Kombucha, Gardening and Santa's Workshop

I've had a busy last few weeks as I'm sure most of you have had. I've had lots of sewing to do for our home made gifts, all of the usual Christmas and end of year stuff for the kids, and on top of that our laptop died suddenly.

This morning I was bottling up last week's kombucha and it prompted me to post a quick update here to tell you how we're getting on with it.  We've been making kombucha since the end of September and since then we've gone from drinking 1L per week to 4L per week.. and we're still running out! The kids absolutely love it, which is a surprising bonus. I've had a play with flavoured teas and we've settled on a favourite - cranberry and pomegranate (1 cranberry and pom tea bag and 1 black tea bag per 1L of water). You can read all about my entry into the world of fermented kombucha tea including my recipe here.

As for the health benefits.. well, we haven't had any 'die off' or negative side effects at all. I do limit the kids to one glass per day but they've been known to sneak more. Jemima in particular is mad for it.  Both kids have been pretty healthy lately but I think the real test will be next winter when the bugs start lurking. One thing I have noted is that both kids have been exposed to a rampant tummy bug repeatedly over the last month through friends and school/preschool and neither of them has caught it.

These bottles will go into the cupboard for a week to further ferment and fizz up a bit and then they'll be ready to drink. I was only leaving them for three or four days but we found that by leaving them longer the kombucha mellowed a bit and the taste was fresher.

As for the taste.. if you're unfamiliar with kombucha you may be wondering what it's like. The bottles above taste like an iced tea mixed with berry, a bit fizzy and really clean and refreshing. It's yum honest!

And the bonus of making lots of bottles of kombucha is that you end up with lots of SCOBY's. When you make a batch a new yeast pancake forms on the top which you can separate when it's big enough and use to make a new batch of tea. Since we're away for Xmas I've put my SCOBY's in a jar covered with kombucha tea, they'll sit dormant in the fridge until I come home.

 So how's the balcony garden doing?

Thai pink egg tomatoes almost ready!

Zucchini and capsicum (looking a bit hot).

Legend tomato - just starting to form fruit.

Two heirloom Diggers tomatoes.

Cucumbers which are growing along the wire nicely. 

And lastly.. Christmas. I had a goal this year of making Christmas as simple, ethical, and home made as possible. Now that my shopping and making is done - how did I do?

My first challenge was to make gift bags rather than buy wrapping paper. I've done pretty well. All but three or four presents from us to the kids and each other are in bags. I ran out of time at the end so we have a present or two for the kids in paper. Next year I'll make a couple more and we should be sorted. Jemima and Ben made their own using stencils and stamps and I sewed them up.

As far as gifts go, most of them were hand made by me. It's a cheap way of doing things but it does take planning and a lot of time. I made Jemima some clothes and a beach bag out of a vintage towel, and I made Ben an explorers satchel and a quilt for his bed. My nephews are all receiving home made presents too. For the bought presents I used the Oxfam shop for one person and I bought lots of books. The kids have one toy each under the tree that isn't particularly eco friendly or educational but it was what they'd asked for.. and it is Christmas after all! So while I wasn't 100% on track with my goal, I was definitely more mindful when buying things and I think it helped to distance myself from the mad consumerism and craziness out there at this time of year.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas season, I hope it's a special time with your family full of fun and good things.

x Becs

Home made Natural Cleaners

This week I've been experimenting with making my own natural cleaners. We've been using eco friendly cleaning products for about 8 years now, but this is the first time I've made my own. There are loads of recipes on the Internet for DIY cleaning products, here are a few that I like the most.

ALL PURPOSE SPRAY

Water
White vinegar
Eucalyptus oil
Tea Tree oil

Take a plastic spray bottle and fill it 2/3 with water. Some websites recommend distilled water but I've had no problems with normal tap water (you may want to look into the water quality in your own area). Fill up the other 1/3 with white vinegar. The cheap stuff is fine. Add 10 drops of each oil and give it a shake. You're done! It smells great and cleans really well too. I use this for my kitchen bench tops and my bathroom vanity and mirror. Eucalyptus oil is antibacterial and has a lovely fresh smell. Tea tree oil has antibacterial, antiviral, anti fungal and antiseptic properties.

