Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day...a beautiful day to celebrate and remember the one who gave you life.  A special day not only to pay homage to her, but to also pay special homage to our mother earth - who gives us the air we breath, the food we eat, the sights we see, the aromas we smell, the textures we feel, and the beautiful sounds we hear such as soft chirping birds and the smooth sound of trickling water.  A magical day, indeed.

My mother is beautiful, strong, playful, driven, and free spirited.  Just yesterday, she told me her weekend would be filled planting herbs and plants in her garden.  She's also been very excited about rock dust these days...she is amending her sliver of mother earth with beneficial trace elements by incorporating rock dust in her garden beds.  I suppose the apple does not fall far from the tree.

In honor of mother's day, here's a wonderful recipe for a delicious mother's day treat - bringing mother earth and mother's everywhere closer together....

Fig and Blueberry Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
(Salad)
 - a dozen ripe figs (washed and quartered)
 - a cup of rinsed organic blueberries
 - 4 healthy handfuls of baby romaine lettuce leaves
 - 2 tablespoons pine nuts
 - feta cheese (optional)
(Dressing: A Hill Country Herbalist Original ;)
 - 4 peeled and minced garlic cloves
 - 3/4 cup olive oil
 - 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
 - 1/4 cup fresh juiced orange juice or lemon juice if you like a tarter dressing
 - salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing, I like to begin by scraping freshly minced garlic into a glass jar that also has a good tight fitting lid.  Next, add olive oil, red wine vinegar, citrus juice, salt and pepper.  Place lid tightly on the jar and shake for several seconds.  The citrus juice makes this dressing creamy looking and delicious! Taste a bit and add more salt, pepper, or any of the above ingredients to get the right balance you prefer.  More olive oil if too tart or strong...more juice if too boring. 

You can also add fresh thyme leaves into this dressing for a wonderful hint of thyme. 

To make the salad, arrange the lettuce in a large bowl.  Add figs, blueberries, and pine nuts.  Begin drizzling the salad dressing over the salad and gently toss.  Add feta cheese on top to add a creamy treat!
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I hope you enjoy your beautiful day celebrating the fruits of life.  I'll leave you with this cute picture of herbhusband and his mom back in the good ol' days ~ HCH