The Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens are a very easy way to spend a Spring morning. Tall shady trees, beautiful flowers out, lots of winding paths to walk around, and plenty of little corners to discover.
Grab a picnic rug, take away coffee, your camera, old Grandma Elsie, a good book, or a bag full of bakery goodies and make the most of it.
This little corner of Sydney is truly beautiful… and it’s free.
As much as I often think, oh I wish we lived out of the city. It’s days like these, I think… damn I love our city. I love having the opportunity to go to things like this. A community fair in celebration of all things sustainable- it was a great morning out.
The Eco- living Fair just keeps getting bigger and better each year. More stalls, more demonstrations, more information being passed around and most importantly, more people. As without people…well, it’s not going to be quite so good is it.
Some snippets from the day…
Have you thought about joining Slow Food Sydney?
Paint your own umbrella for the kids.
Food Co-op spreading mandarin love
Urban Bee Hive Honey is all from Sydney urban hives.
A very knowledgable little friend of Monkey Boy’s who explained this (rather awesome) renewable energy concept that is awaiting approval in Australia. Monkey Boy then explained it all to Mr Chocolate a little later, (and that’s how enthusiastic information gets passed on, kids!)
colourful stilted entertainment
valet bike parking and free bike maintenance
a free plant for anyone that wanted one from the local council nursery
and everyone needed a hat.
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What have you been up to this fine weekend?
Any eco-living action?
It’s quiet.
Not a murmur, not a word. Just the rhythmic sound of two forks being taken from bowl to mouth.
The Monkeys are eating two bowls of sushi. This is their favourite dinner at the moment. Not daintily rolled between a sushi bamboo mat, instead carefully constructed by their own little hands. I get it all out, prepare the ingredients and then they assemble what they would like to go in there.
Healthy, looks good, they get to help put it together and most of all they love to eat it.
I can’t help but feel a teeny bit pleased. Pleased and proud of my vegetable loving children. Sure they won’t touch zucchini, mushrooms, sweet potato or spinach. Eggplant also isn’t getting a look in any time soon, but what they won’t eat- they make up for. If that means a bowl full of sushi, with a selection of raw vegetables in there, I’m more than happy to give it to them.
I know kids can be picky little things, but if you plant the seeds of eating healthily from the very beginning and get them involved it sets them up for later on. Once a week, the Monkeys wrestle over who gets to bring in the vegetable box after it’s been delivered to our back door. Carefully sorting what’s in there and what exactly it all is. We don’t get to harvest a great deal from our (rather pathetic at the moment) plant pots, so this along with going to farmer’s markets is a second best. Sorting, learning, preparing and then eating it.
As a child, the idea of sitting through an eggplant or mushroom dish set me up for an hours worth of good solid gagging. These truly were horror vegetables that were put on this earth just to torture me. A few decades on and funnily enough what are two of my favourite vegetables?… Eggplant and mushrooms. The seed had been planted, the palate had already been explored, and then it was just a matter of finding out how I liked to eat those two little vegetables.
So that’s what I’m doing with The Monkeys. Expanding their palates and planting seeds. No, they don’t have to eat handfuls of mushrooms, broccoli, and zucchini. They can try a little bit each time though, just so to remember what it tastes like and then they can move on to what they really love. Vegetables like peas, capsicum (peppers), tomatoes, cucumber, corn, avocado, lettuce, pumpkin and carrot. Pop it all in a bowl of rice, with some shredded seaweed and a little line caught tuna, (Good Fish.)
There they have, a bowl full of sushi.
council clean up day
a soft warm spot
city cat sleeps
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hope you are all having a lovely weekend
It looks like we are springing in to spring round these parts. The light is different, days longer, clothing layers are slowly being peeled off and jasmine…
Beautiful jasmine is flowering on local suburban fences, where I’ll quite often smell it before I see it. A gorgeous soft delicate smell that I’m sure to my end of days will always remind me of my mother. It’s such a favourite flower with her. A tiny sprig is just enough to scent the air, enough to turn heads that say “Ooooh, what’s that lovely smell?
