Welcome to an early spring weekend. I am using spring generously!! It was -7 here last night. The temperatures and sun have been a daily seesaw lately, so all of my early spring bloomers/anything with buds are a little confused. But just like us, nature is resilient and will always find a way.

We have our niece’s birthday this weekend and a few other little activities. I was doing a lot better with sleep recently, but insomnia came back full force this week. Just that tired but wired feeling all night, every night. I’m hoping to catch some stillness and rest this weekend.

Onto our usual assortment of reads etc (2 of them are about getting offline haha). Take care out there!

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. How to unburden yourself: a guide to escaping overstimulation via The Green Chapel on Substack
2. Your Next Fur Coat May Be Growing in a Field via The New York Times (gift link)
3. Scientists watch sperm whales work as a team to assist a birth via NPR
4. Is foraging really feasible to feed myself? via The Guardian
5. How to end your extremely online era via Tommy Dixon on Substack

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. My long time blog pal Lily Diamond has started a book club on Substack. Lilith Lit: Women Reading Women is a new virtual book club featuring contemporary fiction and nonfiction—with live community meetings, author visits, and more. Lily curates a whole year with bestselling luminary authors to guide our exploration of what it means to be a woman in today’s world. I am a member and am picking up my copy of the first book (All The Mothers by Domenica Ruta) this weekend! See you in the club?
2. Watching: Neighbors on HBO (I cannot believe that these people are real!!)
3. Loving Flea’s meditative and jazzy new solo album Honora
4. Nuts for Cheese’s new French Onion dip is truly nuts!! Like the classic chip and dip experience, but totally whole food, plant-based. Also excellent dolloped into a baked potato. They sent me some samples recently (other dips in the range and their incredible cheeses), and I could not be happier. Their products are such a gift for the vegan folks!
5. Women in CRUMB

5 Questions:

1. Your fiber gloop sounds interesting. My husband wants to know what liquid and how much you add to your smoothies in addition to the gloop. How long does the “gloop” last in the refrigerator?
   Lots of fiber gloop questions after I shared it last week. For reference, here it is again: 2 teaspoons psyllium husk, 2 teaspoons ground flax and 2 teaspoons chia seeds in a jar. Cover that with 1/2 cup water (or juice), stir, and let it sit in the fridge overnight. How I incorporate it into a smoothie: the gloop is about 1/2 cup, so I blend that, 1/2 cup almond/soy milk, frozen banana, baby spinach, protein powder, almond butter, cinnamon, salt, ice. The gloop makes it thick!! Start with half the amount if you’re new to these ingredients and unsure. You can add more milk/water to loosen up the consistency if you’re drinking straight from the blender. The gloop will keep for up to a week, gradually getting thicker as it goes. I prefer to make it the night before I need it to avoid it becoming paste-like.
2. For the vegan hot cross buns, can a stand mixer be used to knead in the cherries/chocolate?
   I tried doing this a few times and just the sheer volume of cherries and chocolate makes it hard. I found that the fruit/chocolate was always just settling at the bottom of the bowl without getting incorporated. I have the slightly larger 7 quart bowl size for my KitchenAid mixer, so this could also be a factor!
3. Are there any cities or places you’d like to visit in Canada to check out their vegan cuisine?
   Vancouver with a Victoria side quest 100%
4. I noticed your newer baking recipes have flour in grams, would you consider updating some of your older recipes?
   Yes! This is on my list as soon as I get through a few more back end projects with the blog. Let me know which ones you’d like to see converted first, so I can shuffle them to the top of the pile.
5. What plants are you most excited to plant this spring?
   Anything and everything honestly. This winter was an absolute doozy–felt like it would never end and was brutally cold for about 2 months or so. I am really locked in on fruit trees and bushes this year–trying to make my own little fruit forest! Figs, apples, blueberries, and grapes are on my list, along with supportive companion plants. We also successfully smothered a large garden that was packed with lily of the valley and a few other invasive plants a couple years ago that still needs filling out with shrubs, a couple trees (ginkgo and paper bark maple), and some perennials.

5 Seasonal Recipes:

1. Smoky Sautéed Cauliflower with Green Beans, Tahini & Almonds
2. Crunchy Snap Peas & Carrots Salad with Sesame Lime Dressing
3. Baked Sesame Seed Tofu Triangles with Gochujang
4. Roasted Asparagus Salad with Ginger Lime Dressing & Peanuts
5. Creamy Mushroom Asparagus Orzo