TrumatterLiving: The Joys of Summer
Start your own herbs, make a refreshing bath salt, add summer cheer with decor, and more cozy things to do this summer, in our third stack!
You know what? I can feel it coming in the air tonight. Funnily, I borrow this line from Phil (Collins) so often that I wonder if I should buy the NFT. NFT? Ethereum? Crypto? No? Me neither barring the teeny tiny Google explainers! Haha, hello to the new world of which I know almost nothing about!
Thank God for those old, yellowed, cyclic phenomenas of the world- like a sudden gush of hot air on a dusty, dying February afternoon announcing the change of season or a tuft of fiery fuchsia bougainvilleas sweeping the side walk telling you its time for longer evenings- that assures familiarity. Familiarity of the constant that is change of season and in its own, beautiful way fills me with old joy.
Thank God somethings are unchanged. Things that I know something about and know how to get the best of it!
Celebrate Summer by growing your own herbs
Grow basil, thyme, oregano and rosemary from cuttings and it is really easy to get your own herb garden going at this time of the year. But! take note as each require soil and water to their own liking!
Basil: Take a 4-inch basil cutting right below a leaf node. Remove the leaves off the basil cutting about 2 inches from the end. Make sure the basil cutting is a piece that has not yet flowered. Add in a glass vase with water and change the water once in 2 days. Wait till it roots and then you can re-pot in potting soil. Water every 2 days or when 1” soil layer feels dry.
Thyme: Thyme is a super easy plant to grow at home and all you need is a cutting at a node on the stem. Nodes are where root formations are most successful. Remove the lower leaves and keep a few leaves up top. Add the stems to a glass jar full of water. Change water till roots appear and grow into 2” long. Repot in well drained potting soil, however, make sure the soil has some perlite for easy breathing. Keep the pot in a warm, shaded area. For more success, cut a pet bottle into half and cover the thymeling with the same with the mouth of the bottle pointing upwards. This will create a fine humid climate for the plant to thrive.
Oregano: A fairly easy plant to grow, oregano is that herb that makes everything delicious! You can take stem cuttings 7- 12 cm long from a healthy plant, remove leaves from the bottom half and place the cuttings in water. Make sure the leaves are above the water. Place your containers in a well lit place, avoiding direct sunlight. Renew the water every few days and when the cuttings have grown roots approximately 2-3 long cm your little oregano plants are ready to transplant! Oregano likes its soil drenched so water the cuttings everyday.
Rosemary: Similar to thyme, rosemary can be rooted in water and then transplanted in potting soil when roots appear. The rooting process is also similar. But unlike oregano, rosemary likes its soil dry so water the sapling on alternate days and make sure the soil has perlite. Rosemary will not thrive in wet, soggy soil.
Enough dirt. Take bath you dirty hippie
Haha, something my mom would happily say if she could see me how my Saturdays generally go. But I don’t mind because this bath salt gives me life! A super easy salt to make, you can add it in your tub or the bucket of water for a truly rejuvenating bath. You can also just fill empty jars and keep them in your bath as room fresheners.
You'll need:
1.Lavender essential oil
2.Ylang Ylang essential oil
3.Bergamot essential oil
4.Peppermint essential oil
5.Sea salt- 200 grams- any organic, good brand
6.Epsom salt- 5-6 packages
7.Blue + Green food colour
8.Dried rosemary
Start by mixing epsom salt and sea salt. Now, add one drop of blue food colour
and 2 drops of green food colour to it. Mix well. To this add 4 drops of peppermint, 3 drops of bergamot, 5 drops of lavender and 3 dropss of ylang ylang essential oil. Add dried rosemary leaf. Mix and keep in a glass jar
#TIP: If you don't want a bath salt, you can create your own ocean breeze essential oil blend and add it to your bath water. It'll make you feel fresh through out the day. Mix in the same ratio and store in a glass bottle with dropper.
Say summer with citrus fruits
Right about now, we will take lemons and oranges from anyone, even life, because citrus fruits make the most amazing summer decor ever!
How to use them? Simply add them in a bowl with leafy stems and group them with candles and flowers. In a set of 3! Or, fill a large basket full of oranges and lemons and rightfully add it as your centerpiece.
Or decorate with a stack of books…
Btw, one of my favorite ways to bring in some easy-breezy summer is to stack colorful books and topping the stack with a cup of flowers. Not vase, not mug- a tea cup! And it somehow brings in all the summer cozy vibe into a few centimeter square! Take a look for yourself!
While in winters I tend to reverse the books to get all those gorgeous, winter cozy yellows, in summer I like my colours. Bright and beautiful!
An easy summer focaccia
Summer evenings should be like summer evenings. Easy. And one of my favorite things to have in summer is fo-kah-cha topped with braised onions, tomatoes, basil and olive oil with a sprinkling of sea salt. Of course feel free to open that bottle of white.
You’ll need: 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1.5 tbs of yeast, 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup warm water and a spoonful of sugar.
Proof yeast in half a cup of water for 10 minutes with sugar. Wait till its frothy. Next mix it with flour, add a pinch of salt and knead for 10 minutes.
Proof dough for 40 minutes.
Punch out all the air, shape the dough in a well oiled pan and make dents with your finger. Don't puncture the dough film though. Be gentle. Sprinkle about a tsp of salt on top
Drizzle olive oil on top and stick in some garlic and rosemary, proof for an hour. Bake at 180 degree centigrade for 15 minutes, which has been pre-heated in 220!
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Love, Rukmini
Live these ideas!