PASSIONFRUITS GALORE

It's that time of the year in Aussie, when the passionfruit vines are loaded, so I thought I would pass on a few recipes to make use of all that fruit.

Passionfruit Syrup Recipe

8 large passion fruit
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water

Halve passion fruits and scoop out pulp into a sieve. Rub through a sieve to separate juice and seeds. Discard seeds and measure juice to slightly less than half a cup.

In a small saucepan mix sugar and water and stir to dissolve. Bring to the boil and boil for 5 to 7 minutes or until syrup spins a thread when dropped from the tines of a fork. Add passion fruit juice, return to boil and boil for 1 minute. Pour into small, hot, sterilized bottles and seal while hot. Put into a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Passionfruit Jam
24 passionfruit
5 cups (1 1/4 litre) cold water
1 cup (8 fl oz) water
1 lemon
5 cups (2 1/2 lb) sugar

Wash fruit well. Scoop out the pulp from the passionfruit and
retain. Take half the passionfruit shells and put with the first
measure of water into a bowl and leave to stand overnight. Bring
to the boil with the water and boil for about 30 minutes, or until
inside of shells are tender. Scoop out this pulp and discard the
thin paper skin that remains. Discard the cooking water.

Chop or mash the pulp and put into jam pan with fruitpulp and seeds.
Add the second measure of water and bring to the boil. Add the
juice of the lemon. Add sugar and boil briskly until the jam will
set when tested. Allow to cool 10 minutes before pouring into hot,
dry jars. Seal when cold. Yield: 1 3/4 kg (3 1/2 lb)

 Passionfruit Curd

• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 3 tsps finely grated lemon rind
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup passionfruit pulp
• 200g unsalted butter, softened

1. Beat the eggs and strain into a heat-proof bowl. Stir in the caster sugar, lemon rind, lemon juice, passionfruit pulp and softened butter. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, without touching the water, and stir until the butter has melted and all the sugar dissolved. Stir constantly for about 15-20 minutes, or until the mixture thickly coats the back of the spoon.

2. Spoon into clean, warm jars and seal while hot. Refrigerate when cool. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

FOOD INC - INFORMATIVE, CONCERNING & EYE OPENING....

If you havent seen the movie FOOD INC might I suggest you watch it, whilst some of it is downright scary I do believe when we are educated we have better tools to change a process....worth every minute of viewing time.

Part One

Part Two

There are 10 to view, each one running for about 10 minutes or so.

Hope your week is going well!

Tale care of you and yours.....and the planet:)

molly

AUSSIES NEED TO READ THIS!

TGA moves to legislate food as medicine!


In the recent proposed changes to legislation the TGA states:


"In Australia, it has long been recognised that there is a legislative ‘interface’, or overlap, between foods and medicines for human oral consumption. As the food and complementary medicine sectors have evolved over recent years, a ‘grey area’ has unintentionally developed at this food-medicine interface. The confusion is due to certain areas of food legislation and therapeutic goods legislation overlapping in such a way that makes it difficult to determine which legislation should be applied in many cases."


http://www.tga.gov.au/docs/html/cmec/section7.htm
http://www.tga.gov.au/cm/consult/cons-s7declaration.pdf


The real reason for this over lap is that the TGA regulates health supplements as medicines. Health supplements should be regulated in a third category of their own, just as they are now or soon to be in New Zealand. If this happened then foods would not be regulated as drugs or medicines. This is the fault of the TGA's regulation and not the fault of the health supplement industry!


We use natural health products as foods and not medicine. Yes good food keeps us healthy but it is not a drug! We do not find the existing laws misleading or confusing as the TGA has insisted .


In fact, changing the law as the TGA is suggesting makes the new laws even more confusing.


We as consumers understand the difference between foods and medicines and we do not need the TGA to define this for us. We are intelligent human beings, we read the labels, we educate ourselves. It may be confusing to the TGA but it is not confusing to the public!


This law benefits the bigger health companies of which are mostly owned or majority controlled by drug companies. This proposal by the TGA will raise the costs of entry point into the health food market for small business, leaving a monopoly for larger companies.


Turning such food products into medicines is misleading on the TGA's behalf and serves also the financial interests of the TGA, as it generates more income with regards to annual audits and listing on the TGA Therapeutic Register of a health product. These costs will then be passed on to consumers.


