#shout out to brassica too

[edgewaterfarmcsa]

CSA WEEK 17

p i c k l i s t

PARSLEY - REDBOR KALE - SHISHITOS PEPPERS! - HABANADAS PEPPERS! - CAYENNE PEPPER! - JALAPENO PEPPER! - BEETS - BUTTERCUP WINTER SQUASH - CARROTS- HEIRLOOM FIELD TOMATOES - CORN - ONION - GARLIC

Content Warning: this newsletter talks about food, if you are fasting in recognition of the holiest day of the Jewish Calendar, then please feel free to pause until tomorrow…. Ok?

And now let’s get into it: our Summer CSA ends this week! What in the world are we all supposed to eat after this week’s goodies run out? Cereal?! Hot dogs? Nightly takeout from Brownsville Butcher and Pantry? JK, As you all know our Fall CSA begins in a week, so this is certainly not the end of fresh veg for those that signed up.  In fact for many of you, the fun starts next Wednesday (first FALL CSA!) when our efforts go into filling the farmstand with towers of brussel sprouts, bins of onions, trays of greens and if you are smart and gluten friendly- a fresh warm loaf of bread (via add on bread share).

  And as for the fields this week, they did get a light frost two nights in a row.  Some plants are toast but the majority remain and they will continue to kick around until a deep kill frost hits and the fog breaks.  Truthfully, none of us expect the peppers, corn, and cherry tomatoes to stick around much longer, but while they are here, we will love them dearly and pick them with pretend Summer delight.  The brassicas and other greens have no problem with these cool temps, and we have enough greenhouses growing food to keep our bellies full and happy through the Winter Solstice (and beyond?).  

In other field topics, we are all impatiently waiting for the tops on the potatoes to properly dry so we can begin to dig the spud field using our fave large piece of equipment, the potato harvester- this will save an insane amount of time.  We are all a little sick of hand digging and our fingernails could use a break.  For real, the pain of hitting your finger nail into a potato while digging into the soil is a shock to the system for daaaaays.  

But the most pressing topic to really hit today is all the food we ate together these last 17 weeks.  From strawberries in June, to blueberries in July and Melon into the end of September.  We ate like kings and queens! And come January, I guarantee you, the onslaught of Equinox peppers will be missed as you sip on your dried tulsi tea.  Moreover, a huge shout out to all CSAers near (farmstand pick up!) and far (Eastman! The Studio! Novo Nordisk! Windsor! Brownsville!).  I don’t know what the CSA means to you- is it just groceries? Is it more? But for me, the CSA gives my every week real meaning and rhythm.  With the help of so many awesome hands and fellow farmers (Ray, Roy, Garnet, Claire, Denroy, Carlington, Tim, Jasper, Strong, Joe and Mike, Mrs. T and Pam), I get to curate your meals from a field! That is a huge honor and I do not take it lightly.  And bottomline here, a massive cheers to you all for taking a chance on Edgewater this season, and I do hope to check in with you all again in the not too distant future.  

Peace, Love, and Habanadas, Jenny

Pro-tips:

 KALE SALAD WITH ROASTED SQUASH AND FENNEL

FROM START SIMPLE

(the above book is absolutely my go to for nearly all meals, treat yourself:

Copyright © 2020 by Lukas Volger. Published by Harper Wave, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. 

 The dressing - a mix of maple syrup, lemon juice, and olive oil, plus an optional jolt of ginger- could make anything taste good, and the salad, with its autumnal profile, works just as well in holiday menus as it does in packed weekday lunches… Add some crumbled feta if you’d like a tangy creamy element.

 2 cups winter squash cut into bite size pieces

1 to 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup or honey

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 teaspoons finely grated ginger (optional)

Salt & pepper

1 small fennel, cored (also optional!)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 large bunch of kale (stemmed and torn into bite size pieces

¼ cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)

Parsley, (chopped)

Preheat the oven to 425.  Spread the squash on a baking sheet, then toss with 1 ½ tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with a big pinch of salt and pepper.  Roast until tender, 15-20 minutes, stirring once or twice.  Cool.

Whisk together the remaining1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil, the lemon juice, maple syrup or honey, and ginger, if using, in a serving bowl.  Cut the fennel (if using) into thinnest-possible shavings, preferable using a mandoline or, if not, a very sharp knife.  Add the fennel and squash to the bowl with the dressing and stir to coat.  Let stand for about 5 minutes, which will soften up the fennel, then add the kale and toss with your hands.  Top with cheese if using and chopped parsley!

Grounding roasted roots with herbed jalapeño yogurt sauce is a beautiful and simple side dish that features a delicious sauce.

PREP TIME:15 MINS/ COOK TIME:1 HR/ TOTAL TIME:1 HR 15 MINS/ SERVINGS 4 -6

ROOTS:

1 lb carrots (5 medium), peeled and chopped into 2-inch pieces

½ lb beets (3 medium/4 small) peeled and chopped into 1-inch wedges

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons za’atar spice

sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

 YOGURT SAUCE:

1 cup mixed herbs, packed (I used parsley, dill & basil), plus extra for garnish

1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped (I left some of the seeds because I like the heat)

1 garlic clove, peeled

2 tablespoons shelled and salted pistachios, plus extra for garnish

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup thick non-dairy yogurt (see notes for recommendations)

Notes

I would make this a meal by serving it in a grain bowl-style setup with some cooked farro, white beans, and a big handful of chopped/baby greens per person.

I used carrots and beets, but any mixture of root vegetables you like is good. You’ll need 1 ½ pounds.

If you don’t have za’atar spice blend, that’s fine! Just use salt and pepper. The sauce is super flavourful.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 9x13x2 baking dish with parchment paper.

Place the chopped carrots and beets in the baking dish and toss them with the olive oil, za’atar, salt and pepper. Once the vegetables are evenly coated, spread them out into a single layer and slide the dish into the oven. Roast the vegetables for 1 hour, taking them out at the halfway point to stir them up and flip them over.

Make the herbed jalapeño yogurt sauce: In a food processor, combine the herbs, jalapeño, garlic, pistachios, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse the machine a few times until everything is finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula  if necessary. Add the non-dairy yogurt to the food processor and pulse until the sauce is fully combined and uniformly light green. Check the sauce for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

To serve: Spread the herbed jalapeño yogurt sauce out on the base of your serving plate. Pile the roasted root vegetables on top of the yogurt sauce.

Garnish the grounding roasted roots and herbed jalapeño yogurt sauce with extra chopped herbs and pistachios. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 Corn!

Heads up yall, this corn was picked on Saturday pre-frost as a just in case frost precaution.  It’s great for soups or freezing for winter!  

To freeze: blanch in boiling water, let cool, remove kernels, put in zip lock bag, and freeze!

[aria-i-adagio]

Suntrap - Dragon Age Fanfiction

Chapter 42 of Where the Elfroot Grows. It's short and can stand alone, so I'm cross-posting the entirety to Tumblr.

