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Garden Harvest: All Things Organic

Garden Harvest: All Things Organic

In the Zen Jazz News, Connie Kuramoto & Kerilie's Harvest Recipes

Kerilie McDowall
September 13, 2023

IN THE ZEN
By Kerilie McDowall

Garden Harvest: All Things Organic

In the Zen is the new blog of freelance writer and jazz guitarist, short jazz filmmaker Kerilie McDowall. Fun jazz and creative music interviews, lifestyle articles including health, garden, interesting tidbits, and all things music. Stop by for music industry and film festing informative flashes and other insights from 12x award-winning jazz short documentary filmmaker McDowall. She has much to share with over 34 years in the music industry as a music graduate, jazz guitarist/composer, jazz writer, music events publicist, past jazz and creative concert producer, and former radio and TV host and producer. Discounts for autumn from 15-20% off and NEW 30% off for BUDDIES!*** More information below.

From the Organic Garden:

Organic Keto by Connie Kuramoto of Gardens on the Go.

_{Shown in photo left to right, Keto lunch: (left) Ukrainian basil with almond pesto (middle) roasted cherry and medium Ukrainian basil-tomatoes, Lettuce, homegrown, top, and lastly walnut-Ukrainian carrot-tops-pesto with nutritional yeast (B vitamins)!}

When I first started gathering Ukrainian seeds anticipating the Ukrainian-Russian war prior to it starting, I felt it was a duty I wanted to honour my violin-maker turned farmer-ancestors who immigrated over 100 years ago to Canada. I wanted to try and find some rare Ukrainian plant seeds.

I had already been gardening for an entire year, yet though rather badly. It took me a few years to “get it.”

After wild mountain wildlife and animals had eaten all of my crops my first year, in a panic I called master gardener Connie Kuramoto of Qualicum’s Gardens on the Go. I could not risk losing the seeds or having any crop failures, as my plan was to gather and share these rare Ukrainian seeds. (And I did share them and am still doing so.) It was too late to plant once I found them from a farmer in the Ukraine, so we waited. Meanwhile Connie helped me contend with all the Canadian seeds I had started at the time helping me figure out how to keep them going.

Connie Kuramoto. Image by Kerilie McDowall.

Connie is a very clever and warm-hearted, and kind soul, I ended up adoring her as a mentor, and we became bonded in the garden. Connie showed me everything from how to stake tomatoes, to digging them in, cutting back the leaves, how to water by counting, how to properly fertilize and compost. It just became even more exciting when I started teaching myself container gardening with rare exotic plants like ashwaghanda and holy basil this year with Connie’s help and guidance so I could extend the garden around my home and on to decks, including stackable vertical planters.

The plants from the Ukraine? Well, they actually grew! I was so excited!

Connie advised with the changing weather to plant drought resistant plants like lavender, sage and others so that my plants could tolerate the continued regular summer drought. Weather patterns have been changing.

I was so excited my second year growing, to finally have success with a garden in a more productive way was really satisfying.

What came up in the garden this year? Not all the seeds were a success, but many and most stopped by! So many small and large and medium sized varieties of red, yellow and black rare Ukrainian tomatoes, (13), with only 3-4 varieties from Canada. Rare purple and green, black, and red Ukrainian peppers.

Sent from the Ukraine: Various styles of lettuce. Lobelia, blue and purple, fenugreek, dill, mint, lemon balm, chamomile, African daisies, blue pumpkins, dahlia, green onion, broccoli, cabbage, coriander.

Others from other North American sources included garlic, calendula, nicotinia, holy basil, ashwaghanda, chives, and other goodies like lavender which are growing either seeds or seedlings. My guitar student’s Mom gave me hot peppers, but a gardening Facebook friend’s rainbow peppers grew like crazy, as did the Holy Basil. I am so excited to share with you some of the recipes you can create from your garden, while adding in some organic store ingredients for the more complicated recipes. Due to having little sun in my yard I am limited to certain crops in certain areas. I am understanding better how to use the land while respecting the earth while gardening as I learn from Connie Kuramoto. Including fertilizer only when necessary.

