video Frost Flowers. I just thought you might be interested in knowing that this morning when I was returning from my walk and noticed some strange white "debris" around some plants in our yard. On close inspection I recognized ice flowers! It was so thrilling and I just thought you might be interested in know that they appeared today in my little corner of western Scott County, Kentucky. Thanks so much for your dedication in bringing the wonders of nature to so many people.

Warm regards...

Note the next KET broadcast of the film will be:
KETKY: Saturday, December 11 at 8:00 am EST
KETKY: Saturday, December 11 at 5:00 pm EST

Frost Flowers Press Release and Broadcast Schedule

2010-11-04T12:21:00.007-05:00

November 3, 2010
For immediate release:

Burkesville, Kentucky filmmaker, Chris Korrow, has a second environmental documentary set to air on KET throughout November and December. Korrow takes the viewer on a journey into the fascinating phenomenon of Frost Flowers. Seen scattered through fields in winter, these spectacular icy “blooms” occur for just a few short days a year, with magnificent displays only occurring every six years or so. Frost Flowers is an educational environmental film that combines beautiful photographs and high definition footage with a narrative that explains what the formations are, and how and why they develop. Thousands of Korrow's photos, along with time-lapse photography and an original score, illustrate the fact the we are not the only ones who posses the ability of artistic expression. We often overlook the artistry that takes place in nature, and this film encourages us to take a closer look at our surroundings with fresh eyes.

Korrow is perhaps best known for his documentary, Garden Insects, which aired nationwide on PBS several times, reached an audience of an estimated 2.5 million viewers, and won two film festival awards. The film includes shot of over 125 insects, and details their role in the garden ecosystem in a lively, accessible way. Public schools and libraries around the country have embraced the film--it is now used in school curriculums from elementary grades through college. Korrow thanks the etymology department at the University of Kentucky for reviewing the film for accuracy.

Footage for both films was shot almost exclusively on Korrow’s Cumberland County farm. Korrow would like to thank KET and the program’s sponsors, Philip and Laura Lyvers and Judith Rausch, MD.

While many environmental filmmakers focus on what is going wrong with the planet, or highlight the spectacular or the extreme, Korrow chooses to show us how, by looking at nature with new eyes, we will inherently change our relationship with the natural world. Chris Korrow invites us to develop wonder, awe and appreciation for what goes largely unnoticed in the natural world around us. Future projects for Korrow include a full-color children’s book, The Organic Bug Book, due out in spring of 2011 (SteinerBooks, Bell Pond, New York).

Purchase the DVD.

Korrow is available for interviews.

Upcoming Airdates:

KETKY: Sunday, November 7 at 4:30 pm EST
KET: Sunday, November 7 at 10:30 pm EST
KETKY: Tuesday, November 9 at 5:00 am EST
KETKY: Tuesday, November 9 at 8:30 am EST
KET: Friday, November 12 at 2:30 am EST
KETKY: Friday, November 12 at 2:30 pm EST
KET2: Friday, November 12 at 10:32 pm EST
KETKY: Saturday, November 13 at 2:30 am EST
KET2: Tuesday, November 16 at 11:30 pm EST
KETKY: Monday, November 22 at 9:30 pm EST
KET: Friday, November 26 at 5:00 am EST
KETKY: Monday, December 6 at 6:30 pm EST
KETKY: Saturday, December 11 at 8:00 am EST
KETKY: Saturday, December 11 at 5:00 pm EST
KETKY: Tuesday, December 14 at 8:30 pm EST
KETKY: Saturday, December 25 at 9:30 am EST
KET2: Monday, December 27 at 9:30 am EST
KET: Thursday, December 30 at midnight EST

River/Creek Photos

2010-08-05T11:16:00.006-05:00

Chris has been spending quite a bit of time in the woods lately and came home with these two photos.

Cumberland River

A creek that feeds into the river

Gabbi's Farm Internship at a Biodynamic Farm

2010-06-10T17:04:00.006-05:00

Gabbi helping Earl to get going

While we have lived on a farm for 20 years now, for about the last 9, we haven't been a "working farm"--meaning we do not generate income from our farm. So while we have 3 horses, chickens, and grow a large garden, we no longer milk a cow, raise animals for meat and grow a few acres of vegetables like we used to. So when our 16 year old daughter, Gabbi, thought she would like to visit a neighboring farm and be an "intern" for a week, we thought it was a great idea.

Paul and Robin run Hill and Hollow CSA, delivering vegetable twice a week to Nashville, TN and Glasgow, KY. They have a milk cow, raise pigs, sheep, chickens, a donkey named Earl, and a pet turkey named Manly. Plus they grow many acres of vegetables, make compost and biodynamic preparations. There is a crew of 3 interns, along with their family of 4 (which includes their daughter Madeline and their son Sasha who is a full-fledged farmer at age 11). They are your typical bright wide-eyed brilliant children who have never been to school, raised on home-grown food and no television.

Sasha and Earl

In addition, Paul and Robin host the Nashville and Louisville Waldorf schools for their thrid grade farm visit each year, and pioneered the KY CRAFT (Collaborative Alliance for Regional Farmer Training) program, a program where the interns on organic farms from around the state meet each other, and visit and learn from other farmers.

It's very cool bit of trivia that Paul and Robin met when they were themselves interns at John Peterson's Angelic Organics (Star of The Real Dirt on Farmer John).

Gabbi was up at 5:30 am each morning to milk Addy with Sasha. After that, they spent an hour working with Earl. After a full day of farm work, the day came to a close, with Gabe again milking with Sasha and another session with Earl at dusk. (Video from John Bela)

For the last 5 years or so, Gabbi has practiced Parreli Natural Horsemanship, and received her Level 2 certificate last year. Parreli teaches how to solve train a horse and solve horse problems without force or punishment. Part of the reason Gabe wanted to head to Hill and Hollow was to have the chance to work with Earl, to begin to teach him how to pull farm equipment. He was pretty much spooking when something was behind him, kicking and hadn;t tied to pull anything. On her last day, Earl was fully hooked up in his tack, and successfully pulled the harrow around a dirt area. It was a good start. She hopes to go back in August for another week.

Earl about ready to pull the harrow

Paul and Robin had a send-off celebration for Gabe with a batch of homemade vanilla ice cream, and sent her home with a gallon of raw biodynamic milk and a 1/2 gallon of yogurt!

30 Square Foot Garden Results

2010-06-06T10:33:00.005-05:00

Our friend Pat Ritter created some garden beds using Chris’s instructions in his booklet, The 30 Square Foot Garden.

She writes “...last year this was a large area we had to mow—and this year, well, see what I picked for a stir-fry dinner last night. And will be better when it rains as I have a lot of little seedings just coming up—more greens.”

Thank you Pat, for sending the photos.

Garden Insects to Air on PBS this Summer

2010-05-31T12:27:00.003-05:00

Chris's award winning film is scheduled to air a number of times on PBS stations across the US during June and July. Check your local listings.

