Winter Chill and Healthy Eating

January brings a mixture of moods and changeable weather. The flurry of the festive season leaves a blank canvas to fill afterwards. It’s time for positive thinking and winter pastimes.

The garden had a covering of snow last week. It melted, froze and snowed again with sharp frosts overnight. I captured melting moments with my camera.

We had to give the birds extra food. It was a busy time as they tried to keep warm and there were tracks everywhere in the snow.

The bulbs are poking their lovely tips through the cold soil and are a welcome reminder of the pleasures to look forward to soon. A bit of cheerful colour is provided by the winter violas and hellebores.

The polytunnels protected our winter crops. The sprouts are outside but they benefit from a dusting of frost so I wasn’t worried about them.

I’m using the leeks, parsnips and celeriac now because they’ve had a long growing season and will soon be past their best. I sow the seeds in March and use the vegetables from Autumn into Winter. The space they take up is well worth it because it’s so good to have them when the garden is mostly dormant. Hearty soups and stews make the most of these tasty vegetables during the cold spells.

Talking of soups and stews reminds me of something I’ve thought about a lot recently. There’s concern that many people are living on ultra-processed food which is very unhealthy. Part of the problem is that it seems cheaper than fresh food and many people don’t know how to cook or aren’t inclined to cook.

I’ve seen various initiatives and ideas for promoting healthier eating but I feel so often they’re not tackling the problem in the right way. Recipes are put forward with lists of ingredients which to my mind are definitely not going to encourage anyone to change their non-cooking habits. If someone is put off by cooking they’re unlikely to be enthusiastic about putting together a long list of ingredients, many of which they’re unfamiliar with. Why not go back to basics?

For instance, potatoes must be the easiest vegetable to cook in so many ways. One of our favourite meals is mashed potatoes mixed with a drained can of fish, then browned in a little hot oil in the frying pan. No need to make individual fancy fishcakes. Served with peas and chutney or a favourite sauce, it’s tasty, nutritious and cheap. Canned salmon is good but so are sardines or mackerel which are cheaper. So easy to prepare and cook and really delicious.

What’s wrong with a fried or scrambled egg on toast served with a vegetable, Then what about that old favourite toasted cheese? Or tomatoes fried gently then cheese added and allowed to melt and eaten with some bread? This tastes very good cooked in a frying pan but I often do this in the microwave on the plates which makes it easier and a really quick meal.

Soup is easy to make with a stock cube or two, chopped onion, potato, carrots and red lentils. Other vegetables can be added and any leftover cooked meat or chicken. It can be thickened by blending to make it more substantial. Chicken soup is particularly good but vegetable soups are cheap and nutritious too.

My favourite way of cooking is a one-pan meal. I do these in a deep frying pan with a good lid. Frozen cooked rice and vegetables are good for these and frozen fish fillets can be placed on top of the vegetables to cook at the same time. I often stir in a spoonful of soured cream just before I serve it. They are versatile, nutritious because all the vegetable stock is retained, use less fuel and save on dish-washing.

I’m wondering how many people still eat these sort of meals and yet they are so simple, enjoyable and healthy.

Ideas for these and many other of my recipes are in my Earthy Homemaker’s Cookbook, available through Amazon or myself.

Sorting out some of my books. Too many to fit on the shelves and of course, new ones are always offering temptation. The colder days are good for these kind of jobs when the garden is a bit forbidding. I might have a look at my knitting yarns as well. I haven’t got a project in mind yet but I might do a bit of knitting or crochet before Spring stirs me and draws me back to the garden. Then again, I haven’t embroidered anything for years. There’s a thought.

Winter is a time for reflection. Cosy nights by the fire create the perfect mood for thinking, planning, dreaming of Spring. I hope you’re finding many moments like that. With you again in a couple of weeks. Bye for now.