Our modern lives are often missing a sense of community.  We all need a community of people for support, for sharing and for learning.  Creating Community is a series on Vintage Savoir Faire where we have a virtual “cup of tea and a sit down” with a kindred spirit.  This week we meet Jenny from Nourished Kitchen.

Jenny is the creator of Nourished Kitchen, which is a site all about reviving traditional foods.  In her own words:

“Nourished Kitchen’s goal is to promote sustainable agriculture and nutrient-dense, whole foods in everyday kitchens.  The focus is on whole, unrefined foods prepared according to traditional methods that optimize nutrient density.  Cherish your body, nourish your kitchen.”

Jenny shares her recipes and experiences with a traditional foods diet.  She also offers online courses to learn to incorporate traditional foods into your own life!  Her new How to Cook Real Food course contains over 45 videos and 100 recipes to teach you how to prepare healthy, delicious meals for your family.

If you’re not familiar with Nourished Kitchen, here are some recipes to get you started:

• Baked Oatmeal with Dried Apricots - the most popular recipe on Nourished Kitchen
• Easy Roast Chicken - Just getting started with whole foods?  Try this!
• Sourdough Focaccia with Grapes and Rosemary – Jenny’s personal favorite recipe.

Now let’s make a cup of tea and get to know Jenny including her Top 3 Simple Tips for having a Nourished Kitchen…

Jenny from Nourished Kitchen

Amanda:  Hi Jenny!  I’m a regular reader of Nourished Kitchen, but how do you explain your site to someone who has never seen it before?

Jenny: Nourished Kitchen is devoted to traditional foods – those deeply nourishing and half-forgotten foods that nourished generation upon generation at the rustic and worn kitchen tables of the old world.

We eat butter, heavy cream, raw milk, wild-caught fish, grass-fed meats, sourdough bread and heirloom vegetables – relishing every minute of it.

Amanda: How did you get started with real, whole, traditional foods?

Jenny: I’ve always been interested in whole foods, but I found traditional foods by chance when I started looking into making my own yogurt.

Then I participated in an online cookbook swap where I landed a copy of Nourishing Traditions.  I was a vegetarian at the time, so the concept of acknowledging meat and animal foods as healthy was new and a bit unsettling to me, but I fell in love with the movement.

Amanda: We’ve talked about the idea of nourishment before on Vintage Savoir Faire, what nourishes you and why is nourishment important?

Jenny: I think that many of us interpret the word nourish to mean food, or the way food interacts with our body, but for me it’s a broader term that speaks to whole body and whole spirit wellness.  Nourishment extends not only to what we eat, how we prepare it and where it comes from, but also how we cherish ourselves, love our bodies (flaws and all), care for our children and give ourselves to our community.

For me, I do this by purchasing our foods direct from ethical farms practicing traditional methods of growing foods and raising animals.  I do it when I prepare a supper of fresh, local real food – whether that’s feeding my tiny family of 3 or a crowd of 300 at our community’s harvest suppers.

I do it when I take my child into the woods to forage for wild mushrooms and hidden pockets of alpine strawberries.

I nourish myself when I wake up in the morning and tell my husband I love him, or when we rise early on Sundays to run our local farmes market, or stay late on Monday evenings to run our local real food bank.

That, for me, is true nourishment.

What are your top 3 tips for busy people who want to create a ‘nourished’ kitchen?

Jenny:

1. Buy single ingredient foods.  This step alone will eliminate almost all of the junk that makes it into your diet.
2. Rely on your slow cooker.  It’s like having someone else cook for you and it makes cooking simple, nourishing dinners so easy.
3. Honor yourself.  There is no one perfect diet.  You don’t have to do everything perfectly all the time.  Every little bit that you can manage counts.  Give yourself a bit of a break.

Amanda:  You’re very active in your community and promoting a healthy, whole, traditional foods diet.  How can readers get involved and give back to the movement?

Jenny:  I find that nourishment extends beyond ourselves to how we interact with those around us.  Giving back is a fundamental part of my daily life, and a huge reason why I started Nourished Kitchen.

There are so many ways to give back and to support other people, your community and the movement as a whole.