Holy Basil from the organic garden.

Connie gave me permission to share the recipes she created with me most recently, teaching me how to use my garden. Enjoy these fine healthy treats! I am also dropping my Baba’s most incredible “#1 in the world,” borscht on you. My Baba, she was so proud of this recipe and was still making it in her 90s when she was still here with us before passing away almost 10 years ago. So this recipe may be a variation of at least 180 years of tradition. Enjoy these recipes, with love from my family to yours and also with grateful thanks to Qualicum’s Gardens on the Go Connie Kuramoto.

Note: You can make these pestos with parmesan cheese or cheese substitutes, or none at all, just add more nuts and a bit of nutritional yeast to taste. Recipes follow:

Basil-Almond Pesto
by Connie Kuramoto of Gardens on the Go

2 cups of fresh organic homegrown basil

¼ cup parmesan

¼-½ cup organic almonds

Organic olive oil added to desired consistency, either thick, or dip-texture

Salt and pepper to taste

3 small cloves of fresh organic cured garlic

Olive oil Basil-Roasted Tomatoes preparation with Connie Kuramoto.

Roasted Basil-Tomatoes
by Connie Kuramoto of Gardens on the Go

Organic tomatoes, cherry halved, small tomatoes quartered, and medium pieces.

1 Place parchment paper on 2 baking sheets, stainless steel

In a bowl mix chopped pieces of freshly chopped ¼ inch pieces of organic basil. Drain the extra tomatoes’ juice into a glass cup, then drink it, its delicious!

Add in conservative salt amounts and generous olive oil to cover well

Spread on to parchment paper. Bake at 275-300 for 3 hours, check at 1.5 and 2.25 hours to check progress and readiness. Serve and take out of the oven when the tomatoes are slightly blacked on edges. Sooooo good!

Carrot-Tops Walnut Pesto with multi-B Vitamins
by Connie Kuramoto of Gardens on the Go

2 cups organic carrot greens tops

1/4-1/2 cup organic walnuts

A hand-sized gigantic organic carrot emerged from the garden.

1/4 – 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (hard to get B vitamins)

¼ cup parmesan cheese or cheese substitute

Organic olive oil and salt and pepper to taste and desired consistency, thick or dip-like.

3 Small cloves of fresh organic cured garlic. Double ingredient ratio to serve 4, triple it for leftovers.

Garlic Scape Recipe,
Traditional, as grown-taught to me
by Connie Kuramoto of Gardens on the Go

8-12 fresh organic garlic scapes

½ cup parmesan or cheese substitute and/or nutritional yeast

Add ¼ cup of either pine nuts, walnuts, almonds or cashews or a combination of a few.

Salt and pepper and olive oil to taste to either a dip consistency, or a thicker dip. Blend all ingredients and serve on GF-free pasta or with keto flax chips.

Baba’s Traditional Ukrainian Borscht
Family recipe, Kerilie McDowall

Vegetarian:

Baba’s borscht.

Chop into slivers:
8 -10 organic beets and tops --boil and reserve water
1 organic onion
Organic large tin lima beans one tin or cannelloni or white beans for big batches use two tins
Fresh dill bunches, as much as you can purchase
About 3 -4 cups chopped dill for large batch, use stems in broth and remove the long stems later
1 large tin organic chopped tomatoes and add a few garden tomatoes or buy organic only and not necessary to add that meaning the fresh tomatoes use the can
1 tin organic green beans or frozen or fresh
3/4 cup chopped cabbage organic
Chopped into slivers small baby potatoes organic enough to fill the bottom of the pot

Fill large soup stainless pot with the boiled beet vegetable water make sure to leave a 1/4 cup beet water in the pot to stop any beet grit from entering the soup

Fill remainder of pot 2 inches below its top with water. Add extras if you have them like extra beets or tops and if you like slivered carrots.

After it boils ...Add ketchup slowly and gradually with salt and pepper be sure to taste as you add only --yes my Baba really used that!:) Ketchup. Heinz. But there are organic types everywhere. If you want to try them.

