Minimalism

[minimalist-you]

Welcome to my new article where I write about a healthier lifestyle using an ancient concept from India called Ayurveda.

If you are not familiarized with this term, Ayurveda is an ancient diet to keep health throughout the year by adapting meals and ingredients on any season. Ayurvedic diet was initiated in ancient India and now is largely known worldwide.

[minimalist-you]

Being yourself and loving others

Being yourself in changing times How do you begin to love yourself? All too often we find people scrunching up their nose at the mention of

#blog about loving oneself during difficult times

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Making it Hygge, a short blog post by Pottery Sol y Tierra

Enhancing this ambiance to release calm, cozyness and well-being...this is what We offer at Pottery Sol y Tierra. Live Hygga with our exclusive products

When scrolling down on our newly updated website www.solytierra.shop you will discover a short tinny text section with the only words of :

Inspired by the Sun and the Earth, we strongly believe that creating a comfortable atmosphere with textured raw materials help us to connect with the essence of happiness, joy and cozyness.

This is as short as important for us.

What do candles, fire pits and dinnerware sets have in common?

The common points aren't in the products in them selves, but in the moments that we can create with those items.

In these COVID-19 era that we live in, the protective measures that were implemented are necessary, but can also have significant effects on peoples emotional wellbeing. Fear, anxiety, anger and sadness are increasing, because of the closure of schools, the distance from peers and adapting to new methods of learning and working, but also because of balancing of work and choirs at home, taking care of the children, fear of losing your job and the family livelihood.

More than ever before, we should be taking care of ourselves by creating an atmosphere to invite calm, comfort, well-being, courage...all these ingredients to create those memorable little moments to be called Hygge.

Spending some time at the yard and lighting up a small bone fire on the handmade clay chiminea , setting up some handmade festive oil lamps to welcome your hygge moment, prepare a delicious meal on these unique black dinnerware sets or just sit down and relax under the warm ambiance of these handmade pendant lights...all these will enhance serenity, warmth, cozyness whilst taking care of your well-being.

We love what we do, as we enjoy all the moments that we'd lived while using our products, we want you to do so, for this reason we offer exclusive products at a very affordable rates. 

You can find our products on our website, on our Canadian Amazon store, on our US Amazon store  or on our ETSY store

Live the experience by following our social media on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

We will be winning this COVID-19 battle all together, stay safe

Bernat from Pottery Sol y Tierra

[minimalist-you]

This one hack to present food as exotic and inexpensive as never before (2 min read)

Earthen dinner sets are the most traditional and affordable way to present your fav exotic recipes. Learn how here https://solytierra.shop/blogs/news

Hello and thanks for being there.

Today I will reveal the hack that you need to present your next meal as exotic and inexpensive as possible.

When we started importing this new line of unglazed clay cookware and tableware, we thought of providing an unique product to all food lovers.

The ones that cook and the ones that take the extra mile and opt for presenting the recipe as close as possible as the place it had been inspired of.

All the products of our Collection: Terracotta are handmade with organic, lead-free clay.

All the products on this collection are dishwasher, oven and microwave ready.

While resistant, these are made with only natural clay, no chemicals had been mixed to protect your health.

Clay pots and dishes are easier to maintain that it seems. 

The benefits of cooking on unglazed earthen pots are amazing. Earthen pots retain the oil and give moisture to food so you don't add unnecessary fat to make your food tastier. It is said that clay pots add many important nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium and sulfur to food, which are extremely beneficial to our body.

But We were to talk about how to present food as exotic as possible, let's dive into it:

When preparing your fav Indian recipe, as thali meal, paneer, any kind of butter chicken, masala...you want to give it the final touch, the one that "wows" the audience.

Wouldn't be great to surprise your guests for your next meal presentation?

We launched this complete Dinner Set, made of 8-pieces, at only 39.99$.

With this set, you will have:

1 full-sized plate (10"), 

1 mug

4 serving bowls (not soup bowls, these are to present side dishes)

2 mini bowls (for side sauce)

This is the traditional way to present indian known thali recipe.

Thali is a meal made of several little meals; it feels like eating a bite of different meals at once. 

Actually, thali means plate, or plate of plates, we might add. As per Wikipedia,  Thali is a word used to refer to an Indian-style meal made up of a selection of various dishes which are served on a platter.

Would you guessed that 8-pieces handmade earthen dinnerware could cost 39.99$ ?

You can find this bargain on our website at Pottery Sol y Tierra or even on Amazon.

Sice we strive to offer fast shipping, we created two Amazon offers, one for the Canadian customers and another one for our American customers. As always, We grant a 30-days money back guarantee (but nobody returns these beauties ;) )

The links are:

Amazon US Handmade Earthen Dinner Sets

Amazon Canada Handmade Earthen Dinner Sets

Wherever you are a foodie, an indian food lover or a pottery collector, you will love these products.

We ship internationally too! don't hesitate to send us a message with your address and order, we will give you the lowest shipping rate possible.

Stay safe, stay loved!

Bernat, from Pottery Sol y Tierra

[minimalist-you]

The Health Benefits of Cooking on Earthen Vessels: Supercharge Your Diet

The Health Benefits of Cooking on Earthen Vessels: Supercharge Your Diet is about eating healthy by using handmade clay pots. Follow me through this interesting 5-minute read and join this healthy lifestyle by using terracotta pots

The Health Benefits of Cooking on Earthen Vessels: Supercharge Your Diet

Earthenware pots are handmade and can be found at some handmade Etsy store. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors!

In this blog post we will discuss the health benefits of cooking with earthen vessels.

Cooking foods on clay pots is said to provide a number of health benefits including improving mineral absorption, increasing nutrient content in food, reducing exposure to toxins by sealing in moisture and flavorings.