For example, such products as Chlorella, Wheat grass, Barley grass and Spirulina, under the TGA's proposed plans, will become a drug and a medicine. These products will then become more expensive to purchase. This is outrageous!


Does this mean that the TGA will also categorise products, available from food retail, such as sodium saccharin tablets as a drug? This is the same sodium saccharin which has been linked to cancer (but still available to the public). Or will the TGA make exemptions for dangerous products like sodium saccharin to be freely available as a food?


Over the years the TGA and its officers seem to have forgotten about their original charter, and now we are seeing what is commonly called "regulatory creep".


The whole primary raison d'être for the TGA is to keep us safe from dangerous drugs, which the TGA is not doing such a good job of. Remember Vioxx? The TGA did nothing! Merck Sharp & Dohme eventually pulled the Vioxx off the market voluntarily after it had already killed 50,000 people
http://www.health-freedom.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=146:authorities-ignored-vioxx-warning&catid=5:pharma&Itemid=11


The TGA should keep its hands off our foods! Food is a food and drugs are potentially dangerous products produced by drug companies! There is a large difference and we do not find the definition confusing, nor should the TGA!


The amendments to Section 7 of the Therapeutics Goods Act should not be implemented in any form.


We call on the Federal Minister for Health and the TGA to withdraw this proposal.


I'm signing the PETITION....how about you?? You have until the 30th November.

Some things are worth fighting for, I believe this one is!

Take care of you and yours.......and the planet:)

molly

COLD HARD FACTS ON FOOD..........

Jerry Brunetti works as a soil and crop consultant primarily for livestock farms and ranches, assisting these operations as they transition away from petrochemical inputs towards adopting the practices necessary for organic food production. In addition, he works towards improving crop quality, livestock performance, and animal health that results in human health and other benefits from organic farming. 


Jerry was an animal science major at North Carolina State University prior to running a cow/calf operation in West Virginia. He also worked as a marketing director, who supervised milk quality at the National Farmers Organization in the Northeast for five years. In 1979, he launched Agri-Dynamics, Inc., his consulting firm, where he still works.  

Jerry has been a regular speaker at numerous conferences throughout the United States, Australia, and Europe on topics that include soil fertility, animal nutrition and livestock/ human health.
 

Jerry was diagnosed with lymphoma and given less than 6 months to live a number of years ago. He did the research and experimented with some obscure alternative and holistic techniques, and managed to heal himself of the cancer. He often speaks to audiences about the relationship of Food as Medicine and Farm as Farmacy.  

Jerry bridges natural and scientific understandings of plant and animal ecosystems, such as digestion in soils (decomposition), foods (fermentation) and animal/human gastrointestinal tract health; plant immunity originating from mineral derived pigments (e.g. carotene) called phytoalexins, which in turn contribute to the strength of animal/human immune systems.

Jerry’s connect-the-dots systems approach is to assist farmers and ranchers to understand and then implement practices that demonstrate the health of people and communities is linked to healthy land, healthy animals and healthy humans. His DVDs include The Keys to Herd Health, Holistic Veterinary Care with Hugh Karreman, VMD and Cancer, Nutrition and Healing.
 

Try watching this series of videos. There are 20 parts but I promise you, you wont be able to miss one of them!  This just cements our desire to grow as much of our food as possible and source local organic where we can't!

SELF SUFFICIENCY..........

I received an email last night asking how I am working  towards self sufficiency. I responded and then finished with some of the links I have utilised over the years, here they are for your persusal too:

SELF SUFFICIENCY GUIDE

DAY CREEK

FOOD SKILLS FOR SELF SUFFICIENCY 

PINDARI FARM

THE SELF SUFFICIENCY PAGES

BACKWOODS HOME MAGAZINE 

DOWNSIZER

Hope you enjoy the links, 
there is something in there for everyone.

Take care of you and yours......and the planet:)

molly

What a divine day! My order from the local garden centre arrived, photos next week given my daughter took off with my camera for the weekend lol.

I spent the day just taking in the cool breeze and warm sun. I spent the early morning watering and then spent time on the maintenance jobs around the yard.

The herb garden was weeded and I planted out Chamomile and Basil, I still have a lot of herbs to put in yet.

The Basil is the dark opal variety. A more subtle flavour I am told, which for me is a good thing, I'm not into strong "anything" in flavour.


The pond was cleaned out, the Azolla grows at such a rapid rate we get a bucket full every week, wonderful as mulch as it holds the water in and adds nitrogen.

