Winter Nourishment

I'm sitting in the coldest room in the house wrapped in a blanket, slurping down my first cup of tea for the day. I don't drink coffee so thankfully this is strong enough; Melbourne breakfast at it's finest. I need it this morning. In fact, I'm about to make another cup. This time I'll brew some Buddha's tears for something a little more gentle and aromatic.

I can hear the wind rustling outside and I know the seasons have finally changed. It's almost the middle of May and until a few weeks ago, I hadn't even needed to dig out the winter woollies. Now we're all rugged up. The moment the first frost hits, it is somehow easy to forget how long, hot and relentless the past scorching summer has been.

As a true pale skinned shade dweller, Autumn and Winter are undoubtedly my favourite seasons. It's everything about them- the cooler nights, slow cooking, red wine, candles, firepits, moody folk music and lots of stargazing. Going inwards. But. There's a flipside.

When you're already introverted and go further inwards, you inevitably reach a burrow you don't want to leave. Even if the will is there, sometimes there is no way, as it takes way more energy and resilience than you've got in reserve. It doesn't take much to slip from being in a happy hibernation state, to becoming overwhelmed by seasonal sadness.

There's something exceptionally lonely about long, cold nights (even when the kids are a very real and demanding presence) and sometimes I feel so overstimulated from all my scrolling but disconnected from my real community in the real world. Keeping in touch with the special few who light up my life is something I am terrible at, but have to work harder on. It helps to pop your head out of the burrow and sit in the sun every once in a while.

I had a small procedure last week and one of the particularly kind nurses grabbed the saline for my drip from the blanket warmer (life hack for all the nurses out there)- telling me that on cooler days she likes to try to warm patients from the inside. What a beautiful sentiment; it got me thinking.

What are we going to do to stay warm and survive the winter? Not in the traditional sense of how are we going to forage and ration food, find shelter and stay warm because you know- supermarkets and heaters..... but how will we nourish ourselves and our souls when the winter chill and blues arrive?

Bone Broth Breakfast

For gut nourishment, I've already started on bone broth. Because I'm not actually the person I aspire to be, I'm mostly using pre made chicken bone broth from Nutra organics or Cherry Tree Kitchen. They're both umami filled and not too overpowering and you can throw them in anything from Bolognese to soup for extra flavour and goodness. It's an easy breakfast that warms you instantly. It also assists with cold, aching bones and keeping sickness at bay.

Tea

Multiple cups of tea per day are also a staple. The time of day and how I'm feeling will determine my choice.

First thing in the morning: T2's Melbourne Breakfast is my go to. It's black but smooth and doesn't induce too much of a crazy caffeine kick (the reason I avoid coffee aside from it being yuck).

For a gentle boost - I go green. Usually Gorgeous Geisha. Another fave is Buddha's Tears -a hand rolled jasmine variety that slowly unfurls into the cup.

If the sniffles (or worse) have arrived, I hit it hard with herbal mixes in the daytime, and a signature hot toddy at night. Juice a lemon, add ginger, honey, apple cider vinegar (just a dash), some warm water, a cinnamon quill, three or four cloves, a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and a large glug of gin - or whiskey if you're a traditionalist.

For tummy troubles- ginger or peppermint will ease the problem.

Chamomile, or if you're averse to the strong floral nature, lemon balm are good options to help with sleep.

Wine

Mainly red, obviously. But there's so many good options from small Winemakers, so I implore you to look beyond the usual choices at Dan's.

While awaiting a new shipment of Minimum wines to arrive (we've ordered the syrah, a san selvaggio and and a syrah/sangiovese blend) - we'll work through the last of the preservative free Shiraz called Biological from Lowe Wines that we picked up at Mudgee on the weekend. And when I say the last- I think we got the literal last 6 bottles but they have lots of other organic and biodynamic options like their Block 8 Shiraz that you will also love.

Brave New Wine have a mystery blend from 2021 called Rude Boy that is best served chilled- so it's a winner for Sunday lunch on a warmer winter day.

What I'm cooking

Lasagne will be a staple for the boys. It's not traditional but I've perfected the paste that I use as the base and it's one of the few meals that both wee boys shovel in without complaint.

I aspire to cook from more of my cook books, so this season I'll try again but will probably fail. Even though my intentions are good, I tend to gravitate back to the tried and tested.

From the Meat Cookbook by Libby Travers and Anthony Puharich, Osso Bucco Milanese is a hearty, filling fave. It's essentially a white osso bucco that pairs well with polenta.

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat is life changing and will change the way you think about how to cook. It helps you to understand balance and how to achieve it. The buttermilk marinated roast chicken elevates a humble roast chicken to a very impressive but homely dinner party dish.

Julia Busuttil Nishimura has three beautiful books - her newest is called 'Around the Table' in which you'll find a celeriac & apple soup with garlic-thyme croutons - a delicious way to enjoy one of the most underrated winter vegetables - celeriac.

What I'm planting

Winter is slower in the garden. The glut of basil, tomatoes and zucchini are long gone, and I've just chopped off the last eggplants of the season.

Grown and Gathered by Mat and Lentil has a great guide for planting and growing, as does the The Good Life by Hannah Moloney .

Your garlic should be planted by now, and it's time to think about winter staples; brassicas like cabbage, cauliflowers and brussell sprouts. I've also put in some chinese greens, potatoes, leek and spinach- as it always seems to thrive. Winter crops don't grow with the same tenacity but tend to do their thing slowly.

I've avoided root veggies like carrots, parsnip and celeriac as mine always suck and tend to take up so much space for a relatively small yield.

What I'm reading

Being indoors more means, theoretically, more time to read. I've had to cut myself off from going down the endless Tik Tok rabbit hole on the daily, and instead have bought a kindle to try to get lost in stories that are different to the ones I make up in my own head.

I've just finished The Enigma of Garlic by Alexander McCall Smith . As far as I'm concerned, Alexander McCall Smith is the most beautiful writer on the face of the planet. More than a modern day Shakespeare, he tackles the most intense and philosophical topics with grace and leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy. No 1. Ladies Detective Agency is my favourite series, but the stories from 44 Scotland Street (oh how I love thee Bertie)- of which this book is the latest in the series, are also beautiful.

I've moved onto Food Writer Grace Dent's book - Hungry: a memoir of wanting more. It's really typical for me to basically exclusively read food memoirs and travel stories as my non fiction fodder, and I'm not sure why it's taken so long to get to this one. Dent regales us stories of growing up in the 80's tinged with her trademark Northern British humour. Definitely worth a read.

Other things that may keep you warm

Light some candles

Take a reformer Pilates class

Run a bath

Ring a friend you've been missing - just to say hello

Plan a winter solstice party

Join or start a cook book club

Sit outside in the sun every. single. day.

On the food front

Incorporate some more spice and flavour into your food

Try using cheaper cuts of meat and cooking them over a long period of time - aka what every single chef/cook has been telling us to do for decades

BBQ Some bone marrow

Use simple shortcuts like ready made stock/broth if you need and it encourages you to cook more

Don't forget the simplicity of beautiful vegetables like potato or pumpkin

Find something new and cook it - even if it's only once a fortnight on the weekend

Metaphorically and physically, it's easier to keep yourself at an even temperature rather than to warm yourself up from being freezing cold. I'd advise against doing as I do and burrowing in too deep but do whatever else it takes to keep you warm and nourish yourself this winter. Revel in it. Enjoy the shorter days. Sit by the fire with a beautiful stew. Before we know it, the leaves will be returning to the trees and we'll be planning summer holidays and waiting for Christmas to arrive. Stay Warm x