Seasonal Family Almanac is finally here - TODAY!
What I want you to know about this book, plus a recipe: Flower-Pressed Nettle Oatcakes with Whipped Cream
Hello Friends and Family!
Seasonal Family Almanac, co-authored with Jana Blankenship, is available to order today!
Last Tuesday Jana and I had the chance to visit in person. We danced, took pictures amidst the daffodils, and stood together on the banks of the Wallkill River, voicing our wishes for the book's journey.
The anticipation leading up to today has spanned two years! As we were sharing pre-launch jitters last night, I asked her, “wait, what exactly is happening tomorrow?”
She said, “It feels like we are getting married, like we have waited so long for this baby and now it’s finally here!” (Hehe.)
Summed up: it feels big and we’re ready to share our book with YOU!
AND, we can't wait to hear what you think once you hold it in your hands and dive in.
Please let us know by sharing a review on Amazon or Goodreads, on Instagram (tag @emmafrisch, @janablankenship1, @papress), or in the comments below.
OR, tell us in person! If you’re in the Ithaca area, these events are free and open to the public. (More details in the postscript!)
And now, some musings from this morning…
It’s 6:00 am and my alarm sounds in the dark.
I lie in bed wondering, “will they like it?” I hear voices answer, “of course they will!” and “who cares if they don’t!” and “there’s nothing you can do about it now.”
In the words of Alicia Kennedy on research and writing, “It is always ongoing, ever unfinished, and yet it must go out at some point (or must it?).”
I tip-toe down to the kitchen to put the kettle on, and think about how my insecurities subvert one of the biggest messages of my generation: love yourself, don’t worry about what others will think. This is the kernel of countless self-help and personal growth books, courses, TedTalks, and podcasts. This, is Glennon Doyle.
I now know that nerves always accompany launching something into the public sphere. You just get better at riding the waves. But as I consider this feeling, something dawns on me…
Seasonal Family Almanac is precisely about reminding us that we needn’t strive to be loved; love is our birthright, and through it, so is joy and connection.
Let me explain.
The desire to be loved - to belong - is a natural human condition. We are social beings, wired to care about how we are perceived by and contributing to our community. It’s a survival mechanism and it ain’t goin’ nowhere.
BUT, I believe our desire to be loved and validated has heightened for humans who have moved away from village life that depends on the land (foraging, growing, herding, etc.).
Feeling loved is not about doing “the work” to become self-sustaining fountains of positive affirmation. It’s about connection with each other and the earth!
Being born and raised in a community with clear, in-tact roles and relationships with family, friends, and the earth can offer an innate sense of security, of belonging.
For many of us born in the U.S., this wasn’t our upbringing. We were raised in nuclear families, often far from relatives. In turn, we built our own identities and chose our own places to live, often without a direct connection to Nature.
While there are many beautiful things about the privilege to choose, it seems to come with a need to seek validation elsewhere: social media, performing well, co-dependency in romantic relationships, or wearing the latest style (guilty across the board). Our attention strays from the present. (It takes brute force for me to resist snapping a picture for Instagram.)
Seasonal Family Almanac is an invitation to restore our sense of belonging. It’s an invitation to jump back into the messy, beautiful, magical, wild earth we live in which shows us you are loved, you are loved, you are loved. To PLAY right outside your door through simple, joyful, delicious, nourishing recipes, crafts, rituals, and prompts that center you smack in the middle of the season you are in, without logging online. Presence. To surround ourselves and our children with love by appreciating Nature’s gifts, and thus tending the earth for generations to come.
As we write in the introduction, “every activity can be adapted to where you live, where you come from, and whatever age you are. Alongside our own generations-old and reinvented family traditions,” we include the voices of our community members.
“We hope these examples will guide your family’s journey into Nature. After all, if you have ever buried your nose in a wild rose or tasted the first ripe summer strawberry, you have heard and felt the call of the wild. So, flip the page and find your way back home.”
This book is a living, breathing product of the more beautiful world I know is possible, and one that we can ALL inhabit.
The opportunity to co-author this book with Jana was a profound gift, alongside an incredible female-led team of mothers (read more on this!). This spirit of community is alive in the book, and we hope it brings your family and community together in new ways.
I’ll leave you with the recipe that kicked off our first photo shoot two years ago, on a sun-drenched day in Mid-Spring: Flower-Pressed Nettle Oatcakes with Whipped Cream.
Dancing with glee and gratitude!
Emma
(Written by a real human, a.k.a. not AI)
Flower-Pressed Nettle Oatcakes with Whipped Cream
These simple, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits originate from Beltane oatcakes (see page 81), made round to represent the returning sun and with oats to symbolize a fertile harvest season ahead. At this time of year, ewes and dams have lambs and calves by their side, and the abundant fresh milk was often poured on the soil as a traditional Beltane offering. To practice this today, before you whip the cream, splash some on the ground to give thanks! If making these out of season, use dried herbs and flowers like rose or calendula, or keep them plain.