Tomorrow I am planting out the 2 Bing Cherries that have finally arrived. They will pollinate with the Stella I already have in. Have you read the research on the Bing Cherry and arthritis and gout? SCIENCE NEWS has a story on the trials being done, very promising indeed! (Yes, I have arthritis)

I will also be planting out 2 Irish Strawberry trees.The fruit has somewhat gritty skin, but the fruit itself has the texture of a lush tropical fruit and has a delicate pleasant flavour when fully ripened.

30 MINUTE STRAWBERRY JAM

1 3/4 c. fully ripe strawberries
4 c. sugar (1 3/4 lbs.)
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 pouch Certo fruit pectin

Wash, scald and drain containers (1 pint or smaller with tight-fitting lids) and lids.

Stem and thoroughly crust strawberries, one layer at a time. Measure EXACTLY 1 3/4 cups fruit; place in a large bowl. 

Thoroughly mix sugar into fruit; let stand 10 minutes. Combine lemon juice and fruit pectin; stir into fruit. Continue stirring about 3 minutes. A few sugar crystals will remain.

Ladle quickly into containers. Cover at once and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours to set. 

Then store in freezer. If jam will be used in 2 to 3 weeks, it may be stored in refrigerator. Because this is a "no-cook" jam it will have a natural fruit color and a softer set that is easier to spread. Makes about 5 cups.

Well, thats all from me for tonight, it's getting late and this ol chook needs her beauty sleep.

Tomorrow I want to do an audit on all the fruits I have in, the count is somewhere around the 50's from memory....that and some more maintenance, including building a few "caves" for the gheckos to hang out in:)

I hope you're enjoying your weekend

Take care of you and yours........and the planet:)

molly

DON'T WASTE THAT FOOD....

A few weeks ago I read an article on PLANET GREEN , It suggested some great ideas to prevent food waste.

I've added a few more ideas to their list.

Using Up Vegetables

1. Leftover mashed potatoes from dinner? Make them into patty shapes the next morning and cook them in butter for a pretty good "mock hash brown." Or use them to make cakes, patties, and meatloaf. Use your potato peelings to throw in the garden for another batch of home grown spuds.

2. Don't toss those trimmed ends from onions, carrots, celery, or peppers. Store them in your freezer, and once you have a good amount saved up, add them to a large pot with a few cups of water and make homemade vegetable broth. This is also a great use for cabbage cores and corn cobs.

3. Don't toss broccoli stalks. They can be peeled and sliced, then prepared just like broccoli florets, or use them diced small in patties

4. If you have to dice part of an onion or pepper for a recipe, don't waste the rest of it. Chop it up and store it in the freezer for the next time you need diced onion or peppers.

5. Roasted root vegetable leftovers can be turned into an easy, simple soup the next day. Add the veggies to a blender, along with enough broth or water to thin them enough to blend. Heat and enjoy. Or puree them and use them in meatloaf or patties

6. If you're preparing squash, don't toss the seeds. Rinse and roast them in the oven, just like you would with pumpkin seeds. The taste is pretty much the same.

7. Celery leaves usually get tossed. There's a lot of good flavour in them; chop them up and add them to meatloaf, soups, or stews.

8. Use up tomatoes before they go bad by drying them.. You can then store them in olive oil or in the freezer. Puree them and use them as a sauce, instead of water in a casserole or stew

9. Canning is always a good option. If you're doing tomatoes, you can use a boiling water bath. If you're canning any other type of veggie, a pressure canner is necessary for food safety.

10. Before it goes bad, blanch it and toss it in the freezer. This works for peas, beans, corn, carrots, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and leafy greens like spinach and kale, now you have ready prepped veggies for that soup, stew, casserole, side dish

11. Too many zucchini? Make zucchini bread, quiche, pie or muffins. If you don't want to eat the bread now, bake it and freeze it, then defrost when you're ready to eat it.

12.Pickle it. Cucumbers are the first veggie most of us think of pickling, but in reality, just about any vegetable can be preserved through pickling.

Ideas for Cutting Down on Fruit Waste 
13. Make smoothies with fruit before it goes bad. Berries, bananas, and melons are great candidates for this use-up idea. Or puree, freeze and use for cake making

14. Jam is really easy to make, and will keep for up to a year if you process the jars in a hot water bath. If you don't do the water processing part, you can keep the jam in the refrigerator for a month, which is a lot longer than the fruits would have lasted.