Blue sunny skies and cold seas are enticing little feet in. Sand is being strewn, holes are being dug and shivery skinny bodies are being dried off. Part of me wants to listen to the sea’s siren song and go swimming. The other part of me says, oh hell no, it’s still way too cold in there. Maybe in a few months…
I’m still crocheting too. I keep getting side tracked with different projects though, which is making it tricky to finish anything. A little bit here and a little bit there. Stolen moments that slowly add stitches while creations grow. I’m not sure what is more appealing at the moment, the prospect of making something and fueling that creative drive or the calming meditative effect repetitive stitches has on me. Either way, it’s working.
Goodbye to winter which I always adore. Winter and all she has to offer. The warming foods, seasonal vegetables, looped scarves, and a cooler time to stop, think and plan. With spring now here though, there is a new vibrancy. A new sense of growth and energy, both internally and around me… an energy that I’m sure will put just a little spring in my step.
What’s happening with you and your change of seasons?
Not particularly pretty cooking, but tasty none the less this month. I’ve been playing with a few new ingredients lately which is always good. Also trying to jazz up a few of the regulars as well.
The ever reliable apple crumble with a pastry base to give it a bit of a twinkle. Lemon zest in the pastry, raw sugar and a pinch of coriander cooked in with the apple and a dash of vanilla in with the crumble topping.
Chinese Cabbage is getting a look in. This is a variation of my standard winter salad. Chinese cabbage, pecans or walnuts, apple and what ever else is looking good at the time.
Lemons are plentiful at the moment. Whispering words such as pie…pie…pie to me. It doesn’t matter what kind of pie. As long as it involves lemons and pastry somewhere within. This particular pie had potato flour in it as a thickening agent. Different for me, and I have to say… I quite liked it.
Swiss brown mushrooms, on swiss cheese, on sourdough. My favourite lunch at the moment. Not Mr Chocolate’s favourite lunch, although he does assure me he loves mushrooms. Loves them so much he only wants one or two a month.
I’m not sure it’s quite the same love we have for them.
And my little truffle…
High hopes and grand plans little fella. You live and you learn and all that. Next time, I’ll either buy a bigger one, or use it a lot quicker than which I did. Delicious yes, but I think some of its oomph was lost in between the buying and eating time.
Still tasty though, eaten with some wilted greens, scrambled eggs, sourdough, and a side of Mr Chocolate’s favourite mushrooms. Then again with a little softly cooked egg and shallots. The third egg I cooked was the best, (unfortunately not the one pictured.) The subtlety of the softly cooked egg with the generously grated truffle was quite delicious.
So what else is in season round these parts in the winter months?
blood oranges– the very small window of opportunity is now open. I’m thinking a blood orange cake…
rhubarb– I’m just waiting for the right bunch to come along and a rhubarb extravaganza is planned….but it has to be the right bunch.
potatoes– leek and potato soup for cool nights
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What seasonal cooking are you doing at the moment?
Tasmania.
I’ve said it once, I’ve said it twice… actually I might have said it three or four times already. Fifth time?
Tasmania, I love you a lot!
This trip was just a quick one. A conference for me and the baby girl. Hitting the town for Mr Chocolate and The Monkeys.
From the conference, I came away inspired by a wonderful bunch of strong and beautiful women. Seeds have been planted and now I just need to tend to them and hopefully watch them grow.
I also came back with some delicious goodies to be played with. Fudge and walnuts from the farmers markets. Some lovely locally grown spelt, which I’m excited to being playing with. And… a truffle. The smallest truffle in the glass jar. After walking very, very fast (before it closed) to get to the little shop under the stairs where I had first smelt them last year, I got one. Seven grams of black fungus, that I’m still trying to work out exactly what it smells like. Earth, death, and sex they say. It’s a smell that I have trouble likening it to anything else I’ve ever smelt.
So what shall I cook it with?
I’m thinking a truffle sourdough, and perhaps a few truffled eggs to go with it. I’m a little unsure of how to go about the bread though. Shave it, grate it, when to put it in? Would the flavours be lost?