ORANGE DEGREASER SPRAY

White vinegar
Orange peel

Every time you use an orange, don't discard the peel. Pop it into a jar and cover it with vinegar. Keep the jar for around 6 weeks and shake it regularly. What you'll be left with is a fragrant orange smelling spray that is an excellent degreaser for your oven and bench tops.

And now for a couple of projects I have lined up for next week, when hopefully this head cold will decide to leave me alone for good!

DIY LIQUID HAND SOAP

The Farmers Nest has a great recipe for making your own hand soap or 'soft soap'. I bought a lovely bar of goats milk soap especially for this and I can't wait to try it out.

You'll need a cheese grater (maybe best to buy a cheapie just for cleaning projects)
2 Tablespoons of glycerine (from supermarket, health store, or chemist)
1 bar of soap
1 gallon of water (about 3.75 litres)
1 big plastic bottle to put it in

Grate the bar of soap and add to the water in a big pot.
Add the glycerine and heat on medium until everything is dissolved. It will look like soapy water.
Leave for 10 - 12 hours.
The mix will harden, if it's a bit too hard you can whip it up using egg beaters.
Bottle it, label it, and give yourself a well deserved pat on the back.

* Dove soap or any soap with a lot of moisturiser will not work with this recipe. For more detailed info see The Farmers Nest.

DISH WASHING DETERGENT / LIQUID

1/2 C natural liquid soap (like the soap above you just made perhaps?)
1 Tablespoon of white vinegar
1 Tablespoon of grated soap
1/8 tsp tea tree oil or 1/4 tsp eucalyptus oil
1/2 very hot water

Place all ingredients in a bowl and pour the hot water over the top. Whisk together and leave to cool before bottling in a recycled dishwashing liquid bottle.

Do you have a favourite DIY cleaner recipe you'd like the share? Let me know in the comments below!

Monday Morning

The children played with Lego for an entire day yesterday after setting themselves the challenge of using every last brick in the box. This Monday morning they were back at it as soon as they woke up. It's amazing to see them play so intensely with one toy for such a long time. I'm telling myself that our new kilim rug has helped in this department, surely having a soft and cosy spot to play helps to calm moods and aid in democratic relations?

This Monday morning I had my aptly named '7am muffins' in the oven just past, well, 7am. I can't get away from making these each and every school morning it seems, no matter how organised I am the night before. Thankfully they're quick to whip up.

This Monday morning I saw the placemats I ran up last night out of a vintage sheet in the harsh light of day, and realised they are a lot bumpier than they looked by candlelight last night. Oh well.

This Monday morning I continued to love our winter nature table, as sparse as it is. Ben made the Aboriginal bark painting at preschool and every time I walk past it I smile on the inside.

This Monday morning I saw the first blossoms on our magnolia tree uncurl and burst forth. I can't wait to see what this tree will look like in full bloom. Spring is on its way.

Get well soon....

Well it seems that the virus that has threatened all week finally arrived last night. Both kids are feeling pretty awful today with sore throats and blocked noses. I feel guilty, but I have to admit that our first virus of the season has me a tiny bit excited. You see, I have been stockpiling herbs in my apothecary drawer for the last few months ready for when winter hit and now I get to try out my potions on my unsuspecting children! I haven't had to break out the Coltsfoot or the White Horehound yet but I'm ready for the first hint of a cough.

In February I made some herb infused honey for sore throats using lemon balm and thyme. After 3 months it smells and tastes delicious. A tablespoon in hot water is just the right thing for a raw throat. Making this is as easy as buying some good quality honey and stirring in some chopped herbs. Make sure they're completely covered by honey and seal. You should leave it for at least two weeks before eating or infusing in hot water.

Natural Vapour Rub Salve

I'm not a fan of petroleum based ointments like Vicks for children so as winter approaches I make my own version. This is an almond oil base to which I've added essential oils of peppermint, eucalyptus, and wintergreen. A small amount of beeswax is melted into the oil so that it sets as a thick salve that melts onto the skin. It smells great and it's soft and gentle.

Full of Goodies Smoothie

I did plan to make this and take a photo for you but with the kids unwell I ran out of time, so here's a nice picture of some raspberries instead!

My kids love smoothies and I find them one of the best ways to get "goodies" into children. When there are viruses around I give the kids one of these smoothies once a day:

1 ripe frozen banana (defrosted a bit)
1 handful of berries - usually blueberries or raspberries from the freezer
2 tablespoons of live yoghurt
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of kefir milk - you could omit or use probiotic powder
1/2 tsp Vitamin C powder
1 Psyllium husk capsule broken open (the casing discarded)
1/2 tsp Slippery Elm powder
Rice milk or almond milk - enough to get a good consistency

Blend everything together until smooth. Makes enough for two good sized servings.