• Consider helping a farmer to organize a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture scheme).
• Consider volunteering at a farmers market (trust me: most market managers are desperate for help!)
• Instead of giving prepackaged or canned goods to your local food bank, find out when they operate and stop by with fresh produce from your garden or the market.
• Work with local foods advocates and restaurants in your area to create a local food day.
• Give a demonstration of sprouting, yogurt making or gardening at your kid’s school.
• Get involved with your local farm-to-school program.
• Setup a real food dining cooperative or fermentation club.
• Start a community garden.
• Invite neighborhood kids over to pick strawberries or taste the herbs in your kitchen garden.

Always stay abreast of local and national legislation.  Get to know your representatives and make sure they know you, too.  Ask hard questions; give real results.  Be a squeaky wheel.  If no local foods infrastructure exists in your area, stop complaining… and start something!

Nothing will happen if you’re not taking the lead.

Amanda: What is one common confusion people have about creating a nourished kitchen?

Jenny:  I really wish that, instead of seeking one perfect diet for everyone, people would take what they need from the philosophy of traditional foods, put it in place in a practical way in their lives, and just sit down and enjoy their food.

Amanda: Thanks for sharing all this great information! What’s next for you and Nourished Kitchen?

Jenny:  Well, spring is gearing up.  I’ll be planting my gardens soon.  I’m working like crazy on our farmers market with plans to get more and more local foods into the restaurants.  I’m planning a new online cooking class for the summer, and am working steadfastly on my cookbook which is due out in Spring 2014, published by Ten Speed Press.

If you want to create your own Nourished Kitchen, check out Jenny’s online cooking courses:

• Get Cultured! (How to ferment anything)
• How to Cook Real Food
• Simple Dinners & Healthy Meal Plans

What do you think about Jenny’s traditional food philosophy? How do you create your own Nourished Kitchen at home?

Remember when I announced that it was Spring?

Yeah, that was a false alarm.  Here in London we seem to have gone backwards into dreary, rainy, cold winter!  And I’m not happy about it.

OK, it’s cliche, but I really struggle with the weather in London.  Gray, drizzly, moderate temperature year round.  Rarely really hot, rarely really cold, just on the chilly side of moderate.  And gray.

I know what you’re going to say #1:  ”But you’re from Boston!!”

Yes, I’m from New England where it was cold – but cold and sunny!  Blue skies and bright sun reflecting off freezing-cold glistening snow! Skiing! And then proper hot summers.  And gorgeous crisp autumn leaves.  (New Englanders, forgive me if my memory is getting rosier with the passing years of living overseas…)

I know what you’re going to say #2: “But the weather isn’t always bad in London!!”

OK true, when it’s warm and summery in England, it’s gorgeous.  Really, really nice. I love English summer picnics with jugs of Pimms, strawberries and cream… But that only happens a few weeks out of the year, and then the gray resumes…

So I get a bit sluggish, tired and cold, and start questioning why I’m living here again, and then I remember:

Even when you’ve chosen your path in life, there are things you can’t control, and things you won’t like.  C’est la vie.

The true art of good living is enjoying life as it is, not as you wish it could be.

How do you enjoy life, even when it’s not perfect?  Let us know your personal tips and reminders for appreciating every day in the comments.

Vintage Hair Rinse

Lissa:

“I’m actually doing this at the moment, only with spices: cloves and vanilla and cinnamon. Cloves is supposed to darken and bring out red highlights, and vanilla and cinnamon just smell so delicious!”

Hot Cloth Cleanser (aka Portable Oil Cleansing Method)

Carley:

“This is amazing!!! I have been buying a very well known product like this for a while now and costing a fortune! I tailored it slightly but kept to the 50g oil, 30g butter and 20g wax. I tried to recreate the expensive hot cloth cleanser by using.. 20g rosehip seed oil, 10g hemp seed oil, 20g borage seed oil; 30g shea butter and 20g beeswax. I then used 45drops of frankincense essential oil because it’s supposed to have amazing anti-wrinkle properties….Just perfect!

