Edition 3 — Fall
Whether you are based in the northern or southern hemisphere getting outside at this time of year is always a good thing. This edition we are celebrating all things nature.
Edition 3 — Fall
When I began the venture to write a newsletter, I figured a monthly edition was an easy commitment to make. I enjoy writing, I write for work, and a newsletter every 4-weeks seemed like a feasible schedule. And then, September happened. I moved house, I was lecturing, and I had a ton of deadlines. The September edition of the art.writing.projects newsletter never quite made it to 'print'.
September has always been a symbolic month. Schools go back, summer packs up shop, and autumn clicks into place. It's a transitionary time of year. By the time October rolls around, it is officially time to take stock and prepare for (colder) months ahead. Leaves change colour, the air grows slightly cooler, and the days close in a little quicker.
To ease the anxiety of what the cold and flu season will bring to our Covid world, part of my preparation for the winter months is to rug up and get outside for socially distanced walks while the days are dry and the sun is up past 3 pm. Whether you are based in the northern or southern hemisphere getting outside at this time of year is always a good thing. This edition we are celebrating all things nature.
In Japan, the joys of forest bathing are a common remedy for various ailment's and are even recommended by general practitioners. Be inspired by the natural world and understand your place within it by listening to Invisibilia's 'The Last Sound' episode. The Salt Path by Raynor Winn is a captivating true-story of walking and wild camping as a kind of therapy along the South West Coast Path. By now you know I love preserving. In the spirit of aligning ourselves with nature, I have written a recipe for pickled wild garlic, foraged from Wales. If you are looking for a way to support the economy, choose to support publishing and pick up a copy of Courier magazine to read about Scoon Store's survival strategy for the pandemic.
Forest Bathing
Fall is the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the benefits of nature. It might feel like a little extra effort to get outside in cooler temperatures and shorter days, but the benefits you feel in your body and stress levels are worth it. The practice of forest bathing means basking in the forest atmosphere and absorbing nature through your senses. Being in nature makes us feel good: fact. It eases our stress, helps us to relax and to think clearly, in addition to making us happier and restoring our vitality. Of course, we have known this for centuries, but now we have the science to back it up.
In response to mounting evidence on positive mental and physical benefits of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku, in Japanese) the Japanese government integrated the movement to Japan's health programme and is now recommended by GPs across the nation.
Shinrin-yoku was born in the 1980s when studies revealed a clear correlation between time spent walking in nature with reduced blood pressure, lower cortisol levels, and improved concentration. It was discovered that a chemical release in trees and plants -- phytoncides -- boosted the immune system. Essentially, shinrin-yoku has the power to ease depression, anxiety, stress, and even counter stomach ulcers, strokes, and cancer.
Dr. Qing Li is an Immunologist and Forest Medicine expert, and leading scientist behind the shinrin-yoku movement. Dr Li suggests even a small amount of time spent with nature can have a positive impact on our mental and physical health. Sign me up! Writing for Time, Dr Li suggests walking slowly and taking your time. 'It doesn't matter if you don't get anywhere,' he says, 'you are savouring the sounds, smells and sights of nature and letting the forest in.' Tapping into the power of nature through your five senses is important. Dr Li stresses the importance of being mindful. Practice listening to leaves rustling in the breeze and the shades of green around you. True forest bathing is not complete without a few deep inhalations of phytoncides, natures natural aromatherapy.
Dr Li stresses 'When it comes to finding calm and relaxation, there is no one-size-fits-all solution -- it differs from person to person.' Find what works best for you to ensure you get the most out of the experience. Dr Li insists you can forest bathe anywhere in the world, wherever one finds trees. 'You don't even need a forest. Once you have learned how to do it, you can shinrin-yoku anywhere -- in a nearby park or in your garden. Look for a place where there are trees, and off you go!'
Listen: Invisibilia 'The Last Sound' S6, E6
Although it is important to enjoy our time outdoors and receive the myriad of benefits nature can offer us, it is also important to pause and consider the impact our presence may have on the natural world. I recently listened to 'The Last Sound' by Invisibilia (S6 E6). In it, we follow the life and work of Bernie Krause, a soundscape ecologist.
Bernie was a successful musician who in the 1960s and '70s, played alongside George Harrison and Jim Morrison. Bernie unexpectantly quit music in a search for something 'more' after hearing a sound, unlike anything he had heard previously: the sound of the wild. Sounds of nature captivated Bernie's imagination and with it, his career took a new course. In the 50 years that followed, Bernie traced natural soundscapes across the world in an effort to research and capture them.
