Slow Living October 2014

Linking up with Linda who is now our gracious host having taken over from Christine in hosting the Slow Living Nine.  I love joining in each month and reflecting on what I have achieved, it is also great to hear what everyone is up to and share in their achievements.

Nourish -Make and bake as much as possible from scratch. Ditch over packaged, over processed convenience foods and opt for 'real' food instead.
This past month has been really busy for us and we have made good use of meals that I stockpiled in the past few months.  We have also been eating lots of egg based meals like omelettes, quiche and fritatas to make use of all the eggs, silverbeet, zucchini, and herbs in the garden.

There have also been a few sweet treats like carrot cake during the month.

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 made one last batch of orange marmalade with a second lot of gifted oranges and I think we will have enough to last us through until next citrus season.

Reduce - Cut down on household waste by re-using, re-purposing and repairing.

This month I turned some jeans I got from the op shop for hubby that were too small into some chicken saddles.

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.
Just the usual happening on this front.  

Grow - plant/harvest. What's growing this month? What's being eaten from the garden?

The garden is producing lots of Silverbeet and herbs, we are inundated with zucchini, we are harvesting asparagus daily and there are spring onions, beetroot, lettuce, tomatoes, capsicum, cucumber and eggplant.  I have dill and coriander going to seed which I collecting for replanting and for use in cooking.

The zucchini are smothering the lettuce plants around them but that is ok because we
will be harvesting the lettuce over the next week

This is what we are picking every day.... so many zucchini

Bush basil, eggplant, dill, tomatoes, lettuce I am letting go to seed, zucchini and other herbs

Beefsteak tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers

Coriander going to seed

The mulberry is fruiting and I am trying to beat the birds to them.

Create - To fill a need or feed the soul. Create for ourselves or for others.

The past month has been way too busy for anything creative but hopefully I will have some time over the next month.

Discover - Feed the mind by reading texts relevant to current interests.

I am still trying to get through a couple of books I started last month and at the end of the week we are going on holiday so hopefully by the time we get back they will be finished.

Enhance - Community

The car show that I am involved is over for another year and was a great success, however I am relieved it is over and I can stop thinking about it for a while.

Enjoy - Life! Embrace moments with friends and family. Marking the seasons, celebrations and new arrivals are all cause for enjoyment.

October was full of get together's with family and friends and my brother and his wife welcomed baby number 3 (another girl, baby Alice Rae) into the world and my other brother and his girlfriend headed off to Korea for the next 2 years.
November sees us heading over to New Zealand to catch up with my family and meet our new neice and we are really looking forward to seeing everyone.

What have you been up to?