A Worm Called Neeble.

We have a real opportunity now that we have consolidated into one home, to do more of the sustainable stuff that I have been wanting to do.  I am always conscious of the waste that we produce, be it the left over half a sandwich from our son’s school lunch, or the paper bag the mushrooms came home in, all the egg shells that we have each day and tea bags, left over rice and pasta and the list goes on and on and on.  When we were living in two homes I would sometimes make the decision to take the waste from the resort and bring it to the chooks or compost heap at the house, but so often my trip was not that straight forward resulting in watermelon skins souring in the heat of my car while I attend a meeting or banana skins permeating every nook and cranny of the upholstery with their pungent smell, YUK!

Containers for the Worm Food and Chook Food.

So now I have two plastic containers surreptitiously placed on the kitchen bench, labeled for either worms/compost or chicken feed.  This is working quite well too now that we have half a dozen chookies they are always up for a treat as they graze in the backyard of an afternoon, and the worm farm is teaming with slithery little fertiliser factory workers who previously I couldn't keep enough food up to.

A couple of Christmases ago I ask for a worm farm as a present and happily set it up in a shady corner of the veggie garden.  I then had to go and buy worms, which was quite expensive I might add, but I hadn't realised that just any type of worms wouldn't do the trick, you had to have specific composting worms.  I named the worms Neeble, after the talking variety on Men In Black the movie, so each day when I talk to them I picture them lazing back on a carrot top smoking, drinking coffee and talking back to me.  

The Neebles from the Men in Black Movie.

So each day I go and feed my Neebles with the left over peelings, scraps, paper, tea bags and egg shells, being careful not to give them citrus and onion skins as apparently they aren't good for them.  The worm pee is harvested constantly as the tap is left open and an old ice cream container collects the nutrient rich liquid which I mix 1:10 with water and spray on the plants every so often to give them a kick along.  Every couple of weeks I flush the system with five litres of water to help keep the environment moist and reduce ants setting up home in there.  The residual liquid is also watered down and given to the plants.  

This weekend I noticed that the old worm blanket (one of the many components of the worm farm that I thought I had to buy) was disintegrating and so I googled what else could be used to cover them, to avoid having to go back to Bunnings and spend more money.  Thankfully I know a Resort GM who has a box of damaged bath mats and face washers that are 100% cotton lurking in a special corner of his Man Cave, so I asked to steal a couple to make a nice new blankie for my Neebles.

This is the result and now they are snug as a bug in a rug, literally!

A cozy worm blanket made from two bathmats.

Worm farming is easy to do and knowing that most families create way too much waste it is an efficient method of reducing and reusing what would have gone into the bin and become landfill.  My sister in Sydney set up hers very cheaply using a couple of broccoli boxes, wads of wet newspaper and poking a drainage hole close to the bottom which can be fitted with a tap fitting from the hardware store, so there is really no need to go to a lot of expense to get free fertiliser for ever.  So give it a go!

THE UNINVITED GUEST - by Julia Schafer

It was wedding season at the Lodge, the staff all looked their best.

The Head Waiter is in a tie, his staff in neat black vest.

The room was strewn with flower wreaths, adorned with festive lights,

and as we watched the bride approach, she was a gorgeous sight,

But little did she know what had happened over night…

The day before a wedding is frantic to behold.

The staff run round like headless chooks and do just as they're told.

Chef is in the kitchen, chopping, poaching chicken breast.

To make the couple’s marriage feast better than his best.

In hopes that the important guests will all be most impressed.

The Lodge is decorated, the drinks on ice are cold,

And here arrives the wedding cake, a wonder to behold.

A triple layered fruit cake, iced in frosty white

To be adorned with fresh blooms in tomorrows morning light

So leave it on the bench top, it will be fine over night.

The morning of the wedding, I check details in the room

I walk around the table inspecting knife and fork and spoon

I go to move the wedding cake to a table for the cutting

A glance, a groan, a cry escapes, a piece of cake is missing!

And don't tell me that’s a bottom print where a possum has been sitting! 

Calls are made the staff are rallied, how can we fix the cake?

There is no time to start again, to mix and chop and bake

The wedding will be on soon, in just a few small hours

The bride’s mother soon to bring the big bouquet of flowers

She wont be happy about this mess, as the fault at best is ours.

A call to a cake decorator, she says she’ll have a go

Bring it forthwith and she will do her best to save the show

She cuts out the chewed portion and fills it with some icing

She smooths out the big “bum” print and then repairs the piping

I gingerly transport it back with slow and steady driving.

The wedding goes without a hitch, a romantic celebration.

And after vows and rings are swapped, a feast and a libation.

We toast the gorgeous bride, and her very handsome male.

I need to make confession to the woman in the veil.

I steal myself, approach the group and tell them all the tale.

They roar with laughter, toast us all and tell us not to worry.

They wont be rushing off to tell Sixty Minutes in a hurry.

Such a memorable wedding, and a wonderful country stay

The birds, the bush, the possums in the rafters all at play 

and what a tale that they will tell their future kids one day!

o o o

(The other moral of this story goes on for quite a bit

When eating dinner in the Lodge be careful where you sit

When possums play above your head and you have had a tipple

When you’ve ordered minestrone, with an olive oil drizzle

Diners please beware, don't ever drink the soup with ripples!)

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.

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