Now a bit about the ingredients:
Berries - The berries add a nice flavour and colour to the smoothie and contain a good dose of Vitamin C and antioxidants.
Yoghurt and Kefir - I'm only just learning about kefir milk and growing my own kefir scoby but what I'm reading is really exciting. It's like a home made probiotic boost with awesome good bacteria for the gut. We have huge gut issues in our family so I'm keen to incorporate kefir into our diet. To learn more about kefir try reading What is Kefir.
Vitamin C powder - I like the powder form because only a pinch in a glass of juice is enough for kids and it's not sitting around in their teeth like chewable tablets.
Psyllium Husk - A great source of gluten free fibre with benefits for colon cleansing and bowel regulation.
Slippery Elm powder - One of my favourite herbal remedies. It create mucous in the gut so it's incredibly soothing for people with irritable bowels or stomach issues. It's also good for sore throats because it forms a  coating.

If you're interested in natural health I encourage you to google the ingredients in the recipe further, I'm not a naturopath or a herbalist so the descriptions above should be taken as my opinion only.

Get Well Soon Soup

I love old recipes and cough and cold remedies that have stood the test of time. This is a version of Jewish Chicken Soup that I make whenever anyone is feeling poorly. It feels and tastes so good to drink I can almost feel myself getting better with each sip.

Ingredients:

Chicken necks, wings, and/or carcasses (pref organic)
1/4 Celery - leaves and stalks chopped roughly
1 Onion
Garlic - around 4 - 5 cloves
1 Carrot
1 Parsnip
Herbs - I use thyme, parsley, sage
Water
Salt

In a large stockpot fry off the chicken bits with the onion, garlic, and a little oil. Once they're lightly browned add the rest of the ingredients roughly chopped and cover well with water. Sprinkle some salt over and bring to the boil. Reduce to a slow simmer for 1 - 2 hours checking to see if you need to top up the water. Every now and again I give the chicken pieces a pummel with a wooden spoon to break up the bones.

Strain and enjoy. You can make dumplings to go with this but that's difficult with us being egg and gluten free so we usually have some toast on the side instead.

Wishing you a lovely (healthy) Sunday

x Bec

Make, Bake, and Grow

It's been a while since I've written a Make, Bake, and Grow post. Too long. We have been doing an awful lot of making, baking, and growing at our place lately but for one reason or another I haven't had the time to write about it. Time to make amends, so here we go!

Make
If you have children, you have ouchies. It's inevitable. We have the usual first aid creams in our cabinet but I also like to have a natural herbal ointment on hand for cuts and scrapes. The ointment is made by heating almond oil in a pot before adding comfrey, elder flower, st johns wort, and calendula flowers that I collected from my garden last summer. Once the herbs have infused into the oil I strained the mix through some gauze before reheating it again. A small amount of beeswax and a pinch of vitamin C powder are added as a natural preservative before sealing it in a clean jar. It will keep for 3 months in the fridge.

This afternoon Jemima made herself a card game:

And of course there is all of the sewing this week:

Bake
Sometimes it feels like I'm constantly baking. In the last 2 days I've made GF vegan banana muffins, a GF chocolate zucchini cake, GF ANZAC biscuits, and today I made these rye bread rolls for Jemima's school lunches. Before you start to get impressed I used a breadmaker for the dough and a sack of Laucke Rye Bread Mix for the ingredients.

Grow
Our little vegetable and herb station on the deck is going really well. The herbs are all flourishing and we have our first little seedlings through ready for the winter ahead.

I hope you're enjoying your Sunday and that there's some making, baking, and growing going on at your place too :-)

Make, Bake, and Grow

Make

The kids did some painting today. Ben wanted to do a forest so we printed some animals onto fabric and glued them on after he'd finished the background.

Bake

I said a while ago that I hate baking, and I stand by that statement. Despite not liking it, baking is in my future for the next few years so my mission is to make it as easy as I possibly can.

Here's my recipe for a super healthy, super yummy, gluten free + vegan carrot cake.