Stay at Home Retreat: Health, Poetry and Spiritual Inquiry

2010-04-11T13:11:00.003-05:00

When I told my friend, Caifornia-based poet Ellaraine Lockie that I had finished a four-day stay at home retreat, she suggested I write about it, that other writers might like to know how and what I did.

Well you can imagine that two things which inspired this kind retreat (as opposed to traveling somewhere) were time and money, or rather lack of it. In the last three months, I have already traveled to Mexico with family, and then to NYC with daughter for a college visit, therefore my travel time and budget were used up for the next few months at least.

Some aspects of my lifestyle worked in my favor. I have a creative and supportive family who understands the importance of pursuing art and spiritual contemplative study. This was important—I didn’t have lots of loud people in my periphery, people asking me to do things for them or meet their needs.

I live on a beautiful farm and especially this time of year the cherry tree in front of the house is in full bloom and the pastures around the house are bright green. Because I live here all the time, I think I forget, or take for granted, how beautiful Cumberland County Kentucky is. Often times I think about all of the places I would rather be. This time was an opportunity to settle in to a remembrance of the beauty of my own backyard.

Earlier in the year I posted photos of my beautiful new writing space, well-lit with big windows and bird feeders. So, while the beach is always calling me, my own humble home is also a place of tremendous inspiration. My muse is on call 24/7, it’s helpful to be reminded that I do not have to travel to exotic places or place myself in complete isolation to find her.

More or less the retreat, or any retreat for that matter, was more of a mindset, and in some ways even a form of clever trickery. An agreement perhaps, or a commitment of sorts. I scheduled the four-day block well-ahead of time. I wrote it on my calendar just as I would any other time important commitment, and I informed my family that this event would be taking place. I arranged my work schedule accordingly, and yes, I had to say no to a few things. For instance, a coworker who missed her usual work day offered to come later in the week, but instead, I rescheduled her to come the following week. I made arrangements with my husband to take up my usual day driving daughter to dance class. So, it did take a bit of effort. But a small price to pay. I can see how if I would have been more lax, life would certainly have seen to it that I didn’t have this time to dedicate to my art, my self-development, my health. Here I was faced with the question of worth and value of these sometimes diminished rights—and it felt right to place these pursuits in a place of importance, for this short block of time anyway. If I can’t say “no” to the onslaught of outside influences for only four days, how can I expect these aspects to thrive?

So—how did I spend my time? I spent long periods in the morning journaling, and in mediation.

I was able to edit large numbers of poems, and complied a new chapbook. I submitted the chapbook to some contests, and submitted additional poems to online literary magazines.

I sat outside and ate my lunch. I reinstated my daily brisk two mile walks, which had fallen by the wayside with cold wet winter weather (perfect excuses!).

I took the time to consult the I Ching on matters relating to the direction of my writing (#14—those who act out of a place of joy can’t help but gain followers).

I studied Mary Oliver’s A Poetry Handbook” A Prose Guide to Understanding and Writing Poetry, read quite a bit of Ezra Pound, and another book about Tolkien’s work on the Oxford English Dictionary, and his wonderful ability to adapt Old and Middle English words into his stories.

I ate a lot of raw foods (salads, fruits, smoothies). I find a noticeable increase in mental clarity and energy when I eat mostly fruits and salads.

I only checked email in order to look up contest and submission info (I did take one phone call from my friend Pat Ritter).

How did I feel on Monday? Well, as though I could use two weeks of this kind of life! But really, I reentered into a busy work day with a renewed sense of ease and appreciation. My thoughts had slowed, they had a chance to stretch, and feel free. I accomplished more that usual working at a slow and steady pace. I have a clear understanding of why this is—I have taken a bit of my retreat-ness with me into my week. Not having to transition back into home, and my “usual” life, saved me from having to experience a sense of feeling let down, having to give up a strong feeling of freedom. The stay at home retreat didn’t set up such a strong contrast between “retreat life” and “regular life.” Feeling this in my own home was empowering, I know I can encounter a sense of freedom that I once thought I could only access by getting away.

I highly recommend trying this. It’s affordable, it feeds your soul, and your muse will reward you for it.

—Christy Korrow

Tour of the LILIPOH editorial office

2010-03-22T21:26:00.005-05:00

Tools of the trade: At LILIPOH we primarily use the AP Style Guide, but keep the Chicago Manual around for trickier issues.

We just repainted the office after eight years! A soft yellow with orange undertones fosters creativity (according to Feng Shui), and a soft sage green was used for trim. According to Feng Shui research, it is good to pair an earth color with a fire color, for grounding (in Feng Shui terms, wood feeds fire).

The desk for associate editor, Kaye Williams.

Books, papers, newsletters, misc office supplies.

Recent issues of LILIPOH are handy near the desk for quick reference.

The LILIPOH archives.

Detachment/Inner Peace

2010-03-14T20:10:00.004-05:00

Om with laundry acting as prayer flags

Lately, Chris and I have been discussing the differences and similarities between an experience of “inner peace” and “detachment.” When we find inner peace, if only for a fleeting moment, we are detached. We are neither in the past, nor the future, but feet firmly planted in the present. We require the past to feel a loss, to lament that which has been and we require the future to yearn for what has not yet come to pass, to wish for what we are not, or what the moment isn’t. Detachment has a connotation of less warmth, it speaks of a singularity, where the moniker inner peace feels more pious, more at one with all. Yet by realizing the one in oursleves, we relaize the one in all, and by realizing the unity in all, we are greeted with our true self. Both inner peace and detachment can infuriate another by the sheer non-reactive response, the response that does not seek to please, to perform, to gain, but only to allow. Can one even disagree, without an inner rise, one can shun, love and accept, all from the state of pure detachment? There is an objective choice at play, a freedom of response from one who is married to the moment. The Mother once said, “Freedom from attachment does not mean avoiding all occasion for attachment.” This helped me to see that detachment in the sense of a spiritual aspirant does not mean aloof or cold-hearted. In fact there is a chance for a pure expression when not polluted by what we are attached to—including allowing others to feel the pain to which they are entitled. Nature is not attached, seems to be in a constant state of inner peace, and she does not seem to cry because we are cutting down so many of her trees and soiling the air she breathes--but this does not mean she is not taking action. I learn much from her in that way, I can align my identity with her’s by gazing into the woods, and suddenly, my problems seem to soften.

