Investing in Your Health - Through Your Food

Our health has a life long purpose – it’s meant to sustain us throughout the years, changes and challenges of walking towards our own individual destinies. Without it, we cannot do much of either of these – at least not as well as we should do.

One of the most important things I have learned over these years spent researching, reading, dreaming up new recipes, cooking and eating food – is that good quality, wholesome nutrition is an investment into my own health.

It is also an outlay of energy into my family’s well-being, future and immediate health not to mention growing healthy children. When you are eating properly, your body functions better, your thinking is clearer and you are simply better able to cope with life’s stresses.

So what do I mean when I say ‘invest’ in our food? Well, for us this has come to mean several things. First of all we maintain a garden of some sort – right now we have herbs, a few greens, sprouting broccoli, soon Brussels sprouts that we are eating, but lots of others things are growing.

We spend time and energy in the garden taking care of it, expanding it, finding the plants we would like to have as well as buying organic seeds where possible. This is a project – it may take a few seasons, years and revolutions around the sun to see the benefits we hope to have.

Then there are our animals – we wanted to stop buying eggs, milk and meat from the shops – knowing if we could provide these for ourselves, they would taste better, as well as give us the immediate peace of mind knowing the animals were well treated, gently raised and organic.

This is also a project for our children who are very much involved in every aspect of the garden, rearing animals (collecting eggs, milking a goat, planting seeds).

I also buy in bulk where possible – raw ingredients are brought in and then made into the foods we would like to eat. We make our own nut butters, mayonnaise, mustards, pickles, jams, chutneys, breads, cakes, cookies, treats and each meal we eat.

Each of these activities are investments in time, energy and careful consideration of our needs, desires, tastes – and other then the actual set up of an organized system….it’s not as much work as you might think.

Actually when your body works more efficiently because you are eating your own far superior food – you have more energy for everything else in your life – and to do it right.

Think about it – with all the adulterated food on the market these days (meat, honey, fish etc.) why worry about someone else investing in making your meals – make them yourself.

April

Prepare Your Garden for Spring

Even though the days are still damp and cold - now is the time to be getting your garden in order. If your's is anything like mine, you may find yourself standing around scratching your head wondering where all the weeds have come from in such a short space of time.

Then again, you might also find yourself marveling at how some plants have hung on to life - even through some of the most violent rain, wind and winter storms over these past few weeks. Herbs are like that - give them something to struggle for and they will choose life.

Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind at this early part of spring is to not underestimate how very much is taking place below the surface or behind the scenes, so to speak. Our gardens are accumulating great energy - ready to spring forward into rapid growth.

I hope this sounds a lot like your own life right now. The preparation has been done, the work has been put in and now with the ground ready, your dreams will simply grow up from the roots they have formed. 

We are all very much like our gardens (or our gardens are mirror images of us) going though phases, changes and energy shifts throughout the year as the seasons roll on. But, each year expanding in scope, size and dimension as the garden matures.

This maturation process is a vital aspect of a gardens growth in the exact same way we, as energetic humans develop and maintain our energetic selves. Each year of a clean diet, walking a spiritual path and seeking deeper connections to our selves through our food - we also undergo a transformation.

There is nothing quite as beautiful as a garden in full bloom.

April

Something to look forward to....

Return of Life - In the Garden

At the end of this week there is a feast - Imbolc - one of our most wonderful celebrations and in many ways the beginning of the season for us. It is the signal of the Celtic spring and a festival of ewe's milk apparently.

It appears to have had it's origins in the return of lambing, milk and the early rites of spring - so, naturally to follow on from that the best foods to enjoy this coming weekend would be lamb, sheeps and goat's cheese and early spring vegetables.

Right now I am busy planning our menu for each day - making this the most fun time of my entire fast! LOL. We are all looking forward to moving on from this fast and can't wait to eat and shift into this next phase.

One of the most important aspects of this time of year has to do with the return of life - both inside and outside of our bodies. As with the earth, our guts' should also be coming back from it's semi-dormant state with gut bacteria flourishing.

Spiritually this is a time of awakening - animals are bred and expecting baby goats and lambs, the earth is expecting new growth and is busy sending up the first shoots towards the lightening sky. The days are growing longer and we can get going with our kitchen gardens.

