Every Year I marvel at how it takes 46 weeks to plan Day Camps, then the 6 weeks when they are actually happening fly by in a blur and we start all over again- sheer madness!! And here we are with only one more week ahead of us before the Teams come home.
Historically Week 3 is always the toughest for the Teams as they have been on the road for quite a while and their energy is beginning to wane yet there is another week still to come. In Week 4 they are usually able to muster up a last burst of energy to make it to the finish line but in Week 3 the line can seem very faraway. Having said that, the Teams seem to have paced themselves well this summer and although most of them have asked me to pray for renewed energy there has not been any actual sickness or accidents, which often occur as they get worn down.At home here I have been holding the fort. Anna and her boys were here from Sunday – Wednesday but have now returned to Halifax, Mario the carpenter has vanished along with my brown house paint and so I haven’t been able to paint the new back door, Sarah and baby Serena came for lunch on Tuesday, I’ve made a good start on the chicken awards and the garden is turning brown and shrivelled due to a total lack of rain. Ahh… Late July!!!
Somehow I also managed to finish knitting a fiendishly complicated shawl, commissioned by a friend and also did the quarterly cleaning of the pantry shelves, assisted, of course by Thomason! But I know you are really here to have a look at this week’s “Postcards”…
So let’s check in with the Teams:-
Team 1- Franc and Rachelle have spent this week on the beautiful Gaspé Coast of Québec in the small community of New Carlisle. When I last spoke with Franc they had only had 6 campers attending the Day Camp but he said everyone was having a good time and the local leaders did not seem disappointed by the low numbers. Team 1 is currently in transit by Maritime Bus Line to CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick, their Week 4 location.
Team 2&3 (Donna, Geneviève, Miriam & KC) were doubled up this week in Orillia Ontario. St. David’s Church has hosted a CTM Day Camp for about 5 years so they are pros and the Teams have enjoyed working with an experienced local team and close to 40 Campers 😊. Today they are all on a MegaBus travelling back to Montreal where they will be met by a kind volunteer with a van who is going to drive them to the Eastern Townships for their final week.
Team 4- Mikaela and Mariejoy have spent this week in Maple Creek Sask. in a “first time” host community. The Day Camp has gone well with eager local helpers and about 20 Campers. The weather has been very hot so some activities have had to be moved indoors where they thankfully had access to an air-conditioned hall! For their final week they will be reunited with Team 5 in the town of Swift Current.
Team 5- Kelvin & Charisse have had a bit of a challenging week running an “afternoon only” Day Camp. This has entailed making some schedule changes as the total timeframe is not quite as long as the 5 hours of our normal schedule. It is a huge blessing that Kelvin has 5 summers of Team experience under his belt and has learned to roll with the punches. It will be great for Teams 4&5 to spend their last week together as each Team will be able to strengthen and encourage the other through any problems they may face.
Team 6- Annie, Miguel & Melina have spent Week 3 in Victoria BC. They have had an enthusiastic Day Camp with close to 40 Campers and some strong local volunteers. Mid-week reports were positive. As I write they are settling into an unusual Week 4 as they serve on staff at a residential Girls’ Camp on an Island off the coast of BC. Occasionally when a typical host community cannot be found we have one of our Teams serve alongside another ministry. We hope the coming week’s experience will prove a blessing to both the CTMTeam and those at Camp Artaban.
And that’s all the Teams!
Just to finish off with a recipe I thought I would share the dish we enjoyed for dinner on Thursday evening, which used some of the fresh farm veggies I had collected that afternoon at the first CSA drop-off of the season. Nora, from the farm sent all the members this recipe and it was super yummy, as well as being very attractive 😊
Beet Risotto
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1 large shallot, diced (green onion would be good)
- ¾ cup Arborio rice
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 ½ cups raw diced beets, peeled first
- ⅓cup Parmesan
- salt and pepper to taste
Bring chicken stock to a boil. Keep hot while making the risotto. Heat large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the butter. When it is melted, add shallots, and sweat for 2 minutes. Add rice, stirring to ensure each grain is coated in butter. Add wine to the pan. When the rice has absorbed the wine, add ½ cup of the stock and beets. Gently stir, to ensure that nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add ½ cup of remaining liquid. Cook rice, uncovered and without stirring, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add remaining liquid, ½ cup at a time, and continue cooking in the same method. Test risotto to ensure that it is cooked almost completely. If not, add more hot water, and continue cooking. Otherwise, season with salt and pepper. Stir in Parmesan and butter.
From: The Farmers Market CookbookJulia Shanks and Brett Grohsgal