loving…words. Lots of them.

Posted on May 25, 2014 by cityhippyfarmgirl

Loving

…getting to listen to several talks from the Sydney Writers Festival this week.

Loving

…being in a crowd of people with the same agenda. To listen. To absorb. To take in.

Loving

…hearing stories of adventures and a trusty dog.

Loving

…seeing people line up in long queues, not fiddling with their phones, but intently reading while waiting instead.

Loving

…the written word on pages. As much as I love being digitally connected. There is something incredibly reaffirming to see so many people reading books. At the writers festival, if they weren’t reading, they were starting conversations that had come from books. And I’m absolutely loving that.

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What have you been loving lately?

Or what have you been reading?

What wonderful adventure stories have blown your mind?

[“Often life’s pleasures pass us by simply because we don’t take a moment to focus on them… Make a point of noticing everyday something that uplifts your spirit or tickles your heart… Stop to breathe in the joy of this moment and then tell someone about it. Share your joy and revel in it. When your joy is savoured, and then shared, it is magnified…” ROBIN GRILLE]

That morning, with Ben Lowy

Posted on May 21, 2014 by cityhippyfarmgirl

That morning, with Ben Lowy…

Yes, I fell in love again.

Not with Ben, (although he is charming, witty and lovely) but with photography. Madly, truly, deeply- all the cliches that I can bundle together.

It was seven kinds of awesome, it really was.

Thank you Ben.

If you are in Sydney see here for more Head On photo festival goodness while it is still on.

Darkened clouds and melancholy skies

Posted on May 4, 2014 by cityhippyfarmgirl

There is a lure of the dark and stormy that is hard to define. A pull, an almost blank slate of ideas where anything is possible. Imagination seems to heightened, of which is always a good thing. My imagination on a sunny day…ahhh, it’s really just not the same. Give me bleak, cold, wet, shades of grey misery and the words, they can be coaxed out.

Settle in, and I’ll tell you a story….

As the boat pulled away from the dock, any other colours seemed to slip away along with it. Behind us, the trailing flag billowed- like a hopeful sea flare, a last shot of colour across a melancholy sky.

Time had reversed and dragged me along with it. Now onboard with three strangers I stood. Ready and waiting for the expectant onslaught of shots soon to break out. Their names were known to me but their faces I was new to recognising. My cold clammy hand was offered on meeting, as together…

Yes we would do this.

cityhippyfarmgirl.com

The island loomed large and it was with shuffled wet feet the four of us made our way across. Eyes darting from left to right, this was the place alright. The place we had heard of from long before.

As the darkened clouds paused in their rainy offerings, the sheer size of the cold place loomed ahead. Vast cavernous spaces that made me pull my thin woollen sleeves just that bit closer.

Dark and scarred lines at every turn. The whispers of others long gone were within these walls. Trapped on bench tops, and stuffed in slots, their stories were all there. Just waiting. Waiting to get out.

cityhippyfarmgirl.com

With lingering feet we traipsed on, the buildings continuing to rise out of the mud. As the day had dawned hours beforehand, my nerves had threatened to knock over my obligatory last cup of tepid tea. Not now though. My nerves seemed to have dissolved into the very mud in which our feet had slid into. Instead a peacefulness sat inside, an almost contentment.

While I knew only vaguely of what was to come next, what I did know was that I was with like minded souls. Strangers we had been but together we would do this, together we were going to take the shots and take it all in as it fell around us.

With fingers looped through fencing, and thoughts left to drift alone. A lone seagull seemed to watch on, also taking it all in. It was almost like he knew.

He knew what was to come.

A boats horn bellowing in the distance heralded the inevitable.

It was time.

To my other bloggy buddies that also think dark and stormy days are exciting. You guys rock. For my readers who would like to see some other wonderful versions of the same day see here at…

The Bowerbird Girl

Strawberry Jam Sandwiches

What Katie Did Next

cityhippyfarmgirl.com

Eat Local Challenge #3

Posted on April 30, 2014 by cityhippyfarmgirl

Corn, chilli and lime.

