Jun3

HOMEMADE ORGANIC COMPOST!

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It is hard to believe that you can throw a heap of grass cuttings, banana peels, tea bags and other organic kitchen waste into a compost pile and have it morph into beautiful black rich compost . . . but you can, and I did and I am over the moon right now as I am spreading this black gold on my garden! This you can believe: if I can do it anyone can!

Check it out: last year’s waste has become this year’s nutrient-packed compost for my veggie patch!

How I Did it: My Set-Up

I used the centre section of an outdoor lean-to. I lined the side walls with black plastic
garbage bin bags (bags + staple gun, done in seconds). Bottom of course is just the ground
(worms need to get in!)

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Multiple Bins

Some people use two bins – when one is full they cover it and leave it to do its work and
start a fresh compost pile. I may do that this year if my newest pile decomposes quickly
enough in the summer heat. Ha! Who am I kidding? Summer “heat” in England? ;)

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Unsifted Compost 

If your soil is clayish or already really fine-textured, you may not want (or need) to sift
the compost. If you have thrown a lot of branch cuttings in, you may need to.

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Sifted – the Final Product

My garden soil is quite rocky so I chose to sift out the larger bits and twigs that were remaining.
I can’t believe this used to be grass cuttings, shrub trimmings, fruit and vegetable peelings and
discarded old apple cores and tea bags! Amazing!

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Want to Give Composting a Go?

The basics (and specifics for that matter) of composting are all over the web and I won’t pretend to have any original ideas on the subject. If you want information on how to compost, this gentleman’s blog should get you started! Trust me when I say the following: it is easy, it is worth it, it’s earth-friendly and it’s a difficult activity to fail at!

May6

Lemon Balm Pesto

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pesto-bowl

Blend it as rough or as smooth as you like.

Gone are the days when pesto* is made strictly with basil, pine nuts and olive oil. Nowadays savvy cooks are experimenting with a plethora of flavours and ingredients: coriander, parsley, cashews, almonds, various oils, etc. I have copious amounts of lemon balm growing wild in my garden and thus the following pesto recipe is a favourite of mine that I whip up when the lemon balm springs up and I am in the mood for a delicious light fragrant delight!

Lemon Balm Pesto is delicious on pasta (particularly if you are serving it with shrimp, chicken or fish), vegetables, green beans, fish, etc. You can keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week – or freeze it in ice cube trays to use as required.

Lemon Balm Pesto

Ingredients

  • 60 grams (2 cups) fresh lemon balm leaves**

    Pesto on the way!

    Throw everything into the food processor.

  • 60 grams (about 3/4 cup grated) Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan) cheese
  • 4-6 cloves garlic
  • 60 grams pine nuts, cashews or almonds (or a combo)
  • 1/2 tsp (3 grams) sea salt
  • freshly ground pepper

Chuck all of the above into your food processor.

The next item you need is:

  • 1/2 to 1 cup good quality olive oil

Method:

Whir the pesto ingredients in the food processor, slowly dripping in the olive oil, until the mixture reaches the consistency you prefer. You can use anywhere from 1/2 to 1 cup of olive oil, depending on your preference.

Note: I like my pesto quite garlicky and also a bit “rougher” than usual, so I use the 6 cloves of garlic and process it minimally. There is no right or wrong and as long as you get the ingredient measurements more or less correct, it is going to be absolutely delicious!

Re: All that Olive oil:
I suspect (although I have never tried) that if you were trying to make a lower fat version, you could also use 1/4 cup oil and thin it the rest of the way with water. Having said that, my philosophy is that you only live once , so treat yourself to the heart healthy olive oil and go for a walk after dinner if you are concerned about the calories.

pesto-icecube

Spoon into ice cube tray and freeze.

It freezes well – just spoon it into an ice cube tray and freeze it!

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*Pesto (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpesto], Genoese: [ˈpestu]) is a sauce originating in Genoa in the Liguria region of northern Italy (pesto genovese) and traditionally consists of crushed garlic, basil, and European pine nuts blended with olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan cheese), and Fiore Sardo (cheese made from sheep’s milk).  The name is the contracted past participle of the Genoese word pestâ (Italian: pestare), which means to pound, to crush, in reference to the original method of preparation, with marble mortar and wooden pestle. The ingredients in a traditionally made pesto are ground with a circular motion of the pestle in the mortar. This same Latin root through Old French also gave rise to the English word “pestle”.  Thus sayeth wikipedia  ;)

** Weigh lemon balm after you have stripped the leaves from the stems, and BEFORE washing. Spin it well dry in your salad spinner or tap it dry with a clean cloth. You may well be able to use tender stems as well – I never have, so cannot say with certainty.

