Thursday, January 27, 2011
New crafting - kids hemp-linen messenger bag
Since it's winter...and the garden is still under snow...I'm spending a little time sewing each day. There is so much inspiration from a 2.5 year old, especially when she is enthusiastic about each and every item that comes off the sewing table! These messenger bags will show in in my etsy store soon. They are made of a beautiful sturdy yet soft hemp-linen fabric, are reversable (with a full contrasting liner), have two back pockets and a wooden button closure that little fingers can open themselves. The perfect bag for spring foraging, packing snacks for a walk, taking books to the library, etc. It's a basic design that I created from looking at a variety of messenger style bags, made simple enough for a child to enjoy using every day!
Great soap making workshop
Since 2007 we've been hosting workshops year-round at Little City Farm - urban homesteading, gardening, permaculture, eco-crafting, natural health, and more. Soap making is always on the list at least two or three times, as there is so much interest from people to relearn the art and science of making natural soap, a skill which was once common practice on many a farmstead! On Saturday we had another soap making class. I always love teaching about the soap process and like to break the lesson into "5 crucial moments":
1) measuring/weighing, and SAP (learning about saponification values); 2) preparing your space, and lye safety; 3) trace, additives and other techniques; 4) saponification process, insulation period; and 5) cutting, curing and longterm storage of soap. Then of course we do a hands-on component, where each participant makes their own batch of soap to take home! And I always learn more with each class, including suggestions like using "soap calc" an online tool for developing your own recipes (so you don't need to do the complicated lye and SAP calculations yourself!). I will be leading another soap making class at the KW Art Gallery in March, as well as another class here in October or November. Check our workshops list for upcoming events...
1) measuring/weighing, and SAP (learning about saponification values); 2) preparing your space, and lye safety; 3) trace, additives and other techniques; 4) saponification process, insulation period; and 5) cutting, curing and longterm storage of soap. Then of course we do a hands-on component, where each participant makes their own batch of soap to take home! And I always learn more with each class, including suggestions like using "soap calc" an online tool for developing your own recipes (so you don't need to do the complicated lye and SAP calculations yourself!). I will be leading another soap making class at the KW Art Gallery in March, as well as another class here in October or November. Check our workshops list for upcoming events...
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Winter evening activities - co-operative board games
Among our recent favourite activites for winter evenings is playing games in front of the cozy fire. It's amazing what a 2.5 year old attention span can hold - we can play our own simplified versions of "go fish", dominoes, chess, crokinole, charades, pictionary, and puzzles of course - but we also like board games. We have a few great games from Family Pastimes, a small company based in Ontario that creates games which foster co-operation rather than competition. We like "Harvest Time" (work together to plant and harvest a garden before winter comes) and "Berries, bugs and bullfrogs" (gather berries before the slugs eat them), and there are plenty more on their list for older ages.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
New soap - for hard working hands
We have a new soap fresh off the curing rack, perfect for any hard working hands you might know - made especially for my sister who works at Natural Cycle, a worker co-op bicycle shop in Winnipeg. The soap is made with organic coffee grounds to help scrub tough ground-in dirt and grease, and antibacterial essential oils of grapefruit and tea tree. Great for bike mechanics, farmers, gardeners, chefs, cooks, and any other hard working hands...
Homesteading tasks - easy homemade pasta!
Today's projects included our weekly yogurt making, cleaning the greenhouse in preparation for spring seedlings, sorting our bin of seeds saved from last year to see what we need to purchase, a long walk outside, and making our own fresh pasta! We have made pasta before, but aren't in the habit of doing this very often. However, after making it today I'm reinspired to do this more often - it's so quick, can use versatile ingredients, and easily involves kids! We cooked our fresh pasta right away (it only took about 4 minutes to cook "al dente"), but the pasta could also be hung to dry and used at a later time.
Here is our recipe, adapted from several sources - you can easily change it by adding fresh or dried herbs, various flours (spelt, whole wheat, rice, semolina), sundried tomatoes, spinach, and more. We used a hand-crank pasta maker to roll the dough and slice it into fettucine noodles, but you could roll with a rolling pin and cut strips or shapes (ravioli, etc) with a knife.
We used local organic flour (whole spelt, and wheat) from Oak Manor, eggs from our backyard hens, and seasoned with basil dried from our garden this past summer.