Meanwhile...

Skyhold.

It has taken weeks to get here. Weeks of impossible terrain, and freezing temperatures, and thin air. Weeks of gorgeous blue sky, and dazzling white snow, and mountain views that stole the breath from Rhys’s lungs. But Solas’s promise kept a good number of the survivors from Haven going, and Mother Giselle rallied the rest. And they’ve arrived. Skyhold. A fortress that shouldn't exist because how could one build a castle in the sky?

Rhys has been scolded so many times for wasting his time building castles in the sky.

The place holds its breath waiting for them to enter through the gates that long ago fell open. Cullen orders the soldiers to spread out and search, but Rhys can't convince himself to hold back and wait for caution, not after the weeks of anticipation. He spins around with his chin tilted up and his hands held slightly out to his sides, surveying the high, mostly intact walls, the domineering circular keep, the long basilica married to its side, and then - with a laugh and a shout - he bolts up the sloping ground toward the second level of the courtyard, ignoring Dorian’s dismayed shout about unholy fools and how they’ll be the death of him.

Rhys for pauses a moment, enjoying the crunchy sounds of grass beneath his feet; he shouldn’t take his boots and socks off, but it’s an act of will not to. He waits for Solas and Dorian catch up with him before picking his way up the stairs to the basilica, exercising a little more restraint in case the old stones start to crumble beneath his feet. Falling into Haven’s forgotten catacombs had been an unpleasant experience. One he does not care to repeat.

Rhys pauses at the threshold of the basilica. “So, this is Skyhold.”

“Yes.” Solas stands to the side with his hands folded behind his back. “Abandoned and waiting for centuries now.”

“Is this one of the places you sought out to dream in?”

Solas’s smile is enigmatic. “Certainly it is a place where I will dream now. Go on.”

Vines hang over the doorway at the top of the narrow, crooked stairs. Rhys pushes them aside - Arbor Grace, he thinks, although it’s a bit hard to tell when the leaves are dead, dry, and crumbling in the cold. Behind them, an empty door frame opens into a long hall. Dorian catches the vines and holds them back, gesturing elegantly for Rhys to be the first to step inside.

Rhys holds his breath as he enters. Stone vaults support a soaring ceiling. The remnants of a carpet sprawl across the floor, rotted by time and scattered by animals. Colored light scatters through the room, flowing through a miraculously intact rose window opposite the door.

“It’s beautiful.”

“I thought you might appreciate it.” Solas lays a hand on the doorframe and strokes the stone with his thumb like one might the hand of an old friend.

Dorian follows them inside, claps his hands together, and blows on them. “And it’s out of the blighted wind.” He’s been despairing that he would suffer frostbite and lose an unsymmetric number of fingers since before they ran from Haven. In all fairness, it hadn’t been entirely theatrics on Dorian’s part. Rhys still wasn’t entirely sure how the rest had managed to evacuate with as many supplies as they did; he suspects it had something to do with Josie’s preternatural organizational skills. There had been sufficient heavy coats and blankets to go around, and if there weren’t technically enough tents for the group, no one complained much about sleeping piled close together in the few tents that they did have because it was too damned cold at night for anyone to sleep alone. Rhys can think of several fates worse than sharing space with a cranky not-actually-a-magister.

Solas chuckles. “I would not call the wind blighted, but yes, it is out of the wind. Go explore, Herald. I suggest the first door on your left.”

Rhys hops up and down, trying to get some feeling back in his toes before running off to see what else Skyhold contains. Not the defenses. Cassandra and Cullen are already inspecting the battlements, and it isn’t as if he would know anything about whether the keep could be fortified. But there are so many other aspects of any new place. Secrets. History. Rhys can feel the ghosts of years and years breathing around him, heavy and portentous. Curious. Apprehensive. Welcoming.

“Do you feel them too?”

“Yes.” Dorian looks around the echoing space and shivers again. “Some are old. Older than the stones of this place.”

Rhys hooks his arm through Dorian’s elbow. “Come on. Let’s see what else there is.”

Unoiled hinges protest loudly when they shove open the door Solas suggested. A tunnel passes through the thick stone wall and out onto a gallery running around three sides of an open yard. The space is entirely overgrown -a riot of unpruned trees and aggressive vines - but Rhys recognizes it for what it is immediately.

“A suntrap!” He lets go of Dorian and springs over a collapsed balustrade to land in the overgrownth. The temperature of the air in the yard is several degrees warmer than anything Rhys has experienced in weeks. Warm enough for plant life to remain active within this nook. Bits of greenery poke through dead grasses. Blackberries are taking over and creeping into the galleries - as one expects from an ornery vine. Hardy shrubs long ago abandoned whatever order they might have first been planted in and dot the space at disorganized intervals, and closer to the walls, where the heat will be best retained through the nights, Rhys can make out the shapes of fruit trees, gnarly with age.

He stomps down brambles as he makes his way back to the trees: apple and pears, cold-tolerant varieties, though he doesn’t recognize precisely which ones - or they may all be seedling after so much time untended - but they’re still bearing even in the cold of this altitude. He pulls the glove off his right hand and reaches up, gently touching the neck of a pear. It’s not quite ripe yet, but very, very close.

The weeds rustle behind him as Dorian picks his way over, stepping carefully to avoid catching his clothes on the thorny blackberries. “I don’t know what a suntrap is, but if it’s always this much warmer, I like it.”

“Look at how the walls are built. It’s open to the northwest to catch the sun during the day.” Rhys indicates the stones surrounding them, gesticulating with both hands. “All the stones warm up during the day and keep the plants from freezing at night. Other than a greenhouse, it’s the only way I know of to grow much of anything at this altitude.”

“Clever.”

“Yes!” Rhys had worked in suntraps before. The Circle in Ostwick used one to grow tenderer herbs and fruits from higher latitudes - Tevinter, mostly, even a few from Par Vollen. Nothing that heat-loving will grow here, of course, but the suntrap is a promising challenge. Rhys never tried to coax anything into life in a place so cold. “Once the ground is cleared, I think I can get all sorts of things to grow here. Add a cold frame or two, and...”

If nothing else he’ll be able to get root vegetables and greens going. The presence of healthy fruit trees suggests that at least some summer vegetables will make it - not at this time of year, of course, but there’s always next spring to experiment. He’ll need to choose the location well, possibly add some warming glyphs he wants anything semi-tropical like tomatoes. Tomatoes would be lovely.

Dorian catches at Rhys’s arm just below his elbow. “Hold on there. Let’s get a bit more settled before you go finding another way to get entirely covered in dirt.” He picks a stray leaf out of Rhys’s hair and tuts. “Look you’ve already gotten started.”

