TWO BECOME ONE

For the last four years we have operated from two different homes, one an apartment at the beachside resort that Benny manages and the other our Funny Farm in the hinterland.  The First World Problems that this duplicity caused were many, some of which I recounted in past blogs.  But as of last week, two homes merged into one as we gave up our beachfront dwelling opting to consolidate and live full time at the house.  This means for me that I have no commute to work, a short drive to deliver our son to school and no more Mrs Pack Mule every Monday and Friday dragging bags of clothing and eskys full of food foreword and back.  

Packing should have been my profession as I have had to do it so many times I have it down to a fine art.  Thank goodness it was a fully furnished unit as I still managed to fill twenty five packing boxes with the accumulation of five years worth of clothing, books, food and gadgets and that included getting rid of the equivalent of six boxes worth to the Salvos and another half dozen to the dump.  It took me just shy of two days to move us out, including two trips in the Prado and another with the aid of my husband his ute and trailer. 

Two salt, two oil, two this, two that.

So we are home, which is awesome, but the weird thing about this move that hasn't been the case before is we moved into a home that was already fully set up and filled with our stuff!  So now what?  I have two of everything!  Two toasters, blenders, food processors, too much clothing to fit in the minuscule cupboard in our bedroom, two of pretty much everything in the baking department including all the ingredients and not enough space to fit it all in.  The fridge overflows, the pantry door is bulging out, and condiments…. don't talk to me about condiments!

I know I must unpack but where will it all go?  Our dinner set alone can now feed a group of twenty four people all off the same style plates (which by the way this dishwasher doesn't like accommodating).  But as is typical of any move, the one thing I was looking for to use to cook tomorrow nights dinner is nowhere to be found, still in the recesses of a nameless, label-less, hastily packed, bottom stacked box somewhere in the garage.

Pantry bulging at the seams.

But at least we are now in our own home sweet home.  I don't need to feed the dog too early and coerce the chickens into their run before they are ready.  Now they can put themselves to bed at their leisure.  We can enjoy a fire every night if we wish, and welcome neighbouring children over to roast marshmallows on sticks.  Lawson can sleep in on school holidays and I can work before or after normal work hours if I feel so inclined (which is rare just quietly). 

Fridge is finally full!

The person whose routine has been the most upset is of course Benny’s.  He now has the commute too and from work, it has thrown his gym workout into disarray, and he has to open and close the gate twice a day to prevent the chickens and dog escaping.  Hummmmm, four days it took him, and there, at the post office for me to collect was the remote controlled, automated gate opener I have been asking for, for oh, I don't know, about four years!

A SENSE FOR GARDENING

To think I spent years and years avoiding gardening.  In fact I think back in history  as I watched my Mother in the garden spending all those hours on her hands and knees, in the blazing sun, pulling weeds, digging, cultivating, and sore and sorry for herself at the end of the day and secretly thought she was a bit of a loon!  But now I get it!  I totally understand the passion of gardening, its become my solace, a place to spend five minutes a day just to chill, and a weekend’s adventure.  My garden fills me daily with contentment, a true gift to all my senses.

Baby beetroot plants.

The obvious sense that pervades is the calming sight of my garden.  Its location just outside the window of the place where I spend most of my week working in our business.  The view a palette of various green and yellow hues, calming, cool colours which seem to bring a sense of peace to my mood.  When I am at my most hectic and chance to glance out to glimpse a peewee swoop on an unsuspecting insect, a breeze ruffling the lettuce leaves, or a brand new mauve flower the promise of an eggplant to come somehow the frazzle becomes slightly less frazzling.

On certain days a waft of the heady scent of rosemary drifts in on a breeze while I am working.  My sense of smell is indulged as I walk through the garden.  When I venture out I run my hand over each herb in turn, scrunching the leaves and burying my nose in my palm to breathe in the fragrance of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (sing with me…), Oregano and Lemongrass.  When I dig, the fresh earth smells rich and dare I say “earthy”.  When my husband mows around the crop circles the grass smells fresh and makes me sneeze.

Climbing beans

I lift the lid on the worm farm and I hear the squirming of hundreds of slithering creatures squelching through the decaying fruit, veg and paper.  Birds chirping, Scruffy barking at birds chirping and me yelling at Scruffy to stop barking at birds chirping.  Sitting at my cute green table, nicknamed the “beer garden” by our neighbour, quiet overtakes me and peace reigns supreme.

The Beer Garden!

Hands in the earth, its cool and soft, the rough bark on the tree stump where my weather station sits catching and measuring rainfall, gauging the temperature and showing which way the wind is blowing. 

The Weather Station zip clipped to a tree stump.

A feast for the senses, a garden of joy, a place of peace, my happy place.  Don't live your life without planting a seed, watering it and watching it burst up through the soil, produce two leaves then four, a flower, a fruit, pick it, smell it and eat it.  Nothing like it.  Now I get it.

Nothing like planting something from seed and watching it sprout.

SUCCULENT SPROUTS

Just recently Tanya posted a photo on Facebook of a yummy and nutritious salad that was covered in a decorative flourish of microgreens.  An attractive and a healthy addition, and as I had been getting a bit bored with the cos lettuce salads I thought it was about time I started my very own windowsill garden of sprouts.

