Around the pond......

(Click on picture to enlarge)

Today was delightful. I pottered in the garden until it was too warm for comfort and then came inside to try preserving guava pulp in a syrup for bottling - time will tell if this little experiment worked or not:)

The pond is looking so natural now, hard to believe it has been less than a year in, and already the local wildlife are calling it home. The only problem we are having is with the algae, anyone have any ideas about how to control this in a natural manner? If so please let me know.

The days are still warm, with cooler evenings and mornings. I am hoping this will help the latest lot of seeds I have put in, including my first crop of Amaranth.....for those not familiar with this amaging grain here are a few facts:
Amaranth (Amaranthus) has a colorful history, is highly nutritious, and the plant itself is extremely attractive and useful. Amaranth was a staple in the diets of pre-Columbian Aztecs

Amaranth is used in various cultures in some very interesting ways. In Mexico it is popped and mixed with a sugar solution to make a confection called "alegria" (happiness), and milled and roasted amaranth seed is used to create a traditional Mexican drink called "atole."

Peruvians use fermented amaranth seed to make "chicha" or beer. In the Cusco area the flowers are used to treat toothache and fevers and as a food colorant for maize and quinoa. During the carnival festival women dancers often use the red amaranth flower as rouge, painting their cheeks, then dancing while carrying bundles of amaranth on their backs as they would a baby.

In both Mexico and Peru the amaranth leaves are gathered then used as a vegetable either boiled or fried. In India amaranth is known as "rajeera" (the King’s grain) and is popped then used in confections called "laddoos," which are similar to Mexican "alegria."

In Nepal, amaranth seeds are eaten as gruel called "sattoo" or milled into flour to make chappatis. In Ecuador, the flowers are boiled then the colored boiling water is added to "aquardeinte" rum to create a drink that "purifies the blood," and is also reputed to help regulate the menstrual cycle.

Since 1975 amaranth has been gaining support in the U.S. and is now grown in Colorado, Illinois, Nebraska, and other states, but is still not a mainstream food. It is found in many natural food stores and the flour is often used in baked goods.

The name amaranth hails from the Greek for "never-fading flower." The plant is an annual herb, not a "true" grain and is a relative of pigweed, a common wild plant also known as lamb’s-quarters, as well as the garden plant we know as Cockscomb. There are approximately 60 species of amaranth and there is no definite distinction between amaranth grown for the leaf (vegetable), and the seed (grain).

Amaranth is a bushy plant that grows 5 to 7 feet, with broad leaves and a showy flower head of small, red or magenta, clover like flowers which are profuse, and constitute the plants exquisite, feathery plumes. The seed heads resemble corn tassels, but are somewhat bushier. They are quite striking as well. The seeds are tiny (1/32"), lens shaped, and are a golden to creamy tan color, sprinkled with some occasional dark colored seeds.

Each plant is capable of producing 40,000 to 60,000 seeds. The leaves of ornamental varieties, such as Joseph’s Coat resemble the coleus plant and are quite striking. Their coloring can range from deep red, purple-red, orange, pink, green, to white. The sight of a full-grown amaranth field with its vividly colored leaves, stems and flower or seed heads is an amazingly beautiful sight that evokes much emotion.

Aside from amaranth being such an attractive plant it is extremely adaptable to adverse growing conditions. It resists heat and drought, has no major disease problems, and is among the easiest of plants to grow. Simply scratching the soil, throwing down some seeds, and watering will reward you with some of these lovely plants.

Amaranth can be cooked as a cereal, ground into flour, popped like popcorn, sprouted, or toasted. The seeds can be cooked with other whole grains, added to stir-fry or to soups and stews as a nutrient dense thickening agent.

Amaranth flour is used in making pastas and baked goods. It must be mixed with other flours for baking yeast breads, as it contains no gluten. One part amaranth flour to 3-4 parts wheat or other grain flours may be used. In the preparation of flatbreads, pancakes and pastas, 100% amaranth flour can be used. Sprouting the seeds will increase the level of some of the nutrients and the sprouts can be used on sandwiches and in salads, or just to munch on.

