My Gardening Style...

In One Word: GREEDY

In Two: GREEDY CHAOS

In Three Words: GREEDY HOPEFUL CHAOS!!

So in my part of the world, to my great relief, it seems like SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!

So I've been in a busy bee flutter trying to prepare for a Good Harvest ^^

Today I opened all my veggie seed packets and scattered them all haphazardly...In a few days I'm looking for the seedlings that have sprouted and thus onto stage three finding them a suitable long term resting place till harvest. I'm starting to realise...growing your own food=ALOT of WORK! Anyway must run...need to start my BAKING, lol...how weird has my life turned out I'm doing all those things I have always shied away from with dread...it's like those terms 'topsy turvy' and 'tohu wabohu' were MADE for me, LOL!

Notes to Self and Other Random Musings...

Just documenting this snapshot in time...cos if Grannies don't write down EVERYTHING now they already forgot! Or rather...next week the picture may look very different already, hahaha ADD girl!

#I Love Wakame. Must Remember to eat it more often...considering it takes 12 hours pre-soaking...need to plan in advance!

# Resolve to:

-STOP GETTING CAUGHT OUT IN JAMMIES. LOL old people and friendly tradies have this annoying habit of calling by too early in the morning without prior warning...

-Need to get more limber again by getting back into yoga....I think the cold turned my body into a tree...trunk!

-Let go of remnant perfectionistic & overly anti-social loner tendencies...

#Chuffed about:

-Acquiring my very first ladder...LOL! The whole tradie vibe is totally rubbing off on me and I love how much and how quickly I'm learning by being a fly on the wall...picking up some "handy" tips and feeling slightly less book-nerdish and slightly more useful/self-sufficient=very satisfying!

-The Big Oversize Wooden Spoon and Fork my mum gave me from our childhood home...I place them towering over the dining area...to demarcate the most important area of the house lol...due to sheer size...they are definitely "statement" items...this girl loves to EAT! :D

#Current Food in production inventory:

-carrots, beetroot, cherry tomatoes, lemons, radishes, garlic, spring onion, coriander, dill, spinach, red and green lettuce, rocket, mint

ASPIRE TO ADD: passionfruit, beans, sweet potato leaves, zucchini, squash, basil, parsley, bak choy, silverbeet, celery, cucumber...did I miss anything?!! Growing one's on food is suddenly a very much needed lesson in PATIENCE...

#Annoying:

-People who always take and never give, psyllids, negative, dishonest & lack self-esteem people with victim mentalities, people whose beliefs sway according to popular opinion, polyester, bills, chemical aerosols.

#Loving: Children of God with the Spirit, Easy going good natured understanding humanitarian people, people over the age of 40, Earthing, Nature, my Sanctuary, Birds that sunbake & nest in my front yard, my space, my freedom, my leather soled and handmade shoes :)

#Challenging my tolerance: Stinky boys completely unaware of their whiff that insist on sitting next to you even though there are available nearby adjacent seats.

#Admiration&Respect: People that make an honest living...blue collar manual labourers and people that can survive practically in the world and don't need to resort to unethical practices to succeed in their jobs or make money...particularly those able to be completely self sufficient...hence my continual fascination with...farmers ;)

#Dreaming of: living on an acreage with pet chickens that lay fresh eggs...and doing the whole self-sustainable thing...

Some Favourite Products

No, noone is paying me to endorse these products...it's cos I REALLY like them! And I just wanted to share some gems that bring me joy in daily life :)

This first one took me by surprise...I was just looking for a shampoo that was free of the nasties but didn't cost the world. Yes, it exists...

Nature's Organics BERRY BLISS 3-IN-1 ORGANIC SHAMPOO....it's free of known nasties, dirt cheap and surprisingly very good & gentle stuff at $2 a pop on sale or RRP $3.50-$3.99...shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Smells like a berry lolly - very girly, great for kids! And which girl wouldn't want their shampoo bottle to be pink with a fairy on it? LOL

The other two are ones to delight the belly, pretty much these two represent 95% of my entire processed food diet right now.

BULLA Fruit N' Yoghurt Minis (they come in 14 or 16 pack and in a great range of varieties and are supremely healthy compared to most frozen confectioneries which are too big, too sugary and have too much very rich stuff like chocolate or caramel- I tend to like any that have fruit yoghurt and vanilla/fruit ice splits like...

.GOOD STUFF!

