AUTUMN YEARS

I love this time of year Autumn.  Each day we seem to get either a sprinkling or a deluge of rain, enough to water the plants and make a soggy mushy mess of the chook pen floor.  All the discarded seed is sprouting providing my chickens with a nutrient boost of wheatgrass to their diets before I fling open the gate in the morning and let them roam free.  Much like me with my seed sprouter adding a boost of wheatgrass to my green smoothies each day.

Yesterday I set about doing some tidying up in the veggie garden and decided to upturn and empty an old galvanised rubbish bin that I had put a heap of mulch in and now had a crop of weeds growing up through it.  Upended it produced a rich compost mix teaming with the fattest healthiest load of earth worms which quickly wriggled for cover.  I couldn't resist the opportunity to treat the chickens and as I had heard the scratching sounds in the neighbours yard adjacent to the garden, I went through the front gate and called them back home.  Now the chickens sometimes manage to fly over the fence and get into the veggie garden and wreak havoc, so this was a treat for them to be invited in at all and Georgia wasn't sure that she wanted to oblige, maybe assuming I had some sort of alteria motives.  The others were so excited they trotted in and I flicked them one worm with my trowel and that was signal enough for them to hop right in to the compost and scratch up a feast.  Georgia just looked at them through the other side of the wire fence in disgust.

Georgia has been a bit off lately.  The onset of some colder weather has brought about the moult and there are little white feathers everywhere.   They are so soft and floaty that just opening and closing the back screen door sees them drift in on the breeze and float into all the corners of the room.  Just recently I bought a new doona for our bed filled with feathers and down and as I pick up piles of feathers I understand why that doona is so comforting to me.  Unfortunately as a result of this affliction where we were regularly getting two eggs a day, one from Eugene and one from Georgie, now we are getting only one.  Not nearly enough to cover our egg eating habit that we have formed from having an abundance.  The girls are getting to the ends of their lives and although I would love more eggs I am not inclined to make their last days stressful by introducing new girls into the flock.  And “no” I am not going to make them into chicken soup, they still give me a lot of joy as pets.  I still love having them help me in the garden, walk through my legs to get closer to whatever weed I am pulling, on the off chance that there is a worm or bug lurking in the roots and soil as it is pulled.  And seriously, watching them gobble down and fight over those worms yesterday was a comedy to say the least. I just wished I had filmed it and set it to the Benny Hill soundtrack!

So I will wait until one by one they either don't come home when they are called or I discover them in their final sleep when I go to let them out in the morning.  Then, when there is just Eugene left (as she is a couple of years younger than the rest) I will introduce five or six newbies and have quiche, omelette and custard galore once more. 

Chickens make great pets and garden assistants, they help with chemical free bug and weed control, drop wonderful fertilizers in your garden and lawn, sometimes your home☺  They are inquisitive, social and have individual personalities, they love their families and value their lives.  

Some chickens have cognitive abilities more advanced than cats, dogs and some primates.  

They do have a pecking order and each chicken is very aware of their place in their family/community.  Chickens have between 24 to 30 types of vocalization.  A mother hen teaches these calls to her chicks before they have hatched, the baby chicks chirp back to her and their siblings from inside their shells, using this form of communication will pass down knowledge through their family generations. 

The Nutritional value of eggs is quite interesting, and would take some time to really get into.  It is also a debatable topic between vegetarians and vegans.

When possible (if you cannot have chickens of your own) buy your eggs direct from an ethical farmer,  friend or neighbour.

Also something to consider - ideally chickens should be feed an organic mix that closely resembles that of their natural diet, not a commercial product that is full of chemicals, fillers, and ground up dead animal parts.

What the chicken eats you ultimately eat!

Benefits of eggs

• High quality protein
• Choline – in the yolk - important for brain function and health, the nervous system, cardiovascular health
• Eggs help to lower the risk of a heart attack or stroke by preventing blood clots
• Lutein - protection against age related macular degeneration and cataracts
• Good for your eyes in general
• Peptide – found in the whites of the egg – is a protein building block, which binds to the food bourne pathogen, E.coli, preventing infection.
• Vitamin A – good night vision
• Vitamin B2, B5, B12
• Vitamin D – helps in calcium absorption
• Vitamin E 
• Vitamin K
• Zinc, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Calcium, Iron

What marvelous little friends to have.

 Anyone who has spent time with Julia AKA Chicken Whisperer, can see the love in this little brood and their love of their Julia.  

If you have the love and time, consider rescuing battery farm hens.  I personally have seen rescued hens go from no feathers, scared of humans to fluffy loveable companions who laid beautiful eggs.

