Finding food is easy even when you think there's none, so super lucky to live here

I keep missing market day and so my fresh food stocks were almost totally empty today. But I searched around and found if I went for good wholesome cooked foods (instead of raw) I could pull something enjoyably delicious and sustaining together. Harray for food!
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2 pieces of frozen chia bread (I call it cake bread, it's like
poppyseed cake), toasted
One freshly laid egg from my friends nest
Organic eden yellow dijion mustard
Biodynamic mount zero beetroot and orange relish
Fresh baby tatsoi

Green smoothie amber separation

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7-8 large leaves of comfrey and fresh mint (both from Jet's garden)
1/4 honeydew melon
1 happy mango
chunk of pineapple
3 cups of water
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a peculiar thing happened after I made my green smoothies for the day, they separated out into green fibre and amber liquid, I'm guessing it has something to do with comfrey and lack of emulsifying bananas. It tastes really good though!

Let's not forget the food cart dream

A well made steel framed Christiana Bike from Denmark with the space for creating your own specific food cart house bike dream. Cost approx 2,650 to buy in Australia. See their website

Golden honey yellow dinner for my solar center love

I am grounded in who I truly am. Here now, present in all my glory insight and power. It is safe to be alive in this body and centred in love.

Comfrey the incredible wonder herb!

I just visited Jet at the first Permachill afternoon held in her garden. Amazing amounts of
super healthy comfrey growing everywhere. Very inspiring, I chewed through a leaf raw and harvested a couple to take home.
Good source of info on comfrey
Many herb lovers use comfrey leaves as a vegetable, like spinach, in salads or cooked. As the leaves are rather rough and hairy, it is best to chop the leaves finely, when adding to a tossed salad or tucked in a sandwich. Some comfrey connoisseurs eat the leaves with lemon juice, because the lemon is said to release the comfrey’s calcium. Use leaves as wraps, to make rolls of savoury rice or mince, baked in the oven, and served with a sauce or gravy. Add leaves to stews, soups, casseroles and stuffings. As comfrey is a high protein (22-36%) that also contains vitamin B12, leaves can be a valuable addition to a vegetarian diet, as there are not many plant sources of B12. The discovery of vitamin B12 in comfrey, in 1959, by Mr. F.N. Turner, M.B.N.O.A., N.N.I.M.H., N.D.D., N.D.A. (who was consultant to the Society of Medical Herbalists, U.K.) was in the course of his work with research of dried comfrey, in the manufacture of tablets: to be used by the association in its medical work, for the relief of asthma and bronchial complaints. The vitamin B12 content, was confirmed by Dr.A.H. Ward of Ayrsome Laboratories, Grange over-Sands, U.K., who analysed from 3.1 to 11.6 millimicrogrammes per gram (varying readings depending on varieties and trial plots from which the samples were taken). Comfrey is a rich source of the amino acid methionine, which has been found to assist the body eliminate cholesterol and reduce fatty tissue and blood pressure.

Juice comfrey leaves with carrots, celery and other vegetables or greens. Make a comfrey smoothie; using leaves blended with pineapple juice, orange or mango. In summer, blend comfrey leaves, zucchini, avocado and carrot juice, to make a refreshing, cold soup. Comfrey used as a vegetable soup daily, has helped to relax and promote sleep for people with nervous conditions.

In his informative book, on the wonderful attributes of comfrey, Andrew Hughes says, "Comfrey is a food"...The effect of comfrey is longer lasting because it is built into the very cells of the body. It should be used, regularly, as a food, because it penetrates to every part of the body and brain, improving both the structure and function of each part. Comfrey contains the same structural material of which the human body is built, the proteins and minerals, plus the catalysts that enable the metabolism to operate more efficiently – vitamins, enzymes, etc. Secondly, its two unique elements, vitamin B12 and allantoin act directly on the blood stream - B12 to create red corpuscles and allantoin to regulate cell formation and increase white corpuscles. Once the blood is affected by ingesting this food, the whole body benefits, even to the tiniest hair, the most remote cell, the tips of the nails, the cells of the brain, the marrow of the bones. According to Hughes, every part of the body functions better as a result of regular consumption of comfrey, and the body as a whole, is more resistant to the attacks of disease and ageing.

Today I am in love with water

When I filled a glass this morning from my ceramic filter I was suprised at the amazing taste. The most delicious water I have drunk in a long time, yet surely it is the same water everyday? When I was at the gym I filled my glass water bottle from the bubbled and again it was incredibly delicious. I don't know why but I am so in love with water today.

Today's dish, to celebrate so many things including Phoebe's birthday

Raw dolmas, a tzatkzi style sauce made with really raw cashews, dried red Botija olives from A permaculture farm in Peru, a slice of lemon and a few organic pine nuts.

