The crumbs of June, 2025
We’re halfway through the year. Gulp.
Hi there! Welcome to the mid-year edition of the crumbs. 2025 is rudely insisting on flying by.
I’m freshly back from a hike in north Queensland, the most challenging one I’ve ever done (even worse than the hike to the light station in Wilsons Prom, somehow). Battered, bruised and having been bitten by a million mozzies and sandflies, but still in one piece.
Being out in nature for a week provides an excellent opportunity to chew the fat in one’s mind, whether when walking or simply staring at trees, or a body of water.
And, relatedly. Can I make a confession? Something that’s been on my mind a wee bit during these last weeks, or even months.
It feels a bit silly sometimes, to be writing about books, food and edible weeds, especially considering the not great state of things in the world, and particularly the news of the last couple of weeks. You can’t really consider it to be ‘serious’ content, or writing.
But. I think it’s important to read widely, to not exactly shut yourself off from the horrors of the world, but still look for the silver lining within. I guess that’s what I hope this newsletter can provide. Something small and beautiful to get excited about.
A note: I’ll skip the ‘what’s cooking’ portion of this month, as I was mostly emptying out the fridge before embarking on the hike. Will instead have reports on various dehydrated meals next week, which are great fun to judge.
What was booking in June
Here’s a small round up of the books I read before I went hiking.
Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico
Perfection is a slim novel, which just adds to its appeal. Anna and Tom moved to Berlin from an unnamed Southern European city – ahead of the crowd, landing while rent was still cheap and the city perhaps still had its edge of indifference. Here, they live a near perfect life in Berlin, as “creative” digital freelancers pursuing their dreams. Yet, scratch at the surface of any seemingly ideal life, and you’ll usually find some sort of inauthenticity, or insecurity. Although coupled, Anna and Tom are always referred to as one unit, as though they’re indistinguishable from each other (perhaps they are) and Latronico documents their lives, their surroundings, like one would describe the aesthetic of a particular type of Instagram grid. I don’t think I’ve read any other book that’s quite captured the mid-to-late teens Millennial experience, in a way that’s sure, devastating bleak, but also entirely intriguing and very accurate.
I Want Everything by Dominic Amerena
I Want Everything by Dominic Amerena is a hard one to put down. We follow a nameless narrator, who is on a quest to write the next Great Australian Novel. On a visit to a notable swimming pool in Melbourne’s west, he spots sensational author Brenda Shales, known as much for her disappearance into obscurity after a mysterious court case, as for her two locally famous books. The narrator hunts her down, under the guise of being her long-lost grandson, to uncover the truth and write what’s sure to be a best-selling book in the process.
Lonely Mouth by Jacqueline Maley
Lonely Mouth is told from the perspective of Matilda, who at thirteen years old was abandoned by her mother, with her little sister Lara in, of all places, the toilets at the ‘Big Merino’ in the Australian regional city of Goulburn. As an adult, Matilda manages a high-restaurant, while Lara, having grown up to become a model, has moved to Paris. Matilda works hard, harbours intense feelings for her boss and allows herself a single weekend a month to get stoned and binge eat, a way to contain the bulimia that’s afflicted her since she was an adolescent. Things are going as well as they can, until Lara’s disaster of a father, a famous and now shamed actor, enters the picture, upending Matilda’s perfectly organised life.
Currently reading:
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio (library copy)
Books bought
On the Calculation of Volume II by Solvej Balle (hard copy)
Rytual by Chloe Elizabeth Wilson (eReader)
Stinkbug by Sinéad Stubbins (eReader)
The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey (eReader)
The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot by Robert McFarlane (eReader)
Keep up with what I’m reading in real-time on The Storygraph.
Plant profile: purslane
There’s a high chance this very nutritious weed is already growing in your garden. It seems to love the challenge of growing in tricky places, so check any paving or your driveway – your next meal may be there, waiting for you to harvest it.
The leaves are paddle-shaped, being wider at the tip and running in at the base. They’re quite fleshy, which in turn makes them most satisfying to eat.
You can grow purslane quite intentionally. I met a permaculture practitioner once who lines their veggie beds with it, harvesting it for nibbles or lunch.
And happy days – most parts of purslane are edible. The leaf, stem, flower and seeds.
It can be eaten raw, chucked into a salad or smoothie. Or, try lightly steaming the leaves, as you would spinach (the flavour is quite similar too, just a bit more lemony). Then, add salt and butter. You will enjoy it.
The leaves can also taste quite nice sautéed and chucked into a stir-fry. Or, you can pop them into an omelette.
You can also make a tea out of the leaves and stem of purslane, steeping them in hot water. We do love our tea, here at What’s Cooking.
And as always, be safe. Avoid plants growing roadside, or an area that dogs may populate, and check with local council about their use of pesticides. Make sure you wash everything thoroughly and properly, removing any soil and bugs that may be clinging to the plant.
The safest bet is usually any ‘weeds’ growing local to you, so long as your soil is okay to eat from.
Next month we’ll look at the ways you can eat and enjoy nettle.
In case you missed it
Some musings on making the most of the cooler months – a powerful, reflective time of the year.
To make time spent indoors all the more sweeter, here are some recommended books for reading.
And finally, a very quick guide, culinary and otherwise, to the city of Brisbane/Meanjin.
That’s all for this month.
‘Til we next meet, stay well, well-fed and especially well-read.
-Celine
Thanks for reading! If you think this newsletter is quite okay, it can help quite a lot if you hit 💚 or even leave a comment – or forward it on to a like-minded friend.
Read past crumbs:
As this edition contains notes about wild foraging, I must state that I am not a nutritionist, dietician or any sort of medical expert. As with any kind of urban foraging, proceed with caution and consume at your own risk – What’s Cooking with Celine cannot take responsibility for any reader becoming ill after eating wild food.
Most links in this missive will take you to YourBookstore.io. This very handy website allows you to shop and support independent Australian bookstores. Give your local some love, or request a copy from your nearest library.
Nothing more important than sharing ideas and knowledge! This newsletter is the highlight of my reading week :)