To cook amaranth boil 1 cup seeds in 2-1/2 cups liquid such as water or half water and half stock or apple juice until seeds are tender, about 18 to 20 minutes. Adding some fresh herbs or gingerroot to the cooking liquid can add interesting flavors or mix with beans for a main dish. For a breakfast cereal increase the cooking liquid to 3 cups and sweeten with Stevia, honey or brown rice syrup and add raisins, dried fruit, allspice and some nuts.

Amaranth has a "sticky" texture that contrasts with the fluffier texture of most grains and care should be taken not to overcook it as it can become "gummy." Amaranth flavor is mild, sweet, nutty, and malt like, with a variance in flavor according to the variety being used.

Amaranth keeps best if stored in a tightly sealed container, such as a glass jar, in the refrigerator. This will protect the fatty acids it contains from becoming rancid. The seeds should be used within 3 to 6 months.

The leaves of the amaranth plant taste much like spinach and are used in the same manner that spinach is used. They are best if consumed when the plant is young and tender.

Amaranth seed is high in protein (15-18%) and contains respectable amounts of lysine and methionine, two essential amino acids that are not frequently found in grains. It is high in fiber and contains calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamins A and C.

The fiber content of amaranth is three times that of wheat and its iron content, five times more than wheat. It contains two times more calcium than milk. Using amaranth in combination with wheat, corn or brown rice results in a complete protein as high in food value as fish, red meat or poultry.

Amaranth also contains tocotrienols (a form of vitamin E) which have cholesterol-lowering activity in humans. Cooked amaranth is 90% digestible and because of this ease of digestion, it has traditionally been given to those recovering from an illness or ending a fasting period. Amaranth consists of 6-10% oil, which is found mostly within the germ. The oil is predominantly unsaturated and is high in linoleic acid, which is important in human nutrition.

The amaranth seeds have a unique quality in that the nutrients are concentrated in a natural "nutrient ring" that surrounds the center, which is the starch section. For this reason the nutrients are protected during processing. The amaranth leaf is nutritious as well containing higher calcium, iron, and phosphorus levels than spinach.
Check out more info on Chets site
 
I love popping this unique little grain. Simply heat a pan, no oil and put a small amount in to pop, set that aside and repeat. I have found putting too much in the pan at once tends to leave some burnt and unpopped. I love the mellow flavour of this grain and add it io just about everything!

Food and Peak Everything..........

Peak climate, peak oil, peak population, peak water....amongst the many things these conditions affect, one of them that immediately comes to mind is your food!

Today’s world is plagued by hunger, and despite all  our technological advancement we are unable to control many of the aspects that cause it.

With climate change, the earth’s climate has changed drastically, influencing the seasons and thus crop growth around the globe. While the climate is contributing on one end to the ever-increasing food prices, another major contributor to this issue is oil.

The fossil fuels are undergoing fast depletion with excessive usage, and as the stock continues to decline or become ever harder to extract, the prices increase steadily.

Fertilizers are one of the by-products of oil refining. Increases in fuel costs directly affect the cost of fertilizers. Then of course, an increase in fertilizer prices, leads to increased food pricing.

Fuel is also required for the transportation of food from farms to the local markets, or for export.

We also need to examine the new trend in biofuel. Several crops today, including corn and sugar cane, are mostly grown for biofuel, leaving less food for people to eat!

While maize is the staple food of Africa, it the most widely used biofuel in America. As much as food is important, fuel is also important, and the nations are torn between attempts to attain a balance between both.

Will 2011 be the year that we point to as the beginning of the great global food crisis? Food prices are soaring, supplies are very tight and already we have seen some very intense food protests flare up around the globe this year.

When people don’t have enough to eat, they tend to become very desperate, and unfortunately it looks like the global food situation is not going to improve much any time soon.

Right now the world is really struggling to feed itself, and with each passing day there are even more mouths to feed.

It is being projected that the population of the world will reach 9 billion people by the year 2050. A worrying factor given the planet can only support 2 million of us living as we currently do and maintain a healthy balance!

There are already way too many people starving to death around the globe, and unfortunately starvation is only going to become more rampant as food supplies get even tighter.

Some of the key food producing provinces in China are facing their worst drought in 200 years.