Raw magic carrot cake dedicated to the Permablitz'ers

Three layers of situational invention. I made a pie cake pudding slice thing this morning to take to Lex's permablitz today. It was a two hour culinary journey, in that way that things take on their own sense of time when you start cooking before you have woken up fully. On rising I began dreaming up this creation. Investigating, experimenting and getting feedback from the pie and from other humans inhabiting the kitchen, just like the conversation dancing or any other method of communication. I kept thinking about the magical consistancy powers of coconut oil but didn't have any so looked for other ways of making.
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base
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a cup of almonds (fresh, raw, from farmers market)
5 or 6 medjool dates
a few spoons of thick chia gel (black chia seed soaked in water, but not too much)
ground Ginger
pinch of salt
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carrot layer
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a cup or so, maybe it was two cups, of tiny baby Dutch carrots (grown on the peninsula) blended in food processor or grated
1/2 white chia seed ground in mortar and pestle and soaked in a little water so becomes thick gel
a few handfuls of golden raisins chopped
lemon juice
1/2 coconut flakes
ground Ginger, cinnamon, pimento
a couple of pistachios
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cream layer
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1/2 cup soaked almonds with skins removed
1/2 a mango and 1/2 a passionfruit (the other halves got eaten as breakfast while I worked away on the cake)
a banana
spoon of lucuma powder

I forgot to take a photo at the end. It looked quite beautiful covered in the greens and pinks of broken pistachio nut pieces (raw, from farmers market), a few juicy golden raisins and three fleshy white flowers from my lemon tree.
I froze it for a few hours but it had quite a soft consistancy. It was really lovely to share with so many people that I didn't know, food being first introduction is a very delicious one. It was a very inspiring event to be apart of, and find ways to contribute to. Harray for growing vegetables, gardening, soil, air, water, love, community and permaculture being such an expansive wholistic idea that is so much more than tilling soil, but nutrition love health and connection on all levels. And as Lex said just on dark 'all people are plants and all plants are animals.'

Oh yeah, green is what I needed!

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neatly snipped specimens from my glorious coriander tree, and diamond leaves of spinach
a banana and one kiwi fruit unwrapped from it's brown furry hiding place
a glass of water, blended until it is a thick smooth and gritty delight (grit = kiwi seeds)

Very significant moment

Today I visited my Grandad and he gave me my very own 'Chayya' plant, it is a rhododendron that he crossed and named after me 20 odd years ago. It's super exciting and amazing to have one. I'm so blessed and high pop toppy into it, it will be my garden wizard, overseeing and inspiring all the vegetables to grow grow grow!

Nasturtium: Vegan Supper Club in NY

I've blogged about Scott Winegard and his awesome Celebration of Vegetables before, but this morning I was reading this article on the Underground Dining NY blog and got all re-inspired-and-excited about Scott's Supper Club Nasturtium.
1. I would super like to go to New York and partake in the eating
2. I would super love to go and meet and cook with many of the other amazing living foods and gourmet vegetable chefs that seem to exist far away on other continents.
3. I would love to start my own supper club and hold events like Nasturtium. A quarterly seasonal celebration of life and vegetables. I love planning menus and responding to ingredients. I also love the printed menu and asthetic of the whole production.
4. I think I will make my own supper club. It seems that there is a lot of support for it in New York, but travel is not so feasible and so we shall just continue to keep on making here cool.
5. How formal should this kind of thing be? In a house? In a restaurant? In another kind of venue? In a gallery? As an interactive performance art piece? Everything being carefully curated? What kind of space could I use? Handy if it had a kitchen...

Cucumber love

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Lebanese cucumber
Italian parsley
activated pepitas
sprinkle of dulse flakes
1/2 tsp of umeboshi plum purée and 1 spoon of olive oil

Conscious Nutrition Classes

The wonderful Heidi is giving three workshops at Prana House in Thornbury soon, they look really awesome. Im going, you should come too!

Monday 8th November 7.00-9.00 p.m. Raw Vegan Dairy Alternatives 
Learn how to make delicious milk, yoghurt, cheese and cream using nuts and seeds. Sample a variety of dairy alternatives that tantalize the taste buds and stir the imagination.

Monday 15th November 7.00-9.00 p.m. Beyond Greens
Learn how to make salads that use not only traditional salad greens but also incorporate weeds, medicinal herbs and edible flowers. Discover how and where to finds these ingredients, how to identify them correctly and their amazing nutritional, medicinal and spiritual benefits. Samples of these truly amazing foods will be available to try on the night.

