Hello and welcome to the weekend! Lots of rain in store for us as these humid conditions persist. I am totally fine with it! I’ve planted, re-located, and split a bunch of perennials over the course of the past week. I’m hoping to grab a few more new plant friends if I can before it gets too cold.

I’m bopping in and out quick this week! My partner has an extra day off this weekend, so I’m hoping to take advantage of the one nice day to get some jobs done in the garden (what else what I be doing haha).

As always if you have a question for a future edition, leave it in the comments or send me an email if that’s preferable. Also! We changed the weight of the main text font site-wide to make for (hopefully) easier reading. Thanks to the folks that emailed me about this! Glad we could get it done. Our usual reads and links below. Take care out there :)

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. The Radical Act Of Slowing Down In An Always-On World via Service95
2. The Right to Repair Your Wardrobe via Atmos
3. This Is Your Brain on Short-Form Video via The Atlantic (click here for non-paywalled option)
4. Why Raccoons Have Been So Successful in Taking Over Toronto via The Walrus
5. The Metta of Mister Rogers via Lion’s Roar

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. Garden Variety by Timothy Pakron. I’ve been so inspired by this beautiful new vegan cookbook! My email subscribers were treated to a preview and a recipe this weekend. Every page is bursting with wonder, creativity, and gratitude for the plant world. I was smiling the whole time when I did a first flip through.
2. One squirrel matters
3. Shout out to my friend Jess for sending me this: The AI Resist List
4. I shared Afia Amoako’s cookbook a little while ago, which I highly recommend. She is offering a free course via YouTube: Foundations of Ghanaian Cuisine. So cool!
5. I treated myself to pre-cut parchment sheets (sized for a half sheet pan) and I don’t know what took me so long. It’s so much easier and less wasteful.

5 Questions:

1. Is there produce that you eat/buy weekly regardless of season?
   Yes! Broccoli, fennel, berries (frozen or fresh), and storage superstars like cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.
2. Do you have green juice every day? How far in advance can you make it? Is there a way to make juicer cleanup easier?
   A few juicy questions after I shared this meal prep video earlier in the week. My partner loves green juice, so I mostly make it for him these days. I’ll make enough for three days and by the end of that, he’s good for a bit. I enjoy one the day of. I’m okay with making it 72 hours in advance–I try to fill the juice right up to the top so that there’s minimal space between the juice and the tightly fitting lid. Less air = less oxidation. Some juice purists say that it MUST be enjoyed right away, but I don’t think that’s realistic for a lot of people. I don’t think there’s a way to make cleanup easier. It’s a naturally messy thing–pulverizing fruit and veg to get all the moisture out!! That’s why I like to make it for a few days when I do it.
3. Any meal ideas that still have flavor for someone who needs to eat low acid/low spice due to a sensitive stomach?
   Maybe not a meal idea specifically, but a strategy. It’s amazing how much flavor you can extract from ingredients when they are fully browned/caramelized. Onions are a classic example of this! When lightly sautéed, they are tasty and great as a flavor base for sauce, soup etc. When you take the 30+ minutes to properly caramelize them, they taste like something totally different. I love getting a hard sear/crust on vegetables because the dry heat brings out nutty characteristics. Are you able to eat umami-boosting ingredients like miso, Tamari, seaweed, or dried mushrooms? Even in tiny amounts, these ingredients add so much depth and savoriness to finished dishes.
4. How do you handle the transition from summer eating to fall eating?
   I make cozy foods with summery ingredients or lighter foods with the early fall crops, depending on current conditions and what I’m in the mood for. Soup, stew, curry, roasted veg for warm salads–all of these work well with tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, corn, zucchini etc. Winter squash, pears, apples etc are showing up at markets now and I tend to make lighter things with them at first–smoothies like my caramel apple smoothie, this roasted delicata sheet pan salad or this composed butternut squash dish with tomatoes and herbed yogurt.
5. Have you tried or used camelina oil before?
   I’ve seen it at the health food store but never tried! Apparently it’s related to the mustard family, has a high smoke point, and a mild nutty flavor. Seems like it might be best suited to salads and cold applications judging from what I’ve read. I used to love a little flax seed oil in a salad dressing for a nutty edge and since this is widely available in Canada, I’m open to trying! Algae oil is another one I’ve seen popping up a lot recently–also has a high smoke point and is apparently flavourless! Truthfully I use olive oil for 98% of my cooking. I prefer the taste and enjoy the simplicity. I was on the avocado oil for a bit, but the price has gotten out of control! If I can find a small bottle of camelina, I will report back :)

Pinned Recipes This Week:

1. Maple Mustard Tempeh with Shallots & Thyme
2. Grilled Eggplant with Peanut Ginger Sauce
3. Red Lentil Tomato Soup with Roasted Red Peppers & Basil
4. Shredded Apple, Kale & Parsnip Salad with Miso Mustard Dressing
5. Vegan Stuffed Pepper Casserole