There is not a better time of year to plan and contemplate life as it swirls around us. Perhaps in ancient times after the long dark days of winter have shortened with the promise of spring to come - such a re-awakening as this needed it's own special day.

Then again - it's a few weeks since Solstice and Yule Season - it's about time for another celebration....cakes and cookies (all sugar free!) are on the agenda this week. I will keep you posted on my progress.

April

Oregano in the garden

A Day With Food....

It was a food day today....we had food everywhere and I loved every minute of it! Of course, I did not taste anything, but I have made these dishes long enough and often enough to know exactly how to get them right. 

Even though I am still deep into my detox, it is no deterrent to cooking, baking and appreciating others' enjoying good food. Cooking is an art - or at least it should be and in some places it is considered as such with only those who truly have an affinity towards it, handling and preparing the meals.

Yet, I remember times in my own life where I would have lulls in even wanting to prepare and handle food. There were days (months) when I could not imagine chopping vegetables or spending any time preparing something nourishing.

And so I did not - instead I would have ordered a take away, or had some other prepared meal that was more salt, sugar and preservatives then any real ingredients. Not to mention being made entirely by machines in factories churning out 'product' by the metric ton.

A day like today served as a gentle (fun!) reminder of how far I have come in my own life and along my food journey gaining a real education in not only preparing great food from only vegetables and a little fish or meat - but also knowing where this food comes from.

Perhaps my next step in this process is to expand my own garden now, to endeavour to grow and produce even more of these items myself. Only then will my learning be complete. 

Next Cookery Class this Sunday!!

April

Rosemary Sea salt bread....

How Much Further Can I Go?

Over this past week I have been asking myself what more can I do - how much further can I go with our diets to continue to improve things? And I think I have some more ideas coming up to the surface...

Of course, the next venture for us is to get a goat and have our own milk - this is my current project as I learn about how to care for these animals as well as how to make some simple cheeses at home. But, what then? 

The only other real purchase of foods for us now (we buy nothing prepared) would be our vegetables and fruit. For the most part, it would be quite difficult to grow many of these items here in Ireland. And even if they could grow it would be a full time job for a couple of people. 

Or is this what I have come to believe? Might there be a way to grow more of our own food, could I find a way to do this at least on a larger scale then we have at the moment. Hmmm....

When I ask myself how much further I can take this food thing, I start by mulling over my dreams, hopes, goals and wishes for our lives. Or in other words, what else have I been dreaming about when it comes to food?

For me that answer is simple, I want to be self sufficient and produce as much of my own food as possible. And of course that means more, bigger, larger garden and growing more of our own food. 

Part of me is thinking along the lines of increasing my time in the garden by one hour each day. If I were to start an experiment, where might that one extra hour or about 6-7 hours per week, bring me? Could we then have lots more to show for it or just a little bit?

Perhaps it is time to start this and see where it takes me... back to the garden it is!

I will keep you posted,

April

End of the Week Stew

Tomorrow is market day, the day we buy all our vegetables and fruit for the week. Actually we try to shop as little as we can, producing as much of our own food and growing anything that will grow. That way we have less opportunity to bring home things we do not need. 

So far, we are able to grow all our own herbs, onions, salad leaves, greens, leeks, some carrots, runner beans, peas, and of course we are waiting on a few other little 'crops' to mature. It is the highlight of my day going out into the garden with a basket to see what I can find for our meals.

Today being the end of the week, there is not much left over from our shopping last Saturday - a couple carrots, one leek, sweet potatoes, avocado and onions, garlic and that's about it. When I first looked over the selection, my thought was - we need more vegetables to make a meal.

But then I quickly realized that all I needed was here. Right now I am looking at the meals I have prepared for the day and I am quite pleased with making something from 'nothing'! 

Since I had mung beans soaking for some bean burgers, I took a few beans and put them in a pot with seaweed. To this I added 4 sweet potatoes and one of the carrots all chopped. Then I sautéed garlic and 2 large onions with turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper and this went into the stew.

End of Week Stew cooking 

When the stew was nearly ready I went into the garden, to find French sorrel, chives, Welsh Onion, parsley and some other leaves. I used about a cup all total - chopped up and stirred into the bubbling stew. I only let this cook for another few minutes and then turned it off. It smelled lovely and was rich and thick by now. 