Easy pasta dough
1 3/4 cups flour
2 eggs
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
Additives, such as herbs, spices, dried spinach, dried tomatoes, olives, etc
Mix all ingredients, adding a little water if necessary to make a smooth dough. Knead, and form into a ball. Cut into four pieces, and shape into four balls. Use lots of extra flour to keep dough from sticking. Meanwhile, heat water to a rolling boil in a large pot and add 1 tsp salt.
Roll dough through pasta machine to flatten, or roll out with rolling pin. Slice into noodles by pasta machine or knife. Separate noodles by hanging over chair, or wooden rack, or simply lay on well-floured table surface. When water is boiling, add noodles one by one into the pot. Cook aprox. 4 minutes until done. Drain well, season as desired! Makes 4 large servings.
Here is our recipe, adapted from several sources - you can easily change it by adding fresh or dried herbs, various flours (spelt, whole wheat, rice, semolina), sundried tomatoes, spinach, and more. We used a hand-crank pasta maker to roll the dough and slice it into fettucine noodles, but you could roll with a rolling pin and cut strips or shapes (ravioli, etc) with a knife.
We used local organic flour (whole spelt, and wheat) from Oak Manor, eggs from our backyard hens, and seasoned with basil dried from our garden this past summer.
Easy pasta dough
1 3/4 cups flour
2 eggs
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
Additives, such as herbs, spices, dried spinach, dried tomatoes, olives, etc
Mix all ingredients, adding a little water if necessary to make a smooth dough. Knead, and form into a ball. Cut into four pieces, and shape into four balls. Use lots of extra flour to keep dough from sticking. Meanwhile, heat water to a rolling boil in a large pot and add 1 tsp salt.
Roll dough through pasta machine to flatten, or roll out with rolling pin. Slice into noodles by pasta machine or knife. Separate noodles by hanging over chair, or wooden rack, or simply lay on well-floured table surface. When water is boiling, add noodles one by one into the pot. Cook aprox. 4 minutes until done. Drain well, season as desired! Makes 4 large servings.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Workshops - Wool Diaper Covers and Longies for kids
First workshop of 2011 was a grand success - the house filled with eight lovely mamas learning to use the serger, swapping parenting advice, and sewing wool longies and diaper covers from recycled felted wool sweaters. So simple! And wool is so wonderfully absorbant, warm and cozy and naturally antibacterial - a great material to work with. Thanks to Amaryah from Sew Oiseau for walking us through this one, once again!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
New salves from Homestead Herbals!
Calcium rich tea for kids!
Article in Pathways to Family Wellness Magazine
I recently had an article published in the winter issue of Pathways to Family Wellness magazine. The article talks about herbs for pregnancy and post-partum use, how to involve older siblings in preparing for the arrival of a new child by including them in special herbal preparations (growing, harvesting, drying, preparing salves and teas), and also includes some useful recipes...Check it out here: http://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/references/references_28.html
Guelph Organic Conference, coming up Jan 27-30
An annual winter highlight is coming up for us at the end of the month - the Guelph Organic Conference. Jan 27-30, 2011 the Guelph Organic Conference (formerly known as the Canadian Organic Conference) is in it's 30th year. Check out the conference on the U of Guelph campus - a great place to buy heritage seeds from small Canadian seed suppliers; get inspired about organics (food, farming, urban agriculture, animal care, poultry, etc); and catch up with friends (people seem to come out of winter hibernation to go to this conference). See you there...we'll be browsing the seed racks, lingering at the book tables, and eating hemp icecream :)
Farming for Foodies workshop in Kitchener
A friend mentioned this workshop, which may be of interest to some of the local readers...
Farming for Foodies, a 3 part series. Starts Feb 5, at Fiddleheads health food store, facilitated by organic farmer from the Neustadt area. More details at: www.farmingforfoodies.blogspot.com
Farming for Foodies, a 3 part series. Starts Feb 5, at Fiddleheads health food store, facilitated by organic farmer from the Neustadt area. More details at: www.farmingforfoodies.blogspot.com
Dying and felting woolen toys
I think felting wool could become an addictive craft. Wool is such a wonderful fibre to work with, and felting it is incredibly relaxing, simple (very young kids can participate easily), and makes beautiful soft toys. Yesterday our little one and I made felted woolen balls, of all shapes and sizes.