Non-vegetarian version:

Brown meat in olive oil first use all other ingredients too.

Add two packages of oxtails, or one package of short ribs, or one package of ox tail with two strip sirloin steaks, grass fed, chopped into bite sized pieces. Or add stewing beef. Add to the soup mixture.

Both versions: Boil just 1/4 of the dill added to pot boil then simmer for 4-5 even 6-7 hours add more water if needed.

After its ready either versions, add 1/4 cup of liquid whipped cream or more from the carton and the rest of the dill then boil and simmer until the dill is cooked. Remove dill stems and serve soup with crusty french bread with unsalted grass fed butter. Or garlic bread, hot.

(Or the gluten free option is with keto flax chia crackers.) See my posted flax and chia seed recipes that l shared online at Canadian Online Guitar Lessons. Dairy free is not to use butter or whipped cream. From my family to yours. Enjoy!

Last of the notes: In progress on the way! I hope this during this next year to release a jazz album of my compositions of historical Vancouver jazz guitar, and band quintet tracks! I will let you know how that goes and all the deets once they are available and finalized!

JAZZ HOT NEWS

I have been in touch with many musicians on a daily basis who often contact me for various different reasons.

Lately I have spoken with and interviewed a favourite composer of mine, François Houle, so more will be coming up on his projects very soon in a special for fans interview in All About Jazz. I am also finalizing an article coming up in tribute to another favourite, the late Italian legend vocalist Lilian Terry. Canada’s award-winning Fringe Festival highlight Andrea Superstein has been edited, more about that soon, I am chatting with a few folks about it.

Then the USA’s Angie Wells is on the future Q&A list, and yes, stay tuned for a Q&A chat with The Cookers and past Shuffle Demon saxophonist extraordinaire, Ryan Oliver, very soon! He is on the way to perform at Nanaimo’s Simonholt Restaurant on Sunday September 24th at 7:30pm!

So stay tuned for the updates, when the articles are completely finalized for editing, I will let you know where they are published online! Links will be published here when I am publishing elsewhere until I get the blog IN THE ZEN going strong.

Such is the world of FUN very enjoyable freelance jazz writing. I am taking a breather break from writing again to focus on my guitar students who are now returning for the school year with me. I was on a welcomed short few breaks to enjoy the beach with family weekend rest holidays. How about you? Are you ready yet for the fall weather? Have you put your summer clothes away for winter, yet?

I think as we get older and better at designing the bucket list, that it is very important to try and stay true to your natural God-given talents. I have discovered recently that I am much more designed for international or national writing, music composition or teaching film/creating film. Playing guitar, non-fiction writing normally, or assisting others with music lessons, coaching or workshops seems to make me happy.

I am currently on a course design frenzy with a very special US company that I am really enjoying. Stay tuned, once I have a few extra tips I will share. Like for example, want to know how to create a PDF on your Facebook or Insta profile bio? Those are basic ways of avoiding having to repeat price lists continuously and to get your business brand principals out there. DM for the tip!

Did you know I have been studying AI part-time? That is a whole story unto itself! Why? “AI Hallucinations.” Linkedin re-wrote my resume with lies (AI hallucinations) due to an AI feature I clicked in error and fabricated falsehoods allover my profile without me knowing, i.e./ that I had worked in a South American bank and all kinds of very strange and weird stuff, I am not sure if it is all properly fixed yet. It sparked me to begin studying AI. It also made me realize that AI acting on its own making its own decisions and including lies or falsehoods is a threat to the world. In a very serious way.

But does one tolerate it when it is pervasive and when business is embracing it? Unknown. We need regulations and controls for AI in place.

Need a list of a free AI specialized task to do lists to get your business started entirely free? Except for the $165 business license and inexpensive name fees, I will send you to the link online. Want to learn about aspects of AI, and or how to use otter.ai to transcribe audio for your more complex documents? DM. Or book your information session on Calendly on my calendar.

