Sunday 3 February 2013

Slow Living January 2013


Linking up with Christine again this month.  I am really glad that she is hosting this again this year it is great to hear what everyone is up to.

Nourish -Make and bake as much as possible from scratch. Ditch over packaged, over processed convenience foods and opt for 'real' food instead.
There has not been much baking this month as I still had a few batches of muffins and biscuits in the freezer. But as usual all of our meals are being cooked from scratch.

Prepare - Stockpile and preserve. Freeze extra meals or excess garden/market produce. Bottle/can, dehydrate or pickle foods to enjoy when they are not in season.
I have been dicing and freezing capsicum for use through winter when the prices go through the roof.  I have also made up a huge batch of chicken stock that is now frozen in 500ml blocks in the freezer.

Reduce - Cut down on household waste by re-using, re-purposing and repairing.
Not much going on in this area at the moment.


Green Start (or continue!) using homemade cleaners, body products and basic herbal remedies. The options are endless, the savings huge and the health benefits enormous.
Well the use of home made cleaners continues, it's a pity that the cleaning part has to happen too.
Lista Gandia eggplant and golden midget watermelon
Grow plant/harvest. What's growing this month? What's being eaten from the garden?
The tomatoes didn't make it through the floods but the peppers, eggplants and melons are still going strong.
I also have a crop of rosellas coming along nicely.
Create - To fill a need or feed the soul. Create for ourselves or for others.
I am still practising my knitting and have been making birthday cards and doing scrap booking..

Discover Feed the mind by reading texts relevant to current interests.
I am still reading books by the dozen so it was good to get to the bookfest with my best friend.  I have been reading a few fictional books and I also read Food Rules by Michael Pollan.  It is a quick and easy book to read and really talks about getting back to a better way of eating.

Enhance Community
Planning for this years Classic Car Show is under way again and we have a meeting this week with our Mayor to discuss how the council can help and how he can help as well.  Our Mayor is a motoring enthusiast and was one of last years judges.

Enjoy - Life! Embrace moments with friends and family. Marking the seasons, celebrations and new arrivals are all cause for enjoyment.
January was a quieter month with time spent at home with hubby which was a nice thing indeed.

What have you been up to?

10 comments:

  1. How do you freeze your capsicum? Do you just put it in raw or blanch it first? I'm glad your garden is still producing!

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    1. I just freeze it raw either in log strips or in a chunky dice. I spread it all out on a tray and freeze it then once it is frozen I tip it into a container. It means you always have it on had for a extra pizza topping in the middle of winter and it can be added to anything you cook. If I am using it on pizza I defrost it on a paper towel/clean tea towel to get rid of the excess water.

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  2. You've been busy Fiona, love your cards. Do you do any scrapbooking retreats? I'm going to one in Kilcoy in May...let me know if you would like the details..

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  3. You know, I don't think I've ever tried a rosella, how strange is that!

    Your cards look beautiful Fiona, very lucky recipients indeed. :)

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  4. Hi Fiona! I love those cards that you have made! They are very very nice! I volunteered at the Book fest - wasn't it great?! I didn't have a garden to make it through ex-oswald, a week away and no rain in that time took care of killing off my garden for January... Look forward to reading more of your posts! - Kara xx

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  5. I know what you mean about the cleaning thing. I don't making the cleaners, but...

    Beautiful cards!

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  6. Those cards are fab!! I'm also quite intrigued by your rosellas for cordial and jam (great detailed post :-).

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  7. I've never thought of freezing capsicum! Does it go a bit soft when it's defrosted or is it still crunchy? Great idea.

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  8. Thanks for the idea to freeze the raw capsicums... Bell Peppers to me, I always have a bit of English to English translation going on with these Slow Living Posts. ;-) We roast and peel our chiles then freeze them, but how to store the bell peppers has been a mystery to me.

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