It’s a cracker of a combination, and that’s a known fact. But the issue was I needed a little butter or something like it to get the finely chopped chilli to stick onto the corn. I didn’t have any and refused to step outside my Eat Local Challenge so I was left with…

1/ squeeze the lime juice on the corn and nibble delicate little pieces of chilli off at each mouthful…hmmm, not a great idea. I like my food hot but these little chillies are quite beastly on their own.

2/ I could finely, finely chop them and roll the corn in it, hoping some would stick.

3/ I could delicately drape the chilli over the corn, admire the contrasting colours and then push my hot little garnish to the side. Yep, I’ll do that. (On thinking later, I should have cut the chilli and gently rubbed it over the corn cob. It would have given the bites a little zing, but not the kick in the pants that a big one would have given.)

So with the corn sorted, what did I have left? While I do love corn, there still needed to be a little something else to the plate.

To avoid a line up of wrinkled noses and pouty lips I didn’t bother serving this one to the rest of the family. Brussel sprouts is an acquired taste it seems and every one in this household? Well, they haven’t acquired it yet.

So what’s on the menu and where is it from?

Brussel sprouts- Kurrawong Organics, Kirkconnel (175km)

Radishes- Rita’s Farm, Kemp’s Creek (50km)

Granny Smith Apple- from Orange

Sheep’s Curd- Willowbrae, Chevre Cheese– Wilberforce.

Olive Oil- Lisborne Grove, Hunter Valley

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How about you? Interested in taking the challenge?

Just how local is local? Well this depends entirely on you. Only you know how you and your family eat. Raise the bar just a little from what you already do. If making sure the majority of your meal includes solely food produced in your country, than make that your challenge. If you want to make it a little trickier, go for produced in the same state…trickier still within 160km.

My aim is to really know where my food is coming from for at least one meal a month, (where I will be posting here in the last week of the month).

For Eat Local Challenge #1 see here.

For Eat Local Challenge #2 see here.

When you can’t stop saying the F word

Posted on April 27, 2014 by cityhippyfarmgirl

water kefir grains

It quite often brings on a wrinkle of noses, pouty lips, raised eyebrows and sometimes, just plain disgust. It’s a word certainly not to everyone’s taste, and yet…

I just can’t help myself.

I repeat the word again and again, while most people switch off. Sometimes there is a low mumble of vague fained interest, with their silent words screaming bloody hippy, and yet I still can’t stop saying it.

fermented vegetables || cityhippyfarmgirl

Fermentation.

See I said it again. I say it again with joy and amazement. Fermentation, it’s not the dirty word that so many us think that it is, I promise, it really isn’t. On the contrary it’s a word that brings life and excitement to a conversation, just as it does to our palate and gut health.

The joy of coming across another fermenter in everyday daily life and talk is beyond exciting. It’s a conversation of respect, excitement and happiness. One of curiosity and intrigue and a use of words that generally don’t get thrown around together in the after school pick up line. There’s an understanding and unparalleled enthusiasm to hear more.

I’ve seen it before in other conversational areas that are usually thrown to societies fringes, (as that’s where I frequently lurk), an excitement that truly is contagious. When you hear another person, mention the mere whispered word of kefir or scoby…

Ohhh, you’re talking FERMENTATION! Yes you are, yes you are!

Sandor Katz at a recent fermentation talk and Nick from Milkwood

So with that enthusiasm in mind, I will not curb my tongue and lessen the frequency in eliciting the F word. I will shout it loud and shout it proud, to anyone that cares to listen. I will drop the F word into conversation where ever I see fit and from this day forth I shall proudly say…

F#%* yeah! I’m a fermenter!

the Art of Fermentaion Sandor Katz || cityhippyfarmgirl

Fermentation Bible

For more rather exciting dabbles in fermentation see these posts-

sourdough– how to make a starter

ginger beer that will put hairs on your chest

how to make sauerkraut

pride of the pickles

mead– not just for Vikings

loving… the mountain air

Posted on April 20, 2014 by cityhippyfarmgirl

moss || cityhippyfarmgirl Loving the slower, so much slower,

no time, no places to be

just us

and some mountains.