Planning what to do with it though, that’s half the fun isn’t it?
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If you have any wonderful truffle ideas, please tell.
This weekend we hippity hopped our way down to Sustain.
It was billed as a natural and organic lifestyle show with gardening workshops, cooking demo’s, yoga, meditation, a speakers corner, and lots of stalls. I was really looking forward to it, as was hoping that instead of going to ten different shops in order to get the products I like it would be all in the one spot, (plus discover a few more.)
There was a kombucha stall, where you could sample three different types of the naturally cultured brew. A family run business from South Australia, that is slowly expanding their market. These really were delicious and I hope more and more people start buying them. Can you imagine if people swapped their can of everyday soft drink for a bottle of kombucha instead? Ohhh, now there’s an idea. (As a side line, this lovely couple couldn’t sell any of their drinks on the day as Coca Cola owns the rights to the grounds in which Sustain was held… disappointingly ridiculous.)
Sarah from Mojo Kombucha
nui chocolate
I finally got to taste some of the Nui chocolate. I had wanted to try this chocolate for quite a while, as it’s cocoa beans are sourced and fairly traded from Vanuatu. Cocoa beans are generally grown just 10 degrees either side of the equator which makes growing areas for such a valuable world resource highly sought after. Beans grown in Vanuatu have much smaller food miles for us here in Australia than say cocoa beans sourced from Africa or Central America. This chocolate isn’t cheap at $6.95 for 75g. But delicious it is, and they are apparently bringing out a dark version soon too.
A lot of the usual suspects were there.
Sam from Holbrook Paddock Eggs
Everyone knows these days, all free range eggs are not created equal and you should look into what eggs you are exactly buying. Now if I was a free range chook I think I would like to live at family run Holbrook Paddock Eggs (or possibly Celia’s.) These grass roaming hens are moved twice a week along with their portable sheds, and following behind a herd of cows. There is a couple of maremma dogs to love and protect them as they do their chooky thing and quite frankly, I think their life sounds rather lovely. Happy chooks, happy eggs, happy belly.
Garden Up which I absolutely loved. As a inner city renting girl. This vertical garden has possibilities… definite possibilities.
single hook and line caught tuna
While I enjoyed going and certainly didn’t come away empty handed, there was a teeny tiny bit of disappointment that there wasn’t ‘more’.
It did feel a little sterile in there, and I really think some of the components could have been a bit more engaging. Pockets were wonderful, but still… I wanted that bit more. There is nothing I like more than being able to talk to the people behind the company finding out all the little details of how they started, where they source their ingredients or supplies, and where they are based. A generic “organic” labelling, isn’t good enough for me as I want to make a decision for a purchase based on a whole bunch more components.
It would also be great to see more locally based companies there. More sustainable living ideas, and things like that. Maybe they were more prevalent on the traders only day, and in following years as the show becomes bigger, more local companies will be enticed to show off their wares.
I hope so anyway.
Over all a happy morning out and now have a few new things to play with as well.
Mmmm, now what goodies shall I make with that black tahini?
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Edit- Adding a few details about the Good Fish tuna that is pictured. It’s hand filleted skipjack tuna caught on one hook and one line. Which is much more sustainable than most commercial tuna catching methods. In Australia it’s imported through Olive Green Organics, through their site if you go to Brands, Good Fish and Stockists you should be able to find if it’s near you. Other countries, perhaps try contacting this same company and they could possibly point you in the right direction?
Alternately Fish 4 Ever is another company that does sustainably caught tuna as well.
buddhist temple orange citrus
cleansing yellow incense
you’ve got my attention red vine
comfortable old colourful friends
my quiet love affair with new colourful friends
new reds and greens in my kitchen from old flowers that were stashed away
new colourful interests for little baby fingers
blue winter australian sky
little person colour
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Hope your weekend has been a colourful one.
Our local council is trialing a new community food foragers garden. I really love the idea of this and hope that it takes off, just getting bigger and bigger.