15. Dry your fruit and store it in airtight containers.

16. Make fruit leather.

17. Make a big fruit salad or "fruit kebabs" for your kids. For some reason, they seem to eat more fruit if it's in these "fancier" forms.

18. Use up the fall bounty of apples by making applesauce or apple butter.

19. Don't throw out those watermelon rinds! Pickled watermelon rind is a pretty tasty treat.

20. Make a fruit crumble out of almost any fruit you have on hand. Assemble and bake it now, or leave it unbaked and store it in the freezer for a quick dessert. 

Putting Extra Grains to Good Use

21. Make croutons out of day-old bread.

22. Turn day-old bread into homemade bread crumbs or a bread and butter pudding

23. Freeze leftover bread. This way you'll have day-old on hand whenever you need bread crumbs, or croutons rather than using fresh bread.

24. All of those little broken pieces of pasta in the bottom of the box? Collect them and mix with rice and veggies for a simple side dish.

25. A few tablespoons of leftover oatmeal aren’t enough for a meal, but it is great sprinkled on top of yogurt. Or use it as a filler in your meatloaf

26. Add chopped bread to a soup. It will dissolve and thicken the soup.

27. Made too many pancakes for breakfast? Put them in the freezer, and then toss in the toaster for a fast, tasty weekday breakfast. Ditto waffles.

28. If you make plain white or brown rice with dinner, use leftovers for breakfast the next morning by adding them to oatmeal. This provides extra fibre and allows you to use up that rice. Make a soup and add the rice, patties, stew or a flaoured rice pudding

29. If you or your kids don't like the bread crusts on your sandwiches, save these bits and pieces in the freezer to turn into bread crumbs later. Just throw the crusts into a food processor or coffee grinder to make them into crumbs. Season as you like.

30. If you have just a smidge of baby cereal left in the box, and it's not enough for a full meal, add it to your baby’s pureed fruit. It adds bulk and fibre, and keeps baby full longer.

Make the Most of Meat

31. Don't toss those chicken bones after you eat the chicken. Boil them to make chicken stock.

32. Ditto for bones from beef and pork.

33. The fat you trim from beef can be melted down and turned into suet for backyard birds.

34. Turn leftover bits of cooked chicken into chicken salad for sandwiches the next day, or freeze and use later for a soup or stew

35. Use leftover roast beef or pot roast in an easy vegetable beef soup the next day by adding veggies, water, and the cooking juices from the meat.

Use Dairy before It Expires

36. If you've got a few chunks of different types of cheese sitting around after a party, make macaroni and cheese.

37. Eggs can be frozen. Break them, mix the yolks and whites together, and pour into an ice cube tray. Two frozen egg cubes is the equivalent of one large egg. Or pickle them for a delightful snack

38. You can also freeze milk. Leave enough room in the container for expansion, and defrost in the refrigerator.

39. Use cream cheese in mashed potatoes or white sauces to give them thickness and tang.

40. Put Parmesan cheese into the food processor with day-old bread to make Parmesan bread crumbs. This is excellent as a coating for eggplant slices, pork, or chicken.

Herbs and How to Get the Most Out of Them

41. Chop herbs and add them to ice cube trays with just a little water. Drop whole cubes into the pan when a recipe calls for that type of herb.

42. You can also freeze herbs by placing them in plastic containers. Certain herbs, such as basil, will turn black, but the flavour will still be great.

43. Make pesto with extra basil or parsley.

44. Dry herbs by hanging them by their stems in a cool, dry location. Once they're dry, remove them from the stems and store them in airtight containers.

Don't Waste a Drop

45. Leftover coffee in the carafe? Freeze it in ice cube trays. Use the cubes for iced coffee or to cool down too-hot coffee without diluting it. You can do the same with leftover tea.

46. If there's a splash or two of wine left in the bottle, use it to de-glaze pans to add flavour to whatever you're cooking.

47. If you have pickle juice left in a jar, don't pour it down the drain. Use it to make a fresh batch of refrigerator pickles, or add it to salad dressings (or dirty martinis).

48. You can also freeze broth or stock in ice cube trays, and use a cube or two whenever you make a pan sauce or gravy.

49. If there's just a bit of honey left in the bottom of the jar, add a squeeze or two of lemon juice and swish it around. The lemon juice will loosen up the honey, and you have the perfect addition to a cup of tea.

