Hello, hello!

Summer is near, the season of warm light, colours and energy. This month we prepare for the bounty of Summer, sharing quick-to-make, bright recipes one would crave at this time of the year. Two recipes, and multiple options, to share and enjoy. With the sun shining, we must remind ourselves, wherever we are, to protect our skin capital. So this month, we are featuring Natalie Jones, entrepreneur and founder of Seasick Sunscreen Co and, in continuity, supporting women in business, Anne, Amandine’s friend who has recently started coaching natural contraception online. Curious? Scroll to know more.

The shifting seasons got us thinking. Politics and policy are becoming increasingly negligent. Inflation and the subsequent cost of living crisis have pulled this into sharper focus. And many people are struggling. Yet, amid these institutional vacuums, the population does not despair. On the contrary, individuals, groups and communities use their creative resilience to find solutions to a crisis. Think about Covid, when the lack of government preparation led to a shortage of masks, which pushed groups to make some themselves at multiple levels of communities. As Navi Radjou said, collective generosity brings simple responses that work for the masses. Our survival requires this society of frugality, and while governments don’t want to say it or see it, sobriety is already there.

That is the strategy to change systems and strengthen resilience for the future. It is happening everywhere. The ways of living, of being, of operating business on our platform and the lessons we can take from them will improve society, communities, and individuals. It is an exciting time. We remain optimistic, and we look forward to sharing more with you.

Fresh and feisty, the mojo picón salsa is the perfect sauce to diversify any dish without complication—particularly adequate in the Summertime when outdoor meals become custom. This savoury sauce, taken from the Spanish cuisine repertory, is bright, colourful and flavoursome, yet so simple and quick to make that it will possibly convert into one of your fridge staples. Give it a go!

We met Natalie Jones online via an email, prompted by reading my reef-safe sunscreen article—I had mentioned hers, Seasick Sunscreen Co. We loved her energy and approach as an independent business owner with long-term thinking for people and our Mother Earth. So please meet Natalie, who she is, her experience, her aspirations and how she built a reef-safe sunscreen brand from scratch. While this interview should interest all of us with skin, it will particularly interest those with an idea they are afraid to put in motion. We hope Natalie’s story inspires you, also.

Are you a mushroom lover? This is your lucky day! We offer you three fast and simple recipes to cook these delicious fungi, sometimes underrated. Now you have options to add nutritious diversity to your meal without complexity, ideal on those short-on-time days or when cooking resources are limited. Add to whatever you want to eat, grains, pasta, roasted veggies, greens, tofu, and enjoy.

Over the past few years, Anne, Amandine’s friend, studied the symptothermal method (STM). Also called basal body temperature (BBT), an approach to self-manage reproductive health and holistically and effectively avoid undesired pregnancy without hormonal contraception or, on the other hand, plan for a pregnancy. Now a FEMM fertility awareness and menstrual health educator, Anne is sharing her knowledge, and her method, providing empowerment over fertility and healthcare in general. If you are looking for an alternative to traditional birth control methods or are simply curious, follow or flick her a DM!

1. I volunteer at the Auckland Permaculture Social Club, helping organise and coordinate gatherings for the permaculture community and beyond. At the last Spring equinox event, the team reunited to visit Ellen Eskildsen’s place. My friend Ellen has been growing an extraordinary food forest for many years. The event was a success and now she has decided to share her knowledge and started teaching in workshops. It is a wonderful opportunity to learn how to create fertile soil and grow your own food forest, among many other things. If you’d like to get in touch, reach out to Ellen on Instagram or by email.
   
   
2. If you don’t understand why we often discuss the relationship between food and planet degradation here, this short video will help you. In 2 min and 45 seconds, it gives an overview of why intensive agriculture is a significant issue and what to do about it. Also, confirming change is on its way.
   
   
3. I spent the last week of my trip to Europe in Spain, at my friend’s house. I have known him for 12 years and love him so much! In addition to spending quality time together, it was a wonderful occasion to share daily life and our meals. My friend and his partner are working hard to tackle health issues related to being overweight and high blood pressure. I prepared some of our favourite recipes, hummus, avocado on toast, pesto pasta, marinated tofu and much more. I taught them new, easy meal staples and, more importantly, to connect to food that will help to improve their general health and well-being. It is not easy to change food habits, even more so in a culture where food is exciting and social but heavily relies on unhealthy animal products. Watching the guys love our food, getting enthusiastic about plant-based eating, and being keen to embrace a different way of eating are simply beautiful—and encouraging to keep going!

1. Discovered via The Realness, Companion hats are made in Aotearoa, created in collaboration with migrants and former refugees, from sustainable textiles, including deadstock and upcycled materials. Considering environmental and social impacts and adhering to slow design principles, Companion represents an ongoing exercise in waste minimisation. I purchased the wide-brim hat in linen, and there are ties, so you do not lose it in a gust of wind on the ferry to Waiheke. It was made by hand by Thawil in Aotearoa from deadstock fabrics. Wearing this hat feels almost intimate.
   
   
2. I grew up watching Unsolved Mysteries, the entire back catalogue is on Amazon Prime, and Unsolved Mysteries is back on Netflix for a third season with episode two, Something in the Sky references this piece from the New Yorker, which is a must-read. It's an eye-opening and mind-bending look into the history of extraterrestrial encounters and how they've been tracked, investigated, and ultimately dismissed. If you are curious about UFOs, this piece will blow your mind.
   
   
3. If the Pandemic taught us anything, it is that we urgently need politics that puts care front and centre. In Aotearoa, increasing crime, poverty and suicide rates all point towards an utterly broken society which reminded me of a Rich Roll Podcast I listened to recently: Dr. Gabor Maté On How Trauma Fuels Disease. The renowned addiction expert and author Dr. Gabor Maté relates society to a petri dish in which the culture is toxic. Today we are too used to seeing secure housing framed as a privilege and not a human right. Amidst soaring housing and food prices, the government had to pacify an estimated 2.1 million workers with the cost of living payment because, despite rising GDP and wealth generation, it has come at the expense of driving wages and salaries down. Community groups and organisations come together to provide the support that the nation either no longer funds or where resources no longer stretch. It has become increasingly difficult to imagine what a caring government would look like. Here is an excerpt from the podcast —"This society that loves you to be addicted, feeling inadequate. This addiction I have is not a disease I inherited but my attempt to escape from pain." Listening to the podcast provides new perspectives and the realisation that Aotearoa is not a caring nation.

Thoughts, questions, you can always direct reply to these emails.
We look forward to hearing from you!

Tracey Creed & Amandine Paniagua