Imagine city living where on each high density living block there was a community kitchen garden readily accessible for all the locals. An attached community compost bin, for all those to access that didn’t have backyards. Seasonal food grown within a hop skip and a jump of where you live, with composting scraps being used for the same garden while decreasing all the food scraps being sent to land fill.
It doesn’t seem like a big ask, does it?
It just makes sense. Cutting back on waste having to be collected by council. Making more efficient use of space. Encouraging a community spirit. I’m sure on each block there would be at least a couple of willing people who would love to regularly tend the small edible space. If people are living in a high density living area, green spots are hard to come by and the chance to actually dip your fingers in to some soil and tend a little foliage would be incredibly appealing to a lot of inner city dwellers.
More green spaces in the city are needed. Whether it be roof tops, street corners, reclaimed concrete areas, where ever they may be. However, first people need to ask for it, and be encouraging when trials are put into place. Be vocal, spread the good word. Whispered words of encouragement is what gets ideas moving. Spoken words and acts of enthusiasm keep them there.
If everyone’s local councils started up just one food foragers garden in their area, it was successful, and people respected the space. Surely this could mean the start of many more to come?
The benefits of a nation wide scheme like this?… Oh can you imagine.
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Do you have any community gardens or food foraging gardens in your area?
this weekend…
I got stuck trying on a vintage dress at a vintage and jazz fair. Arms shooting skyward in the change area, I was wedged in with no one to help. Call quietly to the stall holder or rip it and declare yes I would love to buy this one. The moment of panic passed and I was able to wriggle my way out. Dress back on the coat hanger and dignity left on the floor. (That’s the problem with these lovely vintage dresses, they look fantastic… but not a lot of give in the fabric.)
I fiddled with forced perspective photography. Seriously fun, but I have a bit to practise.
I made sourdough.
I made apple and sultana scrolls for my Monkey Boy’s lunch box.
The Monkeys went a scootering. Winter leaves under feet, winter sun on our faces and wind in their hair. Until we lost Little Monkey’s brake. How is a little fella to scoot without a brake? With speed, determination and probably a splash of luck I suspect.
This weekend, I started a cowl for my niece. I unravelled the start and began again. I stopped and am doubting what I should be doing with the wool. It’s so lovely and soft, I want to do the right thing by it… maybe it should be knitted? Speak to me baby alpaca and silk balls of softness.
Speaking of knitted, my nana knitted these. My nana is cool… these socks are very cool. Actually they are very warm which is why they are on my feet. Yep, warm cool socks. Who would have thought it?
This weekend I would like to officially apologise to my neighbours. Sometimes the need for loud chunky guitar music is stronger than the need to be a polite considerate neighbour, (it was brief…reasonably.)
What are you up to this fine weekend?
The seasons have changed and along with it so has what comes out of the kitchen.
I like that. Seasonal menus and changing what goes on our plate according to availability and the weather outside.
Orange and Coconut Cake, an easy one to make up a head of time. Keeps well, using some of the delicious new season oranges about. Try to find some organic oranges, as they shouldn’t be waxed. You don’t particularly want zest of wax in your cake do you?
I was lucky enough to get a lovely load of my dad’s backyard citrus.
Ribollita adapted from this Jamie Oliver recipe. A really easy meal based on vegetables on hand and using up stale bread. Frugal, seasonal, healthy, local produce and tasty. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Will the kids eat it? If you have miracle children they might, mine wouldn’t touch it.
So what else is looking tasty round these parts in June?
mandarins…. eaten by the bucket load at the moment. Easy snack.
radish… finally sliced in salads
pumpkin… thai pumpkin soup with a swirl of coconut cream.
cauliflower… I’m thinking this risotto, with extra chillies please.
kale… raw or cooked green goodness. SUPER food.
leek… base for a hearty soup or sitting in the bottom of a quiche.
mushrooms… cooked up in some olive oil with a side of polenta. Yum!
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What seasonal cooking are you doing?
cityhippyfarmgirl 