Would you like to read about making your meals look beautiful? Read my last blog post here

  - Cooking with clay pots is said to reduce the amount of nutrients lost when boiling vs aluminum cooking pots.

- Clay pot cooking helps keep minerals and vitamins from escaping into air or water, retaining more than 12% more calcium that aluminum or stainless steel cookware.

- The porous surface on a handmade casserole pot provides an ideal environment for food to cook slowly and retain all the nutriments and fibers that are on it.

- Clay pots have a lid to keep the flavors in, so you get the full flavor and all the nutriments to boost your healthy lifestyle.

- The clay pot also locks in moisture which helps preserve food's flavor, color, texture and nutrients; as opposed to releasing them into water or air like metal cookware does when heated.

  The Health Benefits of Cooking on clay are excellent to keep a balanced diet while not changing your eating habits.

Clay vessels can be used to prepare a wide range of recipes as handi, goulash, casseroles, Vegetable ragouts and ratatouille.

Baked potatoes.

Whole chickens, Cornish hens, and ducks, along with vegetables.

Meatloaf.

Baked ziti or lasagna.

Stews and casseroles.

Baked cheese, such as feta, with olives and fresh oregano

Bread puddings

Fruit cobblers

Whole grain breads

...and many many more. They are widely used in India, Pakistan and Eastern Europe but now you can also benefit of it by learning these easy tricks on how to use clay cooking pots.

Earthen vessels are also beneficial in the kitchen because they provide a much more stable temperature than metal pots, meaning you don't have to worry about hot spots and cold spots. They're not porous so any food on them is sealed off from outside bacteria or viruses that might cause spoilage. And finally, clay cooking pottery can last long time by just following these easy steps (read below)

1. Preparing Clay Pots Prior to First Use:

Take the earthen pot and immerse it in water for a couple of hours.

You can also leave it immersed in a sink filled with water overnight.

Remove from water and let the pot dry completely.

2. Seasoning Clay Pots:

Take any vegetable oil and rub it nicely all over the pot.

Fill the pot up to ¾ level with water and cover with the lid before placing it on your stove at low temperature for 2-3 hours. You can also keep it in your oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit instead.

Bake the pot for 2 to 3 hours before removing from the heat. Let it cool down before washing. This process hardens the pot, makes it crack resistant and also helps in getting rid of the clay smell.

3. Before Cooking:

Submerge the clay pot in water for approximately 15 to 20 minutes before cooking food so that the pot absorbs water. The steam released as the pot gets heated slowly helps in preventing the food from drying out while maintaining its natural flavours.

Ensure proper temperature settings because a sudden increase or decrease in temperature may lead to cracks or breakage. Place the pot in the centre of the oven and let it slowly heat. Always cook food on low or medium heat.

4. While Cooking:

The ideal cooking temperature should be between 190 degree Celsius and 250 degrees Celsius. Unlike metal cookware, clay pots take longer to heat, therefore, on an average, cook the food for 15 to 20 minutes longer in comparison to your regular pots.

While cooking food in a clay pot, the temperatures need to be set approximately 40 degrees Celsius higher than your regular cookware. In case, the recipe has a longer duration, it is suggested that you cook on low heat.

Never add cold water or cold spices while the pot is hot as it may lead to breakage or cracks. If required, add only warm water.

5. Post Cooking:

Always use oven mittens or any kind of bakers pad to lift the hot pot.

Place the pot on a mat, wooden surface or kitchen towel. Placing a hot pot on a cold surface may lead to cracks.

Be careful of hot steam while removing the lid of the pot.

These are some basic steps that would help in making cooking more effortless and easy while using clay pots.

You might also want to know how to clean clay pots, right?

How To Clean Clay Cookware?

Taking care of your clay pot is important too, therefore, follow these simple steps while cleaning your earthen cookware:

As far as possible, make sure you hand-wash the clay pots and avoid putting them in a dishwasher.

Immerse the pot in warm water to loosen the bits of food.

Do not use harsh chemical detergents and avoid excessive scrubbing.

A mixture of baking soda and water can be applied to the pot for removing the strong smell of certain ingredients.

If any kind of mould gets formed, put salt or baking soda on a scrub pad and gently remove the mould.

Boil the pot in water for 20 to 30 minutes to unclog the pores.

Never use detergent or soap to clean the clay pots. The pores may absorb the soap and lend a soapy flavor and taste to your dishes.

Are you finding this blog post interesting? I prepared a few mont frequent asked questions, here we go:

FAQs

Following are some frequently asked questions about cooking in clay pots:

1. Which Is Better: Glazed or Unglazed Cooking Pots?

Though there are both varieties of pots available in the market, it is recommended to pick up unglazed pots. Because no matter what claims the manufacturers may make, the glazed pots would contain harmful chemicals. These pots emit harmful toxins when they are heated up or during the process of cooking.

2. Can Clay Pots Be Used on a Gas Stove?

Yes, you can use clay pots on your gas stove. However, it is important to keep the temperature under check because extreme temperatures may break the pots. Using a heat diffuser can prevent extreme heat exposure to the clay pot.

3. Are Clay Pots Toxic?

Clay pots are very safe for cooking. To be doubly sure, we recommend picking up unglazed pots rather than semi-glazed or glazed ones as there are chances of toxic emission because of the chemical used for glazing these pots.

4. Can Clay Pots Go in the Fridge?

Yes, you can place a clay pot in your refrigerator but make sure it cools down completely or else it may crack or break.

If you haven’t got hold of a clay pot until now, we suggest getting one and experiencing the goodness of health and flavour that is lacking in usual cookware or utensils.

  As a conclusion, you may have wondered where to find nice handmade clay pots now?