Finally....

50. If you can't think of any way to use that food in the kitchen, compost it. Everything except for meat and dairy will work in a compost pile, and at least your extra food can be used for something useful. Throw your meat and dairy to your chooks.

We are finally getting towards the end of our chook pen project, what a lonnnnnng dragged out 5 months lol.


The netting is finally up. This will stop any chance of wild birds mixing with the chooks (bird flu considerations etc) and the damned doves and pidgeons getting in to eat all the grain!


It will also stop neighbours cats being tempted, would love to see them try to balance on this stuff lol.

Look at this wee girl! I have called her snowy. She has the most beautiful white frizzle feathers, looking like a cartoon character straight out of the clothes dryer lol.




For some reason these two have teamed up, you never see one without the other being close by, different mothers but obviously great mates.

Meet Beady (the one giving me the dirty look), Missy (to the back) and PP (short for powder puff)


See? I am hopeless, how could I eat these girls, they all have names LOL!!


I have decided for now they are my gardeners, weeders, fertilisers of garden beds, supplier of delicious golden eggs and constant source of amusement.  If the TSHTF then I might eat them....not before LOL!

Now how stunning is this?  Our first water lilly to flower here. 


The flower opens as the sun gets warm overhead and begins to close as soon as the sun moves to the west over the shed.

 

And here is Myrtle sunning herself today. Hubby managed to catch her as she spent some tanning time lol.


The turtles seem very happy here, they are growing beautifully. I am hoping they will breed and I can release into the river here to increase the population that was decimated many years ago.  The garden is going well, the fruits and berries have all taken off (57 of them now) and the veggies are slowly giving us produce for the kitchen.

I have sectioned one are of the chook pen for veggies, however given the size of the pen I am thinking about sectioning another area off, it is in shade most of the day, would be brilliant with wicking beds for the "tempted to bolt" plants like lettuce etc.

Tomorrow nights dinner will be from local suppliers and our backyard, eggs from our girls and silverbeet from the garden, local bacon and dairy from our butcher, who does an amazing job of sourcing local healthy meats & dairy.

The herb garden has done ok, although I have much to learn in that area yet. I'm still not sure if the borage died down for the season or I killed it LMAO...the former I think, but if I knew more I wouldn't have so many questions....time to get studying lol. I have a ton of plants yet to get in there. I will be picking and drying some of the sage, oregano and thyme tomorrow as I relax on my day off.

Work is still crazy but some time out is needed, I have plenty of over overtime up my sleeve to swap for a little sanity time lol.

Well thats me for another couple of days!

Take care of you and yours.....and the planet:)

molly

Well worth watching video on the "swine flu" 
Stay informed and enjoy your week ahead

Take care of you and yours....and the planet:)

molly

AUSTRALIAN GE FOOD LABELLING PETITION

On March 11 a new documentary (The World According to Monsanto) was aired on French television - The gigantic bio-tech corporation Monsanto is threatening to destroy the agricultural biodiversity which has served mankind for thousands of years.

Present in 46 countries, Monsanto is the world leader in genetically modified crops, as well as one of the most controversial companies in industrial history. Since its foundation in 1901, the firm has faced trial after trial because of the toxicity of its products. 

Today it has reinvented itself as a "life sciences" company which has been converted to the virtues of sustainable development. LMAO!

Using hitherto unpublished documents and the testimonies of victims, scientists and politicians, "The World According to Monsanto" pieces together the origins of an industrial empire, built upon lies, collusion with the American government, pressure and attempted corruption. 

We all have a right to know what we are eating, but under our current laws most GE ingredients are exempt from labelling. Last Friday it was announced that an independent review into food labelling will be undertaken. This creates an opportunity for our lax labelling laws to be changed. .

Alarmingly, the government is only allowing four weeks for public submissions.

If you’re sick of eating in the dark, show the reviewers that Australians want labelling to cover all GE derived ingredients. Make a personal submission to the review NOW, HERE

PLEASE pass this petition around to friends & family if you consider it important, we dont have much time left.

If you haven't seen the movie, start HERE nothing like some reality to scare the pants off us occasionally!

Take care of you and yours.....and the planet:)

molly

AROUND THE BACKYARD...

Tonight I thought I would share a few pictures of bits around the backyard. I actually planned on taking a few more, however the most wonderful thunderstorm came in, lightning like you wouldn't believe...and rain!