NOTES: Nettle powder can be made with foraged nettles (see page 66) or purchased online. Start with 1 tsp nettle powder and if you like the flavor, increase the quantity next time. For collecting and storing edible flowers, see page 29. You can substitute all-purpose flour for the oat flour.
Yield: About 36 cookies
OATCAKES
3⁄4 cup rolled oats
11⁄4 cups oat flour
1 to 2 tsp nettle powder
1/8 tsp sea salt
1⁄2 cup plus 3 Tbsp unsalted butter,
at room temperature
1/3 cup honey
1 cup edible flowers (see Notes)
WHIPPED CREAM
2 cups heavy cream, cold 1 Tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
To make the oatcakes: place a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and the whisk attachment for an electric or stand mixer or a handheld whisk in the freezer for 20 minutes while you prepare the oatcakes. Keep the heavy cream in the refrigerator.
In a food processor, quickly whiz the oats to break them down into smaller pieces, so they are more like quick oats. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the oat flour, nettle powder, and sea salt and stir to combine. Do not wash the processor.
In the food processor, combine the butter and honey and pulse until incorporated, then whiz until creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Add the oat mixture to the butter mixture and pulse until it comes together into a dough.
Turn the dough out onto an 18-by-12-inch sheet of parchment paper. Lift one of the longer sides of the parchment paper up and over the dough, gently shaping it into a log, about 2 inches wide. Wrap the dough tightly in the parchment paper and twist the ends shut like a candy wrapper, sealing the log. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or for up to 24 hours. You can also store the log in an airtight freezer bag and freeze it for up to 1 month.
When ready to bake, remove from the freezer, slice, and bake as follows. (If your dough is very soft when you roll it into a log, it will likely harden into an oval shape, which is fine! If you want your oatcakes round, firm the log in the fridge for 5 to 10 minutes, then remove, roll again until round, and return to the fridge to set.)
Preheat the oven to 325°F and position a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the edible flowers in a bowl.
Cut the log of dough in half and keep half in the refrigerator until ready to prepare. Unwrap the log and slice the dough into 1⁄4-inch-thick rounds. Arrange them, 1 inch apart, on the prepared baking sheet.
Invite the children to gently press the edible flowers onto the oatcakes, being careful not to break the dough.
Bake, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, for 14 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
While the oatcakes are baking, make the whipped cream:
Remove the bowl and whisks from the freezer. Add the heavy cream to the bowl and whip with an electric or stand mixer on high for 3 to 5 minutes, or until stiff peaks form and the cream resembles shav- ing cream. Alternatively, whip the cream by hand; it will take about 7 minutes. (If your tools and cream aren’t cold, it will take longer.) Whisk in the maple syrup and vanilla extract until incorporated. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
When the oatcakes are done, remove the baking sheet and set on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, then set the oatcakes directly on the wire rack to cool completely. Repeat to cut and bake the remain- ing oatcakes. Serve the oatcakes with the bowl of whipped cream for dunking.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Event details:
April 21-23: Cafe DeWitt, 9am-2pm
All weekend you can enjoy a special dish featured from the book! On Sunday, have brunch and then head to Buffalo Street Books to pick up your signed copy.
April 23, 2023: Buffalo Street Books, 1 - 3 PM
Book chat and signing, kids crafting table featuring an activity from the book, and Café DeWitt will offer samples of a recipe from the book!
Buffalo Street Books will donate 10% of profits from event book sales to Ithaca Children’s Garden
April 29, 2023: Ithaca Beer Company, 3-6 PM
Book signing from 3 - 6 pm, special menu from the book with beer pairings featured from 12 - 9 pm, and official season opening of the beer garden!
June 27, 2023: Firelight Camps, 5 - 8 PM
Join us for an extra special Firelight Live Tuesday event: book signing from 5 - 7 pm food, live music, herbal demonstrations and products by The People’s Medicine School, wild plant walk with Sarah Kelsen and more!
Firelight Camps will donate 10% of profits from event sales to The People’s Medicine School
I hope to see you at one (or more) of these events. Please help me spread the word by sharing this email with friends and family.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I am so glad this book is serving as a potential antidote - believe it will help you melt right into the beautiful world around you! And yes, love the stevia recommendation, although I don't love the taste :)!
🌿🌸 Just Starting To Live after being in a “frozen life state.”
Your book looks like the perfect antidote for starting over.
🌿🌸 Thank you so much for
writing it !
~ Nell
P.S. To reduce inflammation,
try using stevia liquid in your Oatcake recipe in place of
honey, it works great.
It all boils down to acid & alkaline.
~ Ciao !