The wonderful art of preserving food is something that always amazed me. Seeing my mom or grandma piling ripe tomatoes on the kitchen table at the end of the summer and prepping rich tomato sauce in dozens of jars for the winter months felt like such a magical thing to do. Like something you read about in books. Well I have to say that jarring and canning sauces and fruits in syrup is now one of my favorite thing to do during the summer. It is like mentally and physically preparing for the seasonal shift, renewing with our roots of thinking ahead for the colder months.. And opening a can of  homemade tomato sauce in the dead of winter feels like a little bit of summer escaping into your plate.

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#6 LOCAL AND SMALL MAKE IT ALL

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We use to shop from people we knew, living in our neighbourhoods, and although there is so much we have access to in the world now, and we shouldn't keep ourselves from sampling it, choosing to purchase items from local and small shops is a wonderful for the environment, our economy and the small vs massive corporation dilemma. I read this in a crafts market "every time you buy something from a small vendor, they do a little dance. You won't get that in Walmart".

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#7 INVESTING IN OUR THINGS 

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You've probably inherited some things from your grandparents, or even great grandparents, some lamps that are still working, some silverware that is timeless, some bed covers.. People use to invest in good quality items to pass them onto their kids because they lasted more than a lifetime and became part of the family's worth. If we took a page out of our ancestors book, and chose good quality items that we would take good care of, to make sure we can pass them down to our children, along with an earth that isn't littered with broken crap, it would make such a positive difference.

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#8 USE FABRIC

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Fabric use to hold such a special place in our households, and has been replaced by bleached paper towels​, that are not only harmful for the planet and expensive, but absolutely unnecessary. 

To use as paper towels in the kitchen, I like to use old tshirts or coton fabrics cut off in squares, that I keep in a jar on my counter. You can cut them as small as you want, so the can clean a counter top or sponge up a big mess. Then all you have to do is toss them in the hamper and wash them with your clothes. I love to do this cause it is so easy to use and I never ran out of paper towels anymore. 

Same goes for napkins, fabric is much nicer to use than paper, can come in all colours and be reused forever (or at least until they can become cleaning rags themselves !).

If you really want to push it, you can use handkerchiefs as tissues and wash them as often as need be. 

After washing if you want to save a little energy and  stay with the old fashion theme, hang your laundry and dry it in the sun ! It leaves a lovely smell on your clothes and is much gentler for the world. 

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#9 GARDENING

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Although having a full blown vegetable garden is not accessible to everyone, growing some herbes and potted plants is. Reconnecting with the earth, growing some part of your food, however small it can be, is a wonderful tool to feel part of something bigger, feel empowered and feel capable. 

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