Getting on Purpose

August 11, 2025

Getting on Purpose

I have been somewhat fascinated by my slow and steady recovery from Lyme disease. At this juncture, my right knee still has some challenges, but I can almost walk down stairs without a limp. What has most fascinated me is my return to inspiration, to get out of bed in the morning with purpose, and to run smoothly all day, or almost all day. Living on purpose is my focus these days, for as many minutes of the day as I can clock in. We all have so many thoughts on any one day– and I have been watching mine over the past 6 weeks with interest, because at first I was focused on pain, overwhelmed at how to accomplish running a farm in July without being there, and fixation on when I could lay down again. But slowly I have come out of the fog. This past week I have returned to breaking into song in the field with the least provocation, much to Justin’s chagrin, or equally as often breaking into expletives-deleted just because. It is interesting to watch a personality re-emerge, especially when it is yours! I have started getting excited about the proposition of jumping out of bed at 4 am to let the dogs off their chains, start the fire, feed the dogs and cat, make breakfast, finish up the list, and also get lunch made (usually a heavily vegetable-based affair that takes a lot of chopping and perhaps a dash to the garden. That is instead of dragging myself out and just putting one foot in front of the other, all of it seeming like a terrible chore.

Thursday I not only cleaned the house, but mopped the kitchen floor. And instead of doing a “drive by” on the afternoon chicken chores with a little water here and there, I dumped all the dishes, and refilled them completely. I also cleaned both toilets. And then finally, I organized the Circle of Song music for the fall, a task I have been putting off for three months.

I counsel folks several times per week it seems, about how to really enjoy each minute of each day, drop the self-flagellation, and clear away the fog of anxiety, depression, seemingly overwhelming troubles, and stride purposefully through life.

But for the past 6 weeks I had to relearn all of that for myself. Depression and ennui can be very frightening. What has been my secret? Prioritizing a loving relationship with my old man, taking serious good care of my diet – I have dropped all grains and already didn’t do any sugar or processed food, jumped up my omega threes, mostly in the form of cold water fish like sardines, anchovies and herring, stuffed in as many vegetables as possible, ate good meat and eggs, and considered my future and how to continue to devise it, surrounding myself with folks who challenge me to be a better version of myself, just by who they are, and by reading voraciously, mostly on health related topics at present.

I was trying to understand why I am sharing this long personal story here, and I think the reason is that I have depression, and schizophrenia and mental illness in my family, and I suspect that so many of you do too. I usually reside in the happy zone, but dipped down this summer, and want to assure you that if you are down, you can come out. The way out is different for each and every one of us, but it is easier with friends!

Gratitude this week

I haven’t mentioned Stu lately. Presently at 5 years, he is the longest running MHOF mate. He is slightly older, and thus a tad more mature than I am, but not by much. All spring and into early summer Danny gets him to help with carpentry work, but finally when more field work is needed, he does what he is best at – weeding. We make him do a little picking, but if you aren’t careful, he will slip off and start weeding. With all of the other challenges that impinge on farming success, it is nice to have the weeds not taking their toll. Stu is the backbone of our weeding department. Thank you, Stu!

Ultra Processed Food: Emulsifiers

by Jack Kittredge

Emulsifiers are substances composed of molecules which attract fat-based substances on one end and watery substances on the other, keeping together ingredients which would otherwise not mix. Think vinaigrettes, where a little mustard joins oil and vinegar, or mayonnaise, where egg yolk does that to oil and lemon juice or vinegar. Not all emulsifiers are natural foods like these, however.  Cheaper synthetic alternatives with chemical names have been devised and are commonly in use on many processed products available for sale.

Polysorbates, for instance, are used in ice cream, salad dressings, and some baked goods while sorbitan esters are found in cake mixes, chocolate, and dessert toppings. Mono- and diglycerides are widely used in margarine and ice cream; sodium stearoyl lactylate is also used in baked goods;  carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) is often found in gluten-free products; and polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) is used in chocolate. Many others exist and new ones are regularly being added.

These synthetic products have recently come under criticism, along with seed oils, food dyes, and other ingredients, as potential drivers of America’s chronic health problems. A report from the MAHA Commission, released in May 2025, found that ultra-processed foods contain “industrially manufactured food products… and food substances of no or rare culinary use… Research suggests that the industrial processing required to create UPFs—through additives and nutritional alterations—is a key contributor to their harmful health effects in children.” Recent studies have found that these chemicals disrupt the gut biome and many problems such as inflammation are associated with industrial emulsifiers, as well as cardiovascular and other chronic diseases.

All emulsifiers used in manufactured food products must be listed as ingredients, so it is easy to find them on the label. Public health authorities and the MAHA report suggest that, as a step toward controlling chronic disease, consumers can review the ingredient list of any processed food they purchase and select only those based on foods they know and trust.