Monday 22nd November 7.00-9.00 p.m. Raw Vegan Desserts
Learn how to make a raw vegan cheesecake and a divine chocolate mousse. Decadence has never been more beneficial to mind, body and spirit. It’s worth turning up for the samples alone!

To book or read more go over to Heidi's website Conscious Nutrition
Bookings Essential - Please phone 0415 626 893 or email info@consciousnutrition.com.au to register your interest 




1 + 1 + 1

The second 1 + 1 + 1 event was held this evening in the rain daring situation of my backyard and vegetable garden. The air was warm and full of springtime quiet humbled adventure.
We set up a makeshift garden kitchen and sat together preparing our dinner. Almost everything turned out to be raw without thinkng about it as we naturally gathered produce and prepared it sitting down outside together. The only electricity that was used was blending some walnut milk in a brief

The invitation read as follows --
Dinner.
My house.
Friday.
You are most cordially invited. We will eat the garden and cook together. Please bring 1 salad ingredient + 1 suprise + 1 piece of fruit. Come over from 5pm, all welcome. Look forward to eating with you x

An inventory of ingredients (from what I can remember)
Dani - a pink lady apple, Lebanese cucumbers, organic chocolate coated macadamias
Michael and Lana - kaffir lime leaves, a canteloupe, beetroot-carrot-sesame salad
Ben - a red papaya, dark mint chocolate, chickpeas
Louis and Ripley - homegrown red lentil and alfalfa sprouts
Tom - a mandarin, sunflower seed and sultana trail mix
me - a garden of greens and herbs and flowers, walnuts, olive oil, pink salt, honey, lemons, chia pudding

Secret cure

The Spleen loves touch. Anything we can do to feed ourselves at this most fundamental level will strengthen the Spleen. Deprived of touch, the human being shrivels up, behaves crazily and sinks into depression. Touch is as fundamental a need as food, so supporting the Spleen also means entering a deeply sensual relationship with the body. To receive bodywork, to cuddle friends and family, to touch oneself lovingly: all these are ways to strengthen the Spleen. Often we focus on food when in fact this other fundamental need, the need for contact, is the secret cure.

Spleen happiness

Just as the Earth is the centre of the cosmos from the viewpoint of a human being, 'Earth's Organ', the Spleen, is seen as holding a central place in the human body. Our well-being can be seen as dependent on our ability to absorb and process nourishment. This is the realm of the Spleen in Chinese medicine. The Spleen is responsible for providing the nourishment which supports all aspects of healthy functioning. It is an Organ of transformation and nourishment.

Through the transforming action of the Spleen food becomes nutritional substances, information is digested and transformed into knowledge and sensual experience is received and transformed into a core sense of well-being. It is also through the Spleen that healing energy is received into the body . The Spleen is responsible for nourishment. A strong Spleen ensures that a person is well nourished. A weak Spleen may result in being undernourished. At the physical level it is possible to eat a good diet yet not be strong enough to convert the food into proper nourishment. At the emotional level one may be in an apparently nourishing situation yet still be unable to receive the available nourishment.
In the history of Chinese medicine whole schools have grown up around the idea that in the treatment of all illness we must first address the Spleen and its paired Organ, the Stomach. Without this central ability to transform food and experiences into nourishment, life lacks its central support. So let us look a little more closely at the realm of the Spleen and how we can support and strengthen Spleen energy.

Read whole article here

Tempeh love cookup

Verde Provodores

Wow! Every now and again you stumble across someone amazing who is in love with life and food and conducts themselves with effortless heartfelt integrity. Verde Provedores is an artisan food producer based in Daylesford specialising in Organic, preservative free handmade dips made from locally sourced ingredients.
Have a look at Kylie's lovely website!

Mount Zero

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Mount Zero are farmers market regulars for many years. Their farm is certified biodynamic and located out near the Grampians in west victoria. The Mount Zero core principals are regionalism, sustainability and quality, all very very good things.
They produce amazing olives, olive oil, tapenade,
beetroot and orange relish, and dukkah as well as supporting and distributing produce from neighbourjnh farms. I bought a huge jar of Gordal green olives, locally grown biodynamic chickpeas and pink lake salt. The salt is hand harvested from a natural salt lake in Dimboola, north west Victoria. The mount zero man (I'm sorry I don't know your name!) told me that he goes up there himself with a shovel and collects it. I've been buying this salt sometimes but it's so wonderful to learn more about it, move over Himalayan crystal salt we've got a new food mile friend!

50km from the Mount Zero Olive grove, in Western Victoria is a large pink salt lake.  The lake is fed by natural salt aquifers and each summer dries to reveal a bed of salmon pink salt.  Mount Zero and the lake's traditional owners, the Barengi Gadjin Land Council, have been working together to hand harvest a small amount of salt from the lake each year.