Isn't this a gorgeous colour? One of the 6 cactii in the hanging baskets has flowered. The plant hangs for so long looking average, and then it flowers....

The chives have really taken off. I love these fresh in salads, chopped into miniscule pieces, I also dry them for all year round use.

Oh lordy, I have chickens allllllll over the place....where are you L???

LMAO...don't you just love those frizzles? They are the craziest looking chooks!

OMG, and more chooks!

AND MOREEEEEE!

The coriander has finally flowered, it won't be long and I can collect seed!

The Strawberry Guava has flowered too, about a dozen or so fruits will bear this year, not bad given I only put it in this year!

Remember those oriental and asiatic lillies I put in a couple of weeks agO? Well they are on their way:)

The oregano is ready for picking, a little fresh and lots to dry.

The pumpkins are spreading out at an amazing pace.

And the spuds (potatoes for those not aussie) have been shooting up for the last couple of weeks.

With the rain on top of all this growth it should be a good crop. It also gives me a couple of days respite from watering lol.

Nearly the weekend people.....enjoy!

Take care of you and yours......and the planet:)

molly

PICKLED EGGS....

I've noticed lately discussions on various blogs about the glut of eggs many have. Apart from using in salads, puddings, sandwiches and all sorts of other recipes, how about pickled?

Pickled eggs are hard-cooked eggs that have been soaked in a solution of vinegar, salt, spices and other seasonings. Besides being a conversation topic at a party with their bright colours (add some beetroot juice), pickled eggs are tasty and nutritious. They can contribute to your meals as part of any main course at dinner, as hors d’oeuvres, garnishes for salads, and diced ingredients.

Pickled eggs are a rich source of protein; they are low in calories and fat and contain very little carbohydrates. This makes them a very healthy option for those who are on a diet. Some of the ways that you might serve pickled eggs are with a fresh salad, or in a sandwich, or it could be used to accompany cold meats. Other popular ways to serve pickle eggs are with fish and chips or with a home made potato salad.

The longer you keep the eggs in a pickling liquid, the stronger will be the egg flavour. I have also found they tend to become a little tougher over time.

Now whilst I recognise that these were around before Adam…or should I say fridges, I personally recommend keeping them in the fridge for safe eating purposes.

PICKLED EGGS WITH GINGER
Ingredients:

• Sixteen hard-boiled eggs
• Two pints of malt or cider vinegar
• Fifteen grams of ginger
• Fifteen grams of black pepper
• Fifteen grams of Allspice

While you leave the eggs for cooling, start with preparing the pickling liquid.

• Place all the chosen ingredients in a medium-sized pan and stir them together.
• Once the liquid starts boiling, reduce the flame and let the mixture simmer down for ten minutes.
• Remove the contents from the pan and leave it to cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, place the eggs in a clean container.
• Once the pickling solution is cool, pour it all over the eggs in the container and seal it shut.
• Store the container in a dark and cool cupboard for about a month. After this, your pickled eggs with ginger are ready to be served.

SWEET PICKLED EGGS 

Ingredients

• 12 hard-boiled eggs, shelled
• 1 large onion, sliced in rings

Brine

• 2 cups white vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pickling spices, tied in double layer of cheese cloth

Layer the eggs with the onion in a 2 quart jar to within 1" of the top. Put all the brine ingredients (except spice bag) in a pot and over medium heat bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Swish the spice bag around in the brine for 30 seconds.

Pour brine over the eggs, leave for 2 weeks in the fridge before serving.

Make sure the eggs are completely covered.

MUSTARD PICKLED EGGS 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons prepared mustard (yellow, spicy brown, horseradish, Dijon)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2/3 cup sugar or eqivalent sugar substitute
• 1 pinch salt
• 10 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

Mix together the vinegar, mustard, water, sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar.

Put the eggs in a wide mouthed jar (an old mayonnaise jar would be great).

Pour the hot mixture over the eggs.

Seal the jar.

Store the eggs in the refrigerator for at least a day or two before sampling in order to let the flavors develop.