Here below you will find some interesting links:

Etsy Store for buying clay pots 

Pinterest inspiration about using clay cooker 

  Please find the most read articles are:

Top 3 benefits of clay pot cooking 

One hack to present food as exotic and inexpensive as never before

Easy and delicious tikka masala recipe explained

Thanks for reading, please go find my other blog posts here https://solytierra.shop/blogs/news

Bernat from Pottery Sol y Tierra

[minimalist-you]

5 steps to enhance coziness with pottery

5 steps to enhance coziness with handmade ceramics Making your home welcoming for your family and friends is a great way to show appreciation. Making your home cozy is a great way to start. Make it easily with this 5-step guide by Pottery Sol y Tierra

5 steps to enhance coziness with pottery

Do you want to easily create little unforgettable moments?

Adopt the hygge lifestyle. Hygge Is a Nordic word meaning a feeling of “well being.”

It describes a special feeling of minimalism coziness that can be created in simplicity, as you want it, as you feel it. This is an intimate moment that you set up to enjoy observation with one self.

North-Europeans are credited for popularizing this lifestyle, Scandinavians have all honed the concept of hygge (pronounced hue-guh) over decades. It’s a way to combat the long, dark winters in that area of the world and can be exported to all other cold areas...or just used on all those moments when we feel the need of warmth, comfort and reassurance.

At Pottery Sol y Tierra, we love this philosophy; actually this is the connected thread to all our products, to create beautiful moments everyday. around beautiful products..for you and for yours.

...so let's celebrate coziness together with these 5 easy steps

CELEBRATE COMPANIONSHIP 

Hygge celebrates a welcoming coziness that instills that feeling in yourself and others of never wanting to leave. You’ve felt hygge when your dinner guests stay into the wee hours of the night just basking in each other’s company and laughter. It’s a feeling of experiencing plenty without the stuff. Instead, it’s more about an abundance of compassion, understanding, fun and friendship. 

Though hygge is associated with the cuddly aspects of keeping warm during cold winter months, it’s a way of life even in warmer seasons when there’s joy in the air then, too. Sitting outdoors solo or with others under the expanse of a bright, starlit sky can unleash a heart-centered feeling of well-being that transcends words. Regardless of the season, slowing it down is one way to generate genuine feelings of hygge.

Using these handmade unique dinnerware sets is a great way to enhance these unique moments, find yours here

  CELEBRATE IMPERFECTION 

Hygge interior design isn’t something you can buy or precisely plan. It’s something you can cultivate as a state of mind over time. The notion of hygge foregoes perfection. Instead, it embraces a feeling of welcome-ness in your home that goes beyond the size of your floor plan or the flawlessness of your decor. You can feel hygge in a studio apartment as well as in a sprawling five-bedroom home. It’s in older homes as well as new construction. The ability to create hygge has more to do with the intangible, and sometimes messy, qualities of lovingness and thankfulness.

The concept of hygge, however, doesn’t usually embrace overwhelming clutter. To feel hygge, you have to make it simple, light and to banish clutter in your home by gently organizing your stuff and ridding your home of things you don’t want or use.

Handmade pottery gain value when is not perfect, since handmade products are in them selves...imperfect. Those little imperfections bring up the art of hand crafting unique products. Visit ours here

  CELEBRATE SIMPLICITY

Surround yourself with simplicity. This leads to feelings of hygge. Simplicity means you have only the items you truly love around you. They give you joy when you use them or look at them. One of hygge’s unspoken principles is to avoid having too much plastic in your home and instead focus on natural materials. An edited, well-chosen assortment of beloved products helps create a calm atmosphere. 

  CELEBRATE SANCTUARY 

  Doesn’t everyone want to come home to their own sanctuary? If you feel that when you walk into your home, you’ve found hygge. Creating your sanctuary is personal. It may mean infusing your interiors with more of your memories, experiences, travels, beliefs, tastes and personality. Adding these little handmade clay colorful candles is an easy way to create this sanctuary. Diyas are handmade candles coming from India...make them yours now here

  CELEBRATE THE TEXTURES

One of the concepts of hygge has to do with raw textures. They’re a way that Scandinavians find comfort in a perpetually cold environment. There’s no shortage of color, size, style and type of pottery that can bring that hygge touch into your home, and in your outdoor rooms. For safety, choose handmade organic clay pottery only. They’re are designed to be used for drink or eat in the most healthy way

Beyond mugs and bowls, cook pots are a great way to fully enjoy your meal prep. You don’t want it complicated – this can be less relaxing. Create a hygge diet by using organic ingredients and feel how this healthy living elevates not only your health but your well-being. 

With a sense of hygge, even in your meals, you’ll know that everything will be just fine. Create the hygge atmosphere in your home by using these ideas, and you’ll always feel that cozy touch.

Thanks for joining our path to simplicity...we are all in this together

Bernat from Pottery Sol y Tierra

[minimalist-you]

5 essential steps to embrace minimalism

Are you feeling limited and under valued? Read this short article about how to regain your own value and self-esteem by embracing minimalism.

5 essential steps to embrace minimalism

Work and taxes. Growing up, I remember hearing adults say that those were the only two things you couldn’t get out of. And as unpleasant as work and taxes are, in a way the statement gave me the need to find an escape.

Yes, for most of us, work and taxes are inescapable, but the rest? Totally up to me! I get to decide what matters in my life, and it’s going to be awesome. As I grew up and had children of my own, however, that list started to grow exponentially. I'd to work hard, having the feeling that I wasn't making that much!

Being a single father had been hard, limiting, but at the same time, so fulfilling ! I'm grateful to have been able to pass through all the hints and still having the energy to manage my tiny business...and to write this blog :)

Work, household chores, acquiring stuff, social commitments, climbing some invisible ladder of success, and the list went on and on. It was as though all of a sudden my “have to’s” had gotten to be too much for me to bear.

How can one person handle all this?

I was listening to a podcast recently interviewing two working dad's, and I kept hearing that same phrase over and over. I “have to” throw my kids an extravagant birthday party. I “have to” take this important business trip. I “have to” stay at the office late tonight.