First we cleaned the wool, tried our hand at carding...a little...and then dyed the wool. For dying here is what you need:
To dye with berries, use 1/2 cup salt to 8 cups water, to "set" the fabric. To dye with plant materials, use 2 cups vinegar to 8 cups water to "set" the fabric. Boil your fabric or wool which you plan to dye for about 1 hour in the water to set. This will help the dye colour to hold fast.
For dying, we used black currants from the freezer for our berry dye - it made a greyish-blue colour; and turmeric for our plant dye - it made a dusky sunflower yellow colour. Both colours were quite satisfying. We heated the wool in the dye bath and let it steep for about an hour again.
Rinse the fabric/wool in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear.
To felt, prepare a large bowl with hot soapy water (use several Tbsp dish detergent as soap). Then take small pieces of wool, wet them and roll in palms of hands working them into tight balls. Keep adding small thin layers of wool ontop of the ball, constantly wetting and adding more hot water as needed. Shape into balls of all sizes, or acorns (see below), bracelets, dolls, blocks, other shapes...
This is a labour intensive process, but very relaxing and social - and wet. Wear old clothes and have a towel or two on hand to soak up any drips and spills! A great winter activity to do with kids!
First we cleaned the wool, tried our hand at carding...a little...and then dyed the wool. For dying here is what you need:
To dye with berries, use 1/2 cup salt to 8 cups water, to "set" the fabric. To dye with plant materials, use 2 cups vinegar to 8 cups water to "set" the fabric. Boil your fabric or wool which you plan to dye for about 1 hour in the water to set. This will help the dye colour to hold fast.
For dying, we used black currants from the freezer for our berry dye - it made a greyish-blue colour; and turmeric for our plant dye - it made a dusky sunflower yellow colour. Both colours were quite satisfying. We heated the wool in the dye bath and let it steep for about an hour again.
Rinse the fabric/wool in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear.
To felt, prepare a large bowl with hot soapy water (use several Tbsp dish detergent as soap). Then take small pieces of wool, wet them and roll in palms of hands working them into tight balls. Keep adding small thin layers of wool ontop of the ball, constantly wetting and adding more hot water as needed. Shape into balls of all sizes, or acorns (see below), bracelets, dolls, blocks, other shapes...
This is a labour intensive process, but very relaxing and social - and wet. Wear old clothes and have a towel or two on hand to soak up any drips and spills! A great winter activity to do with kids!
Making your own yogurt
We're not milk drinkers, but we do love to eat live culture yogurt with homemade applesauce and granola for breakfast - mmmm - a great alternative to our usual winter oatmeal. We try to make our own yogurt as often as possible, and it's much more economical, as well as satisfying, to do so.
Here is our easy no-fail yogurt method:
You will need:
1 gallon (4 litres) milk (use raw, or not ultra high pasteurized milk)
1/4 cup live culture yogurt from your last batch (or from the store)
Dairy/candy thermometre
Clean sterilized mason jars, rings and lids
Large stainless steel pot
Wooden spoon
Several towels or old blanket
Heat the milk to just under 100F (do not go over 100F, as this kills the living cultures). Heat over low to medium heat to avoid scalding, and stir occasionally. Have your jars ready - washed, dried, and sterilized by pouring boiling water in them. Set them into a heat proof baking pan (I use a large glass cake pan).
When milk has warmed sufficiently, take off heat and gently stir in the yogurt culture. Pour into your clean jars, cap with lids but do not tighten lids too much. Pour boiled water into the pan around the jars, and wrap in old towels. Set in a warm, draft-free place like a kitchen counter. Add more hot water throughout the day to keep the temperature as even as possible. Other people set the jars on a heating pad, or near a wood stove or oven. The milk will still form yogurt if you don't keep heat even, but it will be a nicer thicker yogurt if it's warmed longer...pour off the whey which may have separated, and use this in smoothies, or baking, etc.
Unwrap the next day, after aprox. 24 hours. Add honey or fruit if you like for sweetener. Refrigerate and make sure to reserve a little of this yogurt for your next batch! Enjoy!
Here is our easy no-fail yogurt method:
You will need:
1 gallon (4 litres) milk (use raw, or not ultra high pasteurized milk)
1/4 cup live culture yogurt from your last batch (or from the store)
Dairy/candy thermometre
Clean sterilized mason jars, rings and lids
Large stainless steel pot
Wooden spoon
Several towels or old blanket
Heat the milk to just under 100F (do not go over 100F, as this kills the living cultures). Heat over low to medium heat to avoid scalding, and stir occasionally. Have your jars ready - washed, dried, and sterilized by pouring boiling water in them. Set them into a heat proof baking pan (I use a large glass cake pan).
