Chain Links No. 5: Garden-based eating stories in a winter wonderland
Herbs for mast-cell syndrome, on going home again, vegan twins, and more.
By
We’re back with another roundup of garden-based eating stories, and we’ve refined the Chain Links format:
You’ll see four of these per year, one each season
We’ll focus on Substack content, as there’s just so much good writing here
You’ll get both recent posts that crocked our whirled (Restacks) and the best archive content that’s so good, it’s evergreen (Wayback Stacks)
And away we go…
Restacks
Regular readers know that a large part of what motivates me to eat in an ancestral, whole-foods manner is to navigate mast-cell activation syndrome. So when
of broke out with this excellent advice on herbs to support the condition, I became an instant fan. is one of the nicest people you’ll meet on Substack, and while I’m not a practicing Christian myself, you might find her regular offerings at to be just right for you. We’ve found common ground on the topic of returning home after a long residency away, and she’s graciously continued the conversation with a lovely piece that might just make you question your decision not to attend your high-school reunion!’s latest takedown at is definitely worth a read, especially if you or someone you know is considering going vegan.
Wayback Stacks
While it didn’t make it into the list of most popular posts from 2023, one of my favorite pieces from last year was this two-part series we did on Heru Urban Farming. Check it out if you missed it, as it shows what one man can do when he takes responsibility for not just his own health but the health of his community.
Friend of Brunette Gardens
of posts periodic updates of her family’s project, and as it includes raising honeybees, we can all get our buzz on vicariously through posts like these.
If you haven’t read any of
’s work at , you might want to give this one a try. As a private chef to an ultra-high-net-worth British family, his life is the stuff of fantasy for so many of us who crave ancestral eating experiences, close to the land and its bounty. His writing style manages to tread the line between understated and magical.
I realize it’s not exactly ice-cream season right now, but I used
’s recipe for ice cream as a jumping-off point when I experimented with raw goat-milk ice cream this summer. You might want to bookmark this one! And subscribe to .
What do you think of the new Chain Links format? Which of these stories most stands out to you, and why?
Thanks so much for the shout-out which is much appreciated. Mast Cell Activation Syndrome is something I'm coming to learn more about, so it's great to be able to connect with others with knowledge of this distressing condition. Looking forward to discovering more about your other recommended authors' work. What a lovely community we have here on Substack :)
Thank you for the link! I plan to read all the others, as I know you have good taste in blogs.