It seems as though I’m not alone. Our have's to..are they real or just a remaining of the social pressure that we all inherited?

Why do we constantly add more “have to’s” to our list when they really are optional? Of course there are certain things that are out of our control, but it is much less than we imagine.

We make choices, we decide what our priorities are, and we give up certain things to gain others. Adding more and more to our list of “have to’s” is killing us. Because if everything matters, then nothing matters.

The essentials of becoming minimalist

With that in mind, I want to share a few ways I’ve tried to eliminate many of the “have to’s” in my life.

1. Replace attempts to control with a recognition of agency.

I constantly have to fight against my desire to control. I know that control is an illusion, but that doesn’t make it any easier. Recently I discovered the concept of agency, and I love how it can change our approach to life.

The definition of agency is the capacity to make choices and the power to act on them upon your own persona. Although I can’t control outcomes, I do have agency, so I can accept my fate since I do my choices.

I can think about something I want, and act on that thought to make it a reality. This can apply in the smallest areas and also the largest goals you have in life. You may not be able to control outcomes, but you do have the power to decide and act.

2. Recover your intrinsic value.

You must recover your sense of worth outside of anything you do or achieve. Everything in your schedule doesn’t just happen—it was put there. When we forget our value, we forget what really matters to us. We are valuable and We should be the first ones to acknowledge it.

We let others define our values and priorities. We begin to say yes to everything, and wonder why we are left so exhausted and drained?..well, mainly because we are living our lives at other people's paces!

We don’t value our own time and abilities, and therefore We tend to sell them to the lowest bidder. Knowing your worth is the start of changing this pattern.

3. Visualize how you want things to be. Say it out loud, and write it down.

Had you heard about setting up your vision board?

Steve Harvey has great motivational videos about

I recently cleaned out my bookshelf and found notes from a life coaching course that I took a few years ago. Those were notes of NVC (Non-violent communication) As I thumbed through my notes on how I wanted my life to look in five years, I was awestruck.

Almost everything I had written down had come to pass. I couldn’t believe it, but it was right there in front of me, plain as day. When you have a clear picture of what you want, say it out loud and write it down. There is power in externalizing those thoughts and dreams.

When you have a clear picture of where you want to be, you will be more focused on getting there. The real “have to’s” will become much more clear.

4. Be honest with yourself about your choices.

Choosing one thing is saying no to another. We are finite beings with limited time, energy, and resources. When I was listening to the dad's on the podcast I mentioned earlier, it was obvious that they were feeling the pressure to choose between their startup company or their families, and that pressure is real.

I feel it every day. But the beauty of life lies in its finitude—everything is fleeting, so everything is more precious. Living in light of that reality helps us to choose what matters most in each moment.

For me, one moment that is my family, and the next it is my business. Being honest about my own motivations and clear about what I may be giving up helps me to know that although my choices are never perfect, they reflect what matters to me and the kind of life I want to have.

5. Replace “have to” with “get to”.

“Have to” is more a state of mind than a list of duties. Approaching life with a sense of gratitude can switch so many of the “have to’s” around.

I love this quote from Albert Einstein: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

As silly as this may sound, some of the more mundane responsibilities in our lives have much to teach us if we will slow down long enough to listen. I used to want to use all my power to escape the mundane, and since becoming a father, a single one, I have witnessed some of the most magical moments in our family everyday.

As you begin to eliminate some of the more burdensome “have to’s” from your list, remember that some of them may be there to help build your character in the long term.

Here’s to defining our “have to’s” on our own terms, and keeping a sense of gratitude and wonder along the way.

Since I embraced minimalism and got rid of clutter, I experienced the need to be surrounded by meaningful objects, pottery is the main one.

Handmade pottery dinner sets, earthen cooking vessels, garden decor pottery (only 1 piece for my tiny garden though), the presence of water (one solar water fountain in the patio) and a few handmade pottery clay decor on the wall shelfs.

Feng Shui is a great ancient Japanese approach, putting the nature basic elements at front and to create espace to fluidity to appear. Space is the king, let it be!

In Feng Shui, your entry represents how energy enters your home and your life. We say the front door is the “mouth of qi.” Naturally, the entry is first place to start when you want to create good feng shui in your home.

As less things are on the way, I was experiencing fluidity. A better quality life wasn't made of tones of items, but a few meaningful ones.

Take a good look at your daily path through your home. Yep, we're asking you to literally look at the physical path you walk as you move through your home. From when you wake up and arise from bed, then to the bathroom, and so on as you head out the door. Then from when you get home, make dinner, and end back in bed.  

We become desensitized to all the blocks and physical obstacles we have in our daily path. Maybe it’s that light fixture that flickers or the door that always sticks and you have to slam closed. It’s an obstacle when you have to squeeze through a cluttered hallway. When you hopelessly peer into a closet jammed with clothes that don’t fit you anymore—all of this affects you! Over time these obstacles can accumulate and create problems for us.

I'll be extending about Feng Shui at home in my next blog article.

If you enjoyed the read, please visit my last article here

Thanks for reading and if you want to support this blog, please consider my little store here www.solytierra.shop

With love, Bernat

[minimalist-you]

Creating your dream garden as a therapy

Elisabeth's mother was in need of care and support. Meanwhile Elisabeth's teen was spending quarantine at home. Discover in this captivating 2-minutes read the story behind Elisabeth's favorite home's living area, her garden.

CREATING YOUR DREAM GARDEN AS A THERAPY

After Elisabet's mother was admitted to the hospital in a near coma from diabetes, she turned to gardening to create a place of rest and revival to help her heal.