When milk has warmed sufficiently, take off heat and gently stir in the yogurt culture. Pour into your clean jars, cap with lids but do not tighten lids too much. Pour boiled water into the pan around the jars, and wrap in old towels. Set in a warm, draft-free place like a kitchen counter. Add more hot water throughout the day to keep the temperature as even as possible. Other people set the jars on a heating pad, or near a wood stove or oven. The milk will still form yogurt if you don't keep heat even, but it will be a nicer thicker yogurt if it's warmed longer...pour off the whey which may have separated, and use this in smoothies, or baking, etc.
Unwrap the next day, after aprox. 24 hours. Add honey or fruit if you like for sweetener. Refrigerate and make sure to reserve a little of this yogurt for your next batch! Enjoy!
January homesteading projects
What have we been upto this month? Well, not much time has been spent on the computer since we got our 2011 workshop series posted! Phew! The workshops are filling up and this season is starting to look like it will full steam ahead once again. However, winter is also our slower time to reflect on what we accomplished in the past year, learn from our mistakes, dream about new projects, read a few books, map out the garden, go through our seed catalogues and saved seed packages, sit by the fire, do a little mending, tending to the hens (they need fresh water constantly, lots of snacks, and we let them sneak into the back door of the house to warm up every once in a while on the coldest days!). Oh, and the good news is all the hens have gotten through the fall-winter molting, have grown beautiful new plumage and are back to laying eggs - surprisingly, even in this cold weather!
Of course, with our active 2 1/2 year old, there are also lots of winter activities like evening board games, tobogganning, building in the snow, bundled up walks in the park. She's also at the age of constantly wanting to help with new projects, like this week: our regular weekly batch of yogurt (which is incredibly easy using our new source of raw milk!), another attempt at making cheese (this time a successful mozzarella and cream cheese!), and carding, dying and felting wool (we have a new assortment of wool balls rolling around the wooden floors of this house).
Of course, with our active 2 1/2 year old, there are also lots of winter activities like evening board games, tobogganning, building in the snow, bundled up walks in the park. She's also at the age of constantly wanting to help with new projects, like this week: our regular weekly batch of yogurt (which is incredibly easy using our new source of raw milk!), another attempt at making cheese (this time a successful mozzarella and cream cheese!), and carding, dying and felting wool (we have a new assortment of wool balls rolling around the wooden floors of this house).
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
New Workshops for 2011 Now Posted - urban homesteading, sustainability, city farming, and new workshops for kids!!
Happy new year to all you urban homesteaders, organic gardeners, city farmers and eco advocates!
We had the unexpected gift of a quiet internet-free holiday, as our computer crashed just before Christmas. Now we are back online, and getting organizing for the new year ahead!
We've just posted the new Little City Farm workshop series for 2011. Here is a list of the topics, and please check this link for workshop descriptions and registration info.
New this year:
- online registration and payment (on our website here )
- 4 exciting workshops for kids! (ages 3-6 years) to spark wonder in gardening and the natural world!
Cost: $25/person
Sat, February 12, 1-3 pm. With Steve Ohi and Lisa Reh.
INTRO TO CHEESEMAKING
Cost: $30/person (all supplies provided)
Sat, February 19, 1-3 pm. With Bianca Azzoparde.
FOUR SEASON HARVEST:EXTENDING THE GROWING SEASON
Cost: $10/person
Sat, March 5, 1-3 pm. With Greg Roberts, of Little City Farm.
STARTING SEEDLINGS AT HOME
Cost: $15/person
Sat, March 19, 1-3 pm. With Angie Koch, of Fertile Ground CSA.
Cost: $25/person
Sat, May 7, 1-3 pm. With Tracie Seedhouse, of Earth Child Designs.
ANNUAL LITTLE CITY FARM SEEDLING SALE - SAT MAY 21
LITTLE SPROUTS ECO WORKSHOPS FOR KIDS (ages 3-6)
Fri, Aug 12, 11-1 pm. With Karin Kliewer, of Little City Farm.
We had the unexpected gift of a quiet internet-free holiday, as our computer crashed just before Christmas. Now we are back online, and getting organizing for the new year ahead!
