Autumn, with its sunny days and perfect temperatures, is my favouritetime of year. There is a magical quality to autumn when the leaves start to change color, from green to yellow, orange andvarying shades of red. The sound of crunching leaves under foot. Layered clothing, with beautifulsoft, warming fabrics. Cups of tea and soup that soothe the heart and soul. A time for reflecting, regrouping andconsolidating. A time for executing the goals you planned for the year.
Autumn is also the perfect time to get your body back on track after summer indulgences. A time to release yourself from addictions to sugar, alcohol, caffeine andother stimulants. A time to prepare for the cooler winter season, by strengthening your immunity and promoting healthy circulation.
As the season changes, you may experience autumn symptoms:
- Dry skin
- Cracked or peeling lips
- Sluggish bowels
- Fatigue
- Bacterial and viral outbreaks
Like a deciduous tree, your body is designed to cycle; to ebb, flow and renew with the seasons...to shed periodically, and grow back stronger and healthier than ever. Take this time to reset, reconnect and restore your health in just a few short weeks; by implementing a seasonal ritual, of releasing toxins, mindful nutrition anddaily self-care practices, employing the transformative power of delicious, nutrient densewhole foods and organic herbal cleansing tisanes.
With the official launch of our new Cleanse Tisanes, I am offering our 21 Day Autumn Cleanse ebook with every purchase. Launching mid March2021. Pre purchase here
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Autumn is the season of harvest, the culmination of spring and summer growth. It is a time to gather and store. Enjoy summer's bounty (and boost your digestion and immunity at the same time) by fermenting foods into sauerkraut, pickles, jams andchutneys. Go to my book I am Food for seasonal delicious and healthy recipes here
Eat what's in season. Seasonal food is grown naturally and requires less intervention and is fresher, more abundant andflavoursome.
Some of the fruit and vegetables on offer:
- Asian greens
- Broccoli
- Beans
- Brussel sprouts
- Cauliflower
- Cabbage
- Capsicum
- Carrot
- Fennel
- Leek
- Onion
- Parsnip
- Potato
- Pumpkin
- Sweet potato
- Swede
- Celeriac
- Celery
- Silverbeet
- Spinach
- Apple
- Avocado
- Kiwifruit
- Lemon
- Lime
- Mandarin
- Orange
- Pear
- Pomegranate
- Quince
Warm up with soups, casseroles andslow cookedfoods in autumn. Replace cold morning smoothies and fruit salad with warming, poached seasonal fruit. Poach quince, pears, apples andplums chopped in quarters. Cover in water and add cinnamon quills, clove buds, cardamom pods andvanilla bean and simmer for 10 minutes until soft. Replace cold cereal with warming porridge. Simply soak oats or whole quinoa in water and some natural salt over nightin a small cooking pot. Add more water or milk the next day and cook on the stove, slowly stirring to prevent porridgefrom sticking to the base. Serve with poached fruit, extra cinnamon andraw honey. Replace raw salads with cooked salads. Roast vegetables like pumpkin and beetroot, and add steamed broccoli. Toss with pomegranate seeds and blanched almonds. Make a salad dressing of apple cider vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and warming spices such as cinnamon, ginger, chilliandpaprika. Enjoy nourishing bone stock-based vegetable soups. A delicious chicken soup with vegetables, served with chopped parsley or coriander leaves, freshly grated ginger andplenty of lime or lemon juice.
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Join me for the Seasonal Eating & Herbal Garden Workshops with Mickey Robertson at the historic Glenmore House. These delightful days are timed to sync with the seasonal rhythm of our bodies alongside the seasonal rhythm of the garden. From a garden perspective, each of the workshops will yield very different producefor lunch; as well as a changing visual perspective as the garden shifts from its late summerbeauty and bounty through a colourfulautumn; then as winter unfurls into a burgeoning new spring...and early summer. From a herbalist and naturopath's perspective, each season reveals different plant material for both food and remedies, to enhance the seasonal cycles our bodies naturally travel during the course of the year. Each workshop will begin with morning tea, enjoying a selection of my teas & tisanes. A garden ramble will follow, punctuated with pauses to focus on various plants, followed by a thought- provokingtalk and interactive workshop exploring the role of herbal medicines to support seasonal health with simple daily health care and self-care practices to connect with herbs. A long-table, seasonal lunch then follows andafter, there will be hands-on activities, making some of those herbal remedies to support seasonal health concerns: herbal tisanes, salts, oils & vinegars, hand & body scrub - a hugely fun component to each day! To find out more go here
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Join me for an Autumnal Botanical Tea & Tisane Blending Workshop. In this hands-on tisane blending workshop, you will explore and discover the different ingredients that make upteas and tisanes – a full sensory experience. Aroma - the taste and smell of ingredients are experienced and assessed for their earthy, vegetal, floral, milky, nutty, sweet, fire, spicy, and fruity aromas. Visual - the colourof the ingredients can give us insight into their quality and antioxidant benefits. Colour is related to antioxidant capacity in some plants. Sensation - do the ingredients generate a warming or cooling body sensation and noticeable mouth feel e.g. softening and lubricating for sore dry throats and coughs. Therapy - what feeling do the ingredients evoke - calm, uplifting, soothing, refreshing etc. You will learn how to choose a base, how to create flavour, and how to blend for visual appeal, aroma, and therapy and create your very own special bespoke tisane blend. And to finish, we will immerse ourselves in the beauty of a modern-day, yet nostalgic tea ceremony. Find out more here
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Autumn is a beautiful time of year. Enjoy the cooler temperatures and the opportunity to reflect. Cleanse your body and align your food choices with the season to prepare for the coming Winter. And be inspired by the beauty of our world as it changes season.