Thank you so much for this  Carley XXXX”

How to Bake Bread – Step by Step Video

Maure:

“Amanda, this is a GREAT video!  I have tried several times to bake bread but I never found a recipe which gave the correct way to knead the bread. People mostly use bread machines and add a comment “if you are doing this by hand, knead for 30 minutes”… Which is discouraging and does not show the way to do it.  My homemade bread is currently rising…”

Maple Pecan (no bake) brownies

Amy:

“Hi!! Just wanted to say, Bravo!!! These brownies were everything you promised, and more!!
Thank you sooo much for your wonderful blog and this amazing recipe! Everyone needs to make this!”

Want more great projects? Here are 3 of the most popular projects on Vintage Savoir Faire.

What did I miss? What’s YOUR favorite project? Tell us in the comments!

Happy Friday! Hope you’ve had a wonderful week.  Across Europe people are preparing for the month of May and its many, many holidays.  I’m a bit jealous.

I’m keeping busy this week with my Integrative Nutrition course, saw a hilariously vintage Fitzrovia Radio Hour show (if you’re in London, I recommend it!), am reading Wheat Belly and bought my next nutrition read: Primal Body, Primal Mind.

This week on VSF, I shared some of my experiences from Moscow, and spent a weekend on the Kent coast on a wild food foraging course! (More details to come about that soon!)

For now, here are some links for your weekend…

• Top 10 most underrated health foods
• Have you made yogurt yet?  Here’s a recipe for homemade yogurt in mason jars. Or try my recipe to make yogurt in your slow cooker.
• I agree, we all have a choice everyday.  And everyday, we can choose happiness.
• “A new study finds that many potentially harmful chemicals can lurk in household, personal, and cleaning products, and they aren’t always indicated on the ingredient lists.” Awesome. Don’t believe that label.
• DIY beach hair!  Not sure how the coconut oil would stay liquid in the cooled mix though… who wants to test it?

And finally, remember, you have more time than you think.  I forgot that this week and started feeling scattered and stressed.  Thank you, wonderful internet, for a gentle reminder!

Have a great weekend!

xx

Amanda

When I was a kid, we colored Easter eggs every Spring.  We used those pre-packaged kits with little wire ‘dippers’ and brightly colored dye tablets.

But what did kids do before the invention of Easter egg coloring kits?  They colored eggs naturally, of course.

I love, love, love this project.  It’s an updated version of my original attempt coloring eggs with vegetable dyes, and then coloring eggs with onion skins.  And this version is even better!

Coloring Easter eggs with onion skins, leaves and flowers is completely natural and produces gorgeous results.

It’s a simple, safe, natural project you can try yourself or with your children.

Not only do you get the experience of using natural colors, but you also get to go foraging for little leaves and flowers, and creating eggs that really capture the beauty of Spring.

Happy Easter!

How to color Easter eggs with onion skins

You need:

• Eggs (preferably white, for best contrast)
• Old pantyhose/stocking
• Onion skins (top tip: you can get lots of onion skins in the ‘bulk onion bin’ in your grocery store.  There are tons of loose skins!  Just put one onion and a bunch of skins in your grocery bag, and you’re charged by weight, which was 15 pence for mine, brilliant!)
• Small flowers and leaves for decoration

How to:

Dunk the egg in a glass of water to get it wet.  Then, using a wet finger, stick on some of the little flowers and leaves in a pretty pattern.  I found that thinner leaves worked best for this.  Get creative, I used some coriander (cilantro) leaves that were really pretty!

Tie off a piece of pantyhose.  Now place the egg inside the pantyhose (I found it helpful to stretch the pantyhose quite wide, then place the egg in, to avoid moving the leaves around!)  Tie the other side of the pantyhose so the egg is firmly in place.  If you pull it really tight, you’ll get a little ‘star’ pattern where the pantyhose is against the egg.  This could be an added decoration, or annoying, depending on your design!

Now make hard boiled eggs … with onion skins.  Place the eggs in a pan.  Add a handful of onion skins.  Cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil.  Once boiling, turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let it sit for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, scoop the eggs out of the pan and place into a bowl (you can use the onion water again for a second batch of eggs!).  Cover with cold water and let sit for an additional 15 minutes.

Drain the cold water, and untie the pantyhose to reveal your egg.

Rinse off the leaves, and let dry.  Gorgeous!

These are just hardboiled eggs, so you can eat them too

Want more Easter recipes?  How about Chocolate Orange Hot Cross Buns, Ginger Glazed Ham or Easter Bunny Blondies.