We've just posted the new Little City Farm workshop series for 2011. Here is a list of the topics, and please check this link for workshop descriptions and registration info.
New this year:
- online registration and payment (on our website here )
- 4 exciting workshops for kids! (ages 3-6 years) to spark wonder in gardening and the natural world!
Workshops 2011:
WOOL DIAPER COVERS AND LONGIES FOR KIDS
Cost: $35/person (all supplies provided)
Sat, January 15, 1-3 pm. With Amaryah deGroot, of Sew Oiseau.
WHEATGRASS / SPROUTING Cost: $35/person (all supplies provided)
Sat, January 15, 1-3 pm. With Amaryah deGroot, of Sew Oiseau.
Cost: $25/person
Sat, February 12, 1-3 pm. With Steve Ohi and Lisa Reh.
INTRO TO CHEESEMAKING
Cost: $30/person (all supplies provided)
Sat, February 19, 1-3 pm. With Bianca Azzoparde.
FOUR SEASON HARVEST:EXTENDING THE GROWING SEASON
Cost: $10/person
Sat, March 5, 1-3 pm. With Greg Roberts, of Little City Farm.
STARTING SEEDLINGS AT HOME
Cost: $15/person
Sat, March 19, 1-3 pm. With Angie Koch, of Fertile Ground CSA.
GARDEN POTIONS: ORGANIC PEST & DISEASE REMEDIES
Cost: $30/person
Sat, April 16, 1-3 pm. With Sarah Hemingway, of Sarah's Kitchen Gardens.
INTRO TO PERMACULTURE DESIGN Cost: $30/person
Sat, April 16, 1-3 pm. With Sarah Hemingway, of Sarah's Kitchen Gardens.
Cost: $25/person
Sat, May 7, 1-3 pm. With Tracie Seedhouse, of Earth Child Designs.
BASIC BICYCLE TUNE UP
Cost: $35/person
Sun, May 8, 1-3 pm. With Jesse Robertson of Recycle Cycles.
Cost: $35/person
Sun, May 8, 1-3 pm. With Jesse Robertson of Recycle Cycles.
WILD FOOD GOURMET: SPRING EDIBLES
Cost: $25/person
Sat, May 14, 1-3 pm. With Jackie McMillan and Bill Clarke.
Cost: $25/person
Sat, May 14, 1-3 pm. With Jackie McMillan and Bill Clarke.
ANNUAL LITTLE CITY FARM SEEDLING SALE - SAT MAY 21
Don’t miss it!!! Annual Little City Farm SEEDLING SALE!
Sat, May 21 from 9 am-noon
Sat, May 21 from 9 am-noon
COB OVENS AND WOOD-FIRED BAKING
Cost: $20/person
Sat, June 11, 1-3 pm. With Greg Roberts & Karin Kliewer of Little City Farm.
Cost: $20/person
Sat, June 11, 1-3 pm. With Greg Roberts & Karin Kliewer of Little City Farm.
100 MILE JUICING
Cost: $30/person
Sat, June 18, 1-3 pm. With Jenn Lynes.
Cost: $30/person
Sat, June 18, 1-3 pm. With Jenn Lynes.
PRESERVING SWEET SUMMER: MAKING JAMS & JELLIES
Cost: $30/person (all supplied provided). Limited to 7 participants.
Sat, July 9, 1-3 pm. With Karin Kliewer of Little City Farm.
Cost: $30/person (all supplied provided). Limited to 7 participants.
Sat, July 9, 1-3 pm. With Karin Kliewer of Little City Farm.
HONEYBEES: LIFE & TIMES OF BEES AND THE BEEKEEPER
Cost: $25/person (adults); $10 for kids 4 and over (kids under 4 free)
Sat, July 16, 1-3 pm. (date to be confirmed) With Sarah Hemingway of Sarah’s Kitchen Gardens.
Cost: $25/person (adults); $10 for kids 4 and over (kids under 4 free)
Sat, July 16, 1-3 pm. (date to be confirmed) With Sarah Hemingway of Sarah’s Kitchen Gardens.
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LITTLE SPROUTS ECO WORKSHOPS FOR KIDS (ages 3-6)
Cost: $25/workshop (each workshop limited to 6 children)
Price includes one child accompanied by one adult, and organic vegetarian picnic lunch following the workshop! Please inform us of any food allergies at time of registration
Price includes one child accompanied by one adult, and organic vegetarian picnic lunch following the workshop! Please inform us of any food allergies at time of registration
FOR KIDS: PAPERMAKING
Fri, July 8, 11-1 pm. With Karin Kliewer, of Little City Farm.
