However, I really wanted to do a final wrap up for the Slow Living month by month series and was feeling extra guilty about not making it here for the November edition and then suddenly had a brainwave to combine the November and December installments. They don't call it the silly season for nothing! Trying to squeeze everything in at the moment is beyond challenging, so by combining the two months, hopefully it will ease the pressure somewhat! I would love it if you would join in with me to reflect upon achievements made under nine different categories. To read more about this blog link up, please see here. So without further ado, my November/December Slow Living entry:
{Nourish} - I have been spending time examining my diet recently and it's possible connection to some joint pain that I have been experiencing for several months now. I was convinced I had sensitivities to lactose and gluten and took steps to cut these things out of my regular eating. Not noticing any huge improvement with the joint pain, I remain unconvinced to any connection there, but did notice that I felt a whole lot better physically from not consuming so much of these foods. I have pretty much remained off dairy for a couple of months now, with the exception of yoghurt and the odd sneaking in of hard cheese, which don't seem to affect me too much with bloating and cramps. I can't believe it's taken me so long to connect the dots and try cutting them out! Now cooking for the family is another challenge that needs serious thought - what to do about lasagne, macaroni cheese, scalloped potatoes and so on. Why do most of my favourite comfort foods contain dairy? It's just not fair. Does anyone know of a good substitute for cream? I am finding this the hardest part of all!!
Homemade yoghurt, drained overnight to remove excess whey and mixed with homegrown raspberries..yum!
{Prepare} - Ooh, so much goodness has been happening in this category lately! I have been spending a lot of time dehydrating various items for the pantry - muesli, fruit leathers, mushrooms - sliced and also grinding them up into a powder, herbs - rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley (I figured let's save what's growing in the garden before hacking them back after they go to seed!), and apple rings. The apple rings are demolished straight away by the family - and the mushroom powder is proving to be very beneficial for sneaky additions to family dinners for a real flavour punch!
A little bit of pickling has been happening too..when I came across large continental cucumbers recently at a really good price, I just couldn't walk past them. The family love bread and butter cucumbers so we can always do with jars in the pantry - especially now with the warmer weather arriving and more 'picnicky' type lunches being consumed.
A few boozy preparations have also been taking place in my kitchen too, such as a couple of jars of raspberry schnapps after reading a post on fruit schnapps by Cath at Elastic Mom. How divine does this sound! I have used some frozen raspberries that we had lurking in the freezer from last year's harvest and have used gin for the soaking liquid. Another couple of weeks and we should be good to go for a taste test, - I'm thinking this could make the perfect liqueur to see in the new year!
A revisit to my oztops has also been taking place, with some apple cider already hitting the fridge. Next up, I am hoping to brew up a bottle of grape juice in the lambrusca style. But what is really tempting me from the boozy quarters is the idea of making some homemade mead! If only we had bees and a plentiful amount of fresh honey to use! Have you ever made mead? Do you have a good recipe to share?
{Green} - Hmm, lets see. I have a good one - did you know that in addition to using it as a hair wash, bicarb soda (baking soda) makes a fantastic cleanser for the skin? If you have dry skin, a little rub with a diluted bicarb paste/liquid (1tbs bicarb to 1 cup water) in the shower and then rinsed off does amazing things to the feel of your skin. I was so impressed to see that it actually kind of mimicked the effect of bathing in hot mineral springs - how cool is that? Try it and see for yourself!
I have also been turning my mind towards some infused oils from the garden now that the healing herbs have made a reappearance. I have started a calendula infusion with olive oil and after about 3 weeks in a sunny spot it should be ready to prepare into a salve. I would love to try a combination of calendula, comfrey and lavender infused in oil as well! And maybe even include a little bit of plantain..but more on that under "Discover".
Calendula oil - for use on minor skin irritations such as burns, rashes, bites/stings etc.
{Grow} What a lovely thing it was to have some ladies from my veggie group come to visit and put some summer crops in for me. A little bit of cake, some hot coffee and an hour or so chatting is all it takes to fuel their energy for the task. They were kind enough to put in pumpkins, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchinis for me last week.
With the unpredictable weather we've been having, I also decided to pull up our garlic as I was concerned about the bulbs sitting in damp soil and potentially rotting. I am really pleased this year to have a mixture of white and purple garlic harvested. The purple cloves I planted back in autumn were kindly given to me by my good friend, Kirsty.
Allowing the bulbs to dry under cover before the messy task of braiding!
{Reduce} - I have been attempting alterations to clothing I don't wear to turn them into something I can wear. In some cases they are op-shopped/thrifted items that are too long or wide and a simple adjustment is needed. Other cases, are items I have made that don't fit me well and a revisit to the seam lines and darts are what's required. It is actually kind of fascinating to study the construction details of different garments and how they create the three dimensional form from what was previously a flat piece of fabric!
{Create} - Gosh, I've been on a big sewing binge lately!! I don't know what happened - one minute it was knitting season and the next - the sewing machine was out and whirring away. In the name of a mammoth fabric de-stash, I have made three summer tops, a pair of shorts for the youngest, a wrap-around skirt, and a dress! What a funny feeling it is to make wearable items from fabric that has been sitting in my drawer for..
Op-shopped fabric from the stash and New Look 6803. Classed as easy..and it really was! Don't you love that?
{Discover} - As I mentioned above, some really cool sewing sites for the late night inspirational hit. I also enjoyed reading Changing Gears by Greg Foyster and have passed it along to my biking friend. Another interesting little book I've been looking through is The Weed Forager's Handbook. With references to many common weeds and their uses it is eye-opening to see healing and culinary uses behind these plants that were commonly just thought of as weeds. We have loads of plantain growing here and I would like to try and make an infused oil similar to the calendula one above, using plantain, which is apparently another great skin healer. I also keep eyeing off the mallow that we have growing but have not gone there yet with it in regards to a leafy salad addition! Do tell me, have you?
{Enhance} - A couple of meal trees are making the rounds within my circle lately. It is such a good feeling to provide a practical gift that nurtures the other person in a time of need. You can read more about meal trees here. My daughters' primary school also held it's biennial fete which was a lot of fun to participate in. There was such wonderful craft and plant shopping - perfect for this time of year! Helping out on the woodfired oven loading pizzas in and out was also enjoyable on the day. I also had a really nice experience a little further back and happened to meet a blog reader while going through the channels for some local volunteer work. (Hi Angie! :))
{Enjoy} Busy as this time of year is, there is much to enjoy and I really do feel lucky to recognise this. Winding up of photography and spinning club for the year with bbq's and festive lunches. End of year concerts/performances and presentation nights are in full swing. Breathing in the moment of my middle daughter's final days in primary school before she embarks on her high school career are precious. Watching her grow in confidence as she attempts and accomplishes things she has not done before also causes me to stop and reflect. Thinking about the special times planned ahead to gather with family and the arrival of a new year and some much needed holiday time. Hoping your time with the people around you is comforting and enjoyable as we wind down 2013. xx
If you would like to join in with your own post in this link-up, please add your blog post link to the list below (and please add your post to the list if you were organised for November!)