Winter/ A Two-Part Poem

2010-03-04T10:52:00.002-06:00

WINTER

I

Cold bones
bare as winter’s soil
Clenched jaw bone
teeth gnash against teeth
wondering streets
in search of a coat
to soften this icy curse
held in time, a naked
moment no deep
breath can satisfy

Stark trees hide no
embarrassment as they
reach out to touch
neighbors with whom they
share soil water and sunshine,
endure and even hold onto
each icy drop that falls
from the sky

Yesterday came around the
corner, and startled you,
in the middle of this
shivering mess, about to
use up your last match
in an attempt to light the
candle of remembrance
of deliverance
Prayer carried off by some
torrid gust extinguishing
the flame as penitence

You cry, not knowing that
flowers in spring sleep as seeds
in winter

II

Barns filled with hay
Round bales stacked two-high

Bibles on dashboards
Dusty trucks with no tailgates

Trees cover hillsides, impersonal
Passively waiting for signs of green

River makes a sharp turn
Inconspicuous, cows graze bare fields in the bottoms

More gray skies lie ahead
Threatening any cheerful sign of bird's return

Only this cemetery is not silent
One hundred-year-old corpses knocking

On graves, demanding to know
If spring has arrived

—Christy Korrow

Turkeys

2010-02-04T18:54:00.005-06:00

Each morning, Chris and I sit and have coffee, overlooking the empty winter fields. Often times, a flock of up to 25 turkeys emerges through the brambles and weeds that separate field from woods. Many know that Ben Franklin wanted to make these large foul the official bird of the United States. While not as majestic as the Bald Eagle, these wild turkeys certainly have a collective personality and are more commonly seen. Despite their size and awkward body shape, they can take flight to amazing heights, quickly flying into woods, somehow managing to navigate or crash through the thick lattice of branches.

Photos by Chris Korrow

Instant Garden New Video from Chris

2010-01-31T16:34:00.002-06:00

Chris created this little video as a companion to his booklet "The 30 Square Foot Garden." And look how much fun he is having! By creating a garden patch as he shows here in fall, you will have a spot ready to plant in spring. Or create one later in the winter and once the grass has dies back and most of the leaves have broken down, it should be ready to plant in. But for complete info, consult the booklet!

Late January Garden Harvest

2010-01-25T18:20:00.002-06:00

These root crops are thriving in the garden despite sustained below freezing temps during the first weeks in January. They are covered with Reemay (agriculture fabric).

Ravioli Making or Time Well Spent

2010-01-07T10:13:00.005-06:00

Food has always been something to celebrate in our family. Even in our earlier years of farming, when, as a family of four, our income was $7,000 a year, we always ate better than most people we knew. Good food was a priority. Besides the vegetables we grew (and still do) we would source raw milk, local beef and chicken. Most of the time we had our own chickens for eggs and for many years we kept our own milk cow.

The fact that organic food was expensive never mattered. I am not sure how we did it, but we always stocked our pantry with organic food. I think we were able to budget so well for two reasons--one was that we grew most of the vegetables, and produced some of our own meats, dairy and eggs. But the other reason that we were able to afford to eat organic is that we cooked from scratch. Staples and whole food ingredients, even organic ones, will work out to be less expensive than buying prepackaged or processed foods.

To people who still complain that organic food is too expensive, I would point out that food is a reflection of our core values. It is one of our few central needs. So much of our life now revolves around nonessentials, to the point that food, exercise, quality time with those we love, and maintaining a healthy earth ecosystem don’t make it onto our “to-do” list of life. Is there a correlation between the fact that food spending has dropped from 25% of our income at the turn of the century, to now less than 10%, while spending on health care has risen from 5% to 18%? Our health, our desire for vitality, our ability to nurture and experience a sense of place are reflected back to us in our relationship with food. An additional aspect of this is the extent to which we are willing to invest both time and money into high-quality foods--aka fresh, local, organic or biodynamic. (Chances are if it is even one of those, there will be superior nutritional value and more life forces.)

Things have changed for our family, we are not so exclusively oriented towards a chop wood carry water lifestyle, although we do still do both of those activities. One thing that hasn’t changed it that we still love to cook from scratch. Sure, we sometimes eat out, especially when we are out late at night, keeping up with our two busy teenagers.

Last night we thought it would be fun to make raviolis. I am always amazed at how food and art can merge, and then, after all that preparation, it’s eaten and it’s over with. Spending time in the kitchen with my family, for me, doubles as entertainment, and it’s a tangible way to express love--and this doesn't cost anything at all, yet I couldn't put a price tag on it if I had to.

Flour water salt and eggs (from our neighbor Cynde) filled with some ricotta and mozzarella cheese, and viola! —Christy Korrow

Photos by Chris Korrow

Poem: Tenth Rune

2009-12-16T14:33:00.006-06:00

Tenth Rune

Dawn will bring none but
another cold morning.
Gray cast bears little light to
shine on trees, naked,
in search of lost leaves.

North winds comes, he blows
the white breath from heaving horses
until it disappears through
moss-covered branches.

Thorns of berriless brambles
snag your gown, twist below
and ensnare your footfall.
Blood drips from pin pricks
around your ankles,
pain not felt for want of warmth.

No bird seeks fire in December’s
dark days. Shiver of furry beast
raises heart’s heat
when to drink there is only ice water
from a frozen pond.

Many men marching, held captive
by the sound of their own footsteps.
Sound of footsteps spelling out
demise, counting out a row of
graves, winter’s sleeping dirt disturbed.
Their anxious breath exhaling fear.

Cold is cold when rain turns to ice
as it catches on boughs,
reaching down with such sharp tines
growing heavier with nightfall.

Closed eyes in warm bowery
hear only crystal clear snaps
as innocent limbs are felled
whose strength is no match
for winter’s weighted cloak.

—Christy Korrow

Garden Insects Used in University Class

2009-12-10T08:56:00.001-06:00

Last night, we received a call from a professor who teaches the organic farming course at Oklahoma State University. She received a copy of the Garden Insects DVD through a donation made possible by the grant we received from RSF Social Finance. The grant made it possible for us to donate over 200 copies of Garden Insects to public schools and libraries. The women called to tell Chris how much she appreciated the film, how much her students benefited from it, and that she will be using it each semester as part of her University curriculum. She closed the conversation by saying, “Tell him to keep making films!”

The funny part is that while we were on the phone, Chris was in the other room, his face buried in the manual for his new camera, a still camera capable of recording images at pre-set intervals (every three seconds, etc..). This will allow him to document natural events that occur over time (time laspe) such as seeds sprouting or ice forming overnight on plants.

5 (Visual) Reasons To Grow a Fall Garden

2009-11-28T17:55:00.003-06:00

A recent harvest.

Chinese cabbage ... we make kim chee using a recipe from the Los Angeles Times. LA has the largest population of Koreans outside of Korea.

Escarole is so beautiful, and slightly bitter. Eat it shredded in salads, or lightly steamed with Parmesan and finely chopped garlic, Italian style.

Haven't harvested these yet, but aren't they gorgeous?? Our friend Laurie picked us up a flat of plants in late August from a local nursery. These Brussels sprouts have thrived in the cool fall, with only light frosts.

I hardly ever go a day without eating several cups of lettuce ... I love it!!!!

(Photos by Chris Korrow)

Thanksgiving dinner additions: Kale/Grape Salad and Raw Key Lime Pie

2009-11-25T18:00:00.004-06:00

We love curly kale, isn't it pretty?