Fri, July 8, 11-1 pm. With Karin Kliewer, of Little City Farm.
FOR KIDS: PLAY WITH COB & WOODFIRED PIZZA
Fri, July 15, 11-1 pm. With Greg Robers & Karin Kliewer, of Little City Farm.
Fri, July 15, 11-1 pm. With Greg Robers & Karin Kliewer, of Little City Farm.
FOR KIDS: MICRO GARDEN ADVENTURE (bugs, slugs, worms, roots, seeds, & more)
Fri, Aug 5, 11-1 pm. With Greg Roberts & Karin Kliewer, of Little City Farm.
Fri, Aug 5, 11-1 pm. With Greg Roberts & Karin Kliewer, of Little City Farm.
Fri, Aug 12, 11-1 pm. With Karin Kliewer, of Little City Farm.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Creating a healthy home - looking for alternatives to plastic!
A friend recently dropped off a book she insisted I should read. She had initially taken it out from the library, but was so drawn in that she needed to purchase a copy for herself before she was even done reading it. I'm sure many of you have come across this title and subject already - I had seen the book Slow Death by Rubber Duck: How the toxic chemistry of everyday life affects our health - but I had not yet picked it up to read it. I generally felt that our family is quite aware of keeping toxins and chemicals out of our household, and this book would not reveal much new information. However, reading just the first chapter made me re-evaluate this thought, as I started to go over a list in my mind of all the subtle ways toxins creep into even the most eco-minded lifestyle. First of all plastics (toothpaste tubes, rice milk cartons, tofu and tempeh wrapped in plastic, almost any packaging on newly purchased items, shampoo bottles, children's toys, winter snow suits, shower curtains)...then chemicals (furniture, virtually any new clothing, carpets, car interiors, plush toys). It has been said that in an average day in North America we are exposed to over 450 toxins, just by eating 3 meals and going back and forth to work. Of course, all these toxins all build up over time in our bodies to cause a myriad of health problems.
So, how to limit the exposure, especially in our homes? It seems like you need to start with a serious purge in our homes of many familiar items, and then constant vigilence - difficult to do, and certainly not everyone has the budget to purchase all organic or so-called "eco" home products. However, by minimizing the prevalence of plastics and toxins in our home we can actually save money, because one easy way to do this is by buying less (especially new items), reusing things or purchasing second hand, and making things ourselves with natural materials.
Here are a few simple ideas on how to reduce the amount of plastics coming into the home.
a) milks, yogurts - buy in glass jars
b) freezer bags - freeze food in glass jars, or can/preserve it in glass jars to avoid longterm freezer storage
c) produce bags - avoid those flimsy plastic produce bags at the grocery store by bringing your own cotton reusable produce bags
d) shower curtains - use natural materials like cotton, or hemp which is naturally anti-microbial
e) toothpaste tubes - a simple and effective toothpaste can be mixed in a glass jar using baking soda and a few drops of pepppermint essential oil or tea tree oil
f) dish and laundry detergents - purchase in bulk and store in glass jars
g) cleaning agents - use baking soda, lemon, and vinegar for effective (and cheap) cleaning
h) bread bags - store bread in old fashioned bread boxes, paper bags, or ceramic containers with lids
i) tupperware, ziploc bags and plastic food wrap - use cloth bags, glass jars, ceramic dishes to store food
j) diapers and disposable wipes - use cloth diapers made of wool, cotton or hemp, and reusable cloth wipes and natural sprays
k) tea and coffee packaging - use loose-leaf tea, or your own garden variety, and purchase coffee in bulk and store in glass jar
l) dishes and glasses - purge your cupboard of any plastics and scour thrift stores for glass cups, ceramic, stainless steel, and wooden dishes/bowls
m) bedding - if you can spend the money, do it here - we average about 1/3 of our lives sleeping, so healthful bedding is important! use natural materials in bedding, mattresses, blankets like cotton, natural fibres, wool filling
n) clothing - try for all natural materials, or at least non-new clothing items (to avoid exposure to chemicals that treat new clothing)
o) house paints - by now there are lots of non-toxic, non VOC paints at every paint store, and at reasonable prices so these are an obvious choice
p) kid's toys - go for used, or non-toxic, all natural toys (wood, cloth, wool)
q) shampoos - make your own, use shampoo soap bars, or apple cider vinegar rinses rather than plastic bottles
r) food - to minimize plastic packaging when buying food, try to purchase in bulk (bulk flours, beans and grains usually come in brown paper bags), whole foods (e.g. produce at the market or grocery store, CSA, or home-grown), or in glass containers that are refillable (e.g. nut butters, honey, syrup, apple cider, milk, yogurt)
Winter sprout garden
We've planted seeds in the greenhouse and cold frames already, in hopes of harvesting some late winter greens. Today we started our indoor winter sprout garden. All this really meant was pulling out the wide mouth mason jars, finding mesh lids for them, and soaking several batches of seeds. We love the sprout seed mixes from Mumm's in Saskatchewan - like spicy lentil crunch, sandwich booster, spring salad mix, brassicas blend, ancient eastern blend, etc - but of course you can simply buy organic seeds and mix your own variations together. It's best to blend seedsor beans that are of similar size, so they germinate at a similar rate. You can also sprout individual kinds of seeds, like the common alfalfa sprouts, mung beans, pea sprouts, wheat grass, or sunflower shoots.
