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

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~

Mini art - Secret forest

This is a small sketch I did a little back. My partner loves it and decided to put it between a pair of resin castings in our room. I took a pic, edited it a little and this is how it turned out...

Zombie for a day

Anyone else fascinated yet rationally petrified of zombies?
Me too.

We had a Halloween dress-up competition at work last year, not too many people dressed up, but I decided to go all-out zombie.
I won, and got a movie voucher, but the best part was commuting on public transport, & going out for dinner still dressed up, I got some funny reactions, and a few random people asked for selfies with me.

It was lots of fun, & a bit of effort; I bought the contact lenses, made the blood, and sourced the clothes from an opp shop.

Cured, but the memories linger...

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...

Glorious plants - Photo dump

I took these photos during winter.
There is always something beautiful to see...

 

Fungi forage adventure for edible mushrooms

Last Autumn we decided to go on a mission to collect some wild edible mushrooms.

We had our sights set on pine mushrooms (milk caps), as well as slippery jacks; both are easy to identify, and (we hoped) easy to find.

We got up early, hopped into our trusty yellow van, & set out to a few areas known for being fungi friendly, namely Hastings/Merrick/Bittern, all in Victoria, Australia.

It turned out to be a very successful day, we returned home with a huge box full, & ate some for dinner.

Pulled off to the side after spotting some fungi...

 A good patch of pine mushrooms.

Underside of a perfect pine mushroom.

 

We also saw plenty of other wild fungi... 

Including lots & lots of fly agaric.

 This is the box after only a few stops, by the end it was loaded!

Back at home we made a mushroom stew with mashed potatoes. Yum!

One of my favorite places - Mount Buffalo

Probably one of the most beautiful, no matter where you look the landscape is magnificent.
There are plenty of walking tracks, rocks to climb, & a lovely lake for swimming. The highlight for me was a small crystal clear (& completely freezing cold) pool, know as 'The lady bath'.

I love this place, & ever since we left I've wanted to go back. I feel like I need to live in the mountains...

 First views on our way up.

  

Lake Catani. 

 

 'Lady bath'

Gluten-Free Vegan food porn!

It's fair to say that we are keen on food (to say the least). We make & eat lots of good stuff, even though, ideally, I should be fasting at the moment :0
...
Here is some of it, it's all made from scratch, Gluten-free & Vegan -
...

Christmas dinner 2015. Roast pumpkin, steamed cauliflower + cheezy cashew sauce, Caesar salad, Hassleback potatoes + gravy, Meaty baked jackfruit, Chickpea patties, steamed peas, & Miso broccoli salad, with a glass of sparkling grape juice on the side.

It was a damn good dinner. Caesar salad recipe from - ohsheglows.com

Fresh watermelon slushy.

Veggie Pho with Rice noodles & Tempeh.

Rice paper roll feast! Complete with various dipping sauces + MIB.

Burger, level 9000. Burger patty base is mashed chickpeas + Jackfruit.

Congee #1.

Congee #2.

Souvlaki-ish chickpea flour wrap. Recipe for the wrap is at - Happygut.ca

Hope that gives you all some inspiration to make something delicious!

If you are keen on Gluten-free Vegan food, feel free to join my Facebook group - Vegan Gluten-free Food Ideas :)