Elisabeth had known she'd wanted to garden for some time. "When my youngest daughter was little, she picked all the neighbor's flowers" She laughs. "I knew I had to have a garden for her, so they wouldn't all hate me"

Most people would feel intimidated by the thought of creating a garden from scratch on a modest suburban lot, much less on a third of an acre Elisabeth has.

"We started at one end and did a section at a time" she says.

One of the first chalenges was creating a sense of privacy. "My Daughter's a very private person, and our garden was surrounded by a cyclone fence, so I needed to create a place for her in order for her to feel okay going outside"

Integrating box planters by Pottery Sol y Tierra was a great idea to delimitate the different garden sections.

These pots are made in a light material and finished in fiber stone, so the texture is stone and the weight makes them easy to move from oune place to another one.

Find the here https://amzn.to/2U7Llci

To integrate that sense of expansiveness by separating areas is great, so you can use different tones, plants and elements in a small lot. "I wanted to update the garden every season with flowers and plants, so I rotate from one section to another one every season"

Water is a healing element made by nature. It means that only its presence calms Elisabeth mother. "I did not have any experience creating water streams, actually I was scared to move forward on how to integrate water"

As Elisabeth, many people think that one need to use heavy machinery to create a water stream on the garden area. "I was so happy when finally I found a nice water fountain for my garden"

Elisabeth and her daughter found a range of solar powered water fountains for garden. Those were just perfect!

"Since they are solar powered, I did not require to hire an electrician to plug them outdoors. They run all the day, it's so beautiful"

These new garden fountains by Pottery Sol y Tierra bring the calm of the sound of running water and the right-out-of-the-box easy to install. No tools required, just plug and play.

"I would never say how this fountain created the unique sense of oasis so easy"

Find out the whole collection Oasis by Pottery Sol y Tierra here

In Fall, Elisabeth's mother was healing fast, She enjoyed sitting down on a garden corner and just contemplate the beauty of fall colors.

This was so cozy that She wanted to spend even the evening there.

Elisabeth knew She would need, soon or later any sort of outdoor heater for her.

She and daughter start searching on Pinterest, they did not have any specific idea, but they wanted something that integrates the sense of decor; they were in need of an item that could be able to create this intimate sense of eternal beauty, which is not easy.

They made the search " Pottery Fire Pit" and they were soooo impressed by the product they found

  Elisabeth's daughter asked her mother to purchase this beautiful handmade clay Fire pit. This would become the center piece of their garden. "Mom, this will add this texture, the stone" and Elisabeth knew this will be a center piece for their garden during chilly fall evenings.

Find this product on Pinterest here

In fall, fragrance again competes with color for center stage, "There's more earthy scent in the air, I can smell the herbs, and the vegetables ready to be harvested"

Elisabeth's garden is also packed full of shrubs and trees with beautiful fall color.

Elisabeth grows a large selection of fragrant herbs including rosemary, thyme, sage, chives, tarragon, oregano, lemon balm, cham,omile and many more.

They wanted to enjoy outdoors more and more, as the colors arise and the sunlight was lesser, they installed a wooden outdoor table to enjoy evenings near their clay chiminea.

It was the moment to find this extra touch on creating this sense of eternal garden and they decided to find earthen dinnerware to match the clay fire pit.

They went directly to Etsy, where handmade pieces are found.

Elisabeth's daughter made a quick search and...voila! what they found:

This seven-pieces Indian inspired dinnerware set was exactly what they needed. Durability, texture, tradition...eternal sense again.

This will match evening meals with bonfires on the ceramic fire pit.

Find it on Etsy here 

Canadian winter landscape is not less than white. As snow accumulates, the beauty of the colorful garden is hidden by the falling snow storms.

The summer-blooming perennials crumple to the ground in dormancy, the branching habit of trees and shrubs draws the eye upward, while the few plants left standing such as Sedum "Autumn Joy" add interesting puffs and mounds to the winter landscape.

Arbors, trellises and posts marking the pathways give a permanent sense of the structure and layout of the garden.

    Having a garden that feels new everyday is key to creating a healing space in which to recuperate, and another aspect of that is inviting life into the garden.

The lively flutters and scuffes of birds and other small wildlife add a sense of awe and wonder to the landscape. "We get quail, pheasants and any kind of bird you can think of", says Elisabeth.

Elisabeth also provides a restful place for a local stray cat "I put a heating pad near the chiminea fire pit for him during the winter" she says. The little stray and her own cat have found special places to nap around the garden

Creating a garden this beautiful is a labor of love. While designing, Elisabeth would visit nurseries which carried locally-grown plants, which she credits to the year round success of her garde "I'd go every week to see what was blooming" she says. Because the plants weren't shipped in from another part of the country, she was able to develop an accurate idea of what would look good at every time of the year.

The healing process of Elisabeth mother's was goinf great. Finding the peace and calm of their own oasis, near the family and surrounded by that beautiful space created this intense sense of well-being.

"My mother is not gardener but she was present during the process. I would give her a task to do, so she was involved and she felt part of the project. This felt good for her to be a part of the project"

She was able to accomplish some small projects that did not require physical effort.

Of course a garden is never finished. It's apparent from the impeccably-clipped thyme around the path stones and the perfectly-in-their-place perennials that Elisabeth takes a great deal of pleasure in maintaining her exquisite landscape.

"I love being outside, my daughters love it too and our garden is now of favorite place, grandma is always there, too, all three in  of our little home.

For Elisabeth, the garden has been a place of respite and growth.

"Sometimes when life gets really ugly, if you get to work and focus on something, it helps not to let the ugly take control. By working in the garden, I was able to focus on creating something beautiful, and at the same time it allowed me to stay close to home, and be near by mother and my daughter when they needed me"

Find here my last post about What to know about chimineas

Earlier this month I was writing about the great feeling of creating your dream garden for small spaces, please find it here

[minimalist-you]

Top 5 Eating Habits According to Ayurveda you should acquire to feel healthier

Top 5 Eating Habits According to Ayurveda you should acquire to feel healthier. This a short blog on how easy is to integrate new habits to eat better, to live healthier. Please, follow me through these essentials on this new blog post

Top 5 Eating Habits According to Ayurveda you should acquire to feel healthier

Hello and welcome to my blog.

