I love plants (as you do, I hope), but I also love other things. I wanted to share with you, in a simple article, my way of combining my passions (or, in other words, how to put a bit of plants… everywhere).
Reading
I am an avid reader of beautifully written fantasy novels. I love to sit with my tea (from plants), my candle (plant-based) and my cushion (with plants on it) in my living room (full of plants) to read (or reread) the works of my library full of plants. I also have books about plants, of course!
Sometimes I pick up a book on plants and flip through it such as Larry Hodgson’s). I won’t read them cover to cover, but rather I’ll read a few tips here and there, some practical information. I particularly like books on edible plants or those with scientifically proven virtues (note: I am not a witch!).
Cooking
It’s the next logical step, isn’t it? When I talk about edible plants, I mean cooking. In addition to the harvests from my garden, I love to discover the flavors of Quebec’s terroir. Going for a walk and coming back with dinner is a unique satisfaction!
This crop of amanitas made a GREAT sauce. On a deer steak, with fiddleheads on the side (responsibly picked), it tasted like the Quebec forest!
Mushroom soup with sumac, tomato sauce with nettle, blackberry and samaritan muffins… I’m telling you: when the harvest is good in the summer, I need flour and butter at the grocery store and I’m on my own for the rest! I make my own bread, pasta, mayonnaise… practically everything! And I love it because I know what I’m eating, I have the satisfaction of having made it myself, and it’s cheaper!
Learning to pick wild plants is an economical way to live two passions: not bad, huh?
To be outside… with good company
In the summer, I don’t stay inside. I am always outside. It’s a good thing, I read outside, I cook outside, and on top of that, I take almost all my plants outside. I have a very busy balcony with the chairs, the table, the barbecue and the dozens of plants… But that’s where I feel good. And it’s also where I write during the summer season.
No way to be alone though! Those who know me see me coming… my two boys are always there, not far away, basking in the sun.
And You?
Inspire me! Do you paint plants? Do you have plant representations on everything in your home? Do you wait all year for your lemon tree to fruit so you can try new cocktails? I’m curious!
Tell us in the comments what your passions are and how you combine them with your love of plants. And, if you’d like to show us some photos, feel free to do so and comment on our social networks.