Jennifer’s recipe of the week

Garden Harvest Bone Broth Soup (with Chickpeas)
As summer leans into fall, this soup is cozy yet light. Chicken bone broth brings minerals and gentle collagen that can soothe the gut and support joints. Sweet roots (carrot, beet) feel grounding, while cauliflower, green beans, and bok choy keep the bowl bright without heaviness. Chickpeas add steady plant protein and fiber, and a mild mix of ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric (plus a pinch of hing) wakes up digestion without too much heat. Fresh basil folded in at the end adds a clean, garden lift. If you tend to feel cold or wired (Vata), add a pat of ghee and cook the veggies softer; if you run hot (Pitta), keep spices gentle and finish with lime and coriander; if you feel heavy or sluggish (Kapha), skim extra fat, add more greens, and use a little black pepper. In short, it’s a gut-soothing, everyday bowl that builds steady resilience—what Ayurveda calls ojas—without weighing you down.

Get the recipe

2025 MHOF CSA

We had some mighty good looking produce this past Friday!

CSA

• Lettuce – for larges and mediums
• Arugula for smalls
• Oregano
• Sage or summer savory if we run out of sage
• Cucumbers
• squash
• Beet greens – as we thin this particular patch, there are more and more beets on these greens. Enjoy. We will take a break from the mature beets this week
• Carrots – that closes out the carrots for a time
• Chard
• Basil
• Tulsi
• Kale/collards/broccoli/cauliflower – one or the other
• Flowers for flower shares

It is not too late to get a flower share for the end of the season

Send us a check for $100 and you can get one of these for the next 8-10 weeks

Optimizing the Female Microbiome

Please enjoy this deep dive into the Female Microbiome. The video below brings lots of essential insights and helpful info into a topic area that is still relatively less known, but as you can see with the list of common health concerns connected to imbalances in the vaginal microbiome, it’s an important area of our health to know about!

Optimizing the Female Microbiome Replay:  https://youtu.be/23VBQR1h2iw

Here are some of the common health concerns are that are connected to imbalances in the Vaginal Microbiome:

1. Bacterial Vaginosis

2. Yeast Infections

3. Urinary Tract Infections

4. Premature Birth and Low Birth Rate

5. Endometriosis

6. Cervical Cancer Trigger

7. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

8. Fertility Issues and Poor Pregnancy Outcomes

9. Sexually Transmitted Diseases

10. Gynecological Cancers

11. Toxic Shock Syndrome

To get in touch with Ellen to dive more deeply into this topic or get some personalized support, you can check her out here: http://www.ellenkittredge.com, ellen_kittredge@yahoo.com

Farm Doins

We will probably look back with great nostalgia on the weather this past week. Perhaps in part because of haziness from the massive wildfires to our north and west, the weather was relatively cool during the days and even almost cold at night. Without a speck of rain in the forecast, we were, however, able to enjoy the positive consequences of the deep rain of 8/31 well into the week. Sadly, no rain on the horizon, so we will have to determine the need to water this upcoming week. Thanks to Em who took a turn at it on Friday.

We cut and raked the hay in the annex this week and picked up and mulched out all of the piles that we had lying around the farm – happy recipients were two celery beds, two new kale beds and one of collards, and a brand-new cucumber bed.

Stu and Danny made repairs to two of our bird houses this week. However, an incursion by coyotes under the turkey house (I saw them out our bedroom window) on the front lawn on Saturday morning between 3:30 and 4:30 was accomplished in a matter of a few short minutes and clarified that this year our field houses provide limited security for our birds this year. Fast work on my part (I now am sleeping as lightly as I ever did when we had babies) kept the carnage down to one of our precious poults.

Okay, the turkeys are my favorites

But no one works harder than a laying hen!

This week we planted in the field a bed of basil and tulsi, one of fennel and green beans, and one of cilantro and arugula, and one and a half of tatsoi. In the greenhouse we started more Asian greens and lettuce

Justin sprays transplant drench while Julie and Marj lay out the basil plants

We finished weeding the onions and the leeks this week, and did a lot of work in broccoli and cauliflower patches. We also prepped two beds one for radishes and one for turnips. After a pretty unsuccessful 2nd bean crop, we mowed that down on Friday. It will soon be more lettuce.

Speaking of beans, I met with our AEA consultant Nick Casale on Friday and he gave me some great recipes that I will share.

• Our tomatoes are looking good but slow. Last week we spread pro gro dry fertilizer (North Country Organics) and sprayed our electrolyte spray on the ground around them – rejuvenate, humacarb and sea shield. They colored up nicely from a bit of a dusty green to bright green. Nick suggested a spray of Accellerate at 1 gallon per acre for this week to bring more flowers and start some ripening

• For the Mexican bean beetles that are decimating the green beans we will try this spray on our crop that is almost ready

  • recipe is 1 gallon rejuvenate, 3 quarts boron, 2 quarts sea stim, 1-2 quarts calcium, 1 quart photomag

• Nick reminded me that N might be needed in an organic system like ours that does not use extra N with compost or liquid fish, so a spray of Sea Shield can be in order. We have had some very slow crops this season, so I took that to heart.

In that vein, we have started doing a round of midseason fertilizing of most of our crops with ProGro. And I might have to rig up an irrigation system this week if rain continues to be absent.

Lastly, we are spending time in our almost barren orchards keeping the bittersweet and other brush out from under our new trees.

Julie

Paula and Marcia enjoy weeding together