Sustainable Living September

07 October 2020


This blog has always been about living life in a mindful and intentional way, for me this means that most of the decisions we make have been thought about carefully, even if we decide to continue as we are a decision has still been made.  When we take a product from a shelf in a shop or tap a button on a screen, should we stop and think about how it has got this point before we do so?  It can be hard to make decisions over many aspects of our lives, we are often far removed from the means of production and it can be hard to find out how this operates.  Maybe we shouldn't be thinking is there a more sustainable replacement for something, rather do we really need it at all?

To help me keep on track I have come up with some words that I will be using to keep my decision making mindful and intentional, and my life in general as sustainable as I can make it.  If you you want to join me you would be most welcome, either using the same words for inspiration or your own that are more meaningful to you.  These are the words (you can read my thoughts behind some of them here and here) that I have been using in September: 


Nourish 
I was so happy to find out that my local farmers market would be starting again this month, I have really missed this wonderful source of food for us.  It was wonderful to chat to the farmers whose stalls I visit, it was like being amongst friends again.  I do hope this is able to continue through the coming months.  I bought two large red cabbages, one of my favourite vegetables.  I have two jars of sauerkraut fermenting in my pantry, they were made a fortnight apart, the first jar will be ready soon.  It has been a long time since I was able to make this.  

I have been doing a spot of foraging this month, first blackberries I managed to pick about 10lbs in two trips.  We had a delicious blackberry and apple crumble with some apples that were kindly left on our doorstep by a neighbour.  The rest have gone into the freezer to be used over the winter on those days when we really want at pudding with our meal.

The other berry I picked were elderberries.  The children and I went for a walk in a local wood to celebrate the autumn equinox.  We didn't go with the intention of doing any foraging, the elder trees were dripping with berries and as we walked past them I felt this pull to pick some of the berries.  We were careful to take only a few from each tree leaving the rest for the birds.  Having never made elderberry syrup before I had to do a bit of research to find a recipe.  I was keen to make it without using refined sugar, it gives me a headache if I eat or drink food with it in and I wanted to be able to drink whatever I made.  The elixir as the family is calling it, its rather good.  This is the recipe that I used:

Elderberry Syrup
1 cup of Elderberries
4 cups water
1 cup honey
1/2 cup brandy
Spices to flavour (I used cloves, star anise, cinnamon and turmeric)

Simmer the berries and spices (I put mine in little bag so it was easier to take them out after cooking) in the water for about half an hour until the liquid is reduced by half, strain and allow to cool a little.

Return the liquid to the pan, add the honey and heat gently to melt.  Finally turn off the heat and add the brandy leaving the lid off to allow the alcohol to evaporate.  You don't have to use alcohol, it acts as a preservative if you are intending to store it.  I had 3 cups of berries so I knew that I would need to store mine for a while as it made a large quantity, I used half the amount of honey (1 1/2 cups) and it is plenty sweet enough for us. 

Lessen 
We eat a lot of mustard in this house, so much that I usually buy it in bulk through a wholefood supplier that I use. When the last tub was running out I realised that I was going to have to buy something else as a stop gap as there was not much else we needed to buy in bulk at the time.  I scoured the shops in our local town to find a mustard that did not contain any sugar or preservatives and couldn't find any.  I am not sure why I had not thought of before but I ended up making my own.  It was so incredibly easy that I will not be buying mustard again, ever.  I have made a couple of jars now and will keep tweaking the ingredients to find a recipe that we like.  I can't find the recipe that I used as the basis of my experiments but if you search for recipes online there are many to choose from.  You basically soak mustard seeds in a liquid for a day or two unit the seeds have absorbed the liquid, once that has happened you process most of the seeds in a food processor and then add the seeds you have taken out and store in the fridge.  


Thankful 
I have been so grateful for my friends this month.  I had a wonderful day out with two friends to celebrate the equinox, it was an unseasonably hot day.  We spent many hours talking and walking with a long pause to share food.  I have also had time with other friends too who have supported me and listened in ways that have been so healing and nourishing for me.   The messages that are sent in between times are so important in my day too.  Just a few words, so that you know that someone is thinking about you can make all the difference to your day.


Create
My shawl is still waiting on buttons, it seems there is a supply problem somewhere along the line.  I managed to talk to the owner of the shop this week and she is going to look into it, I am hoping that I will be able to source some soon, it is now cool enough for me to be able to wear it, but it looks a little odd with six buttons missing!

I am continuing to knit the hat that I shared in my last post, I think I may have ripped out as many stitches as I have knitted in the last week.  I made a mistake and didn't realise for a couple of rows, then when I had corrected that and knit several more I decided that the colour of one of the yarns didn't work so I ripped that all out and changed the yarn.  A couple of rows into that yarn and I made another mistake!  So another row had to be unpicked.  I am hoping that is the last of the mistakes for now....

I also made a present from my nephew who celebrated this third birthday this month, with a lot of help from Alice we created a story sack, a bag with a book and some 'props' in this case needle felted characters to enhance the story as you read it.  I will share the complete creation in a separate post.  My nephew loves the story, it is his new favourite particularly as it comes with its own bag which he can carry it around in.

