No food photos as I’ve been feeling a tad flat and unfocussed, and while still eating well, I just haven’t had the enthusiasm to set the scene and photograph what my kitchen has been churning out. However, after reading the second module of Beauty that Move’s fantastic Whole Food Kitchen course, I have been inspired to take a closer look at how my kitchen works.
We live in an old house, with an equally old kitchen. Devoid of counter top space, and cupboards, and the cupboards that are in place are half the depth of modern kitchens, I am forced to use this space a little more creatively! The white balance setting on my camera was a bit off, so I can’t show you all the corners of my kitchen just now, but here is a sneak peek of how I use my space.
There was just not enough cupboard space to store my pots and pans so with a few screws in place, I have created a very functional hanging arrangement. The space that was once filled by a wood fired combustion stove, is now a shelved space for all my bowls, baking dishes and heavy cast iron pots, slow cooker, pressure cooker, and my kitchen aid (the deluxe model for a brief moment was produced in this creamy buttercup yellow colour – it was love at first sight!) – an absolute luxury that I slowly saved for, but an appliance that has been indispensable in making bread doughs, cakes (I know not healthy but where would a birthday or celebration be without one?!), pastries. The kitchen aid is a workhorse of a machine that has been built to last. Worth every cent. The other indispensable appliance in my kitchen that cops a daily hammering is my high speed blender. I couldn’t justify the cost of the vitamix at the time of purchasing my Lexsun Professional (2L), as I wasn’t certain just how much I would use it. But my word, this unassuming beast of a machine is quite impressive and handles all manner of tasks at times several times a day. However, you can’t unscrew the base of the blender which can be a pain when you’ve made nut butter etc, but as a consequence of having a permanently sealed base, it never leaks.
We are lucky and have the space for chooks (though currently they are not laying – the cooling weather, moulting, the introduction of a rooster, a combination of all 3!), and so the large enamel pot I picked up from a second hand store has been an ideal solution to all our kitchen scraps, which get dutifully delivered to our feathered family. We often have overflow though.
Our pantry is a low shelved affair with a screened airing shelf up top. It is manageable, just. With such low shelves (and uncharacteristically for this kitchen, deep), getting that jar of split peas that sits behind the jar of brown lentils, which sits behind the jar of buckwheat groats…requires a constant unpacking and repacking of the shelf. This does result in many pulses not being used, forgotten and eventually wasted. This is one area in my kitchen that requires greater attention. I also dearly would love a shelf between my fridge and stove. Somewhere to put my utensil crock, hot pots from the stove, the slow cooker…Oh a bench there would be so very helpful!
It has been really interesting and revealing taking Heather Bruggeman’s advice and focussing on how my kitchen works (or doesn’t). I will be taking some of her suggestions on board and spending some time in my kitchen, enjoying the view, with a glass of wine in hand (she mentions having a glass of wine a couple of times in Module 2 – I’m willing to follow that advice!), daydreaming of the kitchen that could be.
simple living 