Loving those beautiful, deliciously cold mountains.

Time to take in the air,

take in the view,

the vivid blues, the rushing waters.

Loving stopping,

and breathing, really breathing.

Loving cold air on pink cheeks,

and warm hands stuffed into pockets.

Rocks stuffed into pockets too,

loving the fact that every, tiny thing is so amazing to those little hands.

Contentment is a vast collection of rocks. In pockets.

Loving the slower, oh so much slower.

The mountains,

you were good to us,

and I’m loving that.

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I’m also loving that I was nominated in the top 100 bloggers for Kidspot 2014 this week, (or top 30 for the Personal and Parenting category). Really, really, happy and excited… thank you people!)

Star Cake

Posted on April 16, 2014 by cityhippyfarmgirl

Some birthdays are show stoppers with meaningful presents and surprises that are so happy they bring a tear to the eye. Some birthdays, just slowly sort of slip on by. A tiny reprieve in a normal week. It’s never meant like that, but occasionally that’s just how things fall, (well for the big people anyway.)

Not for this birthday though for him. No, no. For this birthday I was jumping out of my skin with excitement on giving a little piece of paper.

No flashy expensive pieces to gather dust on a mantel. No clothing vouchers and stiff napkined dinners, because seriously it’s not our style.

What he did have was an afternoon and evenings trek up a mountain to watch a sunset with a lunar eclipse. Followed by a little star gazing. An opportunity to take an obscene amount of photos and maybe, just maybe throw a birthday wish on a shooting star.

And in the mean time, we had cake…well, there will always, (always) be cake.

The Lamington Cake was revisited…and yes sticky fingers, VERY sticky fingers. The temptation was a little too much for her.

Lamington Cake

125g butter

3 eggs

150g (2/3 cup) sugar

2 tsp vanilla

225g (1 1/2 cups) s/r flour

50g (1/2 cup) desiccated coconut

125mls (1/2 cup) milk

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1 can condensed milk

50g cocoa

Cream butter and sugar. Add in vanilla, beaten eggs, and milk together than fold in dry ingredients. Bake in a greased and lined spring form pan (approx 23cm) at 180C for about 35-40 minutes. Bake until golden in colour.

While cake is still hot, leave it in the cake tin, prick it all over with a skewer or fork then pour on the condensed milk mixture. (Whisk together in a bowl, condensed milk and cocoa together beforehand.)

Leave cake to soak up mixture, occasionally bringing the condensed milk back to the centre to soak in at the top a little more. Once room temperature, pop into the fridge for a couple of hours (or over night- you want as much of the condensed milk soaked in as possible.) Take the cake out of the tin and cover in desiccated coconut.

Lessons in Seagulls- Take 3

Posted on April 13, 2014 by cityhippyfarmgirl

I was taking a minute to stop. Just me, the ocean, and some seagulls.

I was ignoring the fact that there was an entire city behind me. As long as I looked seaward, it was just me and the ocean, and still those same seagulls.

I sat still and wondered how long it would take for one to come bravely over. These were not the dive bombing steal your chip kind. These were the gentle, I’ll ignore you if you ignore me kind.

Except I couldn’t ignore this seagull.

This one that came closest to me to dabble in the water. This one that I thought at first was playing a game of ‘lift my leg up,’ but he wasn’t.

I noticed something hanging from his leg. A ruler length of what looked like fishing line caught up in its leg. The line had wrapped round and round the seagulls leg, growing into his skin, and finally amputating that little leg off. Left with a stump, and a continual possibility of being caught on something else as the fishing line hung down from its body.

I didn’t get the chance to think about doing anything to help it, as two pigeons came and scared the seagull off. Two lowly pigeons, that knew there was a pecking order and this amputee seagull with the man mad appendage was at the very bottom.

