In the garden 23/8/18 (Winter)

While it is technically still wintertime, the weather is already starting to warm up, and the daylight hours are increasing, always good. : )
I've been spending more and more time out in the garden, getting lots done, but also trying to remember that we have to move in 6 months time, and not to get myself too invested.
I would like to get a digital journal thing happening so I can look back and see the progress of things growing during our limited time here, I never get tired of seeing the awesome transformation that occurs as plants grow.

 This is the progress of one of the small veggie beds.
3 April 2018

 10 April 2018

23 August 2018

Everything in this bed has done really well, we got several good harvests of cos lettuce, some are now starting to bolt, & I will save seed once they're ready. The viola(left) & snapdragon(right) flowers are both doing exceptionally well, my love & appreciation for flowers continues to grow. The herbs are also growing happily, the broad beans are flowering vigorously, and the cabbages are getting closer to harvest time.

Here's a closer shot of my biggest cabbage, what a beautiful thing. <3

Not much to see here, yet, but these are full of seeds starting to germinate, which will be planted out once they are strong seedlings and the weather warms up a little more.
Grow babies~

 

I will post with an update on these once there's a bit more to see. : )

This is the large veggie bed, which took lots of effort to clean up and make progress in. I have done some direct sowing, and also plan to start more in trays to plant into this space, may also grab some more seedlings from BAAG, including more flowers! I'm really excited to follow the progress of this bed as I have a bit more space to work with. Can't wait until I have acres to work with! :0

Handy farming resources. Biointensive and Veganic principles.

Hi everyone!

Recently I have been brushing up on some growing techniques and principles. As much as I like allowing things to grow a little bit wild, I am now refining my focus towards strategies which will more effectively and reliably feed a family, as well as provide extra to market and profit from.
 
My vision fits somewhere between an intensive market garden scheme, and a more relaxed home veggie patch, combining elements from both to find a happy middle that is enjoyable, not too rigid, but also creates profit.

To that end I have explored John Jeavons bio-intensive method, which outwardly seems like a near perfect system, and it also happens to fit Veganic (Vegan+Organic) principles. I will not know for sure until I implement the design for myself, and follow through for a number of years to discover the full potential of this method.

You can watch the Grow Bio-intensive Guide on Youtube > HERE
This short series is a great beginning point to gain familiarity with the basic principles of Bio-intensive growing.

On the subject of Veganic principles; I happened upon a video featuring Will Bonsall, in which he shares knowledge and ideas surrounding Veganic farming, which I found to be very insightful, and also coincided with many of my own observations and theories developed over years of casual gardening.

You can watch Wills talk about Veganic principles on Youtube > HERE


All of this lead me to further consider my diet. Generally I am quite mindful about eating healthy, but there is always room for improvement, and it's so easy to slip out of good habits and fall into the trap of too often eating 'whatever' with little thought towards nutritional value.

To help myself out I made a document based on the 60/30/10 guide from the bio-intensive method and listed crops under each section, which is also useful to reference when planning meals.

I have only included gluten-free crops because I am coeliac, and prefer to avoid any contact with them. With the exception of those few crops, I tried to include the best examples I was able to find from various sources, undoubtedly there are many more, including perennial crops.

A side note regarding my diet; I am Vegan and Coeliac, but I prefer to avoid eating grains at all. I am not completely rigid on this point, I will eat some grains here and there, however I much prefer to gain my calories and nutrients from fresh water-rich fruits and vegetables, most nuts and seeds also agree with my rather sensitive digestive system.

I hope people find this interesting and useful, as always I cannot encourage you enough to grow as much food as possible, it is invaluable!

Happy growing everyone. c:

Super street food style noodles with easy Vegan egg -RECIPE- Vegan Gluten-free

Time for a brand new recipe!
The other night we had a craving for something like 2 minute noodles, and way back in the day my Dad used to add egg. In the cupboard we had some mung bean vermicelli noodles along with a packet of Orgran vegan easy egg, so we came up with a loose idea, gave it a try, and it turned out really delicious!

