Where do you find the time to do so much reading and then write about it all? Wonderfully informational newsletter. I must say, apart from the mushroom side of things (haven't sampled that many different varieties as yet), my body seems to tell me what I should be eating... nearly every food you mention that's available from shops or my allotment, is in my diet pretty regularly, maybe that's why I've made it to 81 and still gardening, cycling and being a general nuisance! Anyways, thanks for all the lovely info Gavin.
I start with a vision/idea for something I think could help a great many people to boycott corporations while connecting with the Earth. I meditate on it for a day or two. Then when the vision becomes clear, I set aside a certain amount of hours a day (when I have them available) starting with a stack of pertinent books in front of me. I look for synergistic threads and complimentary research, synthesize that into a new combined whole. Then I cross reference with other books to make sure I am building a solid foundation of understanding and then move to find any pertinent recent research online. I sometimes have drafts that take 2 - 3 weeks (or more) to get fleshed out in that way. So it is a methodical process that does not necessarily happen in a short amount of time.
Thank you for the kind words and for recognizing all the work required to put something like this together.
Well for mushrooms, if you can find Lion's Mane, the mushrooms are delicious in Miso soup or in stir-fries.
I am sure some people consider me to be a general nuisance as well, I am glad to know there are people like you on Earth Suzi. :)
Oh and I didn't sit and read it all at once, though I wish I had the time. Things need done and I also can't sit that long without paying the price in pain and mobility.
ahh, totally understandable, I am the same (with sitting for that long).
I would love to do audio versions of the posts so that people can listen on the go rather than have to be in front of screens if they prefer but I just do not have the time to record myself reading them right now.
I have contemplated doing AI voice text to speech audio clips, as I know the info I gather could be helpful and empowering to many living busy lives out there, but I am concerned that leaning into AI functions like that could be a slippery slope, so I am still undecided.
This may be the most comprehensive article i have read about it, good for mentioning Uridine. Some people recommend stevia, but i don't. the price it too high. unless you are at deaths door. very well done.
To echo the other comment, encyclopedia to be sure! After actually reading up to the recipes (I did a quick scan of those, are you working on a recipe book?) I see Tom and I are doing really well with our switch in diet just now. Do check my tortilla recipe, it's quite a twist on a standard flour tortilla!
Thanks for reading through the whole thing! You must have serious reading stamina (a rare skillset in the day and age of TikTok goldfish attention spans)! :)
Well many of those recipes are actually from excerpts (gifted from) my first already published book (which is titled "Recipes For Reciprocity: The Regenerative Way From Seed To Table"). As the title implies, it does have many recipes in it, but the book is a lot more than just a recipe book.
I will check out your tortilla recipe. I like to make our own corn tortillas with our homegrown blue and purple corn varieties (pics linked below) as they have a lovely nutty flavor and so much more protein and anti-oxidants than white tortillas.
You have also reminded me to add my enhanced version of my mom's Chicken Lime Tortilla soup to the recipe list in the article above (as it contains many brain nourishing ingredients from the list) so thank you for that! :)
We have hard clay soil, not sandy at all. So whatever that rhodiola is, it won't like this area at all. You must be seeing information for the southeast where I'm originally from, around Weyburn. We are up around Melville now.
A little bit of Rhodiola rosea goes a long way and remediating/altering soil composition an area to grow some for personal use (or even farmer's market sales scale production) would not be very hard.
One can find a reason why almost everything worth doing is too challenging and has "too many obstacles" (and thus is deemed "not worth the effort") or one can see problems (like extreme cold where you are) as solutions, roll with the punches and make species like Rhodiola (which thrive in the cold) work.
I can share info from my book on making DIY soil amendments with free natural materials if you are interested.
I am already overwhelmed with out current situation and my physical and mental limits (I had a huge autistic crash last year, and still haven't entirely come out of it). Plus, I am still trying to just get to producing the majority of our own veggies and herbs, and simply don't have the capacity to add more to the list. With no income for the near future and already scraping the bottom really hard, we are not in good shape.
I am willing to donate a digital copy of my book to you guys if you think it would help (with regards to soil building using free materials and ideas for saving money on groceries with food).
People have told me that I am autistic in some capacity. I often find the multi-faceted pressures of being an aspiring author/Substack writer (that simultaneously works a day job that involves dealing with dozens of people a day) and also trying to maintain our own garden, home, preserve harvests and volunteer my time locally to help people in need, to be extremely overwhelming at times. I have had several moments where I was close to "crashing" in the last couple years, so I think I understand to some degree and empathize.
I often get really nice people offering me seeds for rare heirlooms or endangered tree species (because of my book and work with creating Refugia) but I am already stewarding dozens of such varieties on our tiny lot and barely have enough time to honor them with proper care, seed saving and selection as it is, so I have to say no most of the time.