 For more info on rescued hens contact 

Sandy Dow at dogworx@live.com.au

Sandy also is a dog trainer extraordinaire, who rescues, rehabilitates and re-homes the dogs.  Love and Light Tanya ox

IT'S SO EASY BEING GREEN

So I have been trying hard to improve the way I live, the things I eat and indulging some of my passions to become a more “well rounded” person.  Having coffee with a friend of similar age just recently she told me of a challenge she was just about to embark on but one that she had done previously and found very beneficial to health, hair and skin, energy levels and overall well being.  The Simple Green Smoothie 30 day Challenge is a web based program put together by a couple of lovely friends Jen and Jadah at www.simplegreensmoothies.com and provides you with daily inspiration, recipes and weekly shopping lists to encourage you to add more fruits and vegetables also some nutrient boosts into your daily diet.  Sign me up I say!

www.simplegreensmoothies.com

Not having all of the ingredients in the fridge but wanting to get started straight away, my first smoothie was a bit hard to stomach!  But once I went shopping and had some variety I was loving the smoothie challenge and using it to replace my lunch which usually consisted of whatever was left over in the fridge from the weekend or a fast sushi roll while out doing the banking. I am still constantly amazed at how with the addition of a few fruits (particularly banana and pineapple) you literally cannot taste the 2 cups of spinach or kale once it is smooshed together.

My first attempt was done in my blender.  Its a heavy duty, ice crushing model but the result was just a bit chewy to say the least which didn't really add to the appeal.  Then I tried the food processor which even though it has a bigger motor didn't quite get all the bits from the sides and so ended up even more chunky.  

Then as I munched my way through Saturday lunchtime TV I came across an advertorial for the NutriBullet.  I have NEVER bought ANYTHING off TV shopping channels before but this one had me hooked.  The way it professed to extract the nutrients from even the seeds of the raspberries and the skins of the kiwi fruit with its ultra powerful motor and cyclonic action that dragged ever last skerick through its powerful extractor blades made me want one real bad.  As with all these TV offers there is a 30 day trial which costs you postage only and then sixty-four monthly payments as big as your mortgage and your first born son if you are completely satisfied with the product and want to keep it.  But I signed up anyway and I’ve got to say that I am happy with the NutriBullet, it does what it said it would and after about a months worth of daily smoothies and homemade salsa and pasta sauce has been processed it is still going like a champion.  Oh and did I mention there were free gifts too!  A Slicer Dicer 2000 and an economy peeler as well as all the books and recipes and daily diet planners etc that come along with the Bullet itself.

MY FAVOURITE SMOOTHIE

Ingredient:

2 cups of washed spinach leaves

5cm piece of banana (only because my tummy reacts badly, so you can have a whole banana if you like)

1 kiwi fruit

1 inch of ginger

1 peach no pit

Cocobella coconut water to the max fill line or at least 250ml

1 tablespoon chia seeds

Method:

Extract using NutriBullet but if you don't have one then process/blend the spinach and water first then add the rest of the ingredients and process again.  Drink quickly so you get an awesome green moustache!  Instagram the pic cause you can!

Try other ingredients at random, but beware that if you put anything red e.g. raspberries in with the green leafy you get something that looks like it came out of a babies nappy, which can be a turn off, trust me.  So its over to Tanya for the breakdown…

Tanya?

All of those ingredients are favourites of mine….Oh….who am I kidding, I love all fruits and veggies, yes even brussel sprouts, which by the way make excellent chips, instead of packet potato chips, quick and easy too.

Lets look at the nutrition and benefits as a whole from this delicious smoothie, whilst keeping in mind the ingredients on their own are very powerful and target specific issues, but combined are and excellent way to maintain health and vitality.

Nutrition

• Iron and chlorophyll
• Magnesium
• Potassium – helps the body to absorb calcium
• Calcium
• Copper
• Folate
• Vit  A - which helps with night blindness 
• Vit  B’s including B6, Vit C and E
• Melatonin
• Healthy Protein and Fibre
• Sulphur – helps relieve herpes irritations
• Polyphenols
• Beta-Carotene and Lutein – supports lungs and prostate
• Coconut water – 5 essential electrolytes, sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium and phosphorus

Benefits

• Protects the heart
• Blood pressure, anaemia, blood clots
• Blood builder – not to be confused with Bob!
• Bones
• Healthy Digestive Track
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Good for stress and depression
• Coughs
• Ulcers
• Constipation and haemorrhoids
• Strokes
• Post exercise snack
• Hangovers
• Excellent brain power

YummmO Julia, and I think we should see more colourful moustache photos from you!