I'm passionate about slow living, healthy lifestyle and I adore keep my home and garden decor minimalistic.

Today I was eating on a handmade earthen plate, and observing the colorful meal I thought, isn't it healthy to feel well while eating on a piece of art?

This beautiful image is coming from our friend @myfoodforthesoul (find Lajue's fantastic images on Instagram).

Want to learn how to take beautiful images of your plates? I wrote a complete blog post about it, find it here

Handmade terra-cotta tableware had been around since the beginning of the humanity. Now, more than ever is know and used for its healthy capacities.

In fact, clay pots add many important nutrients like calcium, phosphorous, iron, magnesium and sulfur to food, which are extremely beneficial to our body. Clay is also alkaline and thus, acts neutralized the acidity in the food, which makes it easier for us to digest.

And secondly, earthenware adds this rustic, farmhouse decor that everybody likes.

First of all, what is Ayurveda?

Ayurvedic medicine (“Ayurveda” for short) is one of the world's oldest holistic (“whole-body”) healing systems. It was developed more than 3,000 years ago in India.

It’s based on the belief that health and wellness depend on a delicate balance between the mind, body, and spirit. Its main goal is to promote good health, not fight disease. But treatments may be geared toward specific health problems.

In the United States, it’s considered a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

Those who practice Ayurveda believe every person is made of five basic elements found in the universe: space, air, fire, water, and earth.

Eating Healthy and following healthy habits are essential for maintaining a healthy body weight. Ayurveda is an ancient system of medicine that goes back 4000 years and it has some principles related to it. Ayurveda believes that you can maintain the balance of body system through diet, natural herbs and some yogic practices. An ideal Ayurvedic diet talks about many eating habits that have the potential to cure so many of our modern and urban woes. Choosing food according to your body type, paying attention to food and eating as per your capacity are some of the Ayurvedic eating habits that could bring about a great deal of change in your overall well-being.

Here are a few good Ayurvedic eating habits:

1 Avoid eating or drinking while you are standing

This is one of the most important and healthy habits you should incorporate. You should always avoid drinking and eating food while standing. Water is crucial for human as it ensures smooth functioning of all biological process in your body. It is believed that if you stand and drink, you disrupt the balance of fluids in the body, which may lead to a greater accumulation of fluids in the joints causing arthritis. Also, drinking water while standing negatively hampers your kidneys. As per Ayurveda, when you have water while standing up, you put pressure on your stomach wall. This is because the water flows down straight from the oesophagus to the stomach and causes damage to the areas around it. Therefore, it is best to sit and drink water as tension builds up in the nerves when the pressure of water is high, which leads to the disruption in the existing liquids of your body.

2 Take foods according to season

We should always choose foods according to the season, which is a great advice given by the ayurvedic experts. Foods like gur (jaggery) and ghee are warm in nature, and hence, they are best consumed in winters. The curd is of cooling nature if eaten in winters may aggravate cold by increasing mucus in your throat. Always consume fruits that are in season. In order to have a healthy mind and body, it is necessary to follow good eating habits.

3 Do not overeat

You must know when to stop eating and never eat when you are not hungry. Try and opt for light satvik diet. Satvik foods promote purity of both body and mind. It can help enhance your practice and promote a calm mind and fit body with a balanced flow of energy between the soul and body. Having satvik diet cleanses the toxins present in your body, consumed from environmental pollutants and the junk ate outside. Eating healthy makes you feel active from within.

4 Do not indulge in other work while eating

It is recommended do not watch TV, phones or read a newspaper or avoid talking while you are eating. According to Ayurveda, you are living because you have food in front of you; therefore you should show utmost respect to it. Detracting from food diminishes your body’s ability to digest what you have eaten.

5 Using natural cooking pots and tableware

Cooking in earthenware is a great strategy to eat healthier. This enhances slow cooking and protects natural food flavors while adding lots of natural minerals.

Cooking in earthenware pots is so easy that one does not need to adapt the recipe. Just put aside your metal aluminium pan or pot and use a handmade pure clay cooking pot.

People asked me if can you bake in earthenware? The answer is yes. Take a look at this clay cake mold, it's so beautiful that you'd like to keep it at view.

Earthenware pots are as safe for cooking as regular pots, the difference is they add minerals and an earthy flavor to any meal. Fibers get intact so you are eating the meal at full flavor.

Knowing about eating healthy is a great base for any wellness lover. Living a balanced life with a good diet, a healthy lifestyle, a positive mindset..all these elements keep you happy, balanced and ready to live your life at its fullest.

I wrote a full blog post about the 3 top benefits of cooking on earthen vessels, read it here https://solytierra.shop/blogs/news/top-3-benefits-of-clay-pot-cooking-the-truth-about-cooking-on-earthen-vessels

Are you a garden lover? Visit my previous blog posts about gardening as a healing therapy https://solytierra.shop/blogs/news/creating-your-dream-garden-as-a-therapy

Follow this link to Etsy handmade clay earthenware https://www.etsy.com/ca-fr/shop/PotterySolyTierra?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=869372442

Read here my last blog article about preparing your table for fall season

Follow this link for handmade tableware and cookware https://solytierra.shop/collections/boutique-poterie

Stay safe my friend

Bernat 

[minimalist-you]

Top 3 benefits of clay pot cooking - the truth about cooking on earthen vessels

In this new blog post I go through the 3 main benefits of using clay vessels and how to take care of clay made products to have a longer lifespan

Top 3 benefits of clay pot cooking - the truth about cooking on earthen vessels

In this new blog post I'll go through the top three benefits, the top three hacks...and three bonus as well...are you ready?