Do you have questions about whole foods, handmade beauty products, home remedies, natural health or how to spark your creativity?

Send them to me!

I’m starting a new regular blog post where I’ll answer reader questions.

So let me know your questions, and what you’d like to learn to make!  Leave your questions as a comment on this post, or send them to me via the  contact form.  Look forward to hearing from you soon!

xx

Amanda

Just a quick one to share something that is really important to me.

I want to share this film that I just watched online.  It’s called Hungry for Change, and is available to watch free until the end of March (that’s 4 days!)

Go now and watch it.

Or read a bit more about why I think it’s important, and then watch it tonight.

Here’s the trailer:

What is Hungry for Change about?

Hungry for Change is about why diets don’t work, and what we can really do to improve our health (and lose weight … but more importantly, feel better!).  It talks about the problems in our food & diet industries, common misconceptions about nutrition and how what you eat impacts your health.  Then, it gives you some suggestions for how you can eat better, lose weight, and feel better!

There are interviews with nutrition experts like Dr. Mercola, David Wolfe and Dr. Christiane Northrup.

But really, I recommend this movie because it recommends real, whole, traditional foods.  I truly believe that what we eat defines our health and impacts how we feel.  I think a whole foods diet is the answer.  Let’s eat food that great-grandma would recognize as food.  Eat real, and feel better.  This film is all about that philosophy.

Why should I watch it?

Do you want to feel better? Have more energy? Lose weight? Learn how to truly nourish yourself and your family?

Or just learn more about nutrition and our broken food system?

Then you’ll be interested in this film.

Why are you so into whole foods recently?

I’ve always been into whole foods and the importance of cooking more  for health.

But with my recent effort to reduce refined sugar and my Institute for Integrative Nutrition program, I’ve realized that this is more than a casual interest in food – this whole foods information can help lots of people improve their health!   And that’s what we need right now in the world.

(By the way, if you’re interested in learning more about the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and what I think of the program, please send me a message!)

Here’s the link again: Hungry for Change

Go watch it today, and then come back here and let’s have a discussion about it:

What resonated with you?  What surprised you? What changes are you going to make for your own health and wellness?

You know when you have a really long to-do list, and it feels like there just isn’t enough time?

Or when you run across your art/craft/baking supplies and think “I used to enjoy doing that … but I just can’t get inspired to start it again.”

Or when you start to feel worn down and the world is just seeming gray and routine?

That’s when you need an Artist’s Date with yourself.  And that’s just what I did this weekend.

What’s an Artist’s Date?

The concept of an Artist’s Date was created by Julia Cameron, in her classic creativity-unblocking book The Artist’s Way.

Let’s get something clear right away – you do not have to be an artist to take an Artist’s Date.

The idea is to take yourself on a date once per week to “fill the well” of creativity.  Here are the rules:

• You must do the activity alone.  Having anyone else with you will change your behavior, and you want to get in touch with your inner creative!
• The activity should be fun!  Find something that appeals to you and do it.

Why would I want to take an Artist’s Date?

We all deplete our internal creativity, ideas and resources as we go through life.  Whether you consider yourself an artist or not, we all have an inner creative that expresses itself in our work, our social lives,  our relationships and even in our outlook on life.  Over time, we can lose that spark.  Life starts to seem routine.  Our creativity becomes a bit repetitive (cooking the same meals, doing the same thing at work, or being stuck in a crafting rut.)

An Artist’s Date breaks this cycle and provides inspiration, resources and ideas for the future.

It reconnects you with your inner child and your inner creative.

It helps you see the world as a beginner again – when you notice and experience everything to the fullest.

It takes you away from your routine and puts you in touch with YOU.  What do YOU feel like doing, eating, seeing, feeling today?

Here’s Julia Cameron talking about Artist’s Dates, in her own words.

How do I take an Artist’s Date?

Schedule your date in the  calendar.  It’s important, it’s a date with yourself!

Make sure that you’re alone, and that you’re doing an activity that you’re excited about (or something that pushes you out of your comfort zone… if it seems fun and exciting.)