Customers who take or mix two or more music, film and/or writing workshops get the Canadian Online Guitar Lessons & Services Jazz & Indie Festival Contact List and a wickedly sneaky and very handy Canadian Music, Film, Arts and Business Start Up Grant/Investor List to study before approaching your grant writer, and honestly you will save months if not years of research time from information I gathered through researching over many years! Take three workshops and get the free nurturing article, 15 Ideas for Creativity and Resilience. (As seen in Canadian Musician).

Read on to see the workshop list currently offered.

Student Megan Fleming. Image by Dirk Heydemann of HA Photography.

Canadian Online Guitar Lessons’ Mountain Studio

I am continuously inspired by my music students, they learn fast, are adventurous, and have wonderfully creative ideas. My students have such courage to try the new music and skills that they have never tried before. They challenge themselves with many continuous and happy wins as the end result! To learn more, keep reading, and yes, I have a few guitar tips for you, too!!

Studio view sunrise image at Canadian Online Guitar Lessons by Kerilie McDowall.

Canadian Online Guitar Lessons. Guitar Lessons studio.

Excerpt from GUITAR TIPS (FOR STARTING BEGINNERS)

There are a few steps for beginners to take to ensure their notes ring out perfectly and clearly.

1. Do not let your right hand or right forearm dampen the strings and block off all the sound.

2. Make sure your left hand also is not with fingers collapsed blocking off all the strings from ringing.

Ask Kerilie to demo the correct techniques.

Approaches to correct:

Place your left hand finger on the fretboard on its very tip, just below the silver fret with your finger knuckles up facing towards the top, ask to see the bar chord and regular D major chord example.

Keep your fingertip on a slight angle and press only hard enough for a clear tone, with as little pressure as possible to get the note ringing clearly. Do not place your fingertip on top of the fret or in front of it. Make sure your left hand does not block off the strings by keeping the correct technique and form.

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Coaching, and workshops registration are now underway and are discounted locked in for the school year! DM for info. and 2023 price list. Lessons for beginners to advanced, all styles. Current coaching and workshops include film, music industry and writing.

Coaching weekly and monthly intensives available. Part-time study. Mastermind Music series available. 2023 price list available by DM. Sliding scale for disabled, seniors, vulnerable, and single families or moms.

Student Joey Johnson. Image by Dirk Heydemann of HA Photography.

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Image by DIrk Heydemann of HA Photrography.

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Writer’s Workshops:

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹-𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 quick-𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗰𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀!

𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝐛𝐲 𝐊𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐌𝐜𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥 $𝟵.𝟵𝟵 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵.

𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬' 𝐊𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐌𝐜𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥 (𝐅𝐞𝐛 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑)

𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐦 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈

𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐦 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐈

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 1 and 𝟐 (𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬)

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐦, 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜, 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭

𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭, 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐳𝐳 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭

𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐦 & 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧

Image of Kerilie McDowall by Dirk Heydemann of HA Photography.

KERILIE MCDOWALL – QUICK SUMMARY BIO:

Image of Kerilie McDowall by Dirk Heydemann of HA Photography.

Kerilie McDowall is a guitar, writing, and film/music industry instructor. DownBeat Critics Poll judge, former DownBeat writer. Polaris Music Prize juror, Past JUNO Awards judging, and talent judge for the Canadian Musicians Coop, 12x award-winning jazz short documentary maker, and TV Movie Director of In the Zone: Rick Kilburn (2020). Black Women In the Arts Stiletto Award (2016, radio), past writing for Musicworks, DownBeat, The Discourse, All About Jazz, Canadian Musician, Inspired, Canadian Antique Phonograph Society, Nanaimo Magazine+. Guitar instructor/owner of Canadian Online Guitar Lessons. Jazz guitarist and jazz bandleader in Vancouver (1990-2000), music and arts events publicist/media contact, #1 globally on Google Player FM jazz radio podcaster from 2013-15 (7-year jazz radio podcast). Past jazz radio host/producer, volunteer (17 years), TV Hosting/co-hosting, volunteer, Splicer’s Daughter Director Assistant (2016,) Shaw Spotlight (7 years) TV Director volunteer (5 years 2015-20).

Book 15 min: https://calendly.com/kerilie/guitar-lessons-workshops-writing-publicity-media-contact