Thought I'd share what I’ve decided to bring to the Thanksgiving potluck we will be attending. Angela Leeds has a delicious kale and grape salad, it is drizzled with lime and garlic, and of course the kale is thriving in the garden this time of year. Angela has a website called The Live Green Smoothie Diet, where she posts lots of recipes, some are free and there is small cost to access the recipe a day section of the site (only $5 for one month access) but it is worth it, and a great way to support the work of someone who is developing healthy alternatives and original creative new ways to eat healthier (get in those five serving of fruits and veggies folks!), especially for parents trying to think of creative of ways to get kids to eat vegetables.

I am also going to make a raw, vegan Key Lime Pie from the book Sweet Gratitude (North Atlantic), my favorite recipe book of late. I’ve already made a trial run with the pie, and it is soooo good. We can use our home grown pecans in the nut-based crust. The recipes are entirely raw, packed with nourishment, with no compromise in flavor, texture or beauty (no whole wheat cakes, please!). Co-author, Tiziana Alipo Tambora, recently spoke at Café Gratitude's Monday Night Live, where she was a pastry chef (many of the recipes in the book were developed there). Her talk is online, and will inspire you to explore the realm of raw deserts if you haven’t already!

Give thanks!

Photo by Chris Korrow

Time to Prepare Your Garden for Spring

2009-11-22T14:35:00.004-06:00

This is the perfect time to prepare a garden bed for spring, and Chris has written out easy instructions in his booklet, the 30 Square Foot Garden. The booklet is printed on 100% recycled paper, and costs only $5. It shows how easy it can be to get started in organic vegetable gardening.

We have sold a few hundred of these so far, which makes us feel wonderful knowing that there will be a few hundred new gardens around the US! It would make a perfect and inexpensive Christmas gift! Don’t forget the Garden Insects dvd as another gift idea for gardeners or children!

(Lettuce photo by Chris Korrow)

Cosmic Cabbage, Conscious Cauliflower

2009-11-17T17:02:00.005-06:00

Give thanks for the beautiful cabbages and cauliflower in the fall garden. So much more than just vegetables, these are substantial foods. According to Rudolf Steiner, cabbages and cauliflower, the head of crowded flower buds, will support our lungs and heart. He bases this on the role that sun forces play in plant growth. Leaves grow up toward the sun, or rather, are drawn up by the forces of the sun, and the sun has a strong connection to our heart.

Cauliflower has developed past the leaf stage, to the blossom stage, although still closer to leaf than to fruit. Research done by Dr. Rudolf Hauschka using capillary-dynamic patterns shows that cauliflower, and also plants in the blossom stage, have been energetically “cooked” by the sun to their state of blossoming, or more eloquently put, ripening and warmth forces are infused into the plant at this stage from the cosmos, and thus needs only light steaming, or can even be eaten raw. Where as cabbage, still in the leaf stage, also affected by the heating affects of the sun’s warmth, can be brought to the state of raw cauliflower also with light steaming, or eaten raw. Cooked beyond light steaming, both foods tested as being “dead,” void of nutrients and enzymes, in other words, carried too far over into realms that equate to overripeness or rot in nature.

If left in the garden, and allowed to continue to grow own, the cabbage would eventually shoot up a stalk from out of its packed round layers of leaves, and the cauliflower, would unfurl itself into a million blossoms. Yet, even though they will never reach their potential, it does still exist, as Goethe described, in the archetypal plant, existing in completion, as an imprint, in “space” or the akashic realm. Each plant has its guiding spirit, and star to coax it toward its fulfillment.

So much we take for granted when we go out to the garden or to the shop and buy produce, often hurrying up with our chores, ready to rush home, pressured to make supper, worried about spending so much on groceries. For all of that “important” mind clutter, we miss out on the richness of participating in the experience of the life of a vegetable, which is so much more interesting, rhythmic, filled with contributions of fairies, gnomes, sylphs and undines, the beings of the four elements, who embody the elements, the “clay” who make these nourishing manifestations come about, grow in the dirt, sprout, blossom and even sometimes rot. A vegetative state of mind can be more enlightening than the cliché would lead us to believe.

Coleslaw and creamed cauliflower never tasted to good.

Drinking sunshine

2009-10-25T16:49:00.001-05:00

I make juice with kale, carrot, apple, celery and parsley. I will drink it and a mysterious process will take place inside of me that neither science nor mystics can explain. I taking something foreign, break it down and assimilate it into my own body, with a wish for health for my own thoughts, creativity and activity. Sun, soil, water, millions of microorganisms, gnomes and fairies, acting together, to create an amazing natural something: vegetables. I can’t leave out our beautiful horses who contribute their manure to our compost piles. A domestication of a process long known to to this planet—animals graze, stride past, dropping their dung or manure, leaving the ground more fertile than when they arrived—sustainability. Someday maybe we will no longer need to eat them.

Rudolf Steiner described two “streams” of nutrition that flow into us. One is the earthly nutritional stream, it comes into us from our food, and builds our thoughts, while the cosmic nutritional stream is what we take in through our senses and builds the substance of our physical body. It seems impossible at first that we might be able to absorb actual substance through our eyes nose and mouth, and that food is primarily building thoughts, but I like to imagine this to be true.

What kinds of thoughts will be supported by this colorful vegetable juice?

Five ways to add living protein to your salads

2009-10-11T09:15:00.005-05:00

An up-and-coming patch of fall greens

Lettuces and salad greens grow ever so happily in cool fall weather, so take full advantage of their generosity! Instead of having a salad before your meal, add a few of the high-protein ingredients below, double the size of your salad and make it your meal! When I eat only salad for dinner, I notice that I need less sleep, dream more vividly, and wake up feeling alert. Protein from raw food is easy to absorb since the food still has all of the enzymes intact needed to break down the protein into amino acids. (These enzymes are destroyed when food is heated over approx. 105 degrees.)

Kale Many people don’t realize that nutrient dense, dark, leafy greens have high quality, easily to assimilate protein (22% of the calories in kale are from protein). Chop them small and bruise them up a bit (rub with fingers).

Sprouted Lentils We prefer the small French lentils, soak overnight, drain and let them sprout for a day or two, just until a small ‘tail’ forms.

Avocado Provides protein, enzymes and healthy unsaturated fats.

Nuts Walnuts, almonds, pecans (soak overnight to neutralize enzyme inhibitors).

Raw Milk Goat Cheese

Hemp Seed Delicious nutty taste, contains valuable essential fatty acids.

Chris checking on the cabbage and broccoli

There is an important book called The China Study that presents research that causes us to question whether we do indeed need the high levels of protein commonly prescribed by “government experts,” and that in fact, high levels of protein may correlate with cancer and other diseases. The research in this book also points to the benefits of plant-based proteins.