Mix together:

1 C GF self raising flour
1/2 C brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp mixed spice
1 C LSA mix (ground almond, flaxseed, and sunflower seeds)
1 handful of currents

Then add:


1 large carrot (grated)
juice and zest of 1 orange
1/4 - 1/2 C soy milk - enough to make a thick batter

Bake in a small loaf tin at 180 degrees centigrade for 50 - 60 minutes.
I hope you give this one a try, it's really yum and doesn't use any eggs or butter so it's good on the pocket too.  You won't taste that it's GF or vegan and it's packed full of goodness with the carrot and LSA mix.

Grow

Today I rescued my seedlings from the green house and planted them out in the garden.  My peas and lettuce all drowned in the week of rain we've just had so I had to pull them all out. I'm hoping to have a catch up day out there soon!

Make, Bake, and Grow

When the weather looks like this

the only reasonable thing to do is enjoy spending the whole day at home pottering about, making stuff, and eating.

I bought this doily from a market for $1.50 a while back and today I made this yellow cushion for our armchair. The yellow fabric was $2 a metre from a Spotlight sale.

Jeremy made a GF loaf of bread and a GF Banana bread, and I made some normal cheese scones.

I spent a couple of hours looking at craft on the Internet.

Ben made a "Car Parade" on the window sill:

and Jeremy played the guitar.

Sometimes a day inside is just about perfect.

Make, Bake, and Grow

Make

I found a great pattern for a quick reusable shopping bag and last night I made this out of an old table cloth. I love this pattern because there are no handles to sew and turn out! It took about 15 minutes including making the pattern. If you'd like to try it yourself the pattern is here.

Bake

A nice loaf of German style bread for our NZ guests arriving tomorrow.

Grow

The sun was out today and it was a lovely 31 degrees. Time to get stuck into the garden! When we moved to this house last month the garden was so overgrown. The rains we've had lately haven't helped and I've been feeling overwhelmed with the knee high grass in our garden beds. Today we tackled the biggest one, and it was a family affair. J also built me a new vege garden using recycled wooden sleepers he found at the back of the property. I can't wait to fill it up with summer seedlings. Our tomatoes are looking really good, I have them in the pots above so I can move them in and out of the sun depending on the weather.

I hope everyone has had a good weekend!

Make, Bake, and Grow

Make

One of the happy things about living in the Blue Mountains is the abundance of birds that appear in our garden.  Jemima and I have been trying to identify our visitors in our bird guide and the other afternoon we thought we'd make them some tasty treats to try and encourage them to come and see us more often.

First we gathered some pine cones we had collected and tied some garden twine around them. Then we covered them in peanut butter (the natural kind - birds don't need added sugar).

Then we rolled them in bird seed with a bit of cornmeal mixed in to it.

J climbed the trees to put them up high and the next morning most of them were picked clean. I think we're going to have to get up earlier if we want to see the bird feeders in action!

Bake

Today is J's birthday and last night Jemima decided to make him one extra gift. This was her first attempt at making fudge and it didn't go quite as we had planned.  I think it was due to her creative measuring of ingredients.  Not to worry, as far as she's concerned it came out exactly how she wanted it to. All we had to do was rename it from chocolate fudge to chocolate chews!

Grow


Rain, rain, go away. My spring planting is so behind. I do have lettuce, tomatoes, peas, cucumber, and herbs growing in one raised bed. The soil here is horrible. Full of roots and dry as dust. For my next bed I'm going to use the no dig method and forget about trying to make something out of the awfully depleted soil we have here. I miss my old gardens!

The flower gardens are a huge job at this house. We have loads of them but they're full of grass. It's going to be a big job clearing and planting them.  I'm going with the current style of the garden (untamed) and attempting to create something wild and magical. I have some days earmarked later in the month for a garden transformation - if the weather ever improves!

Make, Bake, and Grow

 Make

Today the weather was really bad and there was nothing for it but to hunker down inside and enjoy being warm and dry.  We lit a fire and the kids made a puppet show.  They came up with a story and worked out what characters they'd need and then we all got to work.

Our kitchen doorway became a theatre with the help of some bed sheets then the show began.

Bake

Not baking technically but it's something. With all of the puppet making fun I missed my chance to get something in the oven this afternoon. I did manage to whip up this Thai green curry for dinner though!


Grow

Did I mention that it's raining? I'm so behind on my spring planting it's not funny. I see a family planting day in our future when the weather gets better.

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!