Flooding has absolutely devastated agricultural production in Australia and Brazil this winter.

Russia is still trying to recover from the horrific drought of last summer.

Global weather patterns have gone haywire over the past 12 months, and this is putting immense pressure on a global food system that was already on the verge of a major breakdown.

Food stockpiles all over the world are disturbingly low at this point. If a major global famine broke out not even the United States would be able to last for long. The U.S. government is supposed to be keeping a lot of food stockpiled in the event of an emergency, but that is just not happening, not in the US or anywhere else.

The following are 14 facts that make you wonder if the coming global food shortage has already begun….

#1 According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. corn reserves will drop to a 15 year low by the end of 2011.

#2 The United Nations says that the global price of food hit another new all-time high in the month of January.

#3 The price of corn has doubled in the past six months.

#4 The price of wheat has roughly doubled since the middle of 2010.

#5 According to Forbes, the price of soybeans is up about 50% since last June.

#6 The United Nations is projecting that the global price of food will increase by another 30 percent by the end of 2011.

#7 Due to all of the unprecedented flooding, the winter wheat crop in Australia has been absolutely devastated.

#8 This winter Brazil was hit by some of the worst flooding that nation has ever seen. This has substantially hampered food production in that country.

#9 Russia, one of the largest wheat producers on the entire globe, is still feeling the effects of last summer’s scorching temperatures. In fact, Russia is actually importing wheat this winter to sustain its cattle herds.

#10 China is busy preparing for a “severe, long-lasting drought” that is projected to have a huge impact on several provinces. In fact, Chinese state media says that the eastern province of Shandong is dealing with the worst drought it has seen in 200 years. The provinces being affected by this severe drought grow approximately two-thirds of the wheat in China. The following is a very short video news report about the horrible drought that China is going through right now….

#11 It appears that Chinese imports of corn will be about 9 times larger than the U.S. Department of Agriculture originally projected them to be for 2011.

#12 Approximately 1 billion people around the world go to bed hungry each night.

#13 Somewhere in the world someone starves to death every 3.6 seconds, and 75 percent of those are children under the age of five.

#14 As food has become increasingly scarce around the world, many companies have started using whatever kinds of “fillers” that they can think of in their “food” products. For example, Raw Story is reporting that some companies in China have actually been mass producing “fake rice” that is made partly of plastic. According to one Chinese Restaurant Association official, eating three bowls of this fake rice is the equivalent of consuming an entire plastic bag.

Growing your own food is more important than ever. The shortages may not have hit you, but the rising costs of everything associated with food have, look at what you are paying for those groceries and compare it even to even 6 months ago.

By starting your home garden now, you are putting those skills on a learning curve. By the time you really need to be growing much of what you eat you will be well versed in growing foods, your own climate and how it works on your food and you will have a stockpile of preserved goodies......

Think about it:)

Growing, harvesting & processing.....

Yesterday in the cool of the morning I went out scouting in the garden to see what was available to add to dinner......and came up with this selection:)

Fresh, no chemicals, and grown with my own hands, nothing beats the food from our gardens!

I made tomato, chilli and bacon pasta and used the pommegranate and the yellow cherry guavas as a sauce over ice-cream.

Obviously there were too many chillies, we like the flavour with little heat, so out came the dehydrator and in they went.  One jar of them whole dried, the remainder I whizzed in the blender and have now stored as chilli flakes:)

I love that later on in the year, when these foods are out of season we can still eat them without any of the food miles you get when you buy from the super markets!

Speaking of the ice-cream, somebody asked me for the recipe....cannot for the life of me remember whom, but here it is. You have not lived until you have tried it!

Homemade Ice-Cream:
2 cups evaporated milk
2 cups of cream
1/2 cup fine sugar
1/4  tsp of vanilla essence
Whisk well until sugar is disolved. Place in freezer and whisk every 30 mins to prevent crystals forming.
Try not to eat all at once!

OR..........
If you are feeling realllllllly bad, here is my:

Cake Batter Ice-Cream:
1 cup milk
2 cups of whipping cream
1/2 cup fine sugar
1 and 1/4 cups of sifted vanilla cake  mix
one small pinch of salt

Whisk well ( a blender is best for this mixture) and place in freezer, whisking every 30 minutes to prevent crystals forming.