Have a great day! —Christy Korrow

Gardens and Prayer

2009-10-07T16:54:00.004-05:00

Biodynamic horn manure (BD #500) to bring earthly

and cosmic life forces to the plants via the soil.

The French philosopher, mystic and activist, Simone Weil

(1909–1943) once wrote, “Absolute unmixed attention is

prayer.” Her statement holds meaning for those who en-

gage in biodynamic work. While practical and scientific in-

formation about biodynamics is widely available through

hundreds of books, websites, classes and conferences, the

spiritual aspects of our movement cannot be so neatly

packaged and sold.

Though it is important to share “how-to” information,

and encourage friends and fellow farmers to use the prep-

arations, it is equally essential for practitioners to adopt

a devotional mood while working with the land. Rudolf

Steiner describes an attitude of reverence as a fundamental

prerequisite for the human soul to gain access to supersen-

sible worlds. After all, emphasis on how the spiritual world

is active in nature and agriculture is what sets biodynamics

apart from organic agriculture.

Mindfully stirring the preparations, or really being on

our farms and in our gardens can become opportunities for

the development of spiritual capacities. This is the juncture

where we go beyond a biodynamic practice that is more

or less, one of following instructions or guidelines, to one

where the gardener or farmer participates with the whole

of nature; through this higher sense of awareness, spiritual

scientific research takes place. We become capable of phe-

nomenological research, “reading the book of nature,” and

can come to our own understanding of what, for example,

a healthy plant, field, or landscape truly looks like. From

the basis of this understanding, we can problem-solve and

discern what can be done to restore balance.

—Christy Korrow

Letter to readers of the fall 2009 issue of Applied Biodynamics, the newsletter of the Josephine Porter Institute, Christy is managing editor.

Rosie and Wind

2009-10-02T16:17:00.008-05:00

Gabe asked me to spend some time with Rosie while she was away in Cookeville, cleaning for my parents and taking a Saturday workshop in contemporary dance. Rosie is her two-and-a-half year old filly, and is now in a separate pasture from our two other horses, her mom, Lucy and our gelding, Ollie. Gabe said it was time to wean Rosie (short for Rosie Cotton, named after Samwise Gamgee’s wife). So, now, separated from her horse family only by a fence line and our driveway, Rosie is anxious and lonesome. I walked down to give her a carrot.

From the far end of the field she whinnied and came walking over to take it from my hand. The wind was blowing her mane and banging the loose piece of tin on our stable. She took the carrot, gladly, and stayed with me at the fence while I brushed flies from her face, scratched the side of her neck, and told her that this separation was only temporary. I think she understood.

Rosie understands a lot more than most of us. She was born in the field just down from our well. We call it the Well Pasture. She was born on Gabe’s 13th birthday, March 21st, just a hair before midnight.

Gabe has a special touch with horses, communicates with them using few gestures, and even fewer words. She calls their names and they come running, like in a Walt Disney movie. There is an empty chair in the bamboo where she goes to meditate. Large Chinese poll bamboo, not native, an almost twenty-year-old patch, now a small forest. Inside of it you feel clean, still and orderly. I walked through on my way to give Rosie her carrot.

Near the pasture gate there is a puddle, shallow, filled with last night’s rain. I walk around it, and wonder if it is clean enough to drink from. Probably two-hundred years ago my body would have had the correct bacterial balance to tolerate such fresh water as this. Now I only avoid it, and wonder how long it will take to soak into the ground.

The same wind that blows Rosie’s mane is drying the clothes on the line. The best kind of weather for laundry day. Each tee-shirt, panty and pair of jeans becomes a Kentucky prayer flag, carrying our gratitude and wishes across the treetops, and northeast to the Appalachians. I hope they make it over those mountains, all the way to the ocean.

Two Poems

2009-09-17T19:55:00.004-05:00

These were conceived at a recent poetry workshop Gabe and I took with the most awesome Rachel McKibbens. –Christy Korrow

She Lived There

In the town of rejection
the old maid is buried in the garden
with weeds for a headstone.

Family stories were wiped clean
with a bloodstained handkerchief.

Cars drive backwards,
and anyone with secrets has
been cut out of the portrait.

Sign reads: No Trust Allowed

The Attic

Ghosts leave no footprints on stairways.
Air doesn’t move and neither does the dust.
Windows locked tight with dried paint,
any sunlight that tries to enter is
blotted out by the unwashed glass.

Boxes behave, unaware of their own contents.
Stacked silent, cardboard makes equal
old treasures and junk that should have been
sold at yard sales.

Letter to Joseph-Beth Booksellers about store placement of Glenn Beck book

2009-09-12T08:53:00.001-05:00

Hello friends,
If any of you live on Lexington, or shop here, and share my sentiments, please do write to them!

Joseph-Beth Booksellers
161 Lexington Green Cir # B
Lexington, KY 40503

Dear Mr and Mrs Van Uum,

While visiting Lexington recently, to attend the Kentucky Women’s Writer’s Conference, I stopped in to do some shopping at your bookstore. Joseph Beth is filled with interesting, inspiring and intellectually stimulating books. As such, I was surprised to see Glen Beck’s book, Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government, prominently displayed on one of the podiums lining the customer line to the cash registers. Out of all the book titles in your store, surely there are titles which represent constructive ideas of political conservatives that are more deserving of this store placement. And, if you do insist on offering Beck’s book a prominent position, maybe you should consider also placing a book selection that offers a differing political viewpoint.

I would like to close with a quote from Glen Beck, taken from his own radio show:

"This is horrible to say, and I wonder if I'm alone in this you know it took me about a year to start hating the 9/11 victims' families? I don't hate all of them. I hate probably about 10 of them. But when I see a 9-11 victim family on television, or whatever, I'm just like, 'Oh, shut up!' I'm so sick of them because they're always complaining.”

This quotes speaks to the kind of mentality Beck spreads and why I am concerned about the prominent high-visibility placement you have given his book, given his sociopathic television broadcasts, which perpetuate fear, falsities and fantastical notions that our country’s President is leading us down a road to Fascism and Socialism. His work offers no contribution to real intellectual debate which is so essential to our Democracy.

Christy Korrow
Burkesville, KY

Suggest places for us to donate Garden Insects DVDs

2009-09-04T15:31:00.002-05:00

Breathe Deep Productions has received a generous grant from RSF Social Finance allowing us to donate DVDs of Garden Insects to public schools and libraries located in the central US: Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama to the East, and Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico to the West, and all the states in between. If you have a personal contact with a library or public school that you feel would use and appreciate a copy, please let us know.

We are particularly interested in sending multiple copies to an entire district or main library who can then pass it on to each branch.

Email christy@accessky.net with suggestions.

Special Offer/ Garden Insects DVD and Gardening Booklet

2009-08-24T10:50:00.005-05:00

Until October 1st, buy a copy of Garden Insects DVD and receive a free copy of Chris's booklet, 30 Square Foot Garden. When you go to order the video via paypal, just mention this blog post in the 'comments' section of your paypal form, and we will include the booklet with your order!