NESTLE CLUB Mixed Berry Chocolate- I am not usually one for dark chocolate but with these incredibly delicious fruity berry bits, I can just eat LOADS of this stuff. And it's REALLY GOOD for me...if you're too skinny like me, this is my pick to get to some decent fat levels with...

VERY YUMMY!

The Truth About Organics

They are not usually nutritional superior to conventional produce when tested scientifically.

They do taste much better especially texture wise and make me feel fuller, according to my experience.

There is one downside I noticed however. Because they ARE so pesticide free...you need to be prepared to get a little "extra protein". The bug count especially in tangled shelters of vegetables such as broccoli have way more than their fair share of bugs! Realistically, you can't wash them all out if you still intend to eat them as florettes.

In any case vegetables ARE crunchy. And I know I personally, would prefer a little extra crunch factor compared to toxic, bad tasting pesticides any day.

But if perfect looking fruit and vegetables are your concern, then you should probably stick with conventional produce :)

I am NOT a Hippie!

So today with child-like zealousness I set out to a particular part of the city I rarely frequent with sole mission to join an organic wholefood co-operative, inspired by my recent trip and the fact that my parents keep going on about the huge spike in the costs of food.

I was pretty disappointed with what I found. Although it seems "cool" to be part of a cooperative... with this particular one at least, the freshness of the produce was lacking, the knowledge of the produce was lacking, the prices were surprisingly high...so I'm sticking to the bi-monthly organic produce delivery service :)

So anyway having been ensconced in Hippie-ness far more than usual lately, I've realised all the labels I've always refuted are just that-PLAIN WRONG: I am SO NOT a Hippie!

Okay, so maybe I'm into alternative therapies, herbs, crystals, organic food, nature, the environment, astrology, tarot, foreign cultures, progressive ideas and I listen to world music...avoid certain conventions and support certain socialist ideals...HOWEVER That doesn't make me a Hippie!

Here is my case:

1) I always wear shoes- especially on the street.
2) I bathe EVERYDAY without fail. I can't stand dirt and generally don't smell bad!
3) I'm generally quite with it and articulate- none of that glazed eyes phenomenon and dopey expression for me!
4) I dress boring and prefer a classic black to a rainbow palette and exotic accessorising.
5) I like bourgeoisie things like glasses of red wine, imported chocolate, Italian leather, swiss watches, diamonds...LOL

Adventure to the Hippie Heartland
So during my trip we did manage to venture to what would probably be classified as THE Hippie Heartland of this country. It was really grotty and there were quite a few deros indiscreetly trying to make sales: do you want ganja, mushroom, cookie? In any case, I thought it was amusing that I was the only one of our party to not get asked.

So anyway, one of our party couldn't resist giving a cookie a go - from a herbalist's point of view, observing the after effects was utterly fascinating(except for the puking part)...yup the raw stuff ingested directly is pretty potent! Moral of this story: ALWAYS follow dosage instructions from your "pharmacist"-better yet don't take *stuff* unless you need it! LOL

Of course being the herbalist I am, I had to undertake a little "investigation"...on recounting the whole story my mum was rather concerned, however I reasoned with her that if I was gonna turn into a druggie surely it would have happened already during my artsy fartsy digital media days? And in any case, honestly,I have access to waaaaay more consequential chemical compounds via my Chinese herbs if that was my calling! Who would be so stupid to spend exorbitant amounts on illegal western stuff when you can can get such easy and valid access to much more potent and legal stuff?

Haha yes it has occurred to me that being a Chinese herbalist could actually make for quite a good underground money spinner...except for the fact that I am into it for therapeutic purposes...LOL I think The Hippocratic Oath is binding on ALL healers not just conventional ones!

Cooking Experimentation with Z: Chicken Risoni Paella :)

So...with a mini reprieve until the BIG REPRIEVE I decided to cook myself a proper nutritious healthy meal...well aware of the fact that I need to clear out my fridge before my impending trip :)

So...I had 4 large organic tomatoes I needed to use up.

No method to the madness-pure creative inspiration took hold...

I fried a bit of garlic in good quality extra virgin olive oil, dumped in the chopped tomatoes, seasalt, sugar, a can of organic lentils (important: rinse out bubbles!) and a big squish of basil from a tube.

Then in went a handful of green olives, once it started to simmer I added some chunks of organic chicken, then a splash of balsamic vinegar and the finishing touch...my favourite staple right now...RISONI!

And I ended up with this.

Verdict? YUM!!!

I think I'll call this dish "Z's Serendipitous Accident" LOL ;)