Ingredients:
- 250g packet Mung bean vermicelli noodles
- Orgran vegan easy egg
- Massel Chicken stock cubes
- Spring onions - Finely sliced - To serve
- Changs Gluten-free fried noodles - To server (adds great crunchy element - optional)
- Sweet soy sauce - To serve

Method:
1. Prepare and cook some Orgran easy egg according to instructions on the packet. Once your vegan eggs are cooked set them aside.
2. Cook the mung bean vermicelli according to instructions on the packet, once noodles are cooked add or remove water according to how much broth you prefer. Gradually mix in 'chicken' stock until the broth is lightly flavored.
3. Dish up some noodles, add some of the prepared vegan egg and a handful of sliced spring onions, lightly drizzle some sweet garlic soy sauce and finally garnish with a sprinkle of the GF fried noodles.

M U N G E !
Serves 2-4 depending on how hungry/greedy you feel.

Great as a snack or a quick meal, let me know if you try this one, and if you have any suggestions. It reminds us of street food, and we're a bit addicted. I'm keen to share some with friends to see what they think too.

Enjoy~

Sweet cranberry garlic soy sauce RECIPE - Vegan Gluten-free

This has become my go-to sauce for almost everything, from steamed veggies to noodle salad, it goes great on most everything, and it's nice and easy to make!

Ingredients:
1 cup Gluten-free Soy sauce
3/4 cup raw Sugar
1/2 cup Cranberry juice
1 glove of Garlic - Very finely diced
1/2 an Onion - Very finely diced

Method:
1. Add all ingredients to a small pot, and stir constantly over a low flame until sugar has completely dissolved.
2. Once sugar is dissolved gently simmer on low flame for 5 minutes, turn the flame off and allow to cool.

DONE! ✩⚫꒳⚫✩

Recipe for my girlfriends tofu scram.

This is one of the quickest, easiest recipes I've ever learned, very useful when you want something to eat in a hurry. It's also quite addictive, so maybe keep a few extra blocks of tofu in the fridge.

My girlfriends tofu scram:

Ingredients-
1 large Onion - Very finely diced
1 clove of Garlic - Very finely diced
1 450g Block of Tofu (firm is best soft is ok too) - Coarsely crumbled
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Dill Seeds
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
2 TBS Vegan butter/spread (I use Funky Fields Organic Spreadable)
1 tsp Pink Himalayan or Celtic Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Black Salt (optional)

Method-
1. Finely dice the onion & add to a medium saucepan with the Vegan butter & 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Allow to saute over a low-medium heat, stirring occasionally.
2. While the onion simmers, finely dice the garlic & set aside. Measure the cumin seeds, dill seeds, turmeric, & 1/2 teaspoon of salt, placing them in a small bowl & set aside.
3. Once the onion is completely cooked add the garlic & the spices, mix well to incorporate, & gently simmer for one minute.
4. Remove tofu block from the packet & coarsely crumble it into the pan with the onion and spices, gently stir & turn the tofu for a couple of minutes to evenly coat in the seasonings.
5. Once the tofu is thoroughly coated & warmed through, check the seasonings, if it needs some extra salt add another 1/2 teaspoon, feel free to use black salt to add an eggy scent/flavour. Mix well & Serve!

This scram is pretty versatile, add some extra veggies, & it's a nice meal on it's own, or use it as a side dish. One of my favourite ways to have it is in a nori wrap, see below...

Step one: Spoon some of the scram in a line onto the nori sheet (sheet is rough-side-up).
Step two: On top add some fresh butter lettuce &/or rocket, then some cucumber strips, and finally a little drizzle of grapefruit juice (alternatively you could use lemon).
Step three: Carefully roll the nori over & around into a log (like you see at sushi shops).
Step four: Pinch the bottom end so the filling won't fall out, & eat !!!

The tofu scramble is quite rich, so it pairs very well with fresh greens, & the sweet tang from the citrus juice, I highly recommend trying the grapefruit, it's super delicious!


I hope you all enjoy this recipe, of course you can change it up & experiment; try adding your favourite veg like broccoli, peas, or edamame!

Enjoy your time cooking~

Special recipe – Creamy garlic potatoes with jackfruit and edamame

100% VGF

This is a rich and delicious dish, especially good for cold days, or when you feel like some comfort food. The tofu in the sauce is an optional extra, which you can blend completely smooth if you prefer.

