Monday, 15 February 2016
Just Another Manic Monday!
Rocket stove cooking
Monday is always a hectic day! On Mondays I plant seeds to ensure succession, as I do with the food I prepare and ferment, always planning ahead. I made a hot chilli sauce today, as I harvested lots of cherry tomatoes and chillies. Limes are also in season, so I added some of that too for a little tang!
Casava or Manioc from the garden at Maungaraeeda
Tom harvested some casava for me and I boiled those, then baked them with lunch in the oven. I also made another paneer cheese and yoghurt. We had some yoghurt from late last week, and towards lunch time I really felt like something cool, so I made a mango lassi with some of the frozen mangoes we still have in the freezer from last year’s harvest. Lovely for the occasional cool treat!
Another jar of kombucha was started, and another batch of rejuvelac. Bread is fermenting as well, seed sprouts were watered and beans are sprouting. Hot chilli sauce was bottled and another load of ginger, tumeric and galangal put into the dehydrator. The days are going so quick at the moment, there is so much to do! But I am really enjoying it, bonding with the animals and the garden again, it is really nice. My stress levels are coming down. It makes me realise how unnatural it is to be business orientated. All this focus on making money and promoting yourself… I prefer focusing on growing and preparing food, it enables me to slow down mentally, even though I am physically busy. Being outside is wonderful, and being with purpose but without stress is awesome! Of course, we still have the concern of our financial situation, but I somehow have more faith now than I have had before that everything will turn out fine. Bringing everything back to simple living just eleviates the pressure of modern living. I feel very blessed!
©2016 Zaia; permeco.org, incorporating Permaculture Research Institute Sunshine Coast, simplicity, permaculture, self reliance, food, health and homesteading, another manic Monday
Author: Zaia Kendall
Zaia grew up in a family of musicians in Holland, and has a background in top sport (snow skiing) and web development and design. She co-founded the PRI Luganville and PRI Sunshine Coast Inc (now PermEco Inc.) with Tom, and runs the “invisible structures”, like finances, business administration, website design and maintenance, writes articles and records and edits videos. She assists Tom in running the Kendall Permaculture Farm and supervising other volunteers. She is an active member of several musical projects and bands, involved in community music and runs percussion and marimba workshops, is the percussion leader for the Woodford Folk Festival People’s Orchestra and composes as well as plays music. She is passionate about community music and loves seeing people discover that they can play!
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I agree – cooking and being in the garden are so soothing and refreshing. I have never tried some of the things you mention, such as cassava. Not sure if we can get that here, even.
Cassava, or manioc (also made into tapioca), is grown in sub tropical and tropical climates. A wonderful root vegetable it is tastier than potato (and I think also more filling!)
Okay – I didn’t realise tapioca was made from cassava. I love tapioca – haven’t had it since I was a kid 🙂
Zaia 🙂 I really enjoyed what you penned today. I decided to take the day away from my job today as I’ve had an upset stomach and generally an upset kind of everything lately…even after a weekend I felt strung out, depleted of purposeful being and detached from what might be meaningful to me. So, at home I tended to the little things around the home that had been laid waste due to being ‘caught up’ in making money, trying to make everyone elses’ routines more easy and all the rest. I watered the corn and herbs I planted lovingly (what seems ages ago), put on a slow-cooker dinner with love not haste, folded some laundry which is usually my pet hate chore but found it rather nice today at a pace that was mine. Noticed the cat, shared my lunch with the dog and marvelled at all the lovely animals that came into my field of awareness (because I was either outside or sitting on the front step instead of at my desk in front of the computer on the phone). Namely, a lone kangaroo, a grasshopper who was cleaning its eyes (cute), a big lizard on a rock sunning itself and a quite gorgeous huge butterfly. There were flies as well…but isn’t there always ;). Anyhoo, I enjoyed your post because as I sat down to read it just now, I felt like my day today was somewhat like that “Bringing everything back to simple living”…and yes, it did and is eleviating some of that pressure of modern living. Thank you for sharing, Francesca.
Thanks Francesca, I am glad you were able to take some time for yourself and slow down. This rushed lifestyle is not natural for us all…