Grow 
September is often a month for gathering in the last of the summer produce from the garden.  This month I have had the last of the courgettes and cucumbers, they lasted right until the end of the month but I can't see anymore growing now.  It is a little too cool for that now.  Those plants have all provided a good steady crop for us this year without a glut.  I welcome a glut of courgette as I have grated and frozen them in the past but that was not to be this year.  I have cut 6lbs of rhubarb and frozen that, there will be more to cut before it stops growing for the year.  I have also harvested the garlic, every clove that I planted has produced a bulb, some of the cloves are huge, they are currently drying out a little so that they can be cleaned before I plait them into a rope for storing/eating over the coming months.  I need to purchase cloves for next year soon and get them in the garden in the coming weeks.  They are one of the easiest things to grow and we usually get a good harvest each year.


Sanctuary
We have been swimming outdoors in lakes and streams a lot this month.  It was lovely when the temperatures rose for a bit, it makes getting changed a little more comfortable.  I got a thicker wetsuit this month and it has made all the difference for the amount of time I can stay in the water.  It is so magical to swim with the sun on your face and the beautiful scenery to drink up as you move through the water.  It helps me to get things into perspective when they are troubling me and it is great exercise too especially when you have to walk uphill to get there!

Learning 
I have read a lot this month about the effects of the uncertain world we live in and the effects that is having on us all.  There is always a level of uncertainty about the future but the balance feels like it has tipped at the moment doesn't it?  I have been thinking about this a lot this month and the certainty that I can bring into our lives as a counter balance.  It seems to be working, in the main, I am focusing on the parts of our lives that I can have control over, taking each day at a time and not thinking ahead unless I absolutely have to.  There is is something rather wonderful about living in the present, it makes you be present so much more.

Fun 
There have been so many things that have been fun for me this month.  Swimming outdoors, lots of walks with friends, celebrating my wedding anniversary, so many things that have bought light into a world that feels so heavy at times.  During the week the only time we are together as a family is in the evenings when we sit down for a meal together.  At the beginning of the year when we were all so busy very often these meals were, by necessity, a rushed affair, people needing to be somewhere else meant that they were not terribly relaxed.  Now we all sit together and slowly enjoy our food, we talk about our day, we laugh, make jokes and it has become a part of the day that I look forward to, a time to enjoy each others company and relax.

Thank you once again for reading through this very long post, it is posted a little later than I would normally, this past week has been really, really full for me.  I am sorry that I have not visited any blogs for a while, I hope to have some time to do that in the coming days!  I realise that it may seem that I do an awful lot, I suspect you do to, if you were to write it all down like I have here.  You are most welcome to join me, either use the same words or your own which mean more to you, let me know in the comments below and I will head over and have a read.  I will post my Sustainable Living October roundup on Sunday 1 November.

12 comments:

  1. Another very productive month for you all with lots to enjoy. It is good to find and celebrate some positives amongst the negative times this year. Enjoying the now has never been so important.
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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  2. I think you are living your very best life (and all those blogs will still be there when the weather is is not marvelous!)

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  3. Love this - that Elderberry syrup sounds delicious :)
    Jenna ♥
    Stay in touch? Life of an Earth Muffin

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  4. If there's one good thing this virus has given us it's more time with our families. I would be nice to think that when, eventually, we get back to some sort of normality, we can remember what we thought important at this time and bring it forward. It's nice to take time to enjoy a meal as a family but I remember what it was like when my kids were young, often we didn't eat together at all as we were rushing about taking one here and one there. I do love the book bag, I think it's a lovely gift for a child with a book included. They're never too young to nurture a love of reading.

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  5. Thank you, you write such lovely words which always make me think.

    Your comment under ‘Thankful’ about sending “just a few words” . . . I have not been doing that enough, but I often wonder how you all are and hope things are going well.

    You are so right about levels of uncertainty. This lunchtime the latest Whitehall “deliberate leaks” are talking about further restrictions in the “North West”. Whilst we are geographically NW, Cumbria infection rates are low . . . I am hoping we are not swept up into a new lockdown because someone in London cannot see the distinction between one of the most sparsely populated areas of England, and high-density towns in Lancashire? {sighs ...}

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  6. Another lovely, enjoyable post. What a stunning photo of the lake. I do hope your buttons arrive shortly, you seem to have been waiting for them for an age! The story sack is such a good idea, I must make some for my grand when she's a little older. Good to know the mustard and elderberry juice were such a success. I've never made mustard, I must give it a whirl.xxx

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  7. There seems to have been an abundance of blackberries and elderberries this year. It's wonderful when we can make use of these free-for-the-picking fruits and your syrup sounds delicious.
    I'm loving the idea of your home made story sack and I'm looking forward to you sharing it with us. X

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  8. wonderful words to help us get through these crazy days.....but words we need to also remember when this crazy time is behind us!!!

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  9. I love the idea of a story sack...what a wonderful gift for a young child! I am looking forward to reading your post about it.

    Spending time outdoors, in nature, always brings me peace and some perspective. We've just spent a few days away at the beach and it was wonderful to 'just be'; to walk on the sand and listen to the waves and think quiet thoughts. Enjoy those swims in your new wetsuit!

    MegXx

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  10. So much goodness here, as always. I'm doing my own rounds of catching up and am trying not to rush through the lovely posts!

    I wish you lived closer, I would have sent you a small mountain of courgettes....I only planted one plant and it just kept cranking them out! I have a freezer full!

    What a wonderful idea..the story sack -- something I would have LOVED as a child. :) And definitely, time outdoors is an absolute balm...I can imagine your swimming must be pure magic. xo

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  11. elderberries remind me of my gram. We used to pick them when we were vacationing at her cottage. She would make elderberry pies for us!! I love the fabric for the bag :)

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  12. The elderberry syrup sounds delicious. And what a good idea to make your own mustard. Sounds like you've had a very productive time lately. X

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