Love and Light Tanya ox

So have a go, get your blender out and give it a try.  So many combos, so little time.  Share your faves in the comments below.  Cheers!

BEAUTIFUL BEETROOT.

With the busy lives we lead currently the whole idea of community takes on a different bent.  We use social media to connect with our friends and family and neglect to give them a call or go over and visit them face to face.  So when a little red headed five year old stands at my fence calling out “Hello, hello!” with increasing intensity, hopefulness in his voice, I am heartened to know that the neighbourhood I live in is still in tact.  I am always excited and encouraged to have the neighbourhood kids lean over the fence when they see me in the garden watering or pulling weeds and ask if they can come in and look at the vegetables.  So this week when the children from down the street were over for another visit to coerce our son for a turn on his Xbox, I distracted their interest by telling them it was time to pull up some beetroot.

There has been sufficient rain and copious amounts of sunshine to ensure that the little rosy cheeks of the beetroot were starting to push up through the soil.  I had a copy of the latest Earth Garden magazine earmarked with a beautiful beetroot and chocolate cake recipe that I was dying to try for lunch box treats.  So off we trotted into the garden and Tommy pulled the biggest one out by the variegated leaves and held it up for my approval, grinning from ear to ear.  It wasn't quite as big as I would have liked so we opted to pick some beans instead of disturbing the growth of the other beets.

He went back to the Xbox and I grated and measured all the ingredients for a delicious and healthy staple, my Carrot and Beetroot cake, as the beetroot wasn't sufficient for the other cake that I was hoping to make.  Soon Tom was back in the kitchen to help with the mixing and addition of ingredients, enjoying the attention and for me it took me back to my days as a Home Ec teacher as I explained processes and answered questions as we made the cake.  Now while Tom might enjoy the growing, watering, harvesting and even the cooking of vegetables, mention the words “carrot” and “beetroot” in the same sentence as “cake” and he is not the least bit convinced!  So our beautiful desert remained untouched until husband and friends arrived and our son was able to pry his hands from the Xbox controller.

One of my favourite recipes using beetroot is Jamie Oliver’s Food Processor Salad.  I call it Rainbow Salad and I have altered it for my taste by omitting fennel bulb and substituting yellow zucchini.  Basically you set up the grater attachment on the food processor and grate a small beetroot, a red carrot, a yellow zucchini, a green zucchini and as luck and centrifugal force would have it the salad is created in layers for you right in the bowl.  Gently invert onto a plate and serve alongside your favourite dressing.  I make Jamie’s Tarragon and Yoghurt dressing to go alongside as it gives tang and a bit of bite to what is essentially a modern take on coleslaw.  My sister in law after asking me how I made the salad was amazed that you could eat raw beetroot as she had always boiled it first….

Whats so great about raw beetroot Tanya?

MMMMMM Beetroot, you can beet an egg but you can’t beet a root apparently, well at least that is what my husband always says when he is adding beetroot to our vegie burgers!

Don Tolman refers to beets as “The Vegetable Jewel”, so I have a vision of the 7 Dwarfs singing “Hi Ho Hi Ho it’s off to work we go, to find the jewel of the vegetable kingdom, Hi Ho Hi Ho Hi Ho”. (Sorry if you now have that tune stuck in your head)

Beetroots are loaded with potassium, magnesium, beta-carotene and folate.  Fresh beetroots have at least twice as much potassium and folate and other nutrients as canned beetroot. You also need to consider when using canned beets is the added sugar, other nasty’s and of course the issue that the lining of the cans are not BPA free.  Fresh beetroots are beautiful in juices, salads and you can also bake them like a potato.

Other Benefits Include

• Works for cancer

• Protects your heart

• Controls blood pressure

• Conquers kidney stones

• Strengthens bones

• Prevents gallstones

• Treatment of gout and jaundice

• Anaemia

• Disorders of the bladder and kidneys

Beetroot leaves are also yummy and nutritious, cut the tough part of the stem off just below the leaves, warm in olive oil or coconut oil add a little Bragg’s All Purpose Seasoning, Celtic Sea Salt and your beet leaves, sauté till they are soft, enjoy like that or you can add to omelettes, stir-fry, warm salads. Have fun with this and experiment with different dishes, you will be surprised how they add colour and texture to your meal.

Another wonderful and fun thing to do with beetroots is hand dying natural fibre cloths, sheets, or whatever tickles your natural fibre fancy. The results are always different and you are not harming the environment or your family with harsh chemicals.  Love and Light Tanya ox

So ditch the tinned, sugared beets and try a bunch of round and raw and enjoy the benefits!  Do you have a favourite beetroot recipe?  Let us know in the comments below.