These days, more than ever, we appreciate the importance of health and wellbeing, and place great emphasis on the word “natural”. For many of us, though, this is limited to focusing on what we eat and drink. If we really want to achieve a natural lifestyle and optimum health and wellbeing, we need to take a more holistic approach. And that is what The Art of the Natural Home is about – natural recipes and products for the entire home, from the kitchen pantry to the cleaning cupboard, from your makeup bag to the medicine cabinet.
Of course, food is a key part of this philosophy. For the best part of a decade, my work has involved campaigning and teaching people about what foods we put into our body. From a sustainability perspective, I am concerned with food ethics, not just environmentally but also socially and economically. Trying to be a conscious consumer can feel like an uphill battle at times. Reading nutrition labels is like deciphering the Da Vinci Code and they can be confusing and misleading. Personally, I prefer to avoid fads and trends. Instead, I believe wholeheartedly in simply eating local, seasonal food. It is more important for me to know the farmers and how they raise their animals or tend to their land than to subscribe to a particular label. For me it is quite simple: it is about eating like our grandparents would.
Back in the day (you know, the good old days, before processed foods) they ate local and seasonal food and never wasted a thing. Not because they were hipsters or because it was trendy – no, it was because, back then, local and seasonal foods were cheaper and more available. Waste was just stupid and, unlike today, nobody did it. It was uneconomical and made no sense. People back then had to cook from scratch (even if they weren’t naturally gifted cooks) and make use of everything they could. Sadly, as our lifestyles have changed, this hands-on approach to life is becoming less common and something important is being lost.
Preserved lemons
Makes 4 x 250ml jars
12–14 lemons
220g sea salt
10–20 fresh bay leaves
4–6 cinnamon sticks
4 tsp fennel seeds
4 x 250ml sterilised jars
When life gives you lemons, my new motto is: preserve them! Use them anywhere you want some bitter and acidic addition to your cooking. They are great mixed through salads, pushed under the skin of a chook before roasting or stirred into your boiled rice. Just give them a quick rinse and pat dry before using.
Keep a few lemons aside for extra juice. Quarter the other lemons, keeping their bases on. Squeeze some of the juice (discarding pips) from each lemon into the jar so you have some juice and set aside. Rub a generous amount of sea salt into the centre of each lemon (at least a teaspoon).
Pack the prepared lemons into the sterilised jars with the bay leaves, a cinnamon stick and a teaspoon of fennel seeds in each jar. Sprinkle another two tablespoons of sea salt into each jar. Add enough lemon juice to cover the lemons.
Seal and store in a cool place. Try to store for two months for maximum flavour and preservation.
When ready to use, just rinse with water, then cut away and discard the flesh and slice into the sizes you need. They are great in slow-cooked dishes and sliced super thin in salads.
Detangler
I still remember the feeling as a young girl of wriggling and whingeing as my hair was brushed after being washed. It was and still is to this day prone to knots and tangles. I wish mum had had this detangling treatment to hand back then – it may have made for easier bath times.
Makes 200ml
200ml distilled water
2 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
6–8 drops lavender essential oil
200ml spray bottle
Using a small funnel, pour the vinegar and essential oil into a recycled spray bottle. Add the water, screw on the lid, shake and use as necessary by spraying into the ends of your hair and combing through. Store in your bathroom for up to a year.
Room sprays
When you don’t have fresh flowers but you wish your house smelled like them, try making your own scented spray. Play around with the scents to your liking. Both of these air fresheners will store for up to a year and you may use them as often as you like.
Rosemary, sage and lavender air freshener
Makes 500ml
2 sprigs rosemary
sprig of sage
½ tsp lavender
1 lemon, sliced
500ml water
500ml spray bottle
Put all the ingredients into a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, cover and let it simmer for a further five minutes. Let it cool, then strain the liquid and pour it into a spray bottle. You can add a fresh sprig of rosemary to infuse in the bottle, if you wish. If the sprig is too tall for the bottle, just break it in half.
This will store for up to a year and you can use it as often as needed.
Lemongrass, lime and ginger air freshener
This one is a great pick-me-up air freshener that will give your home a clean, energising smell.
Makes 500ml
1 lime, sliced
1 fresh lemongrass stalk
5cm piece of fresh ginger, crushed under a knife
500ml water
500ml spray bottle
Put all the ingredients into a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, cover, and let it simmer for a further five minutes. Let it cool, then strain the liquid and pour it into a spray bottle. You can add a fresh lemongrass stalk to infuse in the bottle, if you wish.
Everyday tonic for health
Take this daily as a tablespoon or shot. At first it will be a little hard to handle but persevere and after a week or so your body will crave the acidity and in turn keep the benefits from all of the incredible herbs and spices.
Makes 300ml
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1cm of fresh ginger, peeled
2.5cm of fresh turmeric, peeled
1 lemon, peeled
1 tsp horseradish
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tbs raw honey
300ml organic raw apple cider vinegar
Put the garlic, ginger, turmeric, lemon and horseradish through a juice extractor, then mix in the other ingredients. If you don’t have a juicer, grate the garlic and all the roots, squeeze in the lemon juice and some zest and mix with the other ingredients.
Edited extract from The Art of the Natural Home by Rebecca Sullivan (Kyle Books, $39.99. out in Australia in May).
To order a copy in the UK for £16.14, go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min. p&p of £1.99.