Kaysha's Dolls

2009-08-24T10:46:00.001-05:00

Kaysha added new dolls to her website, and she has also added the affirmation fairies.

Christy Korrow's Facebook Page

2009-08-07T11:27:00.000-05:00

Spiritual development, life forces in foods and will forces

2009-07-07T12:11:00.001-05:00

Posted by Christy Korrow

My favorite breakfast lately has been a blueberry smoothie:

1 cup blueberries
High in antioxidants

1 cup brazil nut milk (we make our own)

1 TBS. hemp seeds (we buy Nutiva through our co-op)
Hemp seeds are high in omega three fatty acids and protein

1 TBS. raw cocoa powder (from Love Street Living Foods)
Raw cocoa contains all kind of antioxidants , read Naked Chocolate by David Wolfe and Shazzi to learn all about the health benefits of raw cocoa

2 tsp. maple syrup

For supper lately, I will have a Giant cucumber salad, since we grow our own cucumbers, I leave the skin on, I go pick parsley (lots of trace minerals), basil and sometimes rosemary, chop lots of garlic and onion, and a couple of tomatoes. Drizzled with umboshi plum vinegar, olive oil and some salt and pepper, I will live on this for the rest of the summer. I can eat as much of this as I want, and be very full and satisfied.

I am the kind of person who can eat the same things over and over again, everyday for days, sometimes weeks at a time. So each morning, for the last several weeks, I’ve made the same smoothie. And each afternoon and evening for the last month, I’ve eaten the cucumber salad. (Disclaimer: I’ve eaten out a few times, and splurged on ice cream and other goodies). An extreme form of repeatedly eating the same food or foods is called mono-dieting, and has been used as a medicinal treatment for centuries, although controversial, there is documentation of results. (Read The Detox Mono Diet to learn more.)

Author and nutritional counselor Natalia Rose describes a breakfast/lunch of a nutrient-dense smoothie as modified fasting. As a routine way to maintain optimum health, it can be followed further in the day by what she calls a diet dominate in “Quick Exit Foods,” those that don’t bog down the body, or the mind. I eat what I eat because it feels good. I can gage my body’s reaction to a food when I notice things like: Do I have energy spikes and crashes? Do I feel sluggish? Am I craving sweets and breads? Or, Do I have sustained energy throughout the day? Do I feel light, and clear headed? What kinds of ideas am I having, are they original, interesting, and do I have easy access to my own creativity?

And, here is, to me, the most important question of all: Am I able to keep my thoughts aligned with my highest spiritual self, or am I quick to resort to annoyance, impatience, judgment, criticism, anxiety? This is what I find so interesting—to compare what I eat, with how I feel, physically and spiritually. Rudolf Steiner said to his colleague that our inability to maintain spiritual thoughts was a question of nutrition, and that foods no longer contain the nutrients and life forces required to support the will forces needed for spiritual development (Agriculture).

He suggested that eating foods with high levels of life-force energy activates and strengthens the will forces we need to develop the new habits of thought that he describes in so many of his lectures, so that we can actively and consciously move forward on our path of spirituality. For example, when a thought surfaces that doesn’t feel so good, there is that golden moment when we can notice this, and then have the will to shift to a new thought. Whether it be to look out at nature, to turn toward our mantra, to center ourselves through breath, or to shift from, for example, a critical or stressful thought, to a solution-oriented thought or one of reverence or appreciation—in that moment, it takes a great deal of discipline and effort to make the subtle shift. But with repeated practice we ultimately aquire new thought habits and we affect reality through consciousness, actively co-creating as we move through life.

By drinking nutrient dense smoothies each day, and eating nutrient rich meals, I am flooding my body with nutrients, not to mention continually detoxifying my cells, which, I believe correlates with detoxifying my thoughts also. Thus, eating light raw foods supports my mediative life.

Rudolf Steiner described in his lectures on nutrition (Nutrition and Stimulants) that a vegetarian diet supports spiritual development, and that he himself was a vegetarian for this reason. He went on to specifically describe how a raw, plant-based diet activates formerly latent forces which can be used specifically for development of our higher self (more than that, it is important that they be used, otherwise we might become egotistical). He also tempered the information he gave on nutrition with a cautionary instruction not to become fanatical about diet, and also that there was not one singular set of dietary instructions that could be recommended for everyone. I am not a vegetarian, but simply do what I feel is best for my body most of the time.

Eating Meat or Not

2009-06-29T23:01:00.001-05:00

I do believe we will eventually evolve out of the need to eat meat, I was once told by Hugh Courtney, who runs the Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics that “biodynamic farmers will be the last people to stop eating meat,” because their lives are so intertwined with the cow. But, our soils are now so depleted of both nutrients and life forces that it is utterly impossible to rebuild them without animal manures, therefore it seems natural that a sector of our population will continue to eat meat, making an immediate conversion to widespread vegetarianism unlikely. (Building soil through only cover-cropping would take 15 -20 years).

Ostensibly, as people evolve, we will eat less and less meat, and more of that meat will be raised on small scale farms, where animals and vegetable crops are once again integrated, so that there are only enough animals raised needed to produce compost to raise the vegetables on that farm. In time, more and more people will decrease their meat consumption, and perhaps eat only eggs and raw milk, still maintaining a domestic animal population.

My own experience is that when we were farming full time for over 15 years, I expended a lot of energy, and ate a lot more meat. Now that I am in publishing full-time, I notice my body does not require as much meat, and I am eating a much lighter, raw food based diet. So, there are not only the environmental impacts to keep in mind, but we can also ask how what we eat affects our consciousness, and does it support what are we trying to create in the world? And also, in the realm of consciousness studies, there is much judgment towards our food choices, judgment against ourselves and others. Rudolf Steiner emphasized that is was important not to become fanatical when it came to diet. He said that he was a vegetarian, that indeed he needed to be in order to do his spiritual research, but was once reputed to order a steak in a restaurant to make this point. He gave many teachings on the results of dietary choices, but was clear that what one eats is an individual choice, depending on where that person was in their own evolution, and he said he could not prescribe a “diet” that is right for everyone. —Christy Korrow

The Bees

2009-06-02T15:00:00.003-05:00

Interview with Biodynamic Beekeeper

2009-05-12T19:31:00.004-05:00

This was an interview I did this spring for LILIPOH.

Honoring the Bien; For the Love of Honeybees

Author: Interview with Michael Thiele
Issue: Summer 2008: Honeybees as wise messengers - Issue #52, Vol. 13

Michael Thiele grew up on a farm in a tiny village in central Germany. He has been deeply influenced by the German biodynamic beekeeping movement and now teaches classes on natural and holistic beekeeping in the United States. He worked for seven years as the beekeeper at Green Gulch Farm, a Zen center just north of San Francisco. He takes care of the hives at The Melissa Garden, a honeybee sanctuary––including several “alternative” hives. Melissa Garden utilizes biodynamic methods and will seek Demeter certification. By extension, their beekeeper, Michael Thiele, is practicing biodynamic beekeeping methods according to the standards put forth by the international Demeter Association. Michael was interviewed over the phone by LILIPOH editor, Christy Korrow.

