Week of August 4
My dear Community,
In last week’s newsletter, I shared some hard truths - how the cruelty we’re seeing today mirrors the past in ways that are impossible to ignore. Immigration raids, masked enforcement agents, families torn apart… I called it what I see it as: a modern-day Gestapo. Not a metaphor - a mirror. And honestly, the weight of it hasn’t left me.
Then this came across from a few weeks ago:
From Alaska PBS/NPR public media (that was likely recently defunded), https://alaskapublic.org/news/environment/2025-07-16/alaska-board-of-game-approves-revived-bear-culling-program-in-caribou-grounds
Maybe it hit harder because I have a dear friend currently in Alaska, sending me photos of these majestic creatures—alive, wild, and full of grace. And so my heart had to cry out to my community. I couldn’t stay quiet. Bears. Wolves. Shot from helicopters. Not for food. Not for safety. But for control. For dominance. For a system that’s forgotten what it means to live in relationship with the Earth.
This land - these mountains, rivers, forests, and all their creatures - aren’t ours to own. They weren’t gifted to us by our elders. They’re borrowed from our children. And we are dangerously close to returning them in ashes.
But here’s what I know: the antidote to despair is action. So we root deeper. We speak louder.
We show up - in our neighborhoods, our farms, our kitchens, and our hearts. We keep feeding each other. And we refuse to go numb.
This week’s box is full of food pulled from this sacred Earth by hands that have known hardship and still choose love. Raspberries are in full swing right now, and with such a short season, this is the time to stock up. I love freezing them and then warming them gently over yogurt - it’s like a little bowl of sunshine in the middle of winter. Summer crops are cranking, and our crew starts before sunrise and works well into the afternoon heat to bring this harvest to your home.
Every cucumber, every bunch of greens, every sweet pepper is a reminder: nourishment is resistance.
Beauty still exists. We still have time. So eat with reverence this week. Share with kindness. Speak with conviction.
We may not be able to stop every atrocity. But we can choose to live like this land matters.
Be good to each other.
Grilled Salmon with Marinated Zucchini Greek Salad
Ingredients:
For the marinated zucchini Greek salad
1 small zucchini, very thinly sliced
1/2 of a small red onion, finely diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
2-3 ounces feta, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup diced seedless cucumber
1/3 cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted and halved
zest of 1/2 a lemon
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped, plus extra for serving
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint, plus extra for serving
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
For the grilled salmon
4 (6 ounce) salmon fillets, skin-on
2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
freshly grated lemon zest
Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Spices in my DNA
Cantaloupe Avocado Raspberry Salad
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
4 tsp. honey
1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 cantaloupe, 3 pounds, seeded, rind removed, thinly sliced
2 avocado, halved, pitted, skinned, and thinly sliced
1 cup raspberries
1/2 cup feta cheese
Fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Reluctant Entertainer
Celery Salad with Lentils, Dates and Almonds
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cooked, cold lentils ( 3/4 cup dry)
6-8 celery stalks, thinly sliced at a diagonal, save the leaves ( 4 cups sliced)
8 Medjool dates, finely chopped
3 green onions, sliced at a diagonal
1/2 cup toasted slivered ( or macrona) almonds
1/4 cup shaved pecorino (or parmesan) cheese ( optional, but tasty)
Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2-3 teaspoons honey or maple
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted, crushed (or use ground cumin)
salt and pepper to taste
aleppo chili flakes, to taste (or regular chili flakes)
Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Feasting at Home
Turkey and Vegetable Skillet
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups diced zucchini and/or summer squash
1 cup fresh green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
14.5 ounces fire roasted tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded smoked mozzarella cheese or regular mozzarella cheese
Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Recipe Runner
Paleo Berry Crisp
Filling:
4 cups mixed berries (fresh or frozen—blueberries, strawberries, raspberries)
1 tbsp arrowroot starch (or tapioca starch)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1–2 tbsp maple syrup (adjust to taste)
Crisp Topping:
1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts = bomb)
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tbsp coconut oil or ghee, melted
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Dr. Sheena Joseph