Off to Bunnings, where I had seen these amazing stackable trays to house the sprouting seeds until they were ready for consumption.  Thirty dollars later and I had my sprout greenhouse and several packets of seeds.  I set up the containers as per the instructions, finishing the top section with some wheatgrass seeds as they needed the space above if they were to grow to the 15-20cm as recommended before harvesting.  

After just one day the wheat had stated to sprout, second day and the snow peas joined them but the mustard and coriander still remained little round seeds.  I put the sprout container near the window and everything turned a lot greener, but the humidity produced mould in the bottom two trays which was not what I wanted to happen.  I re-read the instructions and it did mentioned NOT to put them in the direct sunlight as it creates a little hot house which is not so good for the sprouts.

I tossed out the yucky ones and continued with the wheat and snow peas which worked out perfectly.

I went back to Bunnings and bought a special tray for the wheatgrass and tried the other seeds again in the sprouted but to no avail.  

I give up!  So I’m grassing up my smoothies but the sprouter will most likely be put away until another time or donated to the school to see if they have better luck!  Luckily my local fruit and veggie shop sells sprouts so I’ll stick to buying them as I need them from now on.

Remember growing spouts at school in a screw cap jar, or in egg cartons with moist cotton wool?  You don't need to spend a lot of money to give sprout growing a go and as with my outdoor garden, its exciting to see the little plants sprout from seed.

Here’s what you are missing out on if you are NOT eating your sprouts…

Little Microgreens, so pretty and pack a nutritional and flavoursome punch. 

They are young delicate seedlings of edible vegetables and herbs, generally harvested less than 14 days after germination. 

These tiny little beauties are often higher in nutrient value then their mature plant.

There are many Micro herbs and veggies that you can add to any dish, salad, wrap, or enjoy on their own as a snack.  

Important info, because of their high water content, cooking Microgreens is considered a NO NO.

A handful of my favourites are –

• Micro Dill – Calcium, Manganese, Iron, Fiber and an Aphrodisiac.

• Micro Celery – Vit A, B, C and E, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc

• Micro Coriander – Vit A, C and K, Anti-Oxidant, Fiber, Folic-Acid, Riboflavin, Niacin

• Micro Green and Red Radish –  Vit A, C , E and K, Antioxidants, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Zinc

Microgreens are quick and easy to grow indoors on a sun filled window or table. (so you say Tanya!)

So there is a fun and nutritional idea, create your own indoor or outdoor Microgarden, and send us a photo, we would love to see it!

Love and Light Tanya ox

KIDS, EAT YOUR VEGGIES!

Do you, like so many Mums have trouble getting your kiddie winks to eat their veggies?  I know, I know, it’s tough isn't it?  I remember when our son was little we would go out to a restaurant, trap him in his high chair and order him a side of steamed vegetables that he would seriously hoe into.  Then something happened, out of the blue, he developed his own little mind and all of a sudden started to order his dinner based on price in order of the most expensive dish if you please! Atlantic Salmon, Fillet Mignon, Barramundi etc, etc and we would shrug our shoulders and pay the bill, secretly happy that he was developing a sophisticated palate.  But when he started leaving his veggies on the plate that was the end of it.  “If you are going to order an adult meal then you must eat it, vegetables and all.” we would say.

Nowadays we don't have that sort of trouble, not since we discovered how yummy green smoothies can be and how easily we can incorporate at least two vege and two fruit into a drink we have at afternoon tea time.  

Also we have discovered the very best chocolate cake in the world which is loaded with beautiful beetroot puree.  I have made this cake for an adult friends birthday dinner and served it up to my husband’s Board of Directors.  The children across the street are putting in requests for me to make it again on the weekends, and our son has it in his lunchbox most days.  I recognise that it is just a chocolate cake after all, filled with butter and sugar and all sorts of other not so healthy ingredients (if not taken in moderation), but this is a seriously deliciously addictive cake with the benefit of containing vegetables!  

CHOCOLATE BEETROOT CAKE  from current issue of Earth Garden Magazine

Ingredients:

100gm dark chocolate

3 medium free range eggs

300gm brown sugar

180 gm butter

300gm cooked beetroot

1 tsp vanilla extract

30 gm cocoa powder

100 gm almond meal

100gm plain flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Method:

1. To cook the beetroots wash thoroughly and place in a pot full of cold water.  Bring to the boil and cook until soft when poked with a knife. Cool, rub off skins, and then blend to make a puree.

2. Preheat oven to 180 C.  Grease and line your cake tin, either one square 20 x 20cm or 2 x 22cm tins.

3. Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler and leave to cool to room temperature.  I use the microwave and heat for thirty seconds, give it a stir and another fifteen seconds and stir again.

4. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk together the eggs and sugar.

5. Slowly add the cooked beet puree, the melted chocolate and vanilla into the egg mixture.  Beat until just combined.

6. Sift the cocoa, flour, baking powder.  Add this the almond meal and salt to the beet batter.  Fold until just combined, do not over mix.  

7. Pour into the cake tins and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the cake just springs back if you touch it.  Leave to cool then ice if desired.  We just dust with icing sugar and serve like a brownie, with a dollop of double cream!  YUMMMMMM!

No trouble getting kids to eat this one.  Give it a try and let us know what you think.