LILIPOH: Please introduce us to the concept of the bien. What does it mean, and how is it related to beekeeping?

M. Thiele: It’s interesting that, let’s say, maybe 150 years ago, before the introduction of modern beekeeping, beekeeping was not something special and not performed for any agro-industrial production. The crops, so-called crops, were not really the focus of beekeeping. It was just part of agriculture. Part of regular life. Culturally, the bees have always been important to humans. But it was not about the crop itself.

Then, at a very interesting time, when modern beekeeping emerged, meaning the Langstroth hives (square boxes), some people started raising their voice and said “wait a moment.” The tendency of the modern human mind is to approach the world through reduction and to look only at certain aspects of the bee hive. Due to this, the notion of the one-being was created ( Einwesen, in German) also called the Bien (bee in German is: Biene)

The concept of the bien reveals itself as an undividable entity. As something which is beyond the sum of its small and many parts. The modern equivalent to bien could be called super-organism. More like the biological term for this. A super-organism is something which goes beyond individual organisms, so this is what the beehive is. It’s something which goes far beyond its individual parts. So that is the basic understanding of bien.

LILIPOH: If we are to approach the hive with this in mind, then it affects the choices we make on how to prepare their home, where to place them, and in general how we treat our bees.

M. Thiele: Once you approach the honeybees with this kind of understanding, everything gets turned upside down, beginning with how we name the individual parts. For example, “worker bees.” Calling them this is so limiting to the female bees, and I always feel it doesn’t do them justice. These names we have for bees were derived from our own intention...Read the entire interview

New Top Bar Hive

2009-05-11T15:06:00.003-05:00

Our daughter Gabbi stenciled our new hive body, and Chris built the shed ... it can hold two more hive bodies. The hive was designed by Gunther Hauk, a well-known biodynamic beekeeper who has recently established a honeybee sanctuary called Spikenard Farm.

Eagles in Washington

2009-04-16T20:18:00.002-05:00

Eagles glide
On a regular basis
Just over my cabin

Maybe the residents
Of this sleepy little coastal town
Get used to them

But I never could
Think of them as just being
An ordinary fixture
Of the landscape

There was a pair today
In a tree
And then they were gone

Had things to do I suppose
But no particular time frame
In which to do it

I'm suppose to be recording music
For my next nature documentary
But I haven't been very productive

I feel a strong urge
To have something to show
For my time and reason
For being here

But all I want to do
Is sit on the bluff

And soar with the Eagles

Photo and poem by Chris Korrow

Crane Migration

2009-03-30T17:25:00.002-05:00

Chris will be visiting the Platte River in Central Nebraska to experience the annual crane migration. Over 500,000 sandhill cranes visit the river on their way north.

Chris on the Job

2009-03-15T18:10:00.005-05:00

Chris is working out glitches in some new recording software. He'll take his guitars and gear when he heads to Centrum next month.

Kaysha's Affirmation Fairies

2009-03-15T11:59:00.002-05:00

Kaysha's fairies are finally on the site, they are adorable!

Chris Receives Residency

2009-03-08T14:19:00.002-05:00

Chris was accepted for a two-week artist residency in April at Centrum, on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. Located at Fort Worden State Park, he will have a comfortable house right near the water and use the time to work on editing, and recording and narration for Dancing with Thoreau. Of course he is bringing his cameras also, this is such a beautiful area and he will surely get some more footage for the film.

(Photo: Chris and Gabe with their beach art last summer, near Fort Worden.)

Traversing Chris's New Guide for Observing Nature

2009-03-03T14:53:00.001-06:00

I wanted to explain a little bit about Chris’s new Guide for Observing Nature. I feel it is almost more of a guide to meditation. This explains why observation nature can help us regain peace in our lives, balance, and so forth. Nature is constantly, naturally, in this state, and therefore, purposefully putting ourselves on the same wave length with the natural world places us in a direct line of access with creation, pure and unaldarterated by judgment, complaining, and even to a great extent fear. It’s almost as if we allow ourselves to be influenced by how nature unfolds, expose ourselves to her, so to speak, and then when we resume our “regular lives” we carry within us a consciousness of calm, heightened awareness, and rhythmic living. It’s quite practical actually!

I have read the Guide many times, and was recently inspired to apply the nine practices in the book, one by one, to my own life, beginning with the first...

SLOW DOWN
I have just completed about two weeks of “slowing down.” The first couple of days, I was only able to remember to slow down for about five minutes each day! Pretty pathetic! And as I became more determined, I was able to meet face to face with my various alter-egos. One is the woman who says, “Keep busy busy all day long, and you will never be faced with boredom, or have to face the fear of being with yourself during an empty moment!” Another warns, “You are driven by a ‘super woman’ mentality that says you have to do it all, there is no TIME to slow down—things won’t get done!” But I finally did it, I was able to take a couple of days, and went through my tasks with presence and deliberation, only setting a couple of small goals for myself. I found myself with long stretches of time, with nothing to do, wondering around the house looking dazed. One day I even turned the TV on, and in comes Chris to find me watching Ellen and Oprah. He looked perplexed. “I am slowing down,” I said. “Slowing down does not mean reclining on the couch on the middle of the afternoon watching television. That’s not what I meant!”

Needless to say as the next couple of days went by a sort of miracle happened. I have worked with enough spiritual practices over many years to the point where I can clearly identify a “shift” in energy. Spiritual results always come in the back door, and according to the timing of the universe, not our own narrow expectations. Just when you think “nothing is happening,” it’s as if the gears in our universal psyche shift and we are on to another frequency, or into another state of perception.

And this is what happened for me, after a few bumpy, and a bit awkward moments, I settled into this Slow Down rhythm. My anxiety that if I wasn’t moving a mile a minute, that things would not get done dissipated. It sounds paradoxical, but even though I was slowing down, it seemed as if I was getting more accomplished. My motivation was coming from a quieter, less frantic place. Tasks seemed to go unusually smoothly. The universe seemed to be meeting me half way—people who I was waiting to hear from suddenly called, work based solutions were at my finger tips, ideas flowed. And yet, I had extra time. I was inspired resume a writing project, read two books, got back into a new meditation routine, decluttered my house, and reconnected very strongly with my creative impulse, leading to new ideas and possibilities for current and future projects.

A key to successful spiritual development is the understanding that we have many other way of accomplishing tasks besides sheer will. Once again we turn to the effortlessness of nature, how much she accomplishes and how much abundance she has to share with us. It certainly belittles us as we flounder to get though each day and our seemingly important tasks. The beauty of it is that we can tap into this generous energy of nature, we are woven from the same cloth, it is inherent in it, so all we have to do is become aware of it, and this is what Chris has set out to do in this little Guide. Thank you Chris!