May4

Muffins / Scones made with Almond Flour – wheat and gluten free

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These are wheat and gluten free. They can also be made completely vegan if preferred by using vegetable or coconut oil instead of buttter and using a flax binding solution instead of the eggs. They have a lovely texture and taste delicious! I use all organic ingredients.

Wheat free muffins

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Muffins / Scones made with Almond Flour

Preheat oven to 350F (190C)

Dry ingredients – combine in medium bowl:

  • 1-1/3 cups finely ground raw almonds* + 2/3 cup finely ground raw sunflower seeds
    OR
    2 cups finely ground raw almonds*
  • 1/3 cup ground golden flax seed ***
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup sugar (brown, maple, coconut, or agave syrup)
  • 1/3 cup raisins or currants

Wet ingredients – combine in small bowl:

  • 2 eggs or flax binding mixture**
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup melted butter or coconut oil, or other healthy oil (grapeseed, sunflower) or any combo thereof

Method:

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well. Spoon into paper lined muffin tin. Makes 10. (If desired, add a couple of tablespoons of water to each of the two empty remaining muffin cups to avoid warping the pan.)

Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Move to cooling rack. Eat as is or with clotted cream and jam!

** Flax binding mixture:

Simmer together 2 Tbsp ground flax + 6 Tbsp water over low heat, let cool. Use to replace 2 eggs in baking.

* make your own almond flour using a nut/coffee grinder by grinding dry raw almonds as needed. If purchasing it pre-ground, and depending on where you live, it may be labelled “almond meal”, “finely ground almonds” or “almond flour”.

*** flax seed may be labelled linseed in the UK and other countries

Mar20

A Gasification plant!? Not in my town!

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Do you ever get the feeling that government doesn’t give a toss about health when there is money to be made? Welcome to Northamptonshire! Northamptonshire is a beautiful county in England that boasts green rolling hills, lots of farms and lovely people. It also has a county council that has completed ignored the concerns of its constituents and approved a “waste gasification plant” to be built on the edge of my town – Desborough.

What is “waste gasification”? Basically, it’s a fancy word for burning trash. In “their” campaign for public acceptance (dare I say, in their attempt to trick people into believing it is a good idea) the proponents call it “waste-to-energy”. Sounds like a great idea doesn’t it? Well, not if you value your health, your property values, the environment or the food chain. They’ve told local people that it will provide inexpensive energy to local homes. They forgot to mention it’ll cost them about £6000 to convert their house to use the energy.

Gasification is  better than straight incineration, but it still pumps a lot of crap back into the air – crap like sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, ammonia, heavy metals mercury and cadmium, and dioxins and furans.

Heavy metals get into the food chain and subsequently into your body, and they don’t dissapate. They are EXTREMELY toxic.  Northamptonshire is a farming area. Amongst many other crops, they grow wheat for Wheatabix in this neck of the woods. I grow vegetables in my back yard. I’ll be really blunt here:

I    don’t    want    this    CRAP    in    my    food    or    in    my    air. 

We are fighting this fight. We are protesting and legally challenging the right of these greedy individuals and corporations that want to make money at the expense of our health and the environment. We are fighting the Northamptonshire County Council that has thrown democracy to the wind: spit in the face of the people that elected them and ignored a petition with 3500 names. In a town of 8000, that pretty much means EVERY HOUSEHOLD signed the petition! If you have successfully defeated a similar plant and want to give advice or if you want to help financially, send me a note via comments below (your comment will not be made public) and I’ll put you in touch with the people organising this campaign and raising funds.

Dr Vyvyan Howard, Head of Research, Developmental Toxico-Pathology Research Group has done extensive research on the nanoparticles and other toxic emmisions from incinerators – he says that the threats to human health from toxic emissions mean that incinerators are simply not an acceptable option to waste disposal. Waste incineration burns rubbish until it is nothing but nanoparticles; these newly formed nanoparticles include all of the solid-state chemicals that were part of that rubbish. The toxic nanoparticles are expelled into the air during the process.gasification-mask
This creates emissions of toxic nanoparticles that travel for miles and miles and miles. They sink right through your skin. They embed themselves into your lungs, into your blood. People are getting all forms of cancer from breathing in the toxic nanoparticles. Don’t take my word for it. Google it. Cancer, birth defects, reduced life expectancy. Waste incineration is far worse than landfill, and a lazy option to choose over educating the public and implementing sustainable recycling and mass composting operations.

So to the surrounding communities of Market Harborough, Kettering, Northampton: get in gear and help us fight this beast – or get your gear ready. Because it’s coming your way! In fact the irony is, with the height of the stack and the wind, you’ll actually get MORE of the pollution than Desborough!
To read a full report on gasification that is scientific and void of interested party bias, check this out: http://www.bredl.org/pdf/wastegasification.pdf

Feb25

Another foray into Raw Food

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Well I am starting another three days of raw food tomorrow and I am really looking forward to it. I have been feeling just rather “blah” lately and I felt so good last month when I did the three day raw cleanse. So with the hubby away it is an opportune time to indulge.