Rhys holds Dorian’s gaze as long as he can manage before there’s too much blood rushing to his cheeks to be passed off as an effect of the chill. He dips his chin and looks away, still smiling and probably looking like an absolute fool.

“I wonder if there’s a well in here. There has to be a water source - or several - in a fortress this size.” Rhys wanders toward the middle of the garden kicking aside the blackberry brambles. It’s a little late for berries - even this high up - but Rhys would still place a fairly high stake on his ability to find something edible in all this mess. He thinks he can see something that was once a domesticated brassica of some sort. It’s run wild over multiple generations of going to seed, but no one would be too picky at this point about cooked greens being a bit on the bitter side. They’re running low on food. Game had gotten scarcer as the altitude grew higher.

“I’m sure anyone who engineered something that’s lasted this long thought about water.”

Dorian's gloved hand finds his again, and Rhys turns into the contact. An indulgent smile crinkles Dorian’s eyes and turns up the corners of his currently-less-than-perfectly sharp mustache. Rhys reaches out his bare fingers and touches the stubble on Dorian's face, not even the frigid temperatures and weeks of travel on foot had convinced him to let a full beard grow in. Two days seems to be the maximum amount of time he could tolerate going without shaving. Rhys lets his thumb rest at the corner of Dorian's lips, half expecting him to pull away.

A shout echoes through the suntrap, bouncing off the stone walls. “Hey, Sparkles, Lucky - what did you find out here?”

Dorian tenses and turns, but into Rhys's hand, lips brushing across his palm before stepping aside and picking his way back to where Varric stands on the gallery. “The Herald has discovered some plants. Possibly dinner.”

Dammit.

Rhys huffs with annoyance. Then grins when his breath doesn’t immediately turn to frost.

[matildainmotion]

Mothering/ Making - but what about the Mating?!

           Spring has sprung at last. The bluebells are out in our garden. The apple tree is in blossom and a pair of wood pigeons that nest there are clearly busy. It is the month of May. The mating season has begun.  

           Mating. The thing that often, though not always, precedes mothering. A mate: your partner; your other half; your significant other; your wife; your husband; your spouse; your girlfriend; your boyfriend; your man; your woman; your dear one; your queer one; your ex. Have I left yours off the list? Please add them in….

           I feel nervous as I sit down to write about this. I have said before that I aim to challenge the ‘professional versus personal’ paradigm around which our lives are organised and via which the personal gets a poor name. But isn’t this theme getting a little toopersonal? It is okay to talk about mothering – it’s personal but valuing it is what I am advocating. It is okay to talk about making – it’s both personal and professional – that’s the point. It straddles both. But your mate? Your partner? Isn’t that a step too far? It feels like a ‘hot spot.’ It is tender, difficult, awkward, and yet it is huge. An elephant in the room, or a father/ mother/ non-binary other, just outside it. All the more reason to brave it. Here goes….

           In part I am nervous raising this topic because in doing so I could summon up the image of a group of mothers sitting round having a moan about their men. This is not my aim – quite the opposite in fact. It is also not the only reason why I feel nervous. Inevitably this is where I need to get personal….

           I have a husband. I still flinch slightly when I use this term. I like it because I love my husband and I loved our wedding. I want to honour the seriousness of my lifelong commitment to him. I do not like it because of the plethora of assumptions it brings with it about who I am and how my life is organised. It makes me a participant in the ‘proper world’ of marriage and all it brings – for better, for worse. I participate in the ‘properness’ and yet I also identify myself as outside or even against it, certainly not one of its unequivocal proponents.

           Back to my husband. We met whilst making. We made a show together. Then another. Then we made a home, and then, a baby.  I remember when our son first arrived I did not feel the instant overwhelming maternal love that some describe – the love grew later - but I did feel protective at once, responsible for this raw bundle of life with such palpable needs. This has continued. The children and my care of them – we now have two – are, for me, a given. I cannot not respond to them. If anything this is a confession, not a boast. Judgements aside, I am simply noticing that the children’s place in my day, as part of my time, is unquestionable.    

           I am in the extremely privileged, and weirdly traditional, position of being, for the most part, supported by my husband financially, which means I have been able to be a full time mother. I love it. I never resent the fact that I do most of the childcare, but I might if I had to give up my creative practice to do so. Along with the children being a given, it has felt essential for me to keep making – the critical quality of this need is the origin of Mothers who Make. So, I HAVE to mother, I HAVE to make – these two take up more than all my time, but what then of my marriage?

           Mothers Who Make acknowledges the challenges, as well as the joys, of mothering alongside making, but if I am honest the truly fractious, difficult fault line, or conundrum for me since becoming a mother has not been how to sustain my creative practice, but how to sustain and care for my relationship, for my mate. At night in the tiny window of time after the children are asleep (they go to bed late) I often have a choice: do I see my husband for an hour or do I do some work? At weekends we take it in turns: I give my husband some time to work while I am with the children, then we swap – no time for us. All too often the making and the marriage feel pitted against each other, even though I know that in fact the latter grew out of the former and the two are inextricably connected.

            Mothers Who Make meetings and events are adult-centred spaces but the children are welcomed and integrated. Such spaces are rare in our cultural topography yet whilst I am busy broadcasting about these to the world, showing that it is not only possible but good for all of us – adults and children alike – I do not manage it at home. At home we are child-centred and the adults needs are marginalised. We squeeze in our needs around the edge of the children’s or we don’t get them met at all. It is not how I wish it to be, but it is difficult to change. There are several reasons for this, some personal, some to do with the children we happen to have, some connected to our patterns of work  - working in the arts our work spills out into every corner of our lives, demanding its own nurturing, and in subtle ways makes it harder for us to assert our adult-connection and ownership of the home space.

           Another key reason, not particular to us, is the shortcomings of the nuclear family structure. Within a Mothers who Makemeeting a small community is formed for the duration of the session. Mostly there are more adults than children present in the space, and collectively, sitting in a circle, it is possible to hold the structure of the meeting in place, to keep the space adult-centred even whilst the children interrupt, shout, cry and run around us. With a circle of two, at home, it is harder. I am not saying it is impossible – for some it works, but I believe we need a greater diversity of structures around which we could build our lives. The royal fairy tale goes: man meets woman, they fall in love, marry, settle, have two or more children and live happily ever after.  We know it is not real or even necessarily desirable, and yet it is amazing how potent it still remains, how far we compare ourselves against it, so that any other narrative becomes a daring deviation or, worse, a failure.

           Whilst the bluebells and the apple tree may be blooming in the sunshine, the carrots that my son planted in one corner are only tiny shoots, barely showing through. Allotment gardeners talk about the month of May, when the winter brassica’s are over and the summer’s first broad bean’s have not yet come in, as ‘the hungry gap.’ There is little or no fresh produce, whilst everything grows. After our initial season of courtship and mating, my husband and I are in ‘the hungry gap’ – we’ve been in it for a while. The children are young and growing but not yet grown, and there is almost no time to feed our relationship. I trust we will come out the other side into a late summer romance, but it is a struggle. I wish we could find another gentler, more joyful way through, not just buckling down and bearing it. We are in the midst of trying, seeing if and how we might house my mother, the indomitable granny, who is as close as we can come to an extended family model, seeing if and how we might be able to reconfigure our home/ work spaces to better meet our needs.