Wishing you abundant spring harvests and a 2025 where prosperity flows your way through courageous and gumptious choices.
Thank you for the offer, we have managed some small changes to the soil, it's just such a slog with clay. Sand would be so much easier, the only yard I ever had that in was the rental in Kisbey. So easy to just add loads of good manure and grass clippings and actually make an instant difference. The only thing that might be worse than clay is a rocky glacial moraine, and I have done that too!
I hope it can serve as a guide for people planning for medicinal gardens and using food as medicine (picking and choosing what works for them based on where they live and what they can grow/access locally).
I am glad that I went all out and gathered that many items on the list, though the amount of words in that article are sure gonna cost me at the printing press when I publish them in my next book!
Secondly I admit that I only subscribe to a small number of substacks and yours is still one of them because I know it's a fantastic reference hopefully I'll get around to using! Thank you for doing all this work.
Good to see a lot of the tropical stuff in here. I've been trying to grow ashwaganda but my seed (from the US) are a bit old I fear! I see you even have blue butterfly pea in your garden, nice one!
I am glad you noticed the mix of tropical and cold hardy plants and trees included in the list. My intent for my next book is to focus on temperate and cold climate food forest species centrally, but to also include a fair amount of tropical species and ideas for that climate as well so that there will be a little bit for everyone.
Ya those butterfly peas love the humidity here on the shore of Lake Erie, I just need to put them against a brick wall for radiant heat to give them a quasi-tropical microclimate for them to really thrive.
Phenomenal work! Thank you.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.
Glad you appreciate what I gathered here.
This is an example of what will be in my next book.
Where do you find the time to do so much reading and then write about it all? Wonderfully informational newsletter. I must say, apart from the mushroom side of things (haven't sampled that many different varieties as yet), my body seems to tell me what I should be eating... nearly every food you mention that's available from shops or my allotment, is in my diet pretty regularly, maybe that's why I've made it to 81 and still gardening, cycling and being a general nuisance! Anyways, thanks for all the lovely info Gavin.
I start with a vision/idea for something I think could help a great many people to boycott corporations while connecting with the Earth. I meditate on it for a day or two. Then when the vision becomes clear, I set aside a certain amount of hours a day (when I have them available) starting with a stack of pertinent books in front of me. I look for synergistic threads and complimentary research, synthesize that into a new combined whole. Then I cross reference with other books to make sure I am building a solid foundation of understanding and then move to find any pertinent recent research online. I sometimes have drafts that take 2 - 3 weeks (or more) to get fleshed out in that way. So it is a methodical process that does not necessarily happen in a short amount of time.
Thank you for the kind words and for recognizing all the work required to put something like this together.
Well for mushrooms, if you can find Lion's Mane, the mushrooms are delicious in Miso soup or in stir-fries.
I am sure some people consider me to be a general nuisance as well, I am glad to know there are people like you on Earth Suzi. :)
You are most welcome, thank for the comment(s)
Well the results a definitely worth it!
Oh and I didn't sit and read it all at once, though I wish I had the time. Things need done and I also can't sit that long without paying the price in pain and mobility.
ahh, totally understandable, I am the same (with sitting for that long).
I would love to do audio versions of the posts so that people can listen on the go rather than have to be in front of screens if they prefer but I just do not have the time to record myself reading them right now.
I have contemplated doing AI voice text to speech audio clips, as I know the info I gather could be helpful and empowering to many living busy lives out there, but I am concerned that leaning into AI functions like that could be a slippery slope, so I am still undecided.
This may be the most comprehensive article i have read about it, good for mentioning Uridine. Some people recommend stevia, but i don't. the price it too high. unless you are at deaths door. very well done.
Stevia is quite easy to grow. Just need to protect it in winter and propagate just in case it gets hit
Thank you my friend! I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
To echo the other comment, encyclopedia to be sure! After actually reading up to the recipes (I did a quick scan of those, are you working on a recipe book?) I see Tom and I are doing really well with our switch in diet just now. Do check my tortilla recipe, it's quite a twist on a standard flour tortilla!
Thanks for reading through the whole thing! You must have serious reading stamina (a rare skillset in the day and age of TikTok goldfish attention spans)! :)
Well many of those recipes are actually from excerpts (gifted from) my first already published book (which is titled "Recipes For Reciprocity: The Regenerative Way From Seed To Table"). As the title implies, it does have many recipes in it, but the book is a lot more than just a recipe book.
For more info on that book:
Reviews:
- https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/reviews-for-recipes-for-reciprocity
Website:
- https://recipesforreciprocity.com/
I am glad to hear you and Tom are already including some of these in your diet.
Do you guys include Rhodiola rosea in your medicinal regime? In not, it sounds like you are in an ideal location to grow it.