Ingredients:
- 14 medium sized Potatoes – Diced
- 1 large Black eggplant – Finely diced
- 2 Brown onions – Finely diced
- 1 Red capsicum - Optional
- 1 Can of Green jackfruit in brine – Well drained & Chopped
- Half a 200g packet Frozen Edamame (or use frozen peas)
- 2 TBS Vegan ‘fish’ sauce
- 4 TBS Monjay Mezza Garlic dip (OR use 2 gloves of minced fresh Garlic
- 4 TBS Organic Spreadable (or equivalent Vegan buttery spread)
- 1/8 Cup of Mirin
- 1 Massel ‘chicken’ stock cube – Mooshed up
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ground balck & white pepper

For the sauce:
- 1 Massel ‘chicken’ stock cube – Mooshed up
- 1 Cup Natural coconut yoghurt (or equivalent)
- 3 Cups Bonsoy
- 1 Cup Hot water
- 1 250g block Organic soft tofu – Optional
- 2 TBS Monjay Mezza Garlic dip (or use 2 gloves of minced fresh Garlic)

Method:
1. Add the prepared potato, onion, jackfruit, and eggplant into a large pot, next add the ‘fish’ sauce, garlic dip (or fresh garlic), organic spreadable, mirin, ‘chicken’ stock cube, salt and pepper.
2. Sauté over a medium-low heat, stirring regularly. Cook until eggplant is very soft.
3. Once the eggplant is soft, make the sauce by adding all ingredients for the sauce into a blender, blend on low speed for 10 seconds. Note: if adding optional tofu to the sauce, fine pieces will remain, that’s OK! – blend smooth or omit tofu if you prefer.
4. Add the sauce to the pot with the sautéed vegetables, and stir well. Place a lid slightly ajar and simmer gently for 15 mins, or until potato pieces are just cooked – stirring once or twice.
5. Once the potato is just soft, add the frozen edamame and gently stir to combine, replace the lid and allow to simmer for a further 5 minutes. Then turn off the flame and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes with the lid on.
6. E A T!
Serves 4-6

Feel free to experiment, I made this recipe up, and it’s now my girlfriends favourite.
I hope you’ll enjoy it too!

No fail healthy Vegan Gluten-free Brownies!

Hi guys!

So you want to make some of the best (and easiest) brownies ever? Great! This is what needs to happen -

*Requires a loaf-style baking dish - I use a silicone one for this recipe.

Ingredients:
- 2 Cups Blanched almond meal
- 3/4 Cup of Icing sugar
- 1/2 Cup Cocoa powder
- 1/3 Block of Lindt Premium dark chocolate (or equivalent) - Finely chopped
- Handful of fresh Walnuts - Chopped (optional - adds crunch)
- 1 Can of chickpeas for the Aqua faba (chickpea water)

Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. In a medium mixing bowl add the almond meal, icing sugar, cocoa powder, dark chocolate pieces, & chopped walnuts (if using).
2. Open the can of chickpeas and drizzle a very small amount of the liquid into the bowl with the dry ingredients (approx 3 tablespoons worth)
3. Make sure you have clean hands, then start forming the dough; squeeze, press and turn the mix until it forms a stiff dough (similar to cookie dough). You may need to drizzle a little more aqua faba, be careful not to add too much, you don't want a wet sticky dough!
4. Once the dough is formed, press it into a silicone loaf-style baking mold, or any other loaf-style baking dish.
5. Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes. Allow to cool before turning out the brownie, or it is likely to crumble. Once cooled & turned out from the mold, use a sharp knife to cut into slices or squares.

-ENJOY!-

These are so quick and easy to make - Just a reminder to always check labels to make sure everything is VGF, and use organic products when possible.

Happy baking everyone. :D

Dumpster diving; something to consider - Save money, Reduce waste.

Haul 1: $90+ worth of avos (guacamole party!), grapes for days, and even olives!

Hi everyone!
Today I will discuss my recent experience with dumpster diving around Melbourne. I was both skeptical and apprehensive about diving at first; the idea made me nervous, and honestly I didn't think it would be worth while. Half a dozen dives later I can report that, while I do find it slightly nerve-wracking at times, I think the benefits far outweigh any potential problems you may encounter.
As you can see from the photos, there is LOTS of perfectly edible food going to waste; all this would be headed for landfill if we hadn't grabbed it, it's quite eye-opening to see just how much is thrown away. Contrary to what many may believe, stores do not only throw out food which is bad, often a product isn't selling, or there's just a few left, or a new delivery comes in, the shelf space is needed and stock is cleared out - straight into the bin. We have also seen boxes with one damaged item that spilled, so the entire box was thrown out.

