The 15 best reader comments

In two years of Brunette Gardens.

We just passed over the two-year mark here on Substack, and I think the best way to celebrate is to highlight the sage advice, smart observations, and heart-centered stories from our readers.

Photo by rivage on Unsplash

As you might know, we avoid other social media outside Substack, so Notes and the Brunette Gardens comment section are our only social-media promotions. It should go without saying since I’m preaching to the choir here, but I’ll say it anyway: Substack is different, in a good way. This community exemplifies healthy discourse.

The heart of the matter

What really strikes me about our reader comments is the passion and care you all exhibit:

🥗 You see cooking food as an art form but want to be practical about it

🧑‍🌾 You’re committed to your ideals and principles, even if that means harder work on your part

🐦 You’re willing to see grace and beauty even in death and decay

In short, you fill my heart with your words.

I’ve been mulling over what it means that the posts that generated the most comments—and usually, but not always, the most likes and shares as well—tend to be the ones that I felt the most nervous about publishing. This was because of their personal or political nature, along with a fear of being judged or, heck, these days even ostracized for my positions or my feelings, thoughts, and experiences. I bet a lot of you feel the same way, and maybe that’s why these resonated.

Some notes

• I took care of any typos and errors, all unintentional, I’m sure. 🥰

• While you can find my original reply to the comments in the post threads, I’ve added my current reflections on them since a little distance can often give you a new outlook.

• These are in reverse-chronological order, so the oldest—all the way back to August of 2022—are last.

On cooking without a recipe

Post: Salad days

Reader: Sonya Lazarevic MD, MS

The comment:

I agree with the no-recipe cooking. If I am not familiar with preparing something, I'll definitely consult a recipe for ideas/guidelines... otherwise I feel the kitchen is a place to be creative, the dish is a canvas, and it’s based on how the ingredients feel; I really don’t know what’s going to happen till I step foot in the kitchen. Thank you for your post - you clearly have a passion for vegetables!

This was echoed by

Perry J. Greenbaum

, who wrote:

A pedigree to make salad? To grow some vegetables? That is part of the problem that computer tech has created. That people need to Google everything. That people no longer trust what they learned from parents and older generations.

Trust them.

Lisa’s reflection now

I’m in love with Sonya’s description of the kitchen as a “place to be creative,” and cooking through “how the ingredients feel.” It reminds me of a good friend of mine who used to cook mainly by smell, sniffing each ingredient and the dish as it cooked, making spice choices based on that. Feel is even more important. We don’t normally think of that sense when we’re cooking, unless it’s negative (okra is “slimy”), but she’s right, and I also think it’s more than the sense of touch; it’s the emotional feel of a dish as you’re working with it. One of the farmers I interviewed last year talked about intention in his farming and cooking: “We call it soul food because you put your ‘all’ into it, right?” That’s exactly right.

And on Perry’s comment, I hadn’t thought of the convenience of just Googling-up a recipe on demand, but that’s probably part of the problem. That modern practice has unfortunately replaced our beautiful old family recipe books, stuffed with handwritten notes and food-stained tidbits, literally spilling from the pages!

On homesteading in the ‘burbs

Post: A life of voluntary simplicity, in the Living Low series

Reader:

Robyn Kerr

The comment:

Superb interview and so relevant to now! My partner and I were forced out of our 40+ year nursing careers 3-4 years ago when we refused the covid jab and swab tests. Unplanned full retirement at 1/3 previous income stared at us so we quickly scaled down much as described here. We gave up one of the vehicles. We maintain and repair what we can. When the washer-dryer combo broke down, we got rid of it and now hand-wash and line-dry laundry. We don't go to shows every month and unsubscribed from almost everything. No more elaborate vacations. We're living well within our means and what our garden and farmer's market provides, and stay close to our rural home, which is surrounded by nature. Looking forward to part 2!

Lisa’s reflection now