Rose Cottage

 This week, I invited you to pose a few questions - thank you for entering the conversation!  Most of your inquiries were about some of my interests - spirituality, crafts, and studying Cherokee - where did they begin? All are rooted in growing up wi th my parents - nurtured and inspired by their love, and inspired by their interests. We each had our own take on these - and i was encouraged to deepen with my own.   Lois • Nadya • Byrle - 1962 I'm an only child, and my parents were 37 and 40 when I was born!  My mum had polio during the epidemic in 1921, and was on crutches from her teens until she was 85, and went into a wheelchair for the next 7. Her mama encouraged her to do what she could for herself, and she did! Lois was plucky and self sufficient, training as a secretary, and working around the state for the Farm agency. My folks met at Grange (a Fraternal farm organization) in the 30s, when AB came to Central Oregon to farm with his brother. I was impres...

 On the weekend I was able to get Natto at Market of Choice in Bend - I'm excited to try this commercial Natto from Portland! I also got organic dried soybeans in the bulk section.  Mischievous natto I find the taste quite mild, and reserved some to use for starter. I'm trying a new fermenting method - it's in a baking dish on my seed starting mat for 24 hours - then it will ferment another day in the fridge.  Natto fermenting on seed mat I streamed the beans, mixed in a spoonful of natto, then spread them out in the baking dish. I laid an opened compostable sandwich bag on the surface of the beans, having poked holes with a toothpick. The whole dish was placed in a larger bag, and set on a potholder in the tray over the seed warming mat. I'm hopeful they will develop the nattokinase 'halos'! Here's a quick tutorial Natto (L) Steamed soy beans (on Rt) I'm excited to add more of this heart, gut and bone healthy food to my repertoire! Recent studies show t...

 Yesterday I crotched a little Nebaaru-kun amigurumi ❤  Nebaaru-kun and Raku vase  I've been reading 'Cultured, how ancient foods can feed our microbiome,' by Katherine Harmon Courage. Her chapter on bean ferments, including Natto, (popular in Japan) had this sweet bit: 'In Japan, charming characters pop up almost everywhere - on mobile phones, on bags, practically out of the ether. There are countless cute animals, but there is also a cranky egg and a depressed burned roll. 'And the character de résistance: Nebaru-kun, or Little Sticky Boy. ... He is the natto character, meant to represent the dynamic nature of natto!' I found this amigurumi cupcake pattern , which even included a cherry on top, that I adapted for the topknot! In Japan, human in Nebaaru-kun costumes can stretch up/ spring tall, to mimic the sticky natto threads. Nebaaru-kun In process Fermented foods are eaten in cultures around the world, and are often included daily by folks who live lon...

 In this recent video , Sachiaki Takamiya talks about different ways we can protect our gut health, which in turn enhances our general health.  Picked garlic, cilantro, Miso, Kim chi, tofu Many of these concepts are familiar and  ones I already incorporate into my life.  Living on the West Coast, I have enjoyed rice, Miso and yes, tofu for decades.  Moderate movement - ideal if it's both enjoyable and not overly strenuous.  Last year i discovered the Japanese morning exercises in comments on another health thread.   Doing movement that exercises arms and legs for 6-10 minutes early in the day 'turns on' our lymph flow - increasing the benefits of movement throughout the day! I also enjoy Qigong, Breema, gardening, walking and dance, and encourage other folks to find movement they enjoy! Sleep and stress - as Sachiaki mentions, getting adequate sleep is so helpful for general health. And keep manageable stress at a minimum - slow down! One tip f...

  Fermented foods come in many forms, and can offer great support for gut health.  Asian countries have many processes for fermenting beans - in Japan, one of these is Natto. I was intrigued to discover rather than purchasing inoculant, you can use a handful of mint stalks! (The first Natto was likely made using rice stalks.) Natto with avocado and fresh herbs On his ikigai diet youtube channel, health enthsiast Sachiaki Takamiya offers videos with  tips and recipes for making this superfood at home, plus info on healthy lifestyle. Protein levels in fermented beans are often double that in the same beans when simple cooked.  I enjoyed this video , highlighting 4 generations of a family (4-88) evoking good health and daily natto, plus the process and health benefits.  In the Shiga prefecture, it is common for elders to eat soybean natto several times a week, along with seaweed, vegetables and other whole and fermented food. As in the Blue Zone Okinawa, many cont...