The obvious Artist’s Date is to go to a museum … but only do this if it actually seems FUN to you!  (Don’t go to the museum out of culture guilt like “I should really see this exhibition everyone is talking about, even though I hate Renaissance painting!  That is not inspiring your creativity.  That’s fulfilling some imaginary duty.  Not Artist’s Date material!)

The most important criteria for an Artist’s Date is that it’s FUN.

Some ideas for your Artist’s Date:

• Visit the zoo
• Take a bike ride
• Go for a walk in nature
• Climb a tree
• Go to the seashore, buy an ice cream and play at the penny arcade
• Explore a new part of town
• Visit an outdoor market and try some new foods
• Go on a photo safari
• Spend a few hours trying a completely new type of art – try painting or watercolor or decoupage
• Take yourself out for dinner at a restaurant you’ve wanted to try
• Take your journal to a cafe and people watch

But who has time for an Artist’s Date?!  I’m too busy!

I hate to say it, but the moments when you feel WAY too busy are exactly the best time to schedule an Artist’s Date.

Do you have time to watch TV?  Then you have time for an Artist’s Date.  This small amount of time each week leaves you refreshed, inspired and having more energy for the rest of your life!

I also find that when I feel “swamped” and like I’m barely able to keep up with my To Do list, taking some ME time to get inspired really puts things in perspective.  You’ll work much more effectively and feel calmer about it.  Really.  Trust me on this.  Give it a try.

What’s your favorite activity to spark your creativity?  Do you make regular dates with yourself – why or why not?  Would love to hear your thoughts!

What did you do to nourish yourself this week?

We’re well into the year, no holidays in sight … so how are you taking the time to take care of yourself?

I struggled with nourishment this week.  A hectic travel schedule and no time to go to the grocery store left me eating poorly and feeling frazzled.   I did manage to make a few homemade smoothies and a delicious carrot, coriander (cilantro) and sweet potato soup.  Yum!  I think the blender is my friend when I’m busy!

So this weekend I’m planning a photography-filled Artist’s Date at the seaside and meeting up with friends for lunch.  Time to regroup, refocus and nourish myself for Spring!

And now, some links for the weekend…

• Amazing but true, other people want to make kombucha too.  I have requests from 4 friends for Scobys to start their own batch.  My kitchen counter looks like a science lab.
• As Instagram-obsessed as I am, I still didn’t know all of these tips
• If you’re interested in the food system, diet industry and how that all impacts our health,  Check out this film.  I’m watching it tonight and we can discuss!
• Mmmmm Pho.  Deliciousness and comfort in a bowl.  Or make a version with your homemade chicken stock!
• Great explanation of why parabens in cosmetics are not safe, despite what the FDA says.  Thanks, Sprout!
• Here are 9 more mindful eating tips for you!  Have you tried this yet?

Have a great weekend!

xx

Amanda

Happy Friday!  What a week.  I’ve spent the week in Oslo, Norway – and while it’s always great discovering a new country, I’m looking forward to a weekend of projects at home!  Here are some of my favorite inspirations this week from around the internet…

Put some of your leftover almond pulp in this Green Monster Smoothie

I don’t have kids, but if I did, I would make these ribbon wands. Just like my beloved Get In Shape Girl rhythmic ribbon from the 80s!

I missed this for Valentine’s day, but make some moisturizing and melting bath candy.  Mmmmm luxurious!

Turn an old cashmere sweater into an aromatherapy pillow … I would add essential oils for even more relaxation.

{RANT} Just because diet soft drinks have no calories, it does not mean they are healthy!  Great grandma would not approve.  Thank you.  Need help kicking your soda habit? Contact me.

Since I’m on a nut milk kick, how about making homemade brazil nut milk and turning it into a chai latte? Yes. yes yes.

My very favorite discoveries to creatively inspire your weekend

What a week!  I’m feeling so inspired after my time at the Integrative Nutrition Mega Conference.  If you’re curious about holistic nutrition and want to learn more about the program, please contact me.   Now I’m home, recovering from jet lag, and gearing up for a big weekend in the kitchen!   Here are some of my favorite finds this week from around the internet…

Dye some yarn with Kool Aid.  I approve, a much better use for Kool Aid than drinking the sugary stuff!