Consider how much energy has gone into producing these products, growing, processing, packing, delivery, etc, just to wind up in the bin, all that energy wasted. We all know that food is not cheap, especially fruits and veggies, many people struggle to afford fresh produce and end up eating junk instead, food is our highest expense after rent, if we can cut it by half or more, we'll save a lot of money.

There is a lot of potential for dumpster diving, if you think it's something you might try, here are some things to consider:

- Be discreet and considerate - Don't be noisy and don't leave any mess behind
- Wear old clothes - Bins can be messy
- Some days bins are empty, some days too full - Learn the schedule for your area
- Use common sense and safety - Use caution in/around bins, wear appropriate clothing
- Take old bags or boxes to put food into - Don't rely on finding boxes to use
- Take a bottle of soapy water and fresh water to wash and rinse your hands
- Don't get greedy - Only take what you will actually use, leave the rest for other divers
- Share - If you find way more than you need, post it to your local DD group
- Diving during the day or during the night makes little difference
- Everything must be inspected, and thoroughly rinsed+washed - This takes time
- If someone confronts you, be polite and friendly, and leave promptly

Haul 2: Fruit, veg, even junk food.

The photos above, haul 1 & 2 are from two bins in one day; this involved driving to the bins, driving home, then processing everything, it's not much different than driving around to do your grocery shopping, just a bit more processing to do when you get home.
We only take food that is in really good condition to start with, once home we rinse everything, wash it in water with bicarb and vinegar, then do a final rinse, and we leave everything to dry on a towel.

My partner and I are Vegan and I'm coeliac, so that rules out heaps of what we find, once we saw a full box of frozen Hawaiian pizzas, which we shared to our local diving group. Don't even get me started on the bread, loaves upon loaves, many stores re-stock daily, you can imagine how much ends up in the bin.

Remember that diving is like a lucky dip, this can be good for a number of reasons, you might end up eating a greater variety of seasonal foods, and it encourages you to get creative in the kitchen to use what you've found, on the other hand you might not find exactly what you want.

Thus far we have not been confronted by anyone, but it can, and probably will happen eventually. We plan to simply state that we're just trying to save food from going to waste and ending up in landfill, then promptly be on our way. No harm done. I'm hoping that if we're ever confronted, it will be someone friendly with the same outlook on food waste.

Finally, here is a photo of last nights dinner, more than 50% is reclaimed food, and it was delicious!

Happy diving, or not, have a great week either way~

Japanese style soup RECIPE

Hi everyone! toady I'm sharing this easy and delicious soup with Japanese inspired flavours.The soup is lovely served alongside fresh steamed rice, or it makes a lovely side-dish or entree to accompany a main meal.

Ingredients:
(stock)
- 6 Dried mushrooms (any will do, I used Shiitake) - Broken into 6 pieces
- 8-12 strips of Dried Kombu Seaweed - Snipped into short pieces
- 1/2 an Onion - Peeled, Cut in half then cut into 6 chunks
- 1 clove of Garlic - Roughly chopped into chunks
- Approx 6 TBS GF Tamari or Soy sauce
- Approx 8 TBS GF Mirin
- 1 TBS Cooking Sake
- 1 TBS Vegan 'Fish sauce' (Can be found at some Asian Grocery stores)
- 1 TBS Brown Sugar
- 2 tsp of Salt
- 1 tsp of Pepper
- 3-4 Cups of Boiling Water
 (Body)
- 4 large Carrots - Peeled & chopped into large chunks
- 1 block of Tofu (medium or firm) - Chopped into chunks
- 6 fresh Mushrooms - Cut into quarters 
- A handful of fresh Green Beans - Slice of the tips & cut in half
- A handful of Dried Wakame Seaweed (Available at most Asian Grocery stores)

Method:
1. Combine all the stock ingredients into a medium pot, cover, and set aside to steep for at least 15 mins.
2. Start prepping the other ingredients, after the stock ingredients have steeped, bring them to the boild & simmer for 10 mins.
3. Add all the other ingredients to the broth *(except for the wakame seaweed). If you would like more broth, add a little extra boiling water. Check the flavour of the broth & adjust accordingly.
4. Simmer partly covered for about 15 mins, or until veggies are tender.
5. Turn off the heat & stir through the wakame, it will soften very quickly.