It was fun for our 2-year old to help with this "garden" project, and she happily mixed and watered seeds, stirred them in their jars, and helped set up the draining station (we drain the jars propped upside down on a slight angle, supported in a wire dish rack). She can watch the progress of these growing seeds, which are satisfyingly quick to sprout and ready to eat in only a few days! We are already looking forward to our next winter picnic with homemade bread, hummus and fresh homegrown sprouts!
If you live locally and want to learn more about sprouting, check out our workshop on Wheatgrass/Sprouting, coming up on February 12.
It was fun for our 2-year old to help with this "garden" project, and she happily mixed and watered seeds, stirred them in their jars, and helped set up the draining station (we drain the jars propped upside down on a slight angle, supported in a wire dish rack). She can watch the progress of these growing seeds, which are satisfyingly quick to sprout and ready to eat in only a few days! We are already looking forward to our next winter picnic with homemade bread, hummus and fresh homegrown sprouts!
If you live locally and want to learn more about sprouting, check out our workshop on Wheatgrass/Sprouting, coming up on February 12.
Holiday gifts - peach lime jam
Our little one and I made a batch of peach-lime jam today, using organic peaches from our freezer. This is a favourite jam in the house and people love getting it as a gift as it's a burst of summer flavours in the midst of winter. And, how nice to warm up the house with a canning project on a cold day in December (rather than July when I made my other batches of jam!). As I've learned, the way to make canning possible in a busy household is to do it in small batches. The recipe for this jam comes from our favourite canning/preserving book entitled Small Batch Preserving.
Healthful holiday treats - raw vegan nanaimo bars
At our craft sale on Saturday I noticed a woman eating what seemed to be a massive slice of nanaimo bar. She caught the eye of several other customers around her, who were also ogling the dessert and asking where she got it. It wasn't something we were selling here, and she said her friend had made it - and that it was raw! This made me obsess about how to create my own version of a raw nanaimo bar, so last night I finally had the time to experiment. I had been looking for more vegan, gluten-free and sugar-free treats to make for friends over the holidays. Wow! This raw nanaimo bar is incredible! In general I like the idea of nanaimo bars, but usually find them far too sweet and lose interest in them part way through eating one. Usually pure confectioners sugar (powdered icing sugar) is what makes up a large portion of the mid-layer. I have tried vegan versions successfully in the past, which are delicious but still very sweet. I wanted a three-layered sweet that resembled nanaimo bars, with nuttiness, coconut, rich creamy filling and smoothe chocolate topping. This raw recipe is by far the best nanaimo bar I've ever had. It's a variation on several recipes I gleaned from these sources - Gone Raw and Raw BC - as I did not have all the ingredients they called for. Here's my version of the recipe - I'll see if I can remember exactly how I made it as there was some guessing and estimating going on. Enjoy in small portions, and share with friends!
