Glorious food, the self-sufficient way

I'm a huge foodie. Having been veggie for about 15 years, last year I dabbled with veganism. I sort of dipped in and out of it, mainly because of cheese. I found it hard to give up cheese completely, especially when faced with stilton after a glass of port! 

Anyway, on my journey to being vegan I've picked up a few good recipes, hint and tips, and I am now able to use ingredients that I've never even heard of before like nutritional yeast flakes, tapioca flour and vital wheat gluten. I am able to make Setain (no, not like the devil!) which is basically the vegan version of quorn (yup, quorn's not vegan because it uses egg white).

I've also found out some surprising facts like some granulated sugars may not be vegan because in the manufacturing process bone char is used to decolourize the sugar (always ask or read the label). Also some wines may not be vegan. Blood powder or egg white is occasionally used to clear the wine, so always read the label.   

In my quest to give up cheese for good I've done some research. It turns out that dairy cheese and milk contains quite a lot of udder pus. Because cows get pumped with hormones and all sorts of crap to over-produce milk, they end up all inflamed and much of the pus ends up in the milk and cheese we eat. I wonder if that's enough to put me off cheese... I hope so! Also, quite contrary to popular belief, milk may be damaging to bone health as well as increasing your risk of breast, colon and prostate cancer, Epstein, S. S. Potential public health hazards of biosynthetic milk hormones. International Journal of Health Services, 20:73-84, 1990.

So enough of this. Now for the food. Here's my typical, lovely breakfast! Chopped fruit sprinkled with organic flaxseed, topped with a dollop of fresh homemade live soy yogurt and homemade jam (made with homegrown berries). Delicious and nutritious! 

Since we have grown lots of fruit and veg on our allotment, we've been trying to eat as much of it as possible. I've become incredibly good at making stuff from potatoes, sweet and savoury. Later on I'll put up a pic of my lunchtime potato and cucumber soup. For this evening I'm planning Gnocchi with tomato sauce (all homemade and home grown!). Can't wait. Must get on with crafts now!

4 hours later...

Right, break from crafting means lunchtime. Daniel and I have grown enough potatoes and cucumbers to last us for a year or so! So for the past few weeks, since we've dug them up and picked the cucumbers, we (mainly me) have been inventing recipes that will allow us to eat everything we've grown before it goes bad. 

I've always loved making and eating thick vegetable soups because they're so easy to make and so delicious. So far this one is my favourite one: Spiced potato and cucumber soup with natural soy yogurt and mint. 

It's pretty simple. You just boil some potatoes and cucumber until tender. Add a tablespoon of vegetable broth powder (I use the vegan version of Marigold Swiss bouillon powder) and a good pinch of salt, cayenne pepper, ground cumin and ground coriander. Blitz it with a stick blender and top with a dollop of yogurt, and a mint leaf (optional). Eat!

This soup reminds me of when I was a Polish kid, living in Poland. Two of my favourite soups were zupa ogórkowa and zupa ziemniakowa. In this recipe I just combined the two and it's heavenly :) From what I remember, zupa ogórkowa recipe used gherkins and dill, and just the thought of it makes me salivate madly. Being a Pole, I love all pickled and sour things like gherkins, sauerkraut, curdled milk, pickled beetroot, and before my vegan days pickled eggs. My recipe used fresh garden cucumber, like the ones you buy from a supermarket for salads, and it still imparts a lovely cucumber taste so use whatever you have :) 

Ooh, I should also point out that if you have a cucumber in your fridge that's gone a bit soggy and you don't fancy it in our salad or sandwich anymore, this soup is the perfect place for it! You should always aim to waste as little as possible :)

Later on I'll post pics of my Gnocchi with tomato sauce.

Today's craft hour during The Great British Bake Off

So, after a busy day in the lab I got home and crafted this lovely sun-dried tomato wreath. I'm obsessed with hearts. I haven't counted exactly, but at a guess I must have about 30 hearts scattered around my house. Each one is made of a different material ranging from wood, to metal, to clay, to peanuts!