For more info:
- https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Rhodiola+rosea#:~:text=Suitable%20for%3A%20light%20(sandy),soil%20and%20can%20tolerate%20drought.
- https://practicalplants.org/wiki/rhodiola_rosea/
- https://blog.strictlymedicinalseeds.com/rhodiola-growing-hints/
- https://rhodiolagrowers.ca/knowledge-base/installation-guide/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gn6cPH7ij4
I will check out your tortilla recipe. I like to make our own corn tortillas with our homegrown blue and purple corn varieties (pics linked below) as they have a lovely nutty flavor and so much more protein and anti-oxidants than white tortillas.
Blue Corn from our garden: https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9246158d-8bd3-41c5-85d5-8a760b6d5f9a_2032x1520.jpeg
Purple Corn from our garden:
https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F885292cc-2d7f-4d5e-a093-9d35a0fa0f92_4909x3248.jpeg
You have also reminded me to add my enhanced version of my mom's Chicken Lime Tortilla soup to the recipe list in the article above (as it contains many brain nourishing ingredients from the list) so thank you for that! :)
Here is the recipe incase you are curious: https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/sopa-de-lima-yucatan-style-lime-tortilla
We have hard clay soil, not sandy at all. So whatever that rhodiola is, it won't like this area at all. You must be seeing information for the southeast where I'm originally from, around Weyburn. We are up around Melville now.
A little bit of Rhodiola rosea goes a long way and remediating/altering soil composition an area to grow some for personal use (or even farmer's market sales scale production) would not be very hard.
One can find a reason why almost everything worth doing is too challenging and has "too many obstacles" (and thus is deemed "not worth the effort") or one can see problems (like extreme cold where you are) as solutions, roll with the punches and make species like Rhodiola (which thrive in the cold) work.
I can share info from my book on making DIY soil amendments with free natural materials if you are interested.
Thanks for engaging.
I am already overwhelmed with out current situation and my physical and mental limits (I had a huge autistic crash last year, and still haven't entirely come out of it). Plus, I am still trying to just get to producing the majority of our own veggies and herbs, and simply don't have the capacity to add more to the list. With no income for the near future and already scraping the bottom really hard, we are not in good shape.
I feel your pain sister.
I am willing to donate a digital copy of my book to you guys if you think it would help (with regards to soil building using free materials and ideas for saving money on groceries with food).
People have told me that I am autistic in some capacity. I often find the multi-faceted pressures of being an aspiring author/Substack writer (that simultaneously works a day job that involves dealing with dozens of people a day) and also trying to maintain our own garden, home, preserve harvests and volunteer my time locally to help people in need, to be extremely overwhelming at times. I have had several moments where I was close to "crashing" in the last couple years, so I think I understand to some degree and empathize.
I often get really nice people offering me seeds for rare heirlooms or endangered tree species (because of my book and work with creating Refugia) but I am already stewarding dozens of such varieties on our tiny lot and barely have enough time to honor them with proper care, seed saving and selection as it is, so I have to say no most of the time.
Wishing you abundant spring harvests and a 2025 where prosperity flows your way through courageous and gumptious choices.
Thank you for the offer, we have managed some small changes to the soil, it's just such a slog with clay. Sand would be so much easier, the only yard I ever had that in was the rental in Kisbey. So easy to just add loads of good manure and grass clippings and actually make an instant difference. The only thing that might be worse than clay is a rocky glacial moraine, and I have done that too!
Wow ! Newsletter or encyclopaedia of health food ? Thank you !
You are most welcome Sarah!
I hope it can serve as a guide for people planning for medicinal gardens and using food as medicine (picking and choosing what works for them based on where they live and what they can grow/access locally).
I am glad that I went all out and gathered that many items on the list, though the amount of words in that article are sure gonna cost me at the printing press when I publish them in my next book!
Gavin
Firstly, I admit I rarely read your newsletters,
Secondly I admit that I only subscribe to a small number of substacks and yours is still one of them because I know it's a fantastic reference hopefully I'll get around to using! Thank you for doing all this work.
Good to see a lot of the tropical stuff in here. I've been trying to grow ashwaganda but my seed (from the US) are a bit old I fear! I see you even have blue butterfly pea in your garden, nice one!
Thanks for swinging by brother.
I am glad you noticed the mix of tropical and cold hardy plants and trees included in the list. My intent for my next book is to focus on temperate and cold climate food forest species centrally, but to also include a fair amount of tropical species and ideas for that climate as well so that there will be a little bit for everyone.
Ya those butterfly peas love the humidity here on the shore of Lake Erie, I just need to put them against a brick wall for radiant heat to give them a quasi-tropical microclimate for them to really thrive.
I appreciate the kind comment.