           Here then are my month’s questions for you all: what’s your way through? How does it work for you? How does it not? What is blooming? What is struggling to grow? We need a plurality of stories, diverse gardens, a new sustainable ecology, within which to nurture ourselves, our work, our children and our mates be they men, women or queer - they are all dear.

[crazyflyingspip]

26 grey living room ideas – from the palest off whites to deep charcoals for gorgeous and elegant spaces

Looking for grey living room ideas? You’ve come to right place, as we have picked the very best from the Ideal Home archives. The 1980s may have had magnolia, but the wall colour of the Millennium so far is grey. And it’s so easy to see why. Grey can create a warm scheme as easily as a cool one; it can channel edgy modern and charming country; be calm and soothing or vivid, lively and energetic.

Also see our pink, blue and green colour schemes and more of our living room ideas

Just a quick peek at a Farrow & Ball paint chart suggests the myriad possibilities of this favourite decorating shade and explains its enduring appeal: from the barely-there neutrals of Dimity and Ammonite, to the mid tones of Lamp Room Gray and Calluna, through the green-edged Mizzle and Pigeon, blue-hued Parma Gray and Lulworth Blue and out the other side to deep dark Down Pipe, Plummett and Brassica.

Each shade of grey is capable of creating a different look, feel and style of living room and the shade that you choose will be part and parcel of your own personal style. Modern schemes tend to call for cooler, darker, dramatic charcoals or near-blacks, while vintage and classic-inspired styles have a natural affinity with warmer blue and green-toned greys.

1. Creating a sanctuary with slate and wood accents

Image credit: Simon Whitmore

Slate grey walls look anything but cold when paired with rustic, natural woody furniture accents. Fill the room with plenty of textures such as a fluffy berber rug and straw basket for storing blankets to complete the relaxed living room scheme.

2. Cocoon yourself with deep grey

Image credit: Dulux

Colours that whisper rather than shout are a must for rooms designed to promote relaxation. Deep greys like this – Stable Gates by Dulux – gently cocoon and visually don’t distract, so you can focus on a film or good book.

Stable Grey’s warm make-up also means that it works as well with a terracotta or blush as it does with a pale or stonewashed blue – or indeed, a forest green. That versatility comes in handy if you like to switch up soft furnishings on a regular basis.

3. Warm up grey walls with bright prints

Image credit: David Parmiter

A floor to ceiling pale grey colour palette is the perfect canvas to make a splash with brightly coloured wall prints. A floating picture shelf is a great non-permanent solution to displaying wall art. You can easily swap one print for another as your collection grows and changes.

Putty and blue-coloured patterned cushions and a geometric rug in dark navy add pops of muted colour for a sophisticated, yet cosy living room.

4. Use warm tones of grey to soften statement patterns

Image credit: Polly Eltes

Pale grey walls create the perfect backdrop for statement patterns. The warm undertones of grey absorbs busy patterns, meaning it’s less stark than say white walls. This quality allows pattern to sit more comfortably within the overall scheme.

5. Create calming vibes with natural foliage

Image credit: Jo Henderson

Cool shades of grey can have a calming effect on an interior space. This can be enhanced further with the addition of natural foliage, a hugely popular accessory choice for 2019. The cool tones of the Dulux Grey Steel 2 wall colour in this living room is the perfcet backdrop to enhance the lush green of the botanicals incorporated into the scheme.

6. Take grey from walls to floors

Image credit: David Giles

Grey tones kick off with Farrow & Ball’s Pavillion Gray Estate on the walls and move down to a large grey corner sofa and light grey carpet. This key colour is also picked up in statement floor rug. We say you can never have too much grey!

7. Update a grey country scheme with paisley print

Image credit: Dominic Blackmore

Update the backdrop in a classic country scheme with paisley-print wallpaper in smart grey. Choose cushions and upholstery in opulent weaves, soft linens and plush damasks, with Moroccan-style metal tables to add glamour.

‘Be extravagant with finishing touches for an opulent look’ advises Ideal Home’s Style Editor, Michela Collling. ‘For example, double up on fabrics so curtains feel fuller.’

8. Use grey as a base for soft geometrics

Image credit: Tim Young

Team cool grey and geometrics with primrose yellow splashes for a vintage look with a modern twist. Keep the scheme contemporary with grey walls and furniture, then add warmth with hints of yellow in geometric prints and furnishings and character with a cool mix of retro accessories. Wooden cube tables and copper details complement the retro vibe.

9. Team warm grey with soft ivory for effortless elegance

Image credit: Perch & Parrow

Make a living room more inviting with a warm grey wall colour that mixes well with other neutrals. Pile up the sofa with cushions and throws in complementary shades, with a Berber rug as your anchor point.

‘If an all-grey scheme feels to flat and monotone, work in an extra layer of colour with an elegant ivory for a subtle lift,’ says Vanessa Richmond, Ideal Home’s Editorial Director. Flashes of mustard, olive green or softer tones of nude or blush work well with any yellow-toned greys.

10. Curate a grey scheme

Image credit: Dominic Blackmore

Who says grey can’t be cosy, warm and inviting? This scheme debunks that theory. A hugely comfortable armchair is the perfect place to start, and this one certainly delivers. Opt for chunky knits, pattern and texture to give a grey living room a welcoming feel. Curate a wall with monochrome prints and photography for a chic. stylish space that you just won’t want to leave.

11. Bring grey to life with bright colours

Image credit: Dominic Blackmore

Worried grey alone might seem a bit dull? Then choose your accessories carefully. A blue sofa, yellow chair and tomato red lamp really sing out against a mid-grey backdrop. Pull everything together with a rug that features all the different shades that you are using, and voilà – decorating perfection!

12. Add warmth with vintage pieces

Image credit: Olly Gordon

Here, the grey comes courtesy of carpets, curtains and two squishy sofas. But the owner of this real home has been careful not to make it too cool. Blush cushions, old shutters hung up on the wall and a vintage trunk introduce cosy tones, making this the perfect space to snuggle.

13. Combine colours

Take the intimidation out of grey by warming up this look with oh-so-fashionable copper accessories. The rose-gold undertones have a lovely way of adding a glow to the scheme, making it warm and inviting. If you don’t want to go grey-all-over, consider creating a winning colour combination by teaming grey with pink. This pretty duo packs a stylish punch.

Like these grey living room ideas but want more colour inspiration? READ: Living room colour schemes brimming with character

14. Inject a shot of sunshine yellow

Image credit: Simon Whitmore

If you’ve already dipped your toe into the grey trend with pale walls, you may now be ready to take things a few shades darker. As you can see, it’s a sophisticated way to go, and will instantly make a room feel cosier.