Hello, my name is Bernat and I promote a healthy lifestyle based on minimalism and slow-life. I also suggest nice handmade products to cook, eat and enjoy life I'm passionate about home and garden decor and healthy food.

Let's start by the top three benefits of cooking in an earthen pot

1 Clay pot's porous nature lets both moisture & heat to circulate through the food that results in slowly cooked yet aromatic meals.

2 Pure clay also retain the natural nutrients of the food that is usually lost in other types of utensils.

3 Cooking on earthen tableware enhances slow-cooking with keep the fibers of vegetables and meats and does not burn them as cooking on metal cooking pots.

Would you like to read about 4 tips on taking better photos of your meals? This is my last post on the blog

Is not cool that cooking on clay pots add the natural nutrients of earth on our meals?

Here are some hacks to keep your clay pots longer

1 BEFORE USING: Dip the utensil completely in water for a day to soak. After that, just let air dry. Your new clay pot is ready to use.

2 HEATING TIPS: Always cook with low to medium flame. Using a heat diffuser prevent expansion to ceramic so it will last more time without cracking the vessel.

3 AVOID: When the vessel is hot do not pour cold water, let the casserole pot or cooking utensil temperature come to normal then wash.

  Bonus:

1 WASHING TIPS: Always avoid Metallic scrubber rather use Soft sponge or just your hands.

2 STORAGE: Allow the vessel to dry completely before storage. Pots and pans with lid, place a hand towel between the lid and the vessel to let air circulate and prevent moist.

3 ONCE A WEEK: Fill half the vessel with water, boil for 3 min & then dispose the water to remove oil & stains, this will also reduce the risk of creating mold and clean the pores of the utensil

4 SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES: since handmade vessels are mostly made in eastern countries, this helps to keep traditions alive. Clay art is as old as humanity itself and don't forget this was the first type of dinnerware that ever existed

Here are some ideas about great recipes that you can cook on your new clay pot: Best for Cooking Kadhai Chicken / Kadhai Paneer / Biryani or any other Curry items Clay pots add many important nutrients like calcium, phosphorous, iron, magnesium and sulfur to food, which are extremely beneficial to our body.

Clay cooking vessels are also used by Ayurveda

Read my post about the top health benefits of cooking on earthen vessels

You can find our collection Terracotta, featuring clay dinnerware sets, clay cooking pots, chai cups, coffee mugs and many more by following this link

Thanks for reading

Bernat from Sol y Tierra

[minimalist-you]

Kulhad, the traditional clay cups from ancient India and its benefits

The benefits of natural non enameled clay earthen tableware

Kulhad or kulhar has been traditionally used as a cup for various delicacies like Malaiyyo or Nimish, Masala Chai, Mishti Doi (curd), etc.

Highlights

Clay pots have been an inevitable part of the Indian culinary world

One of the most popularly used crockery across the country is a kulhad

Clay pots are generally considered a better option than plastic cups

Since decades, clay pots have been an inevitable part of the Indian culinary world; from cooking traditional chicken and mutton curries and biryanis to using them as crockery. One of the most popularly used crockery across the country is a kulhad or kulhar, also known as shikora. This clay cup has been traditionally used as a cup for various delicacies like Malaiyyo or Nimish, Masala Chai, Mishti Doi (curd), hot Malai Doodh with mawa or kulfi. It is known to give an earthy essence, flavour and fragrance to the respective delicacy. These clay cups are mostly seen during winters when most chaiwallahs serve hot tea in them.Clay pots are generally considered a better option than plastic cups or glass containers for various reasons. Kulhads are terracotta cups popularly used across the Subcontinent and Pakistan. It should ideally be unglazed and shouldn't have colours on it. (Also read: Should You Cook in Earthern Pots? Get Back to Basics) Clay pots are generally considered a better option than plastic cups or glass containers  Let us list out some reasons that make kulhads a better option than plastic or glass cups and containers:

Kulhads are biodegradable, hence can be thrown or broken, it won't be hazardous like plastic.

They are cheaper than plastic or glass containers

They provide an earthy aroma to the beverage, which no other material can provide

They cannot be re-used, so you don't have to worry about the germs and bacteria lingering around.

These kulhads are inherently hygienic, considering they are made by firing kiln, a type of oven having a certain temperature that is used to harden or dry clay objects. Basically, the kulhads are processed under high temperature ensuring a sterile cup.

Clay pots have been an inevitable part of the Indian culinary world

If you would like to explore our products, please visit this link  

Why You Need to Be Careful While kulhad makes for an amazing cup or container for us, but there are certain things you should be careful of-

Nowadays, kulhad making has given way to polystyrene and coated paper cups as these are cheaper and lighter to carry. The material used may be hazardous to your health. Hence, it is beneficial to buy kulhads from trusted places.

Most of the chai wallahs and other vendors sell beverages and desserts in kulhads. In order to save a few bucks, some re-use the kulhads by washing them and making them look new. Once you are done using the kulhad, ensure you break them into pieces so no-one can use it again.

So if you are drinking your kulhad-wali-chai in any nook or corner of your city, just ensure that you are not drinking in a synthetic cup.

This text was curated by Sarika Rana from Food Ndtv

[minimalist-you]

Being Yourself During These Ever-Changing Times

Are you seeking focus during these ever-changing times? My new blog post is about finding focus and self-motivation to being yourself during these changing times. Embracing minimalism to stay focused on essentials, as happiness, fulfillment and gratitude.

Being Yourself During These Ever-Changing Times

Experiencing the challenge of staying your true self is not rare. Most of Us are trying to find balance in these unbalanced times.