This was a tiny example of the state of our ocean ways and yet I felt completely disheartened as a witness to it. After sitting slumped and wallowing in a good dose of eco-anxiety, I decided to snap out of it. Wallowing will only take you so far and after that I vowed to go back to the battle lines and do something about it.

Take 3 is pretty damn simple way to do something about our precious oceans and sea life. In their own words…

“take 3 pieces of rubbish with you when you leave the beach, waterway or… anywhere and you have made a difference.” –Take 3

So often I don’t feel like it’s simply enough. But if I do this. Pass the story of the seagull on and I educate my kids to do this, they tell their friends to do this and so on. Maybe, just maybe we can make a difference and no more amputee seagulls (or other water based animals with far more gruesome tales.)

See here for more words on plastic and why we should be taking action from Tim Silverwood (Co-founder of Take-3)

Call of the Ocean

Posted on April 3, 2014 by cityhippyfarmgirl

the untamed wilds of the ocean, she calls

The inconvenience of Fairtrade Chocolate at Easter

Posted on April 1, 2014 by cityhippyfarmgirl

Easter eggs is tricky business in this household. It’s not something I grew up with a great deal. My grandparents would always buy us a modest sized egg to eat as fast or slow as we wanted and that was kind of it. No easter egg hunts, no mysterious rabbits leaving Easter themed gifts and household bombardment of chocolate. It was all kept rather simple.

As an adult I get that, I totally get that. But as a child I wanted to be ill on chocolate easter eggs, I wanted to swim in it like every other child seemed to be doing but me.

So as an adult and now parent myself I come to this tricky line. While Easter doesn’t hold a strong gift giving significance to me, I do like giving a little chocolate something as I remember the joy I had of eating the same. I like adding a hunt for it, as hey, it’s exciting- who doesn’t like a good hunt? But, and it’s rather a big BUT…

I don’t want to buy those chocolate eggs that have been on the supermarket shelf since just after Christmas.

I don’t want to buy those eggs that have food miles to the moon and back.

I don’t want to buy compound chocolate that has palm oil in it’s ingredients.

I don’t want to buy that chocolate that has a multitude of layers of packaging.

And I sure as chocolate eggs don’t want to buy that chocolate that sources it’s cocoa from child slavery conditions.

To give my children a small inexpensive chocolate treat at the expense of all that? No, no I wont. I simply will not buy into that.

I make this decision by thinking about where my dollar goes. I am happy to pay more for an ethically made chocolate that is produced as locally as I can source. Not because I want to buy something more expensive but because I value all those things above and think chocolate should never be cheap. I will pay more for a chocolate that I know won’t have palm oil in it. And I will plan ahead, take the time to find out where I can buy them, avoiding last minute unconsidered purchases. I think chocolate is a luxury and a pretty amazing one at that.

So this Easter, I want to treat that small gifted chocolate with a little respect and hopefully pass that on, even just a little to my kids. Showing that every last delicious sweet crumb that I buy is to be valued, (whether they eat it quickly or slowly it doesn’t matter). I don’t see buying fairtrade chocolate as an expensive inconvenience, it’s a carefully considered treat…and that’s the way I think it should be.

Where to buy some Fairtrade Easter Chocolate

World Vision Fair Trade Chocolate Guide (Australian based- but many of these brands are available internationally, so would still be relevant.)

Tribes and Nations– stockists of Fairtrade easter eggs.

Spencer Cocoa– Single plantation chocolate, grown in Vanuatu and made in Mudgee.

Chocolatier– does Fairtrade options for Easter.

so long summer

Posted on March 30, 2014 by cityhippyfarmgirl

And just like that summer was gone.

No drawn out goodbyes, and long lingering looks back.

The windows are now lowered as the cooler dusk air sneaks in.

A quiet goodbye to the carefree summer bare-feet,

next summer those same small bare-feet will be bigger.

The warm early morning starts that have you throwing open back doors,

the kitchen air still thick from the heat of the day before.