YOU'RE DONE!

Eat & enjoy! This soup is even really nice the next day, I had leftovers for breakfast one morning with some fresh steamed rice, & icy matcha soy milk, it was amazing.

Almost raw - Zoodles with creamy cashew dill sauce

Hello everyone!

As I've mentioned in previous posts I am refining my diet to include much more raw food; I struggle being strictly 100% raw, so I'm looking for a balance that works best to keep me healthy and happy.

Currently I am eating almost entirely raw, but I plan to introduce some steamed/blanched veggies back into my diet in the coming weeks.

I find that I crave savory food more than sweet food, even when I eat sweet things I like to mix it in with savory, like I will eat onion with almost anything.

So for lunch today I quickly made myself this zoodle (raw zucchini noodle) salad dish with a really delicious creamy sauce.

RECIPE~

Bowl-
1 large Zucchini - Spiralized into noodles
1 Lebanese Cucumber - diced
2 small Pickles - Diced
1/2 a small White Onion - Finely diced
1 Spring onion - Finely sliced

Sauce-
1 Cup Orange Juice
Juice of 1 Lime
1 Cup Cashews (or Macadamia)
6 Sun Dried Tomatoes
1 medium Red Capsicum - Cut into a few rough chunks
Handful of Fresh Dill (approx 1/2 Cup)

Top-
Tomato - Cut into chunks
Fresh Chives - Finely chopped

Steps:
1. In a small bowl add the orange juice, lime juice, cashews, & sun dried tomatoes, set aside & allow to soak for 20-30 mins.
2. In the mean time process & assemble the bowl ingredients into a medium bowl, mix them around a little if you like. Prep the top items, & set aside.
3. Now add all the sauce ingredients into the blender, blend on high speed for about 1 minute, or until completely smooth. The sauce should be quite thick, add a few extra cashews to thicken, or a splash of OJ or lime juice if too thick. Test the flavour & adjust lime/dill/etc if necessary.
4. Pour your desired amount of sauce over the mix in the bowl & add the tomato chunks & chives on top to finish.

All done! Go eat it!

I decided to go for it and ate my zoodles with chopsticks, it's a bit tricky, but at least it slowed me down so I didn't eat so fast...

Enjoy everyone, more recipes coming soon.

A couple of Raw Vegan playlists to binge on...

Hi guys~ Given my plan to reform my diet to be mostly raw, I have been browsing YouTube for some recipes, and I found a couple of channels with some good content (& decent hosts).

(Neto, The Raw Boy)

The first channel is The Raw Boy, hosted by Neto. The playlist is his 100 day raw vegan challenge, which shares some great ideas and recipes. I've found the videos to be really enthusiastic, genuine, and honest, with nothing over the top or off-putting.

Go ahead and check out >THE RAW BOY<

(Chris Kendall, The Raw Advantage)

The 2nd playlist is a compilation of recipes by raw vegan chef Chris Kendall. The channel is called The Raw Advantage and there are so many amazing recipes, ranging from super simple all the way through to ultra gourmet. The style is very energetic, and a bit zany, but still easy to watch.

Go ahead and check out >THE RAW ADVANTAGE<


I'll be aiming for a kind of hybrid diet which is mostly raw, with some gently cooked elements added sometimes for lunch &/or dinner, no more 100% cooked meals. I feel like this could be the way to achieve the best balance and maintain my health, I will post with updates as things progress.

That's it guys, enjoy!

World Vegan Day 2016

World Vegan Day is one event I  look forward to each year, finding new products and discovering new food ideas is always a fun time, the free samples don't hurt either...

This year there was a huge Orgran stall with new products to try, lots of samples and discount deals.

Probably the highlight for me was the Gluten-Free food truck, everything at WVD is Vegan of course, but there are always things people with a gluten allergy or intolerance miss out on. The hot food section is especially tricky, lots of pies & pizza that I can't touch, so I was crazy excited when we spotted the GF food van.

It was very busy again this year, but there was plenty of space, and plenty to see.
If you can make it next year, I highly recommend getting there.

 

GF cupcake (my sister can't keep her fingers out of things)

 

Super delicious flavored milks.

 

Lovely wallets, etc

 

The adorable GF food van :D

 

Delicious Buddha-bowl from the GF food van; the mashed potatoes was our favorite, but we ate it too quickly...