However, if you’re nervous it will seem too dark, stick to one feature wall – you can always paint the others at a later date. Yellow accessories will also brighten things up, provided you choose a strong enough shade. This deep daffodil shade is ideal.

15. Give florals a sophisticated twist

Image credit: Dominic Blackmore

There’s something almost regal about this deep grey living room, with pops of colour provides by the curtains, cushions and purple upholstery. Using such a dark backdrop really brings out the brighter tones, and it does something magical to a floral print, making it appear edgy and modern as opposed to mumsy or in any way old-fashioned.

16. Go global

Image credit: Simon Whitmore

Grey makes a fine backdrop to these energising Ikat patterns and hints of rich orange. Try this look with mid-century furniture, add elegance with smooth, dark woods, or create a Wild-West feel with weathered wood and leather.

17. Start with a feature wall

Image credit: Lizzie Orme

A feature wall is always a good place jump-off point if you’re nervous of working with a new shade. You could even start by painting a chimney breast. Or you could take it to the next level and commission built-in furniture from a local carpenter, then finish it in a deep grey. Coordinate with carpets and upholstery in a paler shade.

18. Use grey furniture

Image credit: James Merrell

This traditional living room creates a striking feature using floor-to-ceiling built-in bookcases. The unit has been painted the same soft shade of grey as the walls, allowing it to blend seamlessly in with the rest of the room. The grey of the sofa and radiator brings the whole look together while splashes of colour have been added using the books themselves and scatter cushions.

19. Mix grey with warmer neutrals

Image credit: Tim Young

Create a relaxing living room with a tightly controlled palette of toning greys and neutrals. Mid-tone grey walls and flooring provide a warm, inviting backdrop for a neutral sofa and rug and delicately patterned cushions.

The footstool and lustrous throw introduce a deeper accent grey, while the painted wall is tailor made for a gallery of black-and-white family photographs, mounted in matching white frames. A white lamp and side tables balance the darker grey accents, bringing the scheme together.

20. Introduce plenty of pattern and texture

Image credit: Dominic Blackmore

For a winter-proof living room you’’ll want to hunker down in, texture is key. Furry cushions and super-soft blankets make this the perfect space to curl up in. Break up those shades of grey with some well-chosen pattern –dainty curtains, a statement rug and chunky weaves are all it takes.

READ: Duck egg living room ideas to help you create a beautiful scheme

21. Keep it classic

Image credit: Nick Smith

If you fancy a more traditional feel in your living room, don’t overdo the grey. This wonderfully smart scheme uses a mid grey on walls and built-in storage, adds a hint of it in blue/grey occasional chairs, but gives the rest of the scheme up to white, leather and wood.

An upholstered footstool and rugs are vehicles for warm red pattern. The Chesterfield sofa is a classic touch in keeping with the traditional fireplace and book storage. It is the footstool fabric and mid century-style chairs that update the look.

22. Play with trends

Image credit: Dominic Blackmore

Try a fusion of styles with this grey living room that contrasts rough industrial with global grandness. The grey-toned neutral colour palette is the starting point, teamed with a mix of geometric and ikat print fabrics. Follow this with contrasting furniture styles, from the grand Chesterfield sofa and retro leather armchair to the industrial steel shelving and coffee table.

23. Experiment with different depths of grey

Image credit: Paul Raeside

Pick a plump sofa for lounging. This charcoal grey number adds elegance and interest to a minimal room. Explore the many depths of a grey colour palette by layering tones to create a scheme that looks cohesive. By using the same colour, but in both its palest and deepest incarnations, you can create a rich, contrasting look that is co-ordinated. A glass coffee table and side table add a glamorous note.

24. Create a grey coastal scheme

Image credit: Dominic Blackmore

Try this take on a traditional coastal scheme but instead of sea blues, the colour palette here is a cool wintry grey. Start with a pale wash of grey over the walls, then bring in pieces of weathered-wood furniture and faded linen upholstery to give the room a lived-in look. Accessorise with whitewashed basketware, driftwood, smooth ceramics and opaque glassware to carry on the coastal theme.

25. Go smart with grey

Image credit: Dominic Blackmore

Smarten up a family living room with a modern grey and monochrome scheme with a graphic linear wallpaper as the focal point. Worried that a modern scheme might look too grey? Add pops of a bright accent colour on cushions and accessories. Bring in an informal element with a picture ledge positioned above the sofa – line with family photographs and favourite prints that you can add to and rearrange at leisure.

26. Pretty up grey with pink

Image credit: Emma Lee

Use the gentlest of greys as a springboard for blush pink, plum and buff tones. Mid century-style furniture rubs shoulders here with contemporary pieces in brilliant hi-gloss white. The floor-to-ceiling curtain adds a lovely touch of dip-dyed pink, while cushions and floral displays channel rich plum tones. Grey and pink is a winning combination, particularly suited to contemporary schemes.

Loved these grey living room ideas? READ: Grey bedroom ideas – from the super glam to the ultra modern

Love these grey living room ideas? Will you be incorporating grey into your next living room colour plan?

The post 26 grey living room ideas – from the palest off whites to deep charcoals for gorgeous and elegant spaces appeared first on Ideal Home.

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[insomniac-arrest]

Growing Things

pairing: lapidot

genre: hurt/comfort

summary: Lapis and Peridot are bemused by things on earth and Lapis has several emotions over a plant

Lapis had never had this happen before.

Sure, maybe she knew of it, but it didn’t really hit home until she was staring it in the face. It wasn’t a big deal, it was stupid. She was stupid, right?

She reaches out and the brown leaf cracks off in her hand, her eyes go wide. “Peridot!” She calls out and she can tell it’s too high pitched.

She closes her fingertips around the dark cracked leaf and it crumbles in her hand, little bits of flaes blowing away in the wind and Lapis’s breath caught in her throat.

“Perid-!”

“Lapis!” Peridot scrambled around the corner of the corn field and Lapis’s can tell she didn’t look great, Peridot’s smile fades and she was sprinting over. “Is everything alright? Is it...” She looked around nervously and Lapis’s eyes wander back to the brown leaf.

“The brussel sprout,” Gregg had asked her to grow them, she remembered, it was raining softly outside and he laughed about them growing something Steven would never eat. And Gregg wanted a brussel sprout.

Peridot nods and makes a tight circle around the plant with her hand on her chin, “Uh-huh, uh-huh.” She looked like she was accessing, “That is a plant.” She says triumphantly, “Brassica oleracea if I remember correctly. A type of cabbage.” She says proudly with her finger in the air.

Lapis knits her brow together, “It’s not growing.” She frowns, “It’s not green. Peridot, this is wrong.” She crinkles the leaf in her hand again, it snaps and crinkles.

