I’m deep in edits for The Little Book of Lemons (Storey, 2027), and preparing to launch Essential Food Preserving (releases next month!), while also running my own businesses.

While my own life is chaotic in a good way, this is such a chaotic moment generally that it feels hard for us to catch our breath, nonetheless figure out what to make for dinner or to enjoy the process of doing so.  

I’ve been bouncing between deep, philosophical musings on food systems, political systems, etc., and bouts of whimsy and wonder. I don’t think there’s a right answer for how to navigate a time like this, but that’s been what I’m doing.

This newsletter is less a traditional recipe round up and more a “here are some ideas for getting food on the table and for maybe also enjoying life a bit” round-up based on what I’ve been doing. 

It includes a super simple technique for a hazelnut sauce (below) which, if you’re feeling enterprising, can also be made with kimchi or pickle or sauerkraut brine, then drained and pressed to make a vegan cheese (just omit the oil if you do this and plan to let it sit outside the fridge). 

It includes some simple ideas I’ve been sharing with people who are concerned about grocery prices and supplies.
These aren’t magical solutions that will fix everything (if I had those I would have already implemented them), but they will help you stock up with intention, and fix dinner and leave you a little better prepared to care for you and yours. 

You can find more on this by searching for “food waste” in the newsletter archive: I wrote several extensive posts a few years ago offering dozens of ideas for stretching ingredients. 

But primarily I want to encourage you to find a bit of whimsy this week. In the kitchen or outside it. Not because I want you to stick your head in the sand (though, logging off sometimes is healthy, you know your limits and what you need). But because the only way we’ll come through the uncertainty of right now is by leaning deep into our love for the world.

More ideas below, but the tl;dr: Slow down while you cook at least once. Leave your phone out of reach as you cook dinner and let your senses guide you. Let yourself be in your body. Find a flower, a critter, or a lovely object in your immediate environment and let yourself really appreciate them. Find whimsy and joy where and how you can. 

Where to find me this month:

Books!

I’m in Atlanta AND Ireland this month, so most of my work right now is happening online as I bounce between the two places.

This is the last full month to preorder my book, Essential Food Preserving (please use + share this link, which gets me a small commission. Every bit helps!)

Later this month we’ll be launching a lil’ sweepstakes on Instagram for US folks, and I’ll also be offering access to one of my Culinary Curiosity School classes to folks who preorder. 

More details on all of that soon!

Live workshops + book proposal coaching is 50% off

I’m in full book launch mode, so only doing one live, in-person workshop during the next month (in Cork), along with fermenting friend Chlöe Dempsey. More info + ticket link will be announced soon!

I’m still offering private writing + creativity coaching sessions, and book proposal consults (where we outline and/or refine your proposal together in real time) are 50% off this month. 

Head to my calendar to book: No discount code needed.

My 9-month intensive program, Symbiosis, has a spot for one more person to join before I close the doors for the rest of the year. Head here to sign up if that’s you.
If you’re a paid newsletter subscriber or Patreon patron, please use your dedicated discount code! (email me if you need a reminder).

I’m offering private, Zoom-based corporate workshops and private 1:1 and group lessons on fermentation, reducing food waste, and more. These are more affordable than my live, in person workshops, and a good way to work with me live if we aren’t in the same place!

Email me (julia@root-kitchens.com) if you want one.

Simple hazelnut sauce 

This is more process than exact recipe, as many of my on-the-fly kitchen experiments are. 

I’ve found myself with an abundance of hazelnuts, so yesterday I soaked some overnight in a mixture of kimchi vinegar (that recipe is here), plus a steeped-then-cooled lemongrass infusion. 

This morning, I blended it up in my trusty old blender along with some Oliver Farms pecan oil. You could use other oil though, whatever you have to hand. Just add enough to get it moving. 

I’ll use it throughout the week to top roasted veg, grains, and maybe to blend with some dairy in pasta sauces too. It’s savory yet a bit sweet, rich and decadent. 

Some ideas for stocking up on groceries with intention, and without turning into a prepper

Grocery prices and food supply chains are unpredictable, but with a bit of planning, there are simple ways to reduce stress and ensure you’re able to ride the ups and downs more easily:

*Assess what you have: What shelf-stable staples can you use to infill what’s in your fridge, freezer, and pantry for complete meals? 

*What staples do you use the most? Make sure to keep extra around so you don’t run out (I don’t mean prepper-level stocking up, just grabbing an extra container when you’re at the store).

*HOW do you cook, realistically? If you’re scrambling to get dinner on the table in half an hour after work, for example, buying ingredients with a long prep time isn’t realistic unless you’re willing to plan ahead.

*What can you make both for yourself and to barter with others? I’ve traded pickled okra for haircuts, car repairs, yard care, etc. for the last decade. Plus, I get to eat pickled okra, too.

*Use what you have to full effect: The greens on root veg, peels, etc. can all be incorporate into dishes (for more ideas and practical recipes, check out my class Preserving Abundance).

*Buy in bulk used to always be cheaper but, not always now: Be sure to check prices on bulk foods before assuming. Sometimes cheaper prices can be found by using bulk bins at health food stores or at international markets versus larger chain groceries. 

You can find hundreds more ideas in my classes, newsletter, and in my next book, Essential Food Preserving!

Where I’m finding whimsy in chaos

The question is less “where am I finding whimsy?” Than it is “where am I not finding whimsy?!” because friends, I have been really leaning all-in on pleasure and whimsy and creativity and joy. 

The world may be chaos but no one can pry my joy and love out of my hands. If anything, this moment has made me realize more fully how much those things are central to life, more central to my life, and are also central to how I show up for and serve others. In other words, it isn’t selfish for me or you to center creativity, whimsy, love, or joy: It’s how we come out on the other side.

So what does this look like for me practically right now?