Hi there Yogis,

Here I am again.  I know you are probably sick of me telling you this BUT, in these unusual times, to save money,  get the most out of the day and most out of meal times I recommend something you may not have done in an age.  MEAL PLANNING!  Meal planning. Yes, For me, as you know, planning is a way of life. I meal plan even though my kids have flown the coop,  and I work from home.  I am not the person (or the mum) who went shopping every day.

How I work fits well with what is happening around us.  We are supposed only to go out for essential things and this requires more thought.  And that taken to its appropriate conclusion has moved me to a more relaxed, smarter way of cooking. As you have seen from my blog, I definitely have a THRIFTY KITCHEN.   Here’s what I have learned…

I cook every day, often twice because I am at home, have the time, and use it as a break between other things (I am even considering a dish washer). We can’t pop out to a cafe for coffee and a snack.  Now, lunch is where I get rid of left overs.

Friday is the day I plan, and Saturday the day I shop. I am still foraging and developing  still developing recipes for the blog site as usual, so I plan on working through one or two new dishes each week. If everything goes according to plan I don’t have to remake them – but that is the challenge of the blog.

How do I plan? I look at the weather — gloomy means stew or something from the freezer, sunny means salad and foraged greens — the season, what vegetables are likely to be good right now, what herbs and vegetables I have ready in my garden (lots of celery and celery greens, parsley, chives, radish tops, sorrel, horseradish, and so on and I noticed my garlic poking its head through the mulch).  Plus what I can forage.  Do I have any cooked proteins in the freezer? Which grains and beans should I cook this time?

All that goes into the plan. It is surprisingly fun.

One of my favourites, and a favourite of my children was GARBAGE SOUP.  To make it you use the odds and ends of starchy vegetables, bits of stew,  left overs.  If you don’t have any stock in the freezer or can’t jazz up something, a packet of soup is a good standby – for children, alphabet soup helps.  You wouldn’t eat it on its own, but as background noise, it is terrific. Throw in greens, stems and peelings of vegetables you have in the freezer you have kept, onions including the skins for colour.  I like putting in a scoop of peanut butter.  Don’t forget hemp oil, seeds and meal.  All add to the omega 3 and protein.   If you have more soup than you can use, use it the next day for lunch with curry or chilli. Float a piece of toast on the top sprinkle with cheese and pop under the griller before you serve.  By the way add eggs in their shells into the soup and whilst it is cooking you will have hard boiled the eggs – another meal solved.

Keep watching the blog, www.wildnweedy.blogspot.com        I have doubled my efforts to make it look beautiful for you. Today I made SPICED LIME VODKA, and I have to say, it was wonderful….and it is not even matured yet. It’s on the blog.

Namaste.  Keep well and keep warm.  JAHNE

Dear Yogis,

On Monday, yesterday, I had a garden afternoon.   I have discovered over time that Chocolate Mint, Thai Mint, Mugwort, Lebanese Cress and of course Watercress can all provide a really good water crop.  So I planted each of them, again.  I did have a wonderful crop of watercress, but the tadpoles, (and there were many), decided that they like watercress, and they cleared the whole pond of it, so I have had to replant.  The roots are wonderful and keep the water clean and clear, and add a few fish to keep the mozzies down, and you have a balanced system (minus taddies).    Gardening is not a meditation for me, it is work – and in this time of no yoga classes, work is welcome.

These are photos of the pond.  Looks a bit wild and woolley, but that’s how it is…  I inserted two larger gold type fish who were (when I last looked) exceeding happy.  If the heron swoops in it will be unfortunate and underline why I should have stuck with pygmy perch – they are fast and you can’t see them.   If the sun comes out this afternoon it will be gumboot time – I can see changes I want to make.

A friend of mine in Central Victoria is growing Salt Bush, so my next summer I will have a tincture for the cat’s nose.  I am not sure the bush will grow the same with the same properties as the one I use … but I am happy to have the foliage and try.  I can make the tincture.  No-one has spoken to me about their supplementation.  I take lots, and my acupuncturist approved (surprisingly).  I make Olive Leaf Extract (I also make gin, but that is for another time), I take mega C and so should you – eating oranges is not enough. I also take big zinc, creatine, and turmeric (“hemp” boosted) milk.  What are you relying on?  I am getting younger by the day.  My skin is great, my poop is fantastic, and everything is clean and clear.  WHAT ABOUT YOU? If you need essences, hemp super turmeric…whatever.  I am here.  just ask.  yogafirst2@bigpond.com

I have tarted up my blog – it took some time, but I think it looks better, and gives you some options..  Please go to www.wildnweedy.blogspot.com     and let me know what you think.

On Tuesday and Wednesday  am going to focus on making masks.  I have been dancing around the fabric. i.e. not wanting to cut.  The fabric is so beautiful it seems a pity to make a mask out of it – but we may be wearing masks for a long time… we might as well have beautiful masks, not just one, lots.  One for every day – different colours, different fabrics.

Stay well, stay warm.  NAMASTE – JAHNE

 

 

 

 

Good morning my yogis and friends,

Here I am again.  It rained last nite, just when I was going seed collecting today.  Can’t collect wet seed!  But I will still get some greens.

I was talking to a student yesterday who wanted to go foraging and thought accompanying me would be a good idea.  Because it can be a ‘close-up” activity it wouldn’t work at this time – but when we get back to normal it will be fantastic.  Right now I will do a map so you can all see where I “shop nature” I will put it in the booklet of recipes “WILD’NWEEDY”.  Just the most obvious, and recipes, so you can actually use what you have collected.  Even if I did a map, you may trample over tiny plants.   The last time I did something like this I couldn’t get near my favourite place because of the cars, but, I will do it anyway.

This is an unusual time.  A good outcome is that the State Departments of Transport are going to overhaul the train schedules and usage, car registrations, tolls, road usage.  Apparently they have wanted to do this for a long time but didn’t because of the disruption.  Now we already have disruption, and they are doing the right thing.  Not ignoring what is happening.  I think it is a good outcome.  They have quite a long time to achieve a lot.  Even cleaning the trains in a different way has required thought, staff training etc etc… the complications are obvious when you think about them.

Hope you are managing the isolation.  It is quiet, but we can get a lot done.  Like the transport department, do what you have thought about for ages but haven’t done because of the disruption it may cause.  We have the disruption, so no more excuses.  The sky is the limit.  I used to take the kids foraging, they loved it (especially seeing that sometimes I would give them a day or so away from school on the basis I was “home schooling”) , then we would come home and cook what we had collected, and even swap things with neighbours..  Even fresh milk could be left at a letter box – which is where deliveries used to happen before dairies, bottles and cartons.  You might say “I can’t”, but really “YOU CAN”.

Don’t forget.  My booklet HOW (AND WHY) YOGA WORKS is on www.myyogabooks.etsy.com.  You said you wanted it.  I used the time to do Part one and it is on ETSY.  By the time you have read Part One, I will have Part Two done.  I am also working on the book of recipes called “Wild’nWeedy”.

NAMASTE.   JAHNE  Stay well and safe.