October’s Theme: Immune Health
Well here we are at the start of another month; the nights are drawing in, it's decidedly chilly and autumn has arrived in all her glory!
I love autumn, and all its colours in orange, red and yellow! It's pumpkin season, time for cosy jumpers, warming comfort food, nourishing soups, candlelit evenings by the fire, and of course Halloween! It’s also time to start supporting our immunity and making natural remedies with the best of the season's bounty. There are berries aplenty, including elderberries, brambles, rosehips and hawthorn berries, all of which are excellent for immune support.
Maybe some of us are a bit too old for dressing up, myself included, but I do like to have fun with my food so look out for some fun spooky Halloween treats this month! Since my focus is always on health, there will be no candy apples or buckets of sweets here! Sugar is one of the biggest suppressors of the immune system and as we are focusing on supporting our immunity this month, all treats will have protein, fibre, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates to keep our blood sugar stable!
There isn’t much going on in the garden this month; there are however, plenty of wild berries to harvest and Autumn is also peak time for wild mushrooms. However, I would never encourage anyone to collect or forage for mushrooms, there are many amazing mushrooms we can grow ourselves with kits, without any risks to our health! I grew the magnificent Lions Mane Mushrooms last year from a kit and had two crops which was most exciting. I have also grown pink oyster mushrooms which were beautiful and delicious! I will be reviewing the best of the mushroom kits for growing your own and also the best medicinal mushroom powders on the market. Look out for those posts soon!
Mushrooms of all types support our immunity so will be featuring in our recipes this month and I will be on the lookout for wild mushrooms. I found a giant puffball mushroom last week which was delicious and am hoping to find many more!! I can confidently identify around 12 edible and medicinal mushrooms, my most knowledgeable friend and expert forager Vicky has taken me on various mushroom foraging walks which is the best fun ever! If you get the chance then book a foraging walk with a local expert; I can highly recommend Vicky Manning of The Little Foragers Kitchen and Mark Williams of Galloway Wild Foods. The perfect Autumn activity!
So, here's to immune boosting food and cosy nights in!