Both of them are delicious, but very rich - one scoop with your favourite fruit is enough.

Hope your week ahead is a good one:)

Scientists blown away by rising wind speeds.........

Swinburne University of Technology 3122 Wind speeds and wave heights over the world's oceans have been steadily increasing for the past quarter of a century, a new long-term study shows.


The researchers at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne say the trend could also have an effect on the transfer of energy between the sea and the atmosphere - one of the great unknowns in climate change calculations.


The study, published today in Science Express online, uses satellite altimeter data taken from 1985 to 2008 to show wind speeds over the oceans have been steadily increasing.


The areas that show increased wind speeds in the study also show increased wave heights.

The lead author on the paper, Professor Ian Young who is now Australian National University vice-chancellor, says the study shows the largest increases are happening in extreme conditions.
"Extreme wind speeds have increased over most of the globe by approximately 10 per cent over the last 20 years, or 0.5 per cent every year," he says.
"Extreme wave heights have increased by an average of 7 per cent over the last 20 years.
"Off the southern coast of Australia, the highest 1 per cent of waves has increased in height from approximately five metres to almost six metres."



Rising faster
The researchers say average wind speeds over most of the world's oceans have also increased by at least 0.25 per cent per year.
Co-author Professor Alexander Babanin says it is unclear yet how, or if, the trend relates to global climate change.

"All we can say is that there is an overall trend, but extrapolating that into the future has to be done with caution," he said. But he says the record adds an important and often overlooked variable to climate change studies.

"If we talk about climate, usually we talk about temperature changing, we talk often about precipitation; but we talk much less about the winds and the waves," he said.
"They are environmental indicators of changes in the climate just as the temperature and precipitation and other parameters in the air-sea system."

"The ocean will be warmer in some parts and colder in other parts. That creates pressure differences and that creates winds.
"When you change the pressure patterns and if the temperature difference is getting bigger, pressure differences are getting bigger, the winds will perhaps grow higher, and the patterns of the winds may change."

Professor Babanin says it is the first study to deliver such a complete picture. Previous studies had relied on observations from ships at sea and wave buoys, which meant most data was collected close to shore and in major shipping lanes.

"So in terms of the uniform and consistent global coverage this is the first one of its kind," he said.
FULL STORY HERE...

Autumn is here.......

I am loving the cooler nights and mornings, such a change from our horrid summer!  Because of the heat nothing much gets done in my garden over summer periods, however there was one blessing... we added some shade to beat the heat on the more sensitive summer vegies and herbs! Growing in here are carrot, amaranth, leeks, welsh onions, cabbage, cauli,  a vaiety of herbs, capsicums, silverbeet and a gogji berry. The yellow tags are to remind me what I planted where :)

The fruit trees are all doing well. This miniature pommegranate is fruiting for the first time, ideal size for lunch boxes and a quick snack-they taste delicious.

These trees seem to thrive on relatively little water, a bonus for our area!

We have had extraodinary amounts of fruits from our Yellow Cherry Guavas. They taste divine and seem to go on fruiting for many months-as you can see it is still loaded and we pick daily. We have 2 of these, 5 of the strawberry guavas which are my favourites, along with 3 indian cream guavas and a pineapple guava. An excellent source of vitamin c you cannot go wrong with guavas in my book.

The Chillies are fruiting and still have a ton of flowers on them.
We use them sparingly since none of us like anything super hot. I keep a few fresh to use as I need, the remainder I dry, whizz into flakes and powder and that keeps us going for a year:)

The new roof is on, the house is certainly cooler with it being tin and double insulated. The old was a charcoal coloured cement tile. No more leaks, no more heating the house in summer!

The bathroom is nearly complete having been renovated from the floor up! New everything, just waiting for the cabinet maker to finish off the vanity which will run from one wall to the other.....hey!....a girl can never have enough bathroom space ................ :)

All in all its been a very productive 12 months, most of what we wanted changed after we purchased is now complete, with the exception of the garden, that will take more time of course, and a lot more plants....why am I smiling as I type that? LOL

Hope you all had a great weekend, here's to a wonderful week ahead:)