While this was cooking I made some guacamole from the avocado, garlic, lemon, olive oil and fresh parsley. This is one of my favorite snack foods, avocado is so good for your skin, digestion and of course all that raw garlic can't be bad for you either. I usually put extra in mine. LOL

Freshly made guacamole 

I put this together with some crackers and goat's cheese muffins left over from last night and voila! A wonderful meal. 

Homemade crackers and muffins

The rest of the veggies (onion, carrot, leek) will go for our mung bean burgers later tonight and I am off to the garden to gather more greens and herbs for them. Fresh parsley and coriander are always lovely in these burgers. 

Living like this, close to the land, being conscious of our food and taking the time to remain in touch with our bodies brings us back to the basics of what is really important far more then being able to open a tin of soup or order a take away meal. 

Food is life and it feels good to be alive.

Have a healthy day,

April

Mung bean and sweet potato stew 

Saving Seeds - The Harvest Continues

Once you have picked and enjoyed your herbs or any other vegetables, you can allow them to bolt or go to seed for an extra harvest. Each plant is different, however there are enough similarities amongst them making it easy enough to figure out.

For some basic guidelines, when it comes to seed saving, allow the plant to go to flower, then once this flower turns into a seed pod and has dried out somewhat, you can gather the seeds from it. Plants have a variety of means for producing and dispersing seeds, getting to know each one is always an adventure in itself.

I try to wait until the plant appears to have given everything it can to the seeds, it has dried back or a pod has formed and then I will pick them from the plants. Taking them off too early might result in non viable seeds.

There are several different methods of doing this to ensure maximum seed retrieval, one of which is to tie a paper bag over the top of the plant (seed head) then to cut below the bag. The seeds can then be removed or shaken into the bag for storage.

Another way to gather the seeds, is to allow the seed pods to completely dry out and then pick them off by hand. You may be able to do this easily with rocket and salad leaves. Peas and beans can be left on the plant to dry - when brown or near translucent looking, remove them into an envelope.

Today I was picking chive seeds - generally you need to wait until the flower head is dry, the stalk will also dry out, if you look closely there are tiny black seeds in the head. Cut off the seed head into a bag or bowl and then pull out the dry stalk to clean up the plant.

Once in the house, you can roll or shake most of the dry seeds out onto a table. They can then be transferred into an envelope for long term storage. The same with coriander seeds - cut off the dried seeds, then transfer to an envelope.

Coriander seeds ready to be cleaned and sorted

For other fruits such as pumpkin or anything else you may want to save - I have great luck with just drying the seeds out on a paper towel sitting on a window sill for about 3 weeks. The seeds drying now will be saved for next planting season, in envelopes.

Pumpkin seeds drying on window sill

Once you have gotten some seeds into envelopes, there is only the passage of time until you can plant them, however, the most important thing to remember is to keep them absolutely dry. Otherwise they will rot and not be much use when you need them.

Keep up your interest in the garden - lots happening year round!

Have a healthy day,

April

Coriander plants growing in stages

Winter Garden

Although the summer appears to be nearly over and the seasons are changing - if they ever even gain a foothold might also be up for debate. However, according to the calendar, the months have moved on and we are now in early September. 

During these past few months my family and many others around the globe have followed the natural rhythms of the earth and dutifully dug into the soil, planted our seeds and grown our little gardens of herbs, vegetables and greens. 

It is always a joyous experiment to run in conjunction with Mother Nature - to see some tangible outcome from our labours mostly by way of fistfuls of fresh vegetables such as beans, peas, strawberries, carrots, herbs and copious amounts of salad leaves. 

Salad leaves, green beans, peas, spring onion, chard, beet leaf and herbs from the garden

Now for the most part many of us are used to winding down for the year as we put our gardens to bed and wait for another early spring season to begin the process all over again. But, you know, the garden represents a part of you - your shadow lands, creativity and all that energetically takes place at the back of your body.

You do not have to hibernate or close up the garden because the seasons have changed, the earth looks and feels different and new growth has slowed down. But there is still much to do, some growth will take place and a winter garden, is still a garden - with a different feel to it.

Today we spent the afternoon readying a few cold frames for some winter vegetables which will easily grow here in Ireland. Especially in West Cork with it's mild temperatures, a winter day, can be like summer in  the place where I grew up!

