Boost Your Vitality with the Taste of Summer
One of my favourite rituals of high summer Conscious Living is heading down to the vegetable garden for the morning harvest of home grown strawberries.
The sweet aroma of these luscious fruits greets me well before the ripe red berries come into view and my taste buds are triggered in anticipation.
Once I’ve filled the basket with enough to enjoy and share, I pick a few plump blueberries on the way back to the kitchen and combine them into a scrumptious breakfast.
Nature’s Bounty
I choose to see this as an extension of my morning practice so I slow down sufficiently to savour each bite of nature’s bounty (most of the time!)
It only takes a little longer than if I was rushing to finish, and the positive impact I carry forwards into my day more than compensates for the extra time.
My intention is to eat mindfully and give attention to each mouthful; this amplifies the enjoyment and leaves me feeling nourished at every level.
Umami
Umami is a Japanese word meaning delicious, and it truly fits the delightful sensation of eating such a nourishing summer feast.
In fact enjoying the flavour of food and drink triggers the release of endorphins which flood the body with a distinctive feel good factor.
It’s a vibrant way to start the day!
Refill Your Inner Well
There’s nothing quite like the taste of organic fruit and vegetables grown in your own back yard.
Yet the principle of savouring taste and aroma to refill your inner well and your stomach can of course be applied to many other “umami” foods and drinks.
Here are a few of my favourites:
- dark chocolate
- freshly ground black coffee
- home grown corn on the cob
- Jasmine green tea
- Kalamata olives
- black cherries
- full bodied wine
- … and did I mention dark chocolate?
The Taste of Summer
Living consciously includes prioritising health and well-being, so what and how you eat is clearly of great significance.
If you’re not inspired or able to grow your own food for any reason, why not treat yourself to one or more of your favourite, healthy and seasonal items on your next shopping trip.
Whenever you can, I also recommend claiming an extra five minutes for your meal and immerse yourself fully in the act of savouring your consciously chosen taste of summer.
Doing so will boost your vitality, uplift your mood, and from my experience, is likely to enhance your whole perspective on the day.
Enjoy!
What foods and drinks give you that “umami” experience? Please share your favourites below.
Definitely dark chocolate!! And fruit ripened under the sun. We are fortunate to have a large organic garden and each day I pick mindfully beans, plums, lettuce and whatever else is saying “Me too.” A joy as you say, Julia, with love and gratitude for Mother Earth.
We’re clearly on the same page regarding all this Jeanine 🙂 The garden is providing so much bounty at the moment it’s hard to keep up! Thanks for sharing your joyful experience.
What I would give to have a little patch of ground on which to garden. Since I live on the 2nd level, I do use my kitchen porch as a space to grow things for my salad. My Tomato plants are beginning to produce little grape tomatoes (which I eat like candy), basil, parsley,and mint. These make for a delicious salad which I relish and eat as mindfully as possible.I am deeply grateful for these gifts from the soil~~grateful for our farmers and all those who grow our food. And Julia~~everything on your list says “yes” to me.
It sounds like you are truly making the most of the space you do have Helen. How delightful that you have tomatoes growing which are so much more delicious than those bought in a shop and herbs to complement them too – good for you! May you continue to bask in the glow of enjoying your home grown produce. Thanks for sharing your experience and showing what can be done with a little imagination even in a small space!