Peridot nods and inspects the drooping stalk and black leaf tips that sadly fanned out around it.

“Uh-huh, alright....I am going to google.” Peridot took out her technical pad and shouted at it, “GOOGLE, WHY IS THIS PLANT CRACKED?” She asks shrilly and then seemed to scroll down with her little eyes squinted, “Alright, okay, it could ‘sick.’ Or,” Peridot’s shoulders scrunched up and then her hands tensed above the screen. “Alright google. That will be all.” She finishes softly. She put her pad away and cleared her throat, “Steven mentioned this sort of thing.” She cleared her throat again, “It’s dead.” She didn’t meet Lapis’s eyes.

Lapis tugged at the leaf and it came completely off the stalk, her insides squiggle like an uneven line. “Right.” She frown deepened, “Dead. Yes.” She remembered, animals in the deep, consumed, dying, gone.

“Right. Okay.” She nodded and then touched her own face and then gave a manic laugh, a high-pitched squeal. “If my agate saw this,” She giggled, “She would have slapped every Lapis in the area silly.” Peridot looked at her in concern, “Well, um, no agate’s here?”

Lapis bit her lip and looked back up the sky. “What now?” Peridot stood on her tip-toes, as if to reach up to her. “Um, humans have funerals for dead things. Or we could burn it.” Lapis raises her eyebrows and the shaking is back, she grins. “Let’s burn it. And then maybe funeral.” She remembered Pearl mentioning that when they met Steven’s ‘relative.’

Peridot nodded enthusiastically and took her hand, “Earth is fascinating, isn’t it?” She pats her hand, “...You don’t have to sad.” Lapis stops in place and tilts her head.

“I’m,” Lapis nods and turns back in place, “I’m a little sad, yeah. They don’t come back do they?” She felt her cheek, it was wet. It was wet and she was a little bemused. Peridot scratches her chin and bends down towards the dead creature. “Lapis’s terraform.” She mumbles to herself and Lapis makes a face at her.

“But humans have remedies for this too.” She says smugly with her finger in the air. They both kneel down towards and Peridot takes a stalk in hand. She presses her lips to the sickly green area with a delicacy of a sea breeze.

Lapis’s eyebrows skyrocket and she suddenly giggles at Peridot kissing the dead plant. Peridot pats the plant, “Kiss it. Make it better.” She sings and Lapis pushes on her shoulder.

“You’re ridiculous.” Peridot latched onto Lapis’s shoulders and Lapis flinches and closes her eyes, all she feels next is the soft press of lips to her eyelids, tickling her eyelashes and making her bite the inside of her cheek.

Peridot kisses her damp right eye and then her damp left eye, wiping away the odd tears on Lapis’s face.

“There,” Lapis can hear the smile in her voice, “Better.”

Lapis exhales and wipes at her own face, she then snorts and her face splits into a wicked smile, Peridot examines her.

“What?” She asks hotly, Lapis bends forward with Peridot’s face in her hands.

She kisses Peridot chastely back on the lips, the smaller gems makes a quick ‘eep’ sound and Lapis boops her on the nose.

“There. Now you’ll stay alive.”

Peridot is blinking dumbly and Lapis gets back up again.

“These things happen.” She hums as she wrinkles the rest of the leaf in her hand and reflects on how it wasn’t coming back. She helps Peridot up, who was still blushing, and Lapis talks about that fire they could make.

Maybe Steven would get them with a proper funeral for all of them. 

[perfectlyjoyfulbouquetus-blog]

Why Sleep Is The Cheapest & Easiest Way To Heal Your Body

Can’t fall asleep?

Waking up at 2am?

Dreading the sound of the alarm going off in the morning?

If you answered yes to any of those, you may have disrupted sleep!

We all know how amazing we feel after a good night’s sleep. There’s nothing better – you feel energised, refreshed, clear and ready to take on the day. Getting quality sleep accelerates healing; it’s the body’s time to repair and recharge, without distractions. It’s also very important for weight and appetite control – when we’re tired, we’re more likely to make poor food choices and skip exercise in favour of sitting in front of the TV.

Want to fall asleep quickly, sleep through the night, and wake up feeling alert? Of course you do. It’s a simple pleasure.

That’s why I’ve partnered with nib health insurance to put together the JSHealth Sleep Guide with tips & tricks to help you get the best night sleep, every night! 

The first step is determining why your sleeping patterns are out of whack. These are the diet and lifestyle factors that may be interfering with the hot date you have with your bed every night:

- You’re consuming caffeine in the afternoon – and this includes coffee, green tea and black tea.

- You’re drinking alcohol in the lead-up to bed, such as red wine, which revs up the liver.

- You’re eating sugar at night.

- You’re highly stressed and your mind is going crazy.

- You have anxiety.

- Your pituitary gland is not functioning as well as it should, meaning your hormones are imbalanced.

- You’re not eating enough protein at dinnertime.

- You’re exercising at night, and going to bed with adrenaline coursing through your veins.

- Your room is located in a noisy area – perhaps a main road, near a bar or close to loud housemates!

- Your face is glued to technology screens right up until the time you go to bed.

- Your room is too bright or too warm.

- You’re on thyroid medication.

- You’re taking fat burning supplements e.g. green tea extract powders. 

Basically, all of these things stimulate the body or brain at a time when they should be preparing for rest.

We’re living in a stressful world, so it’s normal (inevitable, even) to have disturbed sleep every now and then because of our environment. But it’s a problem when it becomes a permanent feature of your life. We need and deserve to sleep well. I have deep empathy for those who suffer from insomnia; it’s debilitating.

The JSHealth Sleep Guide

1. Prioritise sleep. 

Truth time. Many of us sacrifice sleep to tick off other items on our to-do list, and I get it. We’re all busy. But there’s a reason why we sleep (or should sleep) for one third of our lives – it’s essential for our health.Starting from right now, you need to prioritise sleep. Do whatever you can to get into bed at a decent time (say, 10pm) so that you can sleep for at least 7-8 hours. If you have to wake up early the next day, make an effort to turn the lights off a little earlier than usual the night before.When you prioritise sleep, the rewards are phenomenal. You’ll be able to function better in your day-to- day life. You’ll feel lighter and clearer, and be a kinder person. You’ll be alert at work, make fewer mistakes, and be less reactive to intense or emotional situations. Sleep deprivation heightens everything, making it seem worse than it is. When you sleep more, you enjoy life more. You’ll also be able to keep your weight, appetite and emotional eating under control, so you’ll probably binge less.Sleep for the sake of your health.