Right now there are quite a few vegetables that can be planted or left in the ground to continue on their merry way. Some of these are;

Winter lettuce

Winter Spinach

Turnip

Winter Carrots

Peas to come up in the spring

Broad beans

Shallots and garlic 

Onions

Kale

Chard

Beetroot (leave in ground)

Cabbage (leave in ground)

Some herbs will continue on during the winter months (parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme) but you need to raise them up a bit, to ensure they don't get water logged from the rain. Otherwise herbs will do poorly or will rot. There are suggestions of digging grit into the soil around each plant, potting into containers or a raised bed. Just bring them to higher ground away from the damp.

Then other herbs can be cut back and offered a little protection for the colder months - rosemary, lemon verbena, oregano, winter savory and so forth. While coriander is an annual plant and will die back, you will need to plant some extra ones to keep a steady supply but it will tolerate some cold outside. 

As you can see, there is no need whatsoever to stop now, keep the garden going and enjoy your fresh produce all year.

Have a healthy day,

April

Getting ready to make walnut parsley pesto 

No Excuses....

It seems that a lot of people have some excuse or another for not cooking, eating well and generally taking better care of their bodies and health. Of course ultimately, a price will be paid for living this way as your body can only take so much abuse.

I come across this time and again - reasons why a person can't find the time to cook or eat properly, look after themselves, and carry out the very basics of self-care. What is worse, is these same standards will be passed onto the next generation.

For the most part, I am as busy as the next person, and some might go so far as to say, I am a bit busier. We homeschool our children, I write and care for several animals, tend a large enough garden and cook all of our food from scratch. So I know it does take some effort to get going at least initially. 

If you want to get started yourself around your home with doing more for your family, begin in the kitchen with some very basic guidelines. 

1. Get Organised

This is paramount to eating healthy, feeling better about life and actually seeing results from your efforts. I have found the best way to be organized in the kitchen is to have nearly everything in glass jars, ceramic and wooden bins or paper cartons and bags.

Not only are the natural materials a much better vibration, there is no chemical leaching from plastic into the foods stored inside. With the glass jars, I can visually see how much of an item I have on hand and can find things at a glance in the cupboards.

2. Be Prepared

I have gotten used to thinking a little bit ahead when it comes to meals. Basically we know we will want to eat at some point tomorrow (or if fasting this might be a few days) so, beans or lentils could be soaking, vegetables could be bought and on hand. A favourite rice could be picked out and ready to cook. 

Or as I am doing here, jams, sauces, preserves might be made in batches and stored for use when needed. The cupboards could be kept well stocked with something for every occasion. Then there is no last minute rush or panic wondering what to eat. Food is on hand, simply prepare and serve.

3. Buy in Bulk

These days for anyone feeding a family or living as a group of flatmates, purchasing your food in larger quantities is a must. Not only is this an economical way to obtain your staples, from an energy standpoint this is far better. 

When you buy a large bag of lentils for example (25 kg), they often come in paper and no one has picked through them and bagged up little plastic bags of 250 gram each. Less handling overall means less energy to contend with at your table. 

Unmolested food.

4. Get Interested

If you like to eat, you might as well get your head around loving to cook. If you love to cook, start thinking seriously about the quality of that food and ways to improve it. Experiment, play in the kitchen, try out new things, take a cookery class - but do something to motivate yourself where eating, food and your health is concerned.

For me, I have been running a kitchen since I was 12 years old, so to not be cooking would be very strange. However, I didn't always love the cooking, that came about gradually as I learned more about how to feed myself properly and got more creative with my meals. Also having children helped because I was so determined to feed them and teach them to look at food as medicine as well as nourishment. 

5. Grow a Garden

One of the best ways to learn and understand more about the food we eat is to plant some seeds in a garden and watch them grow. All of life springs up from the earth in this way, it is the basis for understanding our essence and who we are. Through this garden you will connect to the seasons, cycles, ritual, ceremony, patterns and all of humanities ancient roots, lost to so many of us. 

Even if your garden consists of a few herbs and some peas, there is no greater sense of accomplishment  when you see these items on your plate having cared for them for a season. Your energy will have gone into each plant, combined with the earth's, added to your meal, thus completing the circle.

~~~

The reconnection to the earth and her pulse is ultimately what this modern day journey is all about. 

Have a healthy day,

April

One of my favourite meals - very simple basmati rice, brown lentils in cumin, stir-fry of leek, onion, garlic and carrot