This one is quite simple but ever so pretty and very aromatic. It looks lovely in my kitchen and makes it smell heavenly too.

For this heart I used strong but pliable piece of wire and bent it into the shape of a heart, and threaded tomato pieces onto it. I twisted the ends with pliers to stop the heart from coming apart and attached twine for hanging and presto! In the time it took me to watch the latest episode of The Great British Bake Off I had made a lovely heart. I can never just sit there and watch telly. I always have to have something else on the go like knitting, crocheting, crafting, baking, sanding, varnishing, painting, etc... Lovely :) x

My craft room heaven

Well, here it is. My craft room looking unusually neat and tidy! In about 2 hours time it'll look like a bomb site. There's a tendency for my crafting to get out of hand and my fiance frequently refers to it as 'craft explosion'.

On occasions I have been told to clear up the craft explosion or else! I start clearing things when I see Daniel reach for the black bin bag. This is an old trick my mum used to use to get me to tidy my room. I am ever so slightly ashamed to admit that at the age of 31 someone still has to use this tactic to get me to shift! Ah well, I suppose I shall never change now and I wouldn't even like to change. I love my organised creative mess.

I always have work in progress. There are paintings that have been waiting to be finished for years, knitting that has sat there for decades and other crafts that will one day be finished, just not sure when. You can also see there's lots of 'junk' on the floor. Yup, I am a bit of a hoarder. I keep just about everything to use in my upcycling projects. Today I recycled a whole bag of cardboard I have been storing for projects that never came to fruition. It sometime surprises me what I keep!


I am currently working on bottle caps/tops art/sculpture type thing. It's in early stage (i.e. in my imagination!). Watch this space. Back to the craft room for now :) xxx

Bank holiday weekend bonanza

Possumology has had an awesome bank holiday weekend. Not only did we win lots of awards at the Allotment show, we have also sold three of our favourite items from our Folksy shop! Here, they are. Now that I've tidied my craft room , it'll be a pleasure to spend this Monday bank holiday making lovely things :) A photo of my craft room is coming up x

Scroll saw

Since I received a scroll saw for my birthday, I have been making bunting for sale on Folksy http://folksy.com/shops/Possumology. I have always been obsessed with making things from wood. This obsession started when I built my own dolls house from a 6x6ft piece of plywood. The new saw makes intricate pattern cutting really easy. I adore it! Massive thanks to my lovely fiance, Dr Daniel Hart Baker. Over the next few months I have many projects planned and will be uploading lots to Folksy. If you love pretty things make from wood, be sure to check back every now and then :)

Winning awards at the annual Allotment show

This is me winning a few trophies at the annual Allotment show! I entered my own fruit, veg and craft and won 16 awards!

Welcome

Hello all,

I am Laura and I am the artist and designer behind the Possumology label, currently based in Staffordshire. My training is originally in fine arts, however I am increasingly inspired by nature, abstract arts and crafts, and sculpture. My philosophy in life is simple: reduce, reuse and recycle, and spread as much love, kindness and happiness as humanly possible.

I will be posting mainly about craft and the latest items for sale. As well as being a self-confessed craftoholic, I am also into sustainable living, cookery and science so from time to time I'll be posting about my allotment, my healthy veggie cooking and the research I am currently involved in.

A bit more about Possumology. Possumology goods are created by using a mixture of new, recycled and vintage items. Where possible, craft materials are sourced locally and ethically, and always aim to support small businesses in Britain and in developing countries. All items are suitable for vegans (but we don’t suggest you eat them!).


You can buy my crafts on http://folksy.com/users/Possumology. You can also see us on facebook http://www.facebook.com/Possumology, twitter https://twitter.com/possumology and pinterest http://pinterest.com/Possumology/.

All money made from Possumology sales will be donated to various animal and vegan charities. We've just made a considerable donation to Dr Hadwen trust for humane research http://www.drhadwentrust.org/. Next week we plan to donate to the Society for Abandoned Animals http://www.saarescue.co.uk/.

I hope you enjoy this blog and check back regularly :)

Love x