Bernie's recordings include works of art and science that are used in sound installations worldwide by museums, zoos, and aquariums in addition to soundtracks for feature films. After spending so much time recording the symphony of the natural world, Bernie realised the impact human infrastructure had on ecosystems. Noise pollution caused by flight paths in the night sky has the power to disrupt wildlife calls, which in turn disrupts predator and prey cycles.
'The Last Sound' is a philosophical look at what we can learn about our environment and world when we quieten down and truly listen. Through expert storytelling this episode sheds light on biodiversity in the natural world and the role humans play in destroying or generating it.
NPR's Invisibilia is a philosophical science podcast that showcases unseeable forces that shape how we think, our beliefs, and assumptions. Think echolocation, dark matter, and phobias explained through gripping narration. Combining journalism, storytelling, and science, this podcast will make you view your world differently.
Read: The Salt Path, by Raynor Winn
To say Raynor Winn and her husband Moth were having a tough year would be putting it mildly. After an investment with a friend turned ugly, the couple lost their house, their savings, their income. The day after they lost everything, Moth received a terminal illness diagnosis. They were homeless with no money and no future to plan. With literally nothing to lose the pair impulsively decided to walk and live on the South West Coast Path. The Salt Path is Raynor Winn's uplifting true-story of their journey.
With little in their pockets or on their backs, Raynor and Moth planned to through-hike from Somerset to Dorset and wild-camp their way across the coast. What follows is honest and poetic. Readers are taken on a physical journey along a rugged and iconic trail, as well as an emotional journey along themes of grief, homelessness, loss.
The Salt Path reveals gritty details of the journey that dismantle all romantic notions of wild camping. There is no sleeping under the stars, and the one night they sleep on the beach they are nearly swept away by a rising tide. With little money to spend on even the essentials, there are times that the pair survive for days on end with little to eat but bars of fudge.
Raynor and Moth experience adversity on the path, but there are moments of glee and delight, too. Moth stops taking his meds and discovers he actually feels better without them. They busk in St. Ives and make enough money to buy fresh produce to eat. They meet kind strangers who share their homes and dinner tables and shower facilities.
At times confronting, The Salt Path is an expansive read that takes readers to a place where they otherwise may never travel. Raynor Winn's poetic account of life-changing experiences leaves an imprint after you have put it down. It reminds us that life is wild, abundant, and treacherous.
Eat: Pickle-Licious
My journey into pickling all started with a trip to Wales. My friend C. has a family holiday home in The Mumbles, near Swansea. In 2019 she invited me for a long weekend and it was everything I had hoped it would be: quilted blankets, childhood plates, with views of the coastline and ocean to boot. When I was packing for the trip, C. told me ‘bring vegetable bags, there will be lots of wild garlic for us to pick at this time of year.’ Say what now? Wild garlic? Foraging? In wild Wales? Be still, my beating heart.
Wild garlic leaves and flowers are edible, and although they do taste garlicky, there is a light floral taste to them, too. Their potential to elevate any dish is endless. Once foraged, give them a good wash. Start by tossing flowers through salads, step it up by slicing leaves and adding to risotto, kind of like how you would chop leek. From there let your imagination take you around every wild-garlic turn and bend.
To pickle wild garlic you will need:
1 sterilised glass jar that can be sealed air-tight
200 ml apple cider vinegar
200 ml white vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 pink peppercorns
Wash and prepare your treats before placing in your sterilised jar. In a saucepan, add both types of vinegar, sugar, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, and as soon as the sugar begins to dissolve, remove the pan from the heat. Pour over your produce, ensuring everything is covered. Seal the jar and set it aside to cool down. Leave your produce to pickle in a cool, dark place, for a minimum of two weeks. Agitate the jar every couple of days. Pickles will keep for months once they have been sealed, but when you open then you will need to consume them within a few weeks and store in the fridge for longevity.
Buy: Courier
The pandemic has hit small (and big) businesses in a myriad of ways. Resilience and creativity are crucial for start-ups in their early years, especially so in a time of crisis. To hear more about how start-ups have been affected by Covid I spoke with Guusje Wentrup co-Founder of Scoon Store for Courier. Scoon Store is an Amsterdam-based platform for sustainable beauty and fashion. We talked about how to scale back, how to extend a financial runway, and how to invest in what works well during a crisis.
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