I am not doing a strict “cleanse” this time (meaning I am not necessarily going to be strictly vegan – I have some bresaola (raw air-dried beef) on hand and if I feel like it I will drizzle it with olive oil and enjoy it). Then again, I may not – we’ll see.  I am going to focus on fresh juices and lots of delicious salads, fresh fruits and vegetables.

I’ve ordered a book on keeping an alkaline body and from the little bit I have read thus far, it appears that tea and coffee are acid forming in the body. Not good and I didn’t realise that. So, I think I will also completely cut out my cup of tea each morning for the next few days. I’ll enjoy some nettle tea for sure – the stinging nettles are popping up all lovely and green in their little patch out back of the house and I’ve been itching to pick some. 

It seems that raw food is a big part of keeping one’s body alkaline, so I know it is something that I need to move toward more and more each day. I admire people that eat raw consistently every day. At this stage it is baby steps for me, but I guess if you don’t at least begin the journey, you get nowhere fast - right?

I am quite excited about juicing my homegrown kale as well – it is stoically resisting the cold temperatures out there in my garden – what an incredible vegetable it is! So tomorrow I’ll be picking some and juicing it. 

Feb12

No Time for Breakfast? Not hungry in the morning? Try a Smoothie!

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I’m not a breakfast eater. I don’t wake up ravenous and could easily live on tea and coffee until lunch time. But that’s not healthy. Over the years I have tried various breakfasts, but none were particularly exciting. Then I got a blender. Now each morning I start the day with a fresh healthy fruit smoothie. I throw a bunch of ingredients into the blender, give it a whir and voilà! A quick healthy start to the day!

Orange blueberry flax banana smoothie.

Orange blueberry flax banana smoothie.

If you struggle with breakfast as well, this may work for you. I won’t give exact measurements – making a smoothie is an art, not science – so experiment!

If you’ve never made one before, you may want to watch my video on how to do so: Video Part 1 and (after the doorbell rang!) Part 2.

How to Make a Smoothie
To begin I use either soya, almond or coconut milk, about a cup (250ml). You could use regular milk or even yogurt if you prefer.

Next, I always throw in a whole orange (minus peel and seeds).

Next in: 2 Tbsp (30ml) freshly ground organic flaxseed*, and then:

Two or more of any of the following: strawberries, blueberries, melon, banana, mango, etc. in other words, whatever fresh (or frozen) fruit I have on hand.

Be careful if using banana – 1/2 of one is sufficient. More can make the smoothie too thick, and a bit “gluey”.

Enjoy!

Feb9

Butter Tarts: A Canadian Decadence

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Got a sweet tooth? If so, I know I shouldn’t encourage you. Sugar is bad for you. No ifs, ands, or buts. But sometimes, you want to live dangerously. You want something sinful. These are that something. This is a traditional recipe for Butter Tarts. I won’t lie, they aren’t healthy. They are pure evil.

 

Butter Tarts

Butter Tarts

Butter Tart Side view

Butter Tart – side view

 

 

Butter Tarts

Yield: 12 medium

Ingredients:

  • Shortcrust Pastry – enough to line the 12 cups in a medium muffin tin.

Wicked Good Filling:

    • 2 eggs, beaten
    • 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup corn syrup* (either light or dark for US bakers, the standard one in Canada is golden in colour),
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1/4 cup soft butter (salted)
    • 1/2 cup raisins or currants
    • 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • 1 tsp of cider vinegar (optional)

Method:

  1. The tarts are baked in standard 12 unit muffin pans lined with shortcrust pastry, rolled slightly thicker than you would for a pie.
  2. Cut out circles using a saucer or other 5″ round item as a guide.
  3. Spray the muffin tin lightly with vegetable spray to facilitate removal.
  4. Fit the circles into the muffin cups.
  5. Fill the tart shells with the wicked good filling. Do your best to distribute the raisins and nuts equally*
  6. Bake at 400F for 14 to 18 mins. I prefer them just barely set, some people prefer them firmer – if you do, bake them longer.
  7. Cool in the pan on a rack. Then carefully remove.

No worry about storage – they won’t last long**. We won’t discuss calories.

* When I make this I don’t actually mix the raisins (and nuts if I am using them) into the liquid – I divide them evenly into the 12 tarts and then pour the liquid mixture in.

**Should you not be able to eat them all within a couple of days you should freeze them. Just wrap individually in plastic wrap and pop in the freezer. Fifty bucks says you’ll be gnawing at them frozen before too long.