June in a Sustainable Home.

Happy June all. June is my favorite month. A. because its the when I feel like Summer really starts to kick in, (although that felt like April this year with all the amazing weather we have had), and B. because it’s the month of my Birthday!!! As it happens I turn 30 this year so it’s a biggy, we shall see how that goes in lock down. No big night out for me but hey I probably wouldn’t have wanted that anyway and will be quiet happy with some drinks in the garden and sitting out the front with the neighbours. Hooray for fabulous neighbours.

A monthly seasonal sustainable series.

I have decided to start is new monthly series of blogs around seasonal sustainable living. To be quiet honest it’s for me just as much as it is for you, all of your my lovely readers. This is because so often I see nice seasonal things to do in the home and think “Oh I’d love to do that”, “That’s a good idea”, “Oh that looks fab” and then of course forget to do it when the time comes. Or see beautiful pictures on Pinterest/Instagram after the event. Like going to pick wild garlic, why did I not get around to it again this year.

By sitting down at the beginning of the month and having a think of all the things I would like to do in the coming month, searching for some ideas and inspiration, I live in the hope that it will help me live more within the seasons, with nature and more sustainably because I believe by living seasonally it can help us live more a sustainable life. Plus just fun stuff to do at this time of year because who doesn’t want to read about fun stuff.

A list of must do’s in June

have A Seasonal Breaskfast.

Strawberries, Strawberries, Strawberries. You can harvest strawberries from June- August, so it’s around this time you’ll see your first little red gems coming out. Nothing tastes better than those first strawberries on your ceral, especially as you’ll probably only have a few to dot on top of your breakfast. Even less if little hands have been in the dirt picking already as they have in my case.

picking your strawberries in june for a sustainable breakfast

If you’ve yet to get any strawberry plants it pretty much possible to buy strawberry plants all year round these days. There’s probably some hanging around in your local supermarket or garden center. Get them in as soon as possible. You don’t need much space, a window box, balcony on even a pot by your front door step will do. Once their in strawberry plants will keep on giving you fruit for years to come.

Go Elderflower Picking and make some cordial.

May and June are the best months for Elderflower picking. While we maybe have a little more time at the moment for a country walk why not keep an eye out for some. The English Countryside is filled with the stuff.

If you’ve never done it before The Greedy Vegan has a great blog on how to spot it and also how to be respectful when picking it in the wild. There’s no need to take all of the flowers, just what you need and don’t go stomping through the hedgerow. I know of course none of you would but it’s important to be mindful when forging.

Once you’ve got your flowers home pull the flower buds from the stem.

Wash in cold water.

Put 1.5 litres of water in a pan with 500g of caster sugar, the zest of two lemons and bring to the boil. Once boiling reduce the heat, shimmer for 5 minutes or until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Let the sugar syrup cool to room temperature, submerge the elderflower heads in the syrup, add the juice of the two lemons and pop in the fridge for 24 hours. Or longer if you want it stronger.

Strain and Voila.

Now add it to sparkling water or sparkling wine.

Assess your summer wardrobe.

It’s always nice to do a little edit of your wardrobe especially if like me your striving for a capsule wardrobe. The summer edit I feel is the most important (I’ll be doing a full post on this in the coming weeks). It’s the most important because most of my clothes fit into autumn, winter and spring, by adding or taking away layers as the seasons change. When it comes to summer I do love a summer dress or some shorts, most of which I couldn’t wear in any other season. Getting them all out, giving them an air or a wash if necessary, is a satisfying job to in June. It’s at this point you can really think weather all them will still serve you well through this season. Can you inter change them, creating multiple outfits from one piece. Actually, while I think this is important the thing I love about summer is being able to just wear one piece. A floaty dress, maybe with a bikini on underneath. Gosh I love Summer.

Once you’ve accessed what you’ve got you may seem some gaps. It’s not often I suggest going shopping but if your going to do it now’s the time.

It’s highly likely the rest of the country will have been accessing their Summer wardrobes too. We may not be able to go to the charity shops at the moment but we can have a quick look on eBay or Depop to see if there happens to be the thing we are looking for just waiting for us.

If not have a look at some sustainable brands. Look for a classic piece that will see you through for many Summers to come. Some of my favorite brands for summer clothes are Stalf who sell the dreamiest of floaty dresses, Lucy and Yak who do amazing dresses and dungarees to suit all seasons, and Naked Generation, I’m saving this Summer to buy “The Hannah Dress,” clearly they knew by the name it was meant for me to buy.

I understand that many of the brands I recommend are a little pricier than you or I are used to paying but its is so important to me especially at this time to move away from fast fashion brands. You may pay more now but by making sure its piece you will love and will wear for years to come you’ll save on money by not spending on multiple cheaper items, plus your supporting a small ethical brand.

Make the most of midsummer.

Sustainable things to do in June. Walks on the beach.

Midsummers day may be my birthday but that’s not the only reason I love it. The long evenings and warmer days are something to be celebrated. We may not be able to go out and enjoy the pub gardens during lockdown but there are many things we can do this month to make us feel like we’ve made the most of it.

Go for an evening walk and grab an Ice cream,

My favorite thing to do in June is to go out after dinner for a walk along the seafront and buy an ice cream. If you don’t life near the beach I’m sure there’s a cafe near you offering takeout. Grab one and go for an evening stroll. Nothing says summer is here more than an evening stroll.

take your drinks to a beauty spot for the evening.

Those little cans of Pimms or G and T come in handy for this. Unless you think you’ll drink the whole bottle of Prosecco then go for it.

Get a fire pit in your garden.

Lovely long evenings in front of a fire.

Jazz up your summer Salads.

This season is what I call “fancy salad” season. We’re a few weeks into eating all our home grown salad leafs but I’ve been adding extras in from around the garden too. It gets controversial in our house as Mat isn’t so keen but I love herbs and fruity bits in a salad too. Mint, coriander and local apple chopped up into a mix of salad leafs is my current favorite. Last year Mum went through a phrase of growing several types of basil and adding them, which was delicious.

The family favorite is still chive flowers. They taste oniony and make any dull lettuce leaf exciting.