2.  Wind down. 

In the morning, the focus is on kick-starting your day with breakfast, exercise and maybe a coffee. At night, you need to relax and unwind your busy mind, signalling to the mind and body that it’s almost time for bed. To do that, set up a nighttime routine full of deliciously sleep-provoking rituals. These are the main points: 

– Turn your phone and computer off at 8pm. – Play some chill-out tunes – aiming for music that has 60-80 beats per minute. This Spotify playlist from nib is a great one to help you wind down. – Pop your legs up against the wall for 10 minutes. – Stop eating after dinner. – Soak in a bath, read a book or do something to calm the mind.

3. Make your room a peaceful place 

The goal is to make your bedroom desirable, and to associate it with sleep. In the hour or so before bed, dim the lights, put lavender oil on the pillows, and light a candle or burn essential oils. Keep a notepad on your bedside table, and jot down any pesky thoughts that come into your mind while you’re trying to wind down. Take away any computers and distractions so the room is a technology-free zone, and ensure the room temperature is comfortable. Ideally, your bedroom should be dark and cool.

4. Incorporate yoga into your life 

Restorative yoga can do wonders for relaxing the mind (and slowing down that never-ending thought stream). 

I personally do it once or twice a week. Some private health insurers provide benefits for yoga, which means you could get money back for taking classes (win-win) – you can get a quote with nib online in a few minutes. However, if you can’t get to a class, that’s okay – just lay out a mat or towel in your living room and hold a few poses.The best ones for releasing tension are forward folds, hip openers (such as half pigeon) and savasana – a fancy word that means ‘lie still’. Bliss.

5. Tweak your diet 

The connection between diet and sleep is real. Here are the dos and don’ts. DO:

– Eat protein at night. This can REALLY help with sleep and blood sugar regulation. Low protein meals at night tend to make it much more difficult to fall asleep. – Consume good fats to balance out your hormones. – Give your liver some loving – enjoy brassica veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and kale that all contain an enzyme to help your liver detoxify! Try my one-pan honey soy salmon and veggie recipe as a quick and easy mid-week dinner.DON’T: – Drink alcohol before bed. This is particularly important if you’re waking up in the middle of the night – that’s your liver shouting at you. – Drink caffeine after midday. – Sip on green tea after midday. A lot of people are sensitive to its caffeine content and don’t know it. – Eat refined sugar – it spikes your blood sugars, which can disrupt sleep

6. Is coffee getting in the way of your sleep? 

We tend to credit coffee with making us more alert in the morning, but did you know it has that effect every time we drink it? A year ago, I increased my caffeine intake to two coffees a day as an experiment, and my body reacted in a big way; I started waking up at random times during the night. See, that first coffee perked me up for the day, but that afternoon coffee gave me a second wind of energy when I didn’t need it: at night. This is a common scenario, yet many people can’t understand why their sleep is broken. If you’re drinking more than one coffee a day, try cutting back. Slowly but surely, I bet you’ll notice a difference.

7. Consider supplements 

Suffering from insomnia? It may be time to take action. Chat to a health practitioner about the following supplements: – Magnesium citrate or glycinate (500-800mg). – Zinc (30mg before bed). – Adrenal tonic with calming herbs – a naturopath can help with this. – If you really still cannot sleep… Discuss a melatonin supplement with your doctor.It’s important you never self-prescribe supplements or medication – speak to your trusted health practitioner first. A great way to find a local doctor or health practitioner in your area is through Whitecoat – it lets you search for naturopaths, GPs, even homeopaths by postcode and allows you see other patient reviews.

8. Help! I woke up and now I can’t get back to sleep 

The worst thing you can do is lie there, counting sheep, watching the clock, or trying desperately to fall asleep. That just causes more anxiety and restlessness. You need to get up and do something.Try these tips: – Put your legs up against the wall for 10 minutes while breathing deeply. – Go into a forward fold. – Write down any thoughts in that notepad by your bed.

I hope these tips help you to sleep better and longer – and wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day! Let me know how you go.

[thewalkingdeaxter]

3 Crucial Pointers To note If you want To boost Healthy Chickens

Writer: Peter Kitt Yard rooster elevating is less complicated than you might imagine. As a first step, you will need to know the way to build a rooster coop. Once the constructing is over the enjoyable begins, and elevating baby chickens will be plenty of fun. Additionally it's instructional for youths and has the added bonus of producing farm fresh eggs proper from your yard. Writer: Cristian Stan There are lots of chicken species you could raise. You will want to choose a chicken species depending on the kind you need to raise. There are lots of chickens that look healthy but they've a diminished egg laying capacity. Others may give a variety of eggs each day. So, selecting a hen breed to boost is a matter of what you wish to do with it. Publisher: Stan Simmons Whereas chickens can endure the seasons, you want to make it possible for they do not endure for a long time. This text discusses what you are able to do throughout these times. Publisher: John Locke Elevating chicks from babies to healthy chickens shouldn't be the best factor to do on the planet, but if you're successful it is rather gratifying and provides you with some superb pets. It solely takes a month or so to see some significant modifications in your birds. Publisher: Randy Rhoads If you are serious about raising chickens backyard rooster farming is likely to be for you. Backyard chicken farming is turning into an increasing number of in style all over the world, and is taking off in main cities around North America. You not need a ranch to boost your own chickens and reap the benefits of the recent, delicious eggs they produce. Listed here are three suggestions to help you get started elevating your individual chickens.

Or, if the chickens are directed to a part of the backyard that needs help with the soil, they can enrich the soil by aerating and adding nutrients with their droppings. Chickens help gardens in some ways, however how can the backyard assist chickens? This reply is straightforward: the backyard feeds them. There are a couple of ways you can feed your chickens by the backyard. One way is to grow a garden only for them. This backyard would come with all of the veggies chickens love, reminiscent of beet greens, leaves of brassicas and even potatoes. Foreman has an entire list of favorite hen foods in her book. Another model of this would be to plant a “salad bar” along a fenced-in garden, planting specific veggies the chickens can attain from the fence, however the garden farther in is protected from their relentless pecking. Chickens additionally love consuming grass. Giving them clippings after mowing the lawn is just not solely an incredible technique to do away with the clippings, however is highly nutritious to your chickens. No other animal can profit the backyard fairly just like the hen. With their penchant for bugs and their free, each day fertilizer, it is not any surprise they are becoming wildly well-liked with homesteaders and metropolis folks alike. I'd like my very own little city flock in the future.

Perhaps you play on a sports activities workforce and want to have your performance videotaped. You probably have at all times felt that you've got a artistic side, you might wish to strive writing some comedy shows or sketches and performing them with buddies. The truth of the matter is that extra persons are tuned into the internet nowadays than they are to the television. This provides you the opportunity to achieve a higher viewers. In case you are interested by purchasing a video internet server, you're in fact going to have to have some other items of equipment. To begin with, you are going to have to have your personal website on which to broadcast your videos, except you plan on streaming your videos on someone else's web site. You might be also going to need to have a webcam or an IP digicam. Should you plan on recording your stay videos, you're going to need a video stream ripper, which you can use to replay your video streams on demand.

