In the game hide and seek, calling out “Olly Olly Oxen Free” is used to let the best hidden players know that the seeker is giving you a pass. In our garden, insects get a free pass from pesticides. I’d much rather deal with holes in my spinach than having toxins in my body.
© 2014 Theresa Funk, all rights reserved.
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Funk art was inspired by popular culture in the 60’s and 70’s, and uses unlikely mixtures of materials and techniques. Funk artists are not as concerned with impeccable technique, durability or form and so our works are often characterized as having a “sloppy finish”.
My Art Disc Go series have sloppy beginnings and less than sloppy finishes but in the authentic process of making my art, I am at peace and present in those moments of joyful creation.
~T.
Three types of phytonutrients found in cucumbers provide us with valuable antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer benefits. Cucurbitacins, lignans, and flavonoids have been the subject of active and ongoing research to determine the extent and nature of their anti-cancer properties.
We are making two batches of non-fermented pickles with the first harvest of cucumbers that are thriving in our garden, and will savor the flavor of vitamin C, beta-carotene, and manganese that these incredible vegetables provide us.
~T.
Confectionery is broken up into three categories: chocolate, non-chocolate, and chewing gum. A bowl full of non-chocolate goodies picked fresh from our garden is in a category of its own: delicious.
~T.
~T.
Lycopene is a naturally occurring chemical that gives fruits and vegetables a red color. As you can tell by the photo, our tomatoes are loaded with the stuff. According to the American Cancer Society, a major claim for lycopene’s benefits is in the prevention and treatment of cancers of the lung, prostate, stomach, bladder, cervix, skin, and, especially, prostate. In support of these claims regarding cancer, proponents note that lycopene is a powerful antioxidant, a compound that blocks the action of free radicals, activated oxygen molecules that can damage cells, and that several scientific studies have found lower risk of cancer among people who eat lycopene-rich foods.
The bowl of tomatoes were grown in our garden, and we continue to harvest and eat them daily. With the triple digit heat that is expected to last until the 4th of July, I anticipate that we’ll be eating more of these lycopene rich fruits on a daily basis.
~T.
More than 80 percent of the pine nuts eaten in American are harvested from the Korean pine, (Pinus koraiensis) a native tree in eastern Asia. it is the most widely traded pine nut in international commerce.
Knowing this made the two-hour task of harvesting a half-cup of seeds from California’s native Gray pine trees (Pinus sabiniana) seem a bit less tedious, and the garden fresh basil and thyme pesto will taste all the better for having made the effort.
~T.
Uprooting 21 years of an established life in one corner of a country and transplanting it thousands of miles away in an entirely different climate and culture requires attention to details that can, if you let them, consume most of the 24 hours in a given day. The distractions have impaired my ability to fully getting my Funk on, but I’ve been making adjustments so that I have time in every day to create “art”.
When I lived in Vermont, I would most often prefer to write songs to play on my guitar.
Poetry was an interest I pursued while waiting for winter to pass, but it was always forsaken when the warmth of spring arrived.
My time was then spent absorbing the beauty of the natural world while plotting out the garden and germinating seeds.
California is pure inspiration and more conducive to growing things, in every sense of the word.
Today I sowed more seeds, transplanted beet starts and basil, and then took a break from gardening to play with my crayons that I like to let melt in the sun.
~T
~T.
THERESA MAE FUNK 