The Daily Walkabout Collection #25
150-word stories shared at The Daily Cuppa from May 14th to May 20th, 2022.
We’re so fortunate to live in these times. Yes, big bad issues haunt us. But our connection to people around our world is a huge blessing and awe-inspiring.
On our The Daily Cuppa Walkabout, we discover plants, recipes, cultural traditions, and so much more.
Not only do we roam from Hawaii, Australia, Mexico, Japan, China, India, the Caribbean, and other parts of the world, but we glimpse back in time.
Jennifer Dunne’s story about the pump going out reminded me how fortunate we are to have city water systems and how not everyone on earth does.
When I was young, one of the morning chores was to go with buckets to the well. I couldn’t guess how far it was. It was a good walk down a hill and then back up with buckets of water. I was five when I walked to pump water. I couldn’t work the pump. My brother did the pumping. Up and down and up and down. My buckets could only be filled half full, as I couldn’t manage a full bucket until I was six.
I’d put my buckets on the table in the kitchen and then fill a kettle to put on the wood stove for hot water. It sounds like hard work, but it was just what had to be done.
Many on our earth still lack conveniences we take for granted. I suppose that’s why so many cultures have a tradition of thanksgiving before eating a meal.
Yes, there are bad things going on, but we have a lot to be thankful for.
I’m thankful for all our writers; who share their knowledge and experiences with plants and food and cultural traditions.

Your Daily Walkabout Guides
Saturday:
Jane Frost (Jane Grows Garden Rooms) leads us into the world of Australian Bush Tucker with bites — tasty bits about native plants and their uses.
I had to do some research to find out how the purslane (Portulaca oleracea) in my garden is related. I don’t consider the one I grow to be salty. I think you’ll be charmed into more study on this plant as well.
Sunday:
James Beaufait presents a lush Hawaiian feast of traditions, food growing, delicious herbal treats, and sumptuous recipes as he brings us to the islands.
Just love the island life and culture James paints for us. Some traditions, plants, recipes, and little friends.
Monday:
Kris Bedenian celebrates Northern hemisphere home cooking as she blends her skills in traditional food preparation techniques with modern healthy adaptations.
What do you get when you blend walnuts and black beans with a bit of extra virgin olive oil?
Tuesday:
JM Heatherly shares his love of herbs and herbal lore as he indexes herbs and their uses to lead the younger generation into the magical world of plants.
Another masterpiece by JM. In this little gem, he discusses cinnamon. I order mine by the pound as I use so much. Did you know it’s great in the garden as well? Sprinkle on the soil to prevent damping off or fungus.
Wednesday:
Ilis Trudie Palmer enchants us with a Caribbean reminder that for most of human history, we had to fight with competing animals for our food. She just wants her lovely papaya and passion fruits — but she’s not the only one.
Thursday:
Julie Gaeta combines her expertise as a Health Coach and traditional Mexican cuisine chef with a healthy twist to share recipes for smoothies, teas, and much more.
I felt a little bad for sharing about using a store-bought salad dressing on our last Walkabout. Typically I make my own and have my favorites. Julie has rescued me in this article about salads. She includes a link to some dressing recipes she likes.
Friday:
PseuPending (Seu) brings a rich blend of cultural traditions from Macau, Hong Kong, and Japan. Her stories about food are a blend of recipe, tradition, art, and nuanced flavors.
Seu waves her magic and words reveal more than we knew — with each story.
Tea legends abound. Fragrance and taste aside, the right tea for your body constitution boosts health.
Our Fellow Travelers
Patsy Collins’s easy and delicious dessert will melt in your mouth. I tried this one as I picked strawberries. I substituted pecans as I'm allergic to almonds. It was yummy.
Jennifer Dunne’s adventure in the Caribbean captivates me. This one is not on the mark for our Walkabout, but I’m including it as it takes me back to the old days — before city plumbing.
How about some elegant eggs for breakfast — or dinner?
Coyote Susan took a tractor to a year's supply of red clover! Can you imagine?
Featured Long-Form Article
Elena "Sunshine" Petrova - Elena Sunshine Magazine writes excellent articles about using plants in self-care products and recipes. I’ve been an admirer since we first met on Medium.
This gem is packed with information and recipes about sage. In my northern climate, sage is a short-lived perennial. That means it may come back for a year or two, but will probably die after that.
If you're new to growing herbs, you can’t go wrong with sage.
Publication Spotlight
Jessica Archuleta’s creation One table, One World is a publication rejoicing in people from diverse backgrounds coming together at the table. I found numerous articles that deserve to be saved.
The recipe for Roasted Tomatoes and Onions by Melissa A. Matthews was just what I needed. I have bags of tomatoes in the freezer left from last year and lots of onions. Perfect.
Enjoy checking out this yummy publication.
Final Thoughts
Thank you for joining us on our The Daily Cuppa Walkabout. As we discover plants, recipes, and cultural traditions, we realize how fortunate we are to be creating a community with so many around our world.
Looking back to my childhood and bringing water to the house from a well was a fun, sentimental journey. But I expect there are those whose morning chores are still to go to the well with buckets.
Glimpsing back in time is rather romantic and pleasurable — and I remember cooking as a child using a ladle to get water from the bucket. Now, I take the modern conveniences we take for granted.
We have a lot to be thankful for.
Thank you again, dear writers, for sharing your knowledge and experiences with plants and food and cultural traditions with us.
Thank you, dear readers, for your precious time. I hope you found some treasures in the stories.
Join The Adventure
We’d love to have you join us.
Do you have stories from your family or cultural traditions? Do you grow food or forage? Do you have a special vegetable you like to grow?
My bias is that home cooking is better for our health than eating packaged food, so whatever food system you follow, we rejoice in stories about what you’re cooking.
What inspires you to grow your food, forage, and cook?
Come along with us on our walkabout.
Submit your recipes, herb, gardening, and plant lore for our gathering of all stories tagged ‘walkabout.’ Link your long-form stories tagged ‘walkabout’ for our collection.
Disclaimer covering all our Walkabout stories
The information presented in the articles in our Walkabout series is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Each writer writes from their own experience and/or research and each writer is responsible for appropriate sourcing as per Medium guidelines.
All content is the individual writer’s opinion and is shared out of their kindness in good faith for informational use only.
Nutrient-dense whole food from plants — from grapefruit, asparagus, spinach, turmeric to blueberries — can be a problem if you’re eating processed foods and taking prescription medications. It may take your body a while to get used to any diet changes. Always consult with your physician or a qualified health care provider before making any lifestyle or dietary change.