A New Juicer

2009-02-28T11:12:00.000-06:00

We used our new Green Star juicer for the third time yesterday. Apples, celery, cucumber -- green and delish. It uses the twin gear system, so it is almost chewing the vegetables to bits. It is much slower than the Champion, I guess it takes its time. The pulp comes out very dry. We finally retired our old Champion after we could no longer find a replacement part for a cracked screen holder. We decided to purchase the Green Star juicer since it also juices wheat grass. We drink juice for sustained health, high nutrition, increased stamina, and mental clarity.

New Booklet on Nature Observation

2009-02-21T11:24:00.002-06:00

A Guide for Observing Nature
Breathe Deep 2008, 24-page booklet
By Chris Korrow

$5.00 includes shipping

Creator of the award-winning documentary, seen on PBS, Garden Insects
Nine easy ways to improve your relationship with nature. Chris Korrow shares nature based practices that awaken our senses, expand our understanding, inform our choices, give us a new vantage point so we can make life decisions in new and creative ways. Section include, "Slow Down," "Silence," "Walking," "Sound," "Color," "Touch," "Not Doing," and more....

From the Introduction:
"So I understand how being more connected to nature can help reduce stress and bring me a little more peace, but what good is it to my everyday material life? There is something I’ve seen in each person who has an intimate relationship with nature, and it increases exponentially with the strength of their connection — they are more adaptable. A person who is connected with nature can draw inspiration from both realms, natural and manmade. I’m not just talking about the availability of raw materials, but also an understanding of the way each system works. In short, a person that is not connected to nature is only working with 50 percent of their potential. It’s kind of like trying to balance a budget, when all you know how to do mathematically is add."

Winter Eating Fresh and In Season

2009-02-14T11:15:00.002-06:00

Winter Eating Fresh and In Season
Six ways to eat raw in the winter
—Christy Korrow
(Previously published in LILIPOH magazine)

During winter when our diets turn to cooked foods, it is even more important to partake in fresh living foods with meals. Fresh living foods provide us with dosages of vitamins, nutrients, and enzymes essential to digestion and nutrient assimilation.

1. Sprouts: A variety of sprouting seeds are readily available through the mail or at your local health food store. Favorites are broccoli, radish and clover. A delicious salad can be made from sprouted French lentils, add some parsley, lemon, salt and ginger.

2. Grow your own greens: Most climates support at least some production of fresh cold weather tolerant crops. Here in Kentucky, at zone six, we are able to grow lettuce mix, kale, parsley, carrots and spinach with very little protection, and only occasional additional heat from the wood burning stove in our small green house.

3. Dried fruits: Another form of concentrated nourishment, and a healthy way to curb a sweet tooth. Be sure to select organic and non-sulfured varieties. Apricots are especially high in fiber and beta-carotene.

4. Cabbage: A wonderful winter crop, always readily available at local grocery stores, and has strong detoxifying properties. Get creative with cole slaw, varying away from traditional mayonnaise versions, by creating an Asian version with sesame oil, soy sauce, sesame seeds and a light drizzle of agave for sweetness.

5. Carrots: Another cold weather crop, delicious raw. Grate carrots for textural interest and easier digestibility. Create a salad with carrots, walnuts, a few raisins, a light drizzle of your favorite vinegar and oil, and salt.

6. Potted Parsley: If you don’t have an in-ground garden, keep several large pots of parsley near a suny wondow, or outside if temeratures allow. Sprinkled fresh on almost any dish, the bright green color is cheerful, and parsley is high in vitamins and antioxidents.

Upcoming Event with Chris

2009-02-14T10:54:00.002-06:00

Where: Steele Creek Nature Center and Park

Chris Korrow will present a program on Friday evening, May 29th 2009 (this will include a screening of "Garden Insects,") followed by an outdoor night walk. Activities will continue on Saturday morning, May 30th, and run well into the afternoon. This would include another presentation, a day time walk and a photo workshop.

Steele Creek Park is a 2200+ acre municipal park owned and operated by the City of Bristol, Tennessee.

Dancing with Thoreau in Progress

2009-02-14T10:46:00.002-06:00

Chris recently passed through northern Kentucky where the severe ice storm hit. Luckily, we are in the southern part of the state, so we received only hard rain. Chris was on his way to Spikenard Farm, a 600-acre biodynamic farm and honey bee sanctuary in central Illinois, to interview Gunther Hauk. Gunther is a well-known biodynamic beekeeper, and author of the book, “Toward Saving the Honey Bee.” Excerpts from the interview will appear in Chris’s upcoming film, “Dancing with Thoreau.”

Garden Insects to Air on PBS

2009-02-13T09:50:00.003-06:00

Chris’s bug movie “Garden Insects” will once again air on PBS this spring. If you haven’t yet seen it, check it out March 18th and March 22nd at 9:30pm EST here in Kentucky on KET. Check your local listings nation-wide. PBS airs a 26-minute version, the DVD available on this site is 52 minutes. After watching the film, a recent viewer told Chris, “You are definitely a multi-media artist—from dirt to film.”

Welcome!

2009-02-02T16:38:00.003-06:00

Dear friends,

We are excited to welcome you to our new website www.breathedeepproductions.com. The site features all of the products available through Breathe Deep Productions, and this active blog with musings, product news and events listings.

Peace and blessings, Chris Korrow

PS We are proud to note that Chris Korrow received professional development funding through the Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, supported by state tax dollars and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.www.artscouncil.ky.gov.

Dancing with Thoreau

2009-02-02T13:52:00.002-06:00

Chris’s new documentary Dancing with Thoreau is underway. Much high definition footage was shot on a cross country family trip that took us through Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Olympic and Rainier National Parks. The film will be a compilation of meditative imagery and interviews with notable folks who bring insights into the connections between nature and human consciousness.

As Chris puts it:
“My new film helps us to increase our awareness of our place on this planet and points out methods we can use to reconnect with the world. Being more in touch with nature we become more in touch with ourselves and most importantly how we fit in—and fit in we must. There is a reason why Buddha sat under a bodhi tree and Jesus went into the dessert for forty days.

Nature is the greatest untapped educational tool we have, we intimately study how it works from a mechanical point of view, but the true lesson to be learned from nature is how we work, how the laws that govern this planet work, and how these two concepts must eventually work in unison. When we increase our understanding and relationship to the laws that govern life on this planet, we double our ability for growth, adaptability and harmony, for we are then working from the perspective of, for example, not just how to keep money flowing, but how it can keep flowing within the constraints of sustainability, balance and harmony.”

Most recently Chris interviewed the 89-year-old Dominican nun, Sister Adrian Hofstetter, author of "Earth-Friendly Re-Visioning Science and Spirituality through Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, and Rudolf Steiner" (SteinerBooks 2006) for the the film.