So long summer, with your long golden lit afternoons,

and to the melodic cicadas singing their songs.

Farewell to the invitingly warm sea pools,

with their noisy jostling swimmers.

The pools once more reclaimed,

by those that don’t fear the sharp coolness of the water.

Until next time summer,

so long.

Eat Local Challenge #2

Posted on March 26, 2014 by cityhippyfarmgirl

Say what? More tomatoes? Well um yes, that’s what kind of happens when you eat with the seasons, there can be quite a few dishes with the same key ingredients. I don’t mind though, it’s not like it’s six months of cabbage you have to get creative with.

Now for the Eat Local Challenge, I thought I would be a little more prepared this month. Well, I was really. I just hadn’t anticipated riding my bike for an hour and a half to find cheese. It seemed my known and trusted local cheese company was no longer where I thought they were and the French cheese company standing in it’s place certainly wasn’t going to cut the proverbial mustard.

So I kept riding.

I did wonder at what point is the line crossed. How much inconvenience is expected and should be expected in order to support locally produced food?

I ended up with a fetta that’s made in the Wauchope, approximately 6 hours north. I didn’t feel it was a great option as I had wanted to always be able to buy directly from the producer or at least one person removed. However, Hastings Valley Fetta was (at the time) the best I could do. What I could do though, was contact the company and find out a little bit more about them.

I got an immediate response back from my querying letter, and along with encouragement of me doing the Eat Local challenge, I was also happy to read- “All our products are manufactured from our Wauchope facility from the milk sourced from our local farmers. We are proud to support our local farmers and community.”

What’s on the menu?

Beetroot, fetta, tomato salad

Beetroot from my Ooooby box*

Tomato from my courtyard- hurrah!

Fetta from Hastings Valley, Wauchope

Mint from my courtyard

Chilli from my courtyard

Olive Oil- Lisborne Grove, Hunter Valley

Verdict? Delicious. This salad was really tasty and I would happily serve it up to anyone else that sat at my kitchen table.

Butternut, Fennel and Barley

Butternut from my Ooooby box- Pickle Creek Farm, Cattai

Fennel from my Ooooby box*

Kale from MU Organics, Southern Highlands

Barley from Dementer Farm Mill, located around Gunnedah

Fetta from Hastings Valley, Wauchope

Chilli from my courtyard

Verdict? Well…if you love fennel you are on to a good head start. If you don’t, (as I don’t) you have to think a bit more strategically to get the best out of the vegetable in front of you- and that goes for anything else as well. I should have roasted the fennel and butternut beforehand, it would have given the dish a bit more flavour and less, well fennell-y. If you are not using stock, spices or salt to create more complex flavours you do have to think a bit more on how to make the most out of your dinner time tastes.

No kids versions of this months locally sourced meals, (not a chance they would have eaten these.)

* I did know where the fennel and beetroot was sourced from but mislaid the vital piece of paper.

Tidbits

Planning- Eating locally does take a bit of forward thinking. The vegetables are relatively easy, but it’s the proteins and fats that need a little more planning beforehand.

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How about you? Interested in taking the challenge?

My aim is to really know where my food is coming from for at least one meal a month, (where I will be posting here in the last week of the month).

For last months Eat Local Challenge #1 see here.

cityhippyfarmgirl

simple connected living, city style

Category Archives: Connecting with Community

loving…words. Lots of them.

That morning, with Ben Lowy

Darkened clouds and melancholy skies

Eat Local Challenge #3

When you can’t stop saying the F word

loving… the mountain air

Star Cake

Lamington Cake

Lessons in Seagulls- Take 3

“take 3 pieces of rubbish with you when you leave the beach, waterway or… anywhere and you have made a difference.” –Take 3

Call of the Ocean

The inconvenience of Fairtrade Chocolate at Easter

Where to buy some Fairtrade Easter Chocolate

so long summer

Eat Local Challenge #2

What’s on the menu?

Tidbits