The days are getting shorter, and everywhere I see signs that fall is approaching: from back to school signals to my garden. Soon enough there will be a pumpkin on your front porch (If youre growing pumpkins, youre my hero).

Tea and Hot Zucchini Summer

These days I tend to drink less coffee and more tecito (tea), especially in the afternoons. Lately Ive been wondering about the history of tea in some of our ancestral homelands. How did tea get so entrenched in Seoraculture? Heres an interesting story around how tea got from China to Brazil (hint: thanks to Emperor Dom Joao the 6th, and 500 Chinese tea-farmers ) and another about how Chileans turned tea - called once - into the fourth meal of the day.

Right now Im a huge fan of Tea Drops Rose Earl Gray drops for my Seora once. It literally tastes like roses, and its so easy to make.

Today I harvested a monster zucchini from my jardin (garden). Thats because I didnt yank it soon enough. Turns out you can still eat it but it wont be as tasty as normal sized ones. Who knew!?

New Books

Did you know that Nestle shipped snacks to the Indigenous People in some of your homelands (Brazil), which in turn made kids in the Amazon prefer junk food instead of their wholesome roots and berry-based meals? Read about this and more in the new book Ultra Processed People by Chris Van Tulleken.

Are you cup-curious?

What are the best period products? Youll be surprised at what this research study found. If youre cup-curious, try this Rael reusable cup, which provides leak protection all period long.

Beauty & Wellness

Have you been seeing more and more of those on-demand IV drips? I swear I saw one on every block on a recent trip to the east coast. Its where they pump you full of vitamins, as a type of wellness hack using an IV. Did you know that one IV experience caused a Kardashian to go to the hospital? Find out if theyre worth it - and how they could even be risky.

My hair is prone to breakage in the summer, and Ive been trying out this Sienna Naturals Plant Power Repair Mask. This vegan repair mask is formulated with their vegan protein complex to bind moisture, hydrate hair and prevent breakage. Whats cool is the the brand is co-owned by HBO star Issa Rae (Barbie, Insecure and Awkward Black Girl).

Check out Issas morning beauty and go to the office routine over at Vogue. She gets up at 4am and says getting her workouts first thing help her feel like shes tackled the hardest part of the day early, and that during busy days she swears by Vitamin C serum.

Speaking of the office, some companies are starting to give employees wellness benefits - but not in the get fit sense; rather anything that could create mental wellness. For example, one company is giving employees $1K to do things like plant a fruit orchard, install solar panels or plan a chicken coop. I can get behind that.

*Please note, some of these will be affiliate links where we may get a small percentage of sales. This helps us keep this side project alive.