DILLED EGGS

1½ cups white vinegar

1 cup water

¾ teaspoon dill seed

¼ teaspoon white pepper

3 teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon mustard seed

½ teaspoon onion juice

½ teaspoon minced garlic

SWEET AND SOUR EGGS

1½ cups apple cider

½ cup cider vinegar

1 package (about 12 oz.) red cinnamon candy

1 tablespoon mixed pickling spice

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon garlic salt

SPICY EGGS

1½ cups apple cider

1 cup white vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon mixed pickling spice

1 clove peeled garlic

½ sliced onion

½ teaspoon mustard seed

Enjoy!

Take care of you and yours....and the planet:)

molly

TODAY IN THE GARDEN.......

Today we spent cleaning up. We have a giant recycle bin that we are filling with bricks and all manner of things. It goes to the tip and is sorted into lots that others might find useful. 

We removed the first layer off the brick retained garden bed under the patio this morning. It was too high and blocked the view of the pond when sitting out there. 

Amazing what a difference it made, actually looks much better! I just need to find some pretty tiles to put across the top, plant in some rock roses (they grow nice and low) and it will be completed.

The chooks have finished getting broody I hope, we have 16 chickens now, lordy! Two of the roosters are going to be turned into soup or stew tommorrow night. Hubby doesn't like doing it much though, I don't blame him, I couldn't do it at all!
The garden has taken off. The pepinos in the roundabout centre garden have all flowered and one has fruit on. I don't like the flavour of them, but the rest of the family love them.

The herb garden is slowly taking off, the sage, thyme, chives, parsley leaf, coriander, winter savoury, parsley, rosemary are blooming, the mushroom plant is at long last taking off after being run over by the dogs and the borage has gone to ground until next season.

The mango has flowered. Given it is only a young tree, I am guessing we will get about half a dozen fruit from it this season. Enough for a taste:)



I picked a large bunch of fresh lettuce leaves, and some carrots this afternoon, all small young ones, they made the most delicious salad for dinner.

I have noticed I am happiest with my garden when I can walk out the back door and pick at least one thing for our meal that day,  picking more than one thing is even better of course lol

 

We have purchased 3 grape vines, all different, 2 white one red to drape over the pergola near the pond.


The red for the B17 in the seeds and the sweet white for sheer enjoyment. 


Remember the oriental and asian lillies I bought the other day? Well they are all shooting. Keep your fingers crossed, they are in full sun...and it gets hotter than hades here!

The old nectarine gave its first ripe fruit today, slighly warmed by the sun, sweet and fragrant...just delicious!

The azolla in the pond (water weed) is reproducing that rapidly we are getting a full bucket a week to utilise as a mulch in the garden, love that! A wonderful nitrogen source for the plants.

I planted out some amaranth seeds today. We love eating it popped and tossed through our salads. It has a subtle nutty flavour that is complimentary to most salads, also wonderful in our soups!

My dried nettle stock has increased considerably (thanks Carolyn). I love using it in just about everything. If you dry and grind it to a powder nobody even notices they are eating it LOL!

Well, that's about all for me today, hope your week ahead is a good one!

Take care of you and yours......and the planet:)

molly

THE AGE OF STUPID

I found the movie on youtube a few weeks ago. Links to each part below. If you haven't seen it, PLEASE watch it.  There were a couple of lines that hit hard for me:

1   We stand focussed on the patch of soil beneath our feet whilst a tsunami races towards us

2   We strive to profit.....but not to protect


I struggle as we all do, wanting to make everything change right now, however I also know that this is going to take time. I can't change it overnight, neither can you. All we can do is do our best. Ensure in our daily lives we think twice about everything.... about our practices, our processes and our personal policies and promote, promote, promote!

Part one

Part two

Part three

Part four

Part five

Part six

Part seven

Part eight

Part nine

 Visit an action site

I watched and could have wept. Instead I'm opting for doing more...more promotion of the consequences to others, more discussions with collegues, more scrutiny on home and work practices. The power of ONE....you too can make a difference, don't let watching the movie be the last time you think about it.

Take care of you and yours......and the planet:)

Molly

WHERE DOES IT GO?

Time that is! I cannot believe it has been nearly three weeks since my last blog!

Work has been keeping me flat out, it's that time of the year. Independent financial audits for 20 services, reports to funders on all the services, my completion of some internal audits, annual general meetings and planning of Christmas parties....all on top of my daily grind. I have been getting home from work with just enough energy to get dinner organised and do the domestic engineering, the rest has gone by the wayside!


I have at least got as far as taking some photos, so over the weekend I will update....promise!

Take care of you and yours.......and the planet:)

molly