Earth Day Giveaway You Will LOVE 🌎 💚
Win a glamping stay and epic package (plus, a recipe for "Tree Candy")
Hello dear friends!
Good golly, it’s been a while, and I have lots to say!
I’m like the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, which is very much the way most Northern-dwelling folk feel in early spring. But back to that later.
By now you must know Earth Day is not a passing holiday for me. 🌎
Earth Day is every day! It has to be.
But, this nationally-sanctioned day is a great opportunity to tell you about a few of the Earth-centered brands and people I love (our purchasing power matters!).
What better way to do that than with an Earth Day Giveaway! This thoughtfully curated package includes a 3-night stay at Firelight Camps and a copy of my books, alongside epic gifts from Elephant Journal, Captain Blankenship, Yoloha Yoga, Clean Plates, Graydon, and Jana Blankenship (check out the full haul here).
Did you do enter? Are you back? Ok, onward…
We hear a lot about the Nordic cultures, and the way they embrace winter (because it is long) and savor summer (because it is short).
The northern reaches of New York are similar.
On Haudenosaunee land in the Finger Lakes, where I’ve lived for fourteen years, we have a unique condition called “lake effect.”
In my understanding, the cold air that originates in Canada, sweeps over the vast, deep waters of the Great Lakes and the Finger Lakes, transferring warmth and moisture (aka clouds) into the lowest portion of the atmosphere. As a result, we sit beneath an impenetrable blanket of grey for six months of the year.
This can translate to seasonal depression, snow-birding in sunnier places, being grumpy, becoming enlightened by letting discomfort slide off you like water (not me), crafting more, and mustering energy to trek to a friend’s hearth in the dark, snowy night. Cozy fires, potlucks, singing, and general ruckus… these gatherings feed our souls, in the way Nordic countries describe hygge.
I like my daughter’s definition for winter: “It’s a time when the birds fly away and the grown-ups throw more parties.” (I actually think they’re just more memorable, because they happen less frequently than the warm-weather months).
But winter can drag on.
While many of you have already said hello and goodbye to the cherry blossoms, they are just unfurling up north.
Soon, the world outside will explode.
And so will we, adding garden projects, grilling and picnics, long swims, and late-nights to our usual flow. This wild, messy, busy burst mimics the plants and animals in our short sun season.
But before this frenzy is unleashed, I’m relishing daffodil bouquets, and the slow return of each flower.
I asked the daffodils what they’d been up to all winter. My daughter translated, “We’ve been sleeping, watching movies all day, and eating yummy stuff.” (For the record, she did not watch movies all day this winter.)
So as I spring clean my kitchen and wait for the forests, fields, and orchards to bear fruit, I turn to my winter store of dried fruit and nuts to make a treat that celebrates this beautiful earth: Earth Day Tree “Candy.”
This recipe (below) gives you the opportunity to talk about trees’ gifts with your children. To help them make the connection between a prune and a plum. To make new discoveries about common nuts that don’t grow locally, like cashews (have you seen a cashew apple?). And to learn what other properties they have (did you know walnut shells can be used to make dye?).
To top it off, you’ve made an exquisite snack that will power you all week! What better way to appreciate trees’ many gifts?
There are other ways to celebrate Earth Day every day of the year, such as making earth art from trash clean-ups, getting to know wild plant friends, and walking barefoot in the mud.
Wherever you are, I hope you are having healthy sips of this baby green spring tonic, and that you will take a moment to celebrate the Earth today, tomorrow, and the next day.
It can be as simple as saying hello to the sun.
Baci XX,
Emma
PS. In the next week or two, I’ll be announcing a new offering for you that I’m very excited about! Keep your eyeballs peeled.
And don’t forget to enter the Earth Day Giveaway!
Earth Day Tree “Candy”
Notes: Substitute cashew or almond butter with peanut or sunflower butter, and swap dried tree fruit for other dried fruit if needed. For extra pizzazz, coat your tree candy with shredded coconut or dye-free nonpareil sprinkles! Carob has a flavor that borders on chocolate and can be substituted for cocoa.
Yield: 30 pieces ⎹ Prep time: 10 minutes
Tropical Candy
1 cup sweetened or unsweetened
shredded coconut (not
coconut chips)
2/3 cup cashew butter
1⁄2 cup banana chips or dried
bananas
1/3 cup cocoa or carob powder
8 to 10 dates, depending on
preferred sweetness
Pinch of fine sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
Shredded coconut (optional)
Dye-free nonpareil sprinkles (optional)
Orchard Candy
2/3 cup almond butter
4 dried apple rings
4 dried apricots
4 whole dried figs
1⁄4 cup dried mulberries
1⁄4 cup pecans
1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of fine sea salt
Shredded coconut (optional)
Dye-free nonpareil sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
In a food processor, combine all the ingredients for Tropical or Orchard Candy, except the shredded coconut and sprinkles, if using, and pulse to incorporate together, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Blend until the ingredients come together in a consistent and grainy dough that sticks together when pinched between your thumb and finger. Scrape the dough into a bowl.
If coating your candy, sprinkle an even layer of shredded coconut or sprinkles on a plate and set aside. Roll about a Tbsp of dough between your palms to form a ball. Roll the ball in the coating, if using, pressing to help the coating adhere, and set aside in an airtight container or on a plate. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
