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Sunday 24 November, 8.30am – 1pm, Community Centre, Orewa, Auckland. Opotikigal will be there! My Christmas theme this year is “a foraged Christmas”. Some new, used, recycled, up cycled and foraged items for sale. Here is an idea of the foraged. Tired of the glitzy Christmas look, try a few twigs and […]
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I recently joined the facebook group ‘Eat More Plants’. It’s a public group with 8.6K members. Wow, that’s a lot of sharing going on there! You read everything from using left over almond pulp to make chocolate slice, put it out there questions such as “what can I do with carrot overload” to plant-based questions […]
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Hello All Yes lemon season is upon us here in NZ. I have lemons in my kitchen all year round though as I cannot live without their flavour and health properties in my meals. How many NZ work places have lemons on the kitchen bench for ‘free giveaway’ at the moment? Store your lemons at […]
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Hello. … and a partridge in a pear tree. Well, not quite a tree. It’s a wreath! Smaller than a tree, a space saver, doesn’t take up floor space, less decoration required, easily moved around the house decorative Christmas element. Here’s a few images of a completed wreath. I think the yellow berries coordinate with […]
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Hello. A Foraged Christmas theme for today. Here are the plant items I gathered last week. The finishing touch is our native Pohutakawa tree, also known as our ‘Christmas Tree’, which has just come into flower now. These Foraged Floral sprays could hang on a feature wall, above an entrance doorway, as a Christmas tree […]
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Hello Look at the bounty from Mother Nature I collected on this evenings walk. Everything from monkey tails to an old tree branch. This will be for Christmas gift packaging embellishment, maybe a wreath, a tree branch with seed lights, nests, a table centre piece … who knows what will be the outcome of some […]
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To all the Mums out there; enjoy your day. Here is a layout, (my third one ever) I have created as a memory of our Mum. My image shows Mum on her much loved bike, it has large balloon tyres and an uncomfortable seat! My brother and sister in law gave the bike a new […]
Mmm nothing like fresh garden herbs. Full of nutrients and robust flavours to add to scrambled eggs for brekky, vegetable dishes or simply to garnish your plated masterpieces. A middle eastern combination of dill, parsley and mint is called Sabzi. This combination can be served with warm cheese, falafel, or add to pita sandwiches, tomato, feta or ricotta salata. (from Deborah Madison’s amazing cookbook “The New Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone”) Improvise with your garden gleanings to create a healthy feast. Start a herb bucket today, for a small dollar investment, I know you will enjoy the rewards these little plants will bring to your kitchen
Two plants to highlight today. The fennel is growing well, mmm that lovely aniseed flavour when you scrunch it in your hand. When planting, keep away from all beans, tomatoes and coriander. Eating this raw is good for you, but you may also roast, grill and braise fennel. Loves to be on the plate next to pork. Fennel seeds may be found in fresh Italian pork sausage. Fennel aids digestion and stimulates the appetite. Thought to be one of the nine sacred Druidiann herbs.
Your dogs fleas will hate it; plant it in a pot outside the kennel!
Watercress; a fresh, peppery tasting salad green. The darkness of the leaves tells you it is good for your liver and blood. This cress has the ability to spread without my help! This is the chess you will see near waterways. Serve watercress mixed with cooler salad plants such as spinich and lettuces. Of the salad components, cress, tarragon and rocket were the most highly regarded in the late 16th century. For the prevention of scurvy it was eaten alone or with bread and butter. Watercress in New Zealand seems to be more valued by Maori cooks.
Enjoy them both now while in season.
My mindfulness focus for the moment was this beautiful plant in the garden. Wow, don’t you agree? Like if you like.
opotikigal 