I was thundering down the A303. After a moderately quick journey, (how briskly are you allowed to go towing a trailer?) we arrived and the boys have been unloaded into a nice outside pen the place the breeze could do it's job (it did). First although there was the little matter of assisting my friend and camping companion, Trevor, who was showing his greys. His beautiful female Dubonnet bagged first place and went on to win Champion Gray Female. We then took his junior boys in, Trevor made me take the one which could not walk. We eventually bought him in and it was value the trouble. Trevor's prime boy obtained first and Jonny Legless obtained fourth. Here we're once he determined he did have legs in any case. Once the greys had been out of the way in which it was time for some real color, correct wealthy gorgeous colour. It was time for some browns. Sultan and Sherwood were first up in the junior brown male class and we notched up First and Second places.

We weren't massively successful but did take the feminine fawn championship, albeit with another person's alpaca. It was nonetheless Sue within the ring, and if anybody asked who the gorgeous fawn belonged to we had been open and honest, we could not have been accused of shouting that info from the rooftops though! It was a vastly satisfying weekend and at all times nice to meet up with friends. We did however enjoy some success in later exhibits and loved all of them, win lose or draw! Patou Talisker, son of Van Diemen Qjori of Patou, a brown male champion. A way more profitable breeding season was soon upon us and we ended up with eleven female additions to the herd in quite a lot of colours, all of which were one shade of brown or one other. Although I have been accused of declaring moderately too many shades of brown I do maintain that I am right. It's simply that my brown spectrum is a bit wider than anybody else's! Hen Coops - Design Your own! Writer: Grant Draper The web is flooded of ways to 'build this' and 'design that', however what about if you want to build one thing to your individual specification? When you breed poultry, then one among an important points of their existence is their chicken coops. Design it in such a approach that it will likely be both practical for you to clean, however still snug for the inhabitants! Writer: Paul Vincent Been planning to turn out to be self sufficient however do not know the place to start? Let Chicken Retaining Secrets and techniques help you out. If you want to get pleasure from the thought of waking up harvesting contemporary free range eggs or perhaps an infinite supply of rooster, then this guide is the following best thing so that you can get. Publisher: Chad B. Finding a rooster incubator to your needs is admittedly not that onerous. Listed here are a number of tips when on the lookout for the ideal chicken incubator for your hen project.

When you have any kind of issues with regards to in which in addition to tips on how to utilize Classique Moss , you are able to call us in our own internet site.

[gordanladdskitchen]

Does Mustard Go Bad? (Shelf Life, Storage, & Nutritional Benefits)

Mustard is one of those common condiments that can be easily found in any household but not too often use. If you have one that currently sitting in your kitchen cupboard, you might want to check if it has already expired. In this post, we will discuss topic like “ does mustard go bad? ”, storage, shelf life and nutritional benefits of mustard.

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Does Mustard Go Bad?

How to Store Mustard Properly

Mustard Shelf Life

Impressive Benefits of Mustard

Summary

A Mustard Museum? Seriously!

Does Mustard Go Bad?

Mustard is a cruciferous vegetable which belongs to Brassica family, similar to broccoli and cabbage. Mustard tastes often range from sweet to spicy.

​The seeds of a mustard plant which are used to make a mustard paste by the whole, ground, cracked, or bruised and mix with water, vinegar, lemon juice, wine, salt, and often spices and flavoring; to create the mustard sauce or paste.

​Knowing the ingredients used to make mustard are all possessed natural antibacterial properties, the question is “ does mustard go bad”?

​There will be no definite answers, but it is all depending on how the mustard are stored and handled.

How to Store Mustard Properly

The prepared mustard is often sold in glass jars and plastic bottles. They also come in plastic squeeze bottles and a single packet that served throughout all the fast-food outlets for convenience. Due to the acetic acid content which is natural antibacterial properties, refrigeration of the mustard are not required.

Interestingly, mustard does not contain any infectious pathogens or yeast, BUT high level of acetic acid tolerant lactobacilli bacteria found contamination is well-known. Thus, using sterile utensils while serving the mustards is highly recommended to prevent cross-contamination.

​How do you store an opened/unopened jar of mustard? It should always be kept in a cool, dry place, just like in the pantry or refrigerator although refrigeration is not necessary. Avoid from direct sunlight or heat to prevent the quality of the mustard deteriorate quickly.

​If you are making mustard on your own, you should always store the homemade mustard in an airtight container (glass container is preferred) and keep it in the fridge immediately after each use.

Mustard Shelf Life

Does mustard go bad easily?

Mustard does not go bad easily, and therefore most of the mustard would not have a “best-before-date” printed on the bottle.

​As mentioned earlier, mustard can last for many years before it goes inedible. However, the length of the mustard shelf life depends on the container. The prepared mustard that comes in a glass jar can last for 2 years, plastic bottle – approximately 1.5 years, and squeeze bottle/packet sachets can last up to 6 months, respectively.

​Once the jar of mustard is opened, the flavor of the mustard will deplete gradually. Refrigerate the mustard to extend and preserve the good flavor is recommendable. Also, the mustard does not go bad if it kept at room temperature once opened, but instead, the mustard paste will slowly dry out.

​And yet you found that your mustard dries out in the room temperature or the fridge, this does not mean that the mustard has gone bad. But in fact, you can mix it with a few tablespoon of white vinegar or wine to revitalize the dry mustard!

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Impressive Benefits of Mustard

Do you know that there are various parts of the mustard plant that contained lots of natural nutrients and phenolic components that offer health beneficiary to us?

​Again, mustard plants are the member of Brassica family and the mustard seeds have abundant amounts of phytonutrients known as glucosinolates that proved valuable against bladder, colon and cervical cancers.

Studies have suggested that the anti-cancer effect of those seeds in the mustard inhibit the growth of cancer cells and protects against the formation of malignant cells.

​Besides that, the tiny mustard seeds are also able to cure the inflammation and lesions associated with the chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder known as Psoriasis.

The mustard seeds would stimulate the healthy enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase which provide protection and healing action in Psoriasis.

​In a nutshell, mustard provides many benefits for us, not just the two that have mentioned above, but it also has scientifically proven benefit against contact dermatitis, cardiovascular health, poison repulsion, aches and pains, ringworms, skin, and hair cares, cholesterol reduction, diabetes and menopause in women.

Summary

Does mustard go bad? I hope you have found your answer via this blog. Now that you know that the mustard does provide us many health beneficiaries, maybe it is time to consider to add mustard into your diet from today!

A Mustard Museum? Seriously!

Yep, it’s real!

Have you heard of The National Mustard Museum? It is located in the heart of downtown Middleton, Wisconsin. For those of you who are interested, please visit National Mustard Museum or watch this video on YouTube:

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The post Does Mustard Go Bad? (Shelf Life, Storage, & Nutritional Benefits) appeared first on Gordan Ladd's Kitchen.