Who would ever though living pandemics? and for some of Us (in Canada) being limited to virus curfews)

With the world in so much flux these days, many of us are noticing how difficult it can be to deal with ever-changing plans.

At the end, We were (most of us) trying to reach and retain this so called comfort zone, right?

It’s always been a challenge, but as with so many things, it’s become an in-your-face challenge these days.

Some people really struggle when plans are always changing — it can be frustrating and feel like there’s no solid ground under our feet. Other people seem to love having no solid plans … but their challenge is often that they can’t seem to commit to anything regular, don’t want to be tied down, and often have difficulty focusing.

Today I’m inspired to address this humble blog post to those who struggle with rapidly changing plans.

What if you could learn to be nimble, flexible, resilient when plans are always changing? What if you could find focus in the middle of the chaos, and calm in the middle of the storm? What if you could learn to flow like a surfer riding a wave?

This is the promise of learning to relax with uncertainty and navigate uncertain waters.

Let’s talk about some essential ideas …

Every change is a preparation.

When someone changes plans on us, we can (and often will) get frustrated with them for changing things up on us at the last minute. And while we can talk with them about it if it becomes an ongoing problem … sometimes changes are unavoidable. What if, instead, we embraced the change as a training opportunity to get better at being flexible, nimble and resilient with change?

We could then find gratitude for this beautiful training opportunity. Thus this prepare Us to live in a dynamic mode and not to embrace comfort, since comfort implies no evolution.

Thank the person. And then turn towards our own frustration or resistance to change, as a way to grow in this area.

Use changes to stay present.

The training we can do, when presented with the opportunity of a change in plans, can simply be to remember to be present. Simply open to the experience of the present moment. When we’re frustrated with changes, it’s because we are fixated on what we expected things to be, on what is no longer true. What if we focused instead on what is right in front of us, the reality on the ground?

In this way, change training is simply mindfulness training. Learning to open to the moment that is unfolding, unpredictable, unplanned, but still breathtakingly wondrous.

Learn to relax with uncertainty.

When a change in plans presents itself, we often will feel a tug of uncertainty at our hearts. It’s the feeling of the rug being yanked from under us — yikes, things are not stable! So we feel a moment of fear. That can then be turned into a train of thought: “Why do they always have to change things up on me, why can’t we just stick to plans, why can’t I just have one day of peace?” And so on, until we’ve turned a momentary feeling of uncertainty into a huge deal.

What if instead we could feel the sensation of uncertainty in our bodies, and simply turn our attention on it and be with it? What if we could practice relaxing with the uncertainty? It doesn’t have to be turned into a frustrating narrative (though that might still happen), but could simply be a direct experience of change.

Practice flowing with changes.

Once we learn to relax with uncertainty and open to the unfolding ever-changing moment … we can learn to flow. Like a surfer flowing with a wave that’s always changing. It can actually be fun! Let’s see how good I can get at flow, let’s see how nimble I can get with change, let’s see how resilient I can be with uncertainty.

That means when there’s a change, we can relax with the uncertainty, and then make a very simple decision: what is best here? Then take that next simple step, with ease.

You can find peace in chaos, with practice.

With a lot of changes, we can have difficulty finding peace. It’s chaotic! I can’t focus! Actually, we can find focus, but it can take some practice.

The practice is simply this: pause to consider what you’d like to focus on. If you’re feeling chaotic, turn toward the sensation of that, and relax with it. Then create the space to focus, if possible — if you don’t have the time, you can simply do it when the space is available. But a lot of people actually have the time, they just don’t allow themselves to focus because they’re feeling chaotic.

Even if it’s 10 minutes of focus, you can practice it. Clear the space, give yourself one thing to do. Make it your entire universe. Pour yourself fully into it. Come back to this focus when your mind gets distracted. Keep practicing!

Comfort is very helpful, but don’t be attached.

I highly recommend structure, as a way to create a little order for what you need to take on. If you need to regularly do some focus work, but also email, messages, finances, chores, planning, exercise … create spots in your day or week for all of these. It will help you actually get the important commitments done.

Remember that book called "The Power of Less", there Léo Babauta was guiding Us towards a minimalistic life, putting action towards finding focus. Prioritizing and not letting clutter take the space.

That said, when we get too attached to our structures, we can get frustrated when things get messy. Maybe someone sprung something on us. Maybe something unexpected came up (let's say a pandemic). Maybe we don’t stick to the structure because we’re tired, and things get sidetracked. When these things happen, it feels like everything has fallen apart, and then we can get frustrated, discouraged, and lose focus or motivation.

The practice can simply be to hold the structures with as much discipline as we can, but without attachment. That means hold to them as much as we’re able to, but then when things change, to practice flow. What needs to be adjusted in the moment, when there’s a change? What would be best now that the structure isn’t possible at the moment? Then once we’ve made an adjustment, we can simply return to the structure as soon as possible.

Could you find joy in the middle of the storm?

Things can feel very stormy, and for a lot of people, that can bring anxiety and frustration. But what if we can learn to open up to the storm, to embrace it? To find the beauty in the chaos of the storm?

In my life, I have come to feel awe at the powerful beauty of storms, to delight in their swirls and unpredictability, to see the art in the middle of the gale. When I see this in an actual storm, it reminds me to practice seeing this in the chaos of my daily life.

What beauty can you help to find focus in your life today?

  This blog post was inspired by Léo Babauta's Zen Habits "Becoming Nimble at Dealing with Ever-Changing Plans"

I surround myself with pottery art, handmade earthen vessels, clay cooking pots, terra-cotta tableware even hanging handmade lights to feel this eternal sense of beauty and home decor.

I update my blog very often, sometimes a few times a week. You can follow my articles here at https://solytierra.shop/blogs/news

You can also discover my store here, where I curated home essentials handmade potteries, kitchen cookware, garden ovens...all made to intensify well-being while keeping it nimble, light and meaningful