7 Beauty Mistakes thanks to the Personal Care industry.  Ahhhh, marketing.

I’m kind of obsessed with sweet potato recently so these sound great.  And her photos are amazing.

If you’re getting into this eating whole foods thing, you might want to register to watch this new film?

Just because I don’t have quite enough going on, I might try joining photo a day this month?  A little daily creativity is always a good thing.

Do you use Instagram on your iPhone?  Follow me there, I’m @vintageamanda.  Or follow me on twitter too.  I love to connect with readers!

Have a great weekend!

xx

Amanda

The seasons are changing.  Can you feel it?

Ok, I admit that I moan a lot about the weather in London.  It is a bit gray and cold.  But, oh, how the grayness makes me appreciate the sunny days!

Sunday was one of those days.  Bright sunshine (sunshine!!).  Clear blue sky.  Pretty warm (‘ish… but UK standards, about 60 degrees.)  I was supposed to be writing blog posts but I just couldn’t stay inside.

I threw the windows open.

I grabbed my camera.  (And the lovely fingerless gloves my mom knitted me…)

I went for a wander.  No destination in mind – just had this irrepressible need to get out!  (Do you know what I mean?  It’s like spring fever, or those last few weeks of school when all you can think about is playing outside!!)

Does it matter if it’s Spring?

The air had that soft, springlike feeling.  Isn’t that funny? I’m always surprised how well we can sense these things.  Even if the temperature is the same, suddenly, we just know it’s springtime.

In our busy lives, we don’t often synchronize our lives with the seasons.  It doesn’t matter if it’s late-summer, deep winter or early spring … email, work, facebook, the gym and our diets don’t care!  We just carry on.

I love these seed pods! No idea what they are though.

But this year I’m exploring the idea of rituals.  Of living (and eating) more closely aligned with the seasons.  And Spring seems the perfect time to do this.  Spring is the time of new beginnings.  Of cleansing all the wintery buildup and starting fresh.  Of scrubbing your body and getting ready to show off new, soft skin.  Of moving away from warming, hearty soups and eating more greens, and light, fresh foods.

There are hundreds of these pods...

What spring rituals do you have?  How do you change your lifestyle for this time of year? Would love to hear your tips and questions in the comments!

PS.  I also found a bunch of this plant starting to push through the winter leaves … anyone know what it is? It’s one of my springtime favorites.   Stay tuned, because I’ve got a great spring detox remedy using this plant…

My very favorite discoveries from around the web to creatively inspire your weekend!

Welcome to the first of my “weekend inspiration” posts.  I follow way too many blogs, so wanted to share my best finds of the week with you!  Hooray for saving time and just reading the good stuff.

PS. This weekend I’m at the Integrative Nutrition Mega Conference … for all the updates follow me on twitter and look for hashtag #MegaIIN.

Now onto the links…

Infographic on what’s really in our cosmetics.  You might want to start a beauty detox?

Herbal citrus cordial, with rosemary or lavender. Yum.  And if you’re in the cordial mood, don’t forget my elderberry cordial.

There are so many simple, delicious ways to eat your greens … try this classic Southern recipe with greens, beans and BACON. Yum.

I love this.  At a certain point you realize you just have to follow your truth.  Because “The things that make you happy, just might not look good to other people.”.

One food bloggers 7 tips for how to enjoy food and not weigh 500 pounds.

Hmmm… Mint Chocolate Chip Kale Smoothie?

Always love more uses for basic ingredients – 10 super uses for Aloe Vera.  Kitchen remedies to the rescue!

Have a lovely weekend!

xx

Amanda

Last summer, as I was walking to the local park, I noticed a huge rosemary bush growing through a crack in the sidewalk, leaning up against a building wall.

Oooh rosemary!

I ran my fingers through the branches and inhaled.  Ahhh. Gorgeous.  All this rosemary just sitting here in a public place!  While the little packet of fresh rosemary in the grocery store costs $5.

So I furtively glanced around to make sure no one was looking, broke off a piece, and took it home in my handbag.

Then I felt slightly guilty.  Was I allowed to take that rosemary? Was it stealing?  Does anyone even care?

What is Foraging?

When you think of foraging you probably think of a slightly weird, survivalist-type person picking wild mushrooms and eating roadkill.

