Winter tips

Now that South-East QLD has become very chilly, very quickly - some things I am doing in this season to keep warm and support myself:

> good ol' ginger, lemon and honey with an addition of some fresh sage - using my trusty flask, I find I can freshly grate a good tablespoon of ginger, top with boiling water, allow to infuse for 10 minutes and then add finely chopped sage (1 tsp), a good dollop of raw, local honey and juice of half a lemon (at least!) - and it stays warm so it can be sipped in the car, or slowly over an hour or so.

> mineral rich bone broths as a base for meals with the addition of immune-boosting mushrooms: using an organic chicken carcass, a good handful of shiitake and oyster mushrooms (Wulff & Cub shrooms, of course!), and a few litres of filtered water in the crock pot over night. This then can be strained and use as a base for soups, cooking rice, or enjoyed as- is with some lemon juice, salt and pepper (if I have some fresh thyme, sage, parsley I will also add to taste). Remember to take some with you for lunch, nice and warm in your flask as well!

> keeping a cosy scarf handy to keep my neck warm. Sounds like something your gran might suggest, but it works! In traditional chinese medicine, wind physically hitting the neck is seen as a contributing factor to susceptibility to colds and flus.

It can sometimes be the simplest of things that can make all the difference! And once these are part of your winter routine, you can then start adding extras - for example, adding Astragalus root to your broth (a warming, immune supportive herb).