Raw Nanaimo Bars
Layer One
1 1/2 cup nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews) soaked for 8-12 hours ahead of time
1/3 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
8 dates, pitted
1 Tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup
1 Tbsp raw cacao powder
Layer Two
1 cup raw nut butter (we used almond butter, plus some ground cashews)
3 Tbsp coconut oil
3 Tbsp agave or maple syrup
1/2 vanilla bean or 1 tsp pure vanilla
Layer Three
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup raw cacao powder
1 avocado, mashed
1 tsp pure vanilla
1/2 cup maple syrup
Combine each layer separately in food processor. Then press into an 9x9 inch pan and chill. When firmly set, cut into small squares. Can be stored for several days in refrigerator or frozen for longer storage.
Raw Nanaimo Bars
Layer One
1 1/2 cup nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews) soaked for 8-12 hours ahead of time
1/3 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
8 dates, pitted
1 Tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup
1 Tbsp raw cacao powder
Layer Two
1 cup raw nut butter (we used almond butter, plus some ground cashews)
3 Tbsp coconut oil
3 Tbsp agave or maple syrup
1/2 vanilla bean or 1 tsp pure vanilla
Layer Three
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup raw cacao powder
1 avocado, mashed
1 tsp pure vanilla
1/2 cup maple syrup
Combine each layer separately in food processor. Then press into an 9x9 inch pan and chill. When firmly set, cut into small squares. Can be stored for several days in refrigerator or frozen for longer storage.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Healthful holiday treats - Raw gingerbread recipe
We've been doing a lot of holiday baking around here lately. I've been creating and testing healthful variations on our favourite holiday sweets, like vegan shortbread made with barley flour, raw chocolate truffles and macaroons, and gluten-free sweets. One of our newest holiday favourites is the following recipe for raw, gluten-free, vegan gingerbread people, made with pecan flour, ground flax, and fresh ginger, dehydrated rather than baked. For all of you who are looking for a special sweet treat or gift to make for those on your list with gluten allergies, these are easy to make (kids will love helping!), beautiful and delicious - enjoy!
Raw Gingerbread People
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1 1/2 cup ground nuts (pecans, walnuts) finely ground in coffee mill
3 tsp freshly grated ginger (finely ground) or more to taste
2 Tbsp dark agave nectar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/8 cup water, or more to adjust proper consistency
1) Blend all ingredients together in large bowl. Add more water as needed to create a consistency that sticks well when shaped into gingerbread people or shapes with cookie cutters.
2) Roll out using light dusting of flour (use flour such as rice flour if you want them to be gluten-free).
3) Make sure you roll out dough to same thickness for all your cookies or you will have different levels of "done-ness" from dehydrating. Cut into desired shapes, aprox. 1/2 inch thick.
4) Decorate with raw seeds, nuts, cacao nibs, dried fruit like goji, cherries or cranberries, etc.
5) Dry in dehydrator at aprox. 110F for 8-24 hours, depending on whether you want cookies to be slightly chewy or crunchy.
Makes aprox. 18-20 mid-sized gingerbread people.
Raw Gingerbread People
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1 1/2 cup ground nuts (pecans, walnuts) finely ground in coffee mill
3 tsp freshly grated ginger (finely ground) or more to taste
2 Tbsp dark agave nectar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/8 cup water, or more to adjust proper consistency
1) Blend all ingredients together in large bowl. Add more water as needed to create a consistency that sticks well when shaped into gingerbread people or shapes with cookie cutters.
2) Roll out using light dusting of flour (use flour such as rice flour if you want them to be gluten-free).
3) Make sure you roll out dough to same thickness for all your cookies or you will have different levels of "done-ness" from dehydrating. Cut into desired shapes, aprox. 1/2 inch thick.
4) Decorate with raw seeds, nuts, cacao nibs, dried fruit like goji, cherries or cranberries, etc.
5) Dry in dehydrator at aprox. 110F for 8-24 hours, depending on whether you want cookies to be slightly chewy or crunchy.
Makes aprox. 18-20 mid-sized gingerbread people.
Craft Sale Success! Thank you!
What a full house today! From morning until late afternoon friendly crowds found their way through our little home, supporting the local artists/crafters that filled four rooms in our house, and socializing with friends and neighbours. It was an incredibly busy day with more than 250 people who dropped in, and the assorted boots and shoes piled at the front door made it feel like an all day house party. We thank everyone who came out - including our wonderful vendors, as well as the customers and visitors. Now it's time to settle into the rest of December, hopefully at a slower pace. Wishing you all warmth, peace, friendship and good food over the holidays and for the new year ahead.
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