But in fact, there are tons of people who forage for food – even if they live in urban areas.  Remember making sloe gin in the fall? Picking sloe berries is foraging.  Or picking wild blueberries and blackberries.  Or, for the slightly more adventurous, picking nettles for nettle tea and nettle pesto.  Or even my quickly gathered piece of fresh rosemary.

If you’d like to learn more about foraging, I recommend reading River Cottage Hedgerow and Food for Free.

4 Rules for Foraging

If you’re going to pick wild plants, you want to be safe, legal and gentle on the environment.

Here are my 4 rules for foraging

1. You must be 100% certain of the plant you’re picking.  This is for your own personal health & safety!  I suggest starting with easy to identify plants like blackberries, sloes, nettles, clivers, chamomile etc.  A high-quality wildflower identification guide for your local region is a good idea too. Personally I had a local person identify the plants with me the first few times, until I was confident that I could identify the plant from lookalikes.  If you’re still nervous – you can always grow your own plants from seed, so you are 100% sure of the origin!
2. Find the abundance.  Find where there is a lot of the plant growing, and always leave more than you take.  Try to pick from several different locations rather than stripping all the elderflowers off one tree, for example.  Find what plants are abundant in your area, and find projects to do with those.  There are always several plants which can achieve the same goal, so find an abundant plant and learn its many uses.  Dandelions are a great example of this – they are everywhere, and can be used in a zillion ways!
3. Clean Pickings – wild food is great because it’s free from pesticides and fertilizers … but you need to watch out for other unpleasant additions: pollution and dogs!  Pick away from busy roads, and if you’re in a dog-walking area, pick “above dog height” to ensure that your plants are clean and ready to use!
4. Don’t pick on private property or in conservation areas.  In England, you can forage for personal use, but not if you’re making products to resell.  Check your local laws for rules in your own area.

Have you ever foraged for food, herbs or fruit?  Would love to hear your experiences in the comments!

2012 is my year of change (and everyone else’s too, by the look of things.)

So, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about my purpose and finding that sweet spot where I can really help people.  (All this thinking means I’ve had less time to do projects – but it’s just a natural cycle and the projects will come back soon I promise!)

I’ve also been thinking a lot about Vintage Savoir Faire: how do I sum it up in a few words to explain to new readers?

It’s not just about cooking, or making beauty products.  It’s not just about loving vintage stuff and relearning traditional skills.  It’s not just about health and lifestyle.  It’s about all of these things – but it’s something more.

I think I’ve finally figured it out.

Vintage Savoir Faire is about rediscovering how to live!

I mean, how to really LIVE and enjoy your life, not just plod along or survive it.

All of the advice, projects, wisdom and ideas that I love seem to center around this idea of truly living and enjoying your life.

After lots of musing over several cups of tea (and a glass of wine), I’ve distilled the Vintage Savoir Faire philosophy into these 5 guiding principles.

5 guiding principles to live your best life

(These aren’t rules.  Just guidelines, but they work for me.  Adapt as needed.)

1. Eat real food.  Eat things that someone’s great-grandmother would recognize.  Cook more.  Eat enough real food so that there isn’t space in your diet for the fake, processed stuff.  Your health and overall wellness will thank you!
2. Simplify.  This means something different for everyone.  Maybe it means less shopping.  Or clearing out your attic.  Reducing your commitments.  Using fewer beauty products so you have an easier morning routine.  Or maybe it means having focus on what is important, and letting the other stuff fall aside.  But simplify!  It reduces stress and makes you feel better.
3. Make stuff yourself.  If you make something yourself, you’ll like it more.  Also, making stuff exercises your creativity, curiosity and keeps you learning (which is good for your brain!).  You’ll also usually save money.  And if you’re making food, cleaning products or beauty products-  the stuff you make will be way healthier than what you can buy!
4. Live clean.  Reduce chemicals in your life.  This is healthier for you and for the planet.  This can mean choosing non-toxic cleaning products, personal care products, using less plastic, making less waste.  Just generally trying to detox your life.
5. Be here now.  This one is all about mindfulness.  Actually being in your life, rather than lost in your thoughts.  There are tons of ways to do this – meditation, prayer, mindfulness, yoga, exercise, baking bread … just pick one and try it.