One of my articles is featured on the Natural Life website this month.  If you follow that link and watch the main page, a cute pic of Lily with the nasturtiums pops up.  It’s an old photo, but a favourite!  The link to my article (which is a bi-monthly column, Home Grown Kids) is on the right of that pic, or click here.  And the beauty in the photo on that page is Abby, raiding the vegie patch a few years ago!

Natural Life is also available through Spiral Garden, for Australian subscribers.

And now for another advertisement…  Spiral Garden is having a 10% off sale until June 30.  AND we’re running a great competition!

It has been at least a couple of months since I’ve written an update on this blog.  We’re in the midst of birthday season at our place.  Within a couple of months we celebrate the birthdays of Lily, Brittany, Imogen, Bryce & I (same day) and the Dad.

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Just in case you thought this blog has turned into a recipes and menu one, I’d like to share some links to other writings…

On the Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op Blog, my posts are:

Menu Planning for Many (18 October 2008)

Animals in the Garden and Beyond (24 October 2008)

Enough (1 November 2008)

Babysitting Clubs (22 December 2008)

Creating Connected Communities (3 January 2009)

Stockpiling - The Basics (18 Jaunary 2009)

Real Nappies (31 January 2009)

Where do you get the time for that? Part 3 (1 March 2009)

Magical Seeds (14 March 2009)

Harvest Time - Pumpkin (29 March 2009)

Bushtucker and Wild Food (12 April 2009)

Wanting It All (27 April 2009)

Spending to Save (3 May 2009)

Willing Workers (18 May 2009)

Expensive Children? (2 June 2009)

Creative Garden (3 July 2009)

To Market, To Market (18 July 2009)

Garden Help Online (2 August 2009)

Burnout (16 August 2009)

Cooking With Kids (30 August 2009)

Our House Cow Journey Part One (13 September 2009)

Work Options ( 27 September 2009)

Our House Cow Journey Part Two (6 November 2009)

Patience (20 November 2009)

Preparing for the Wet (4 December 2009)

Simple Gift Ideas (18 December 2009)

A New Year (8 January 2010)

Cyclone Season (22 January 2010)

Growing Community (5 February 2010)

Rosellas (19 February 2010)

I’ve also contributed to every issue of Natural Life for over a year now, writing about gardening with children.

There might be some more of my work being published by Warm Earth or Otherways if I can get organised enough this winter…

And hopefully there will be a few more interesting posts and regular updates on this blog and on Home Grown too!

We made this in my friend Jo’s Thermomix a couple of weeks ago, and I made it at home in my food processor.  The thermomix was a lot faster and didn’t create the pile of dishes I had from using the grater and food processor at home.  I have a basil plant, so am making pesto to use more of this prolific herb.

1/2 cup raw cashews (pine nuts or macadamias would be fine too)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated

2 cups basil leaves

1/2 cup olive oil

squeeze of lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Grind the cashews into small pieces.  Add basil, garlic, grated parmesan and blend.  Add the oil and squeeze of lemon juice until the texture seems right.  Serve with pasta, on crackers, on toast with cheese grilled on top…  Keeps well in fridge.

6 Chokos
2 carrots
1 onion
Fresh beans
Water
Salt, pepper and curry powder
Peel all vegetables and dice.  Place into a saucepan with enough water to just cover and boil until tender.  Add curry powder, salt and pepper to taste.  Puree to serve.

1 kg chokos
1 tablespoon white vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly crushed garlic
1 medium onion finely sliced
salt and pepper
Heat enough water with a pinch of salt in a large saucepan and boil all the chokos for about 20 minutes or until tender. Remove from boiling water and allow to cool. Peel and halve the chokos. Discard the seeds and cut into slices. Mix together the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and sliced onions. Pour over the sliced chokos and carefully mix without breaking the choko slices. This salad makes a good addition to any meal as a side dish.

1 onion
1 carrot
1/2 capsicum
1 cup green beans
440g tin pineapple pieces, with juice
1 tblspn tomato paste
2 tblspn lemon juice
2 tblspn rapadura sugar (or brown sugar)
1 tblspn tamari (soy sauce)
1 tblspn cornflour + 1/2 cup water, combined

Heat oil, saute vegies.  Add pineapple juice, tomato paste, lemon juice, sugar, tamari.  Bring to the boil and reduce heat.  Add cornflour and water mixture.  Stir until thick.  Add pineapple pieces and heat through.

500g dry lima beans

800g tin diced tomatoes

2 medium onions, chopped finely

1/3 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cups hot water

2 tblspn fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp dried herbs

salt and pepper to taste

Soak the lima beans overnight.  Rinse and simmer in fresh water for 50 minutes.  Heat a little oil and saute onion.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes.  Mix with rinsed beans and place in lightly greased baking dish.  Bake uncovered at 170 degrees C for 30 minutes.

This recipe makes a lot and freezes well.  Serve with crusty bread and salad or steamed vegetables.  Very hearty!

1 medium avocado

3/4 cup water

1/2 tblspn olive oil

juice of half a lemon

3 tsp fresh herbs (1/3 tsp dried herbs)

sprinkle of salt to taste

In blender or with stick blender process avocado & water.  Add oil, herbs, salt, lemon juice.  Process until creamy.

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I love April!  The autumn weather, Easter holidays, our wedding anniversary…

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lasagne sheets
500g chopped pumpkin
olive oil
medium onion, chopped
clove garlic, crushed
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup tomato paste
3/4 cup mozarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup tasty cheese, grated

Cook & mash pumpkin. Add olive oil, onion and garlic. Place a layer of pumpkin, lasagne sheets, half the ricotta… Then lasagne sheets, tomato paste, etc, etc until ingredients are used up and dish is topped with cheese.

Bake at 180 degrees C for around 35 minutes or until pasta sheets are cooked through.

*Tip* Frozen pumpkin, cooked and mashed when in season, is fine for this recipe too!

900g pumpkin, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbspn olive oil
6 eggs
1/2 cup cream
40g spinach leaves
sprinkle of parmesan & grated cheddar

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Bake pumpkin, brushed with oil and garlic, till tender. Line baking dish with paper. Whisk eggs and cream and season. Layer ingredients in dish & bake for 25 minutes.

250g butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed pumpkin
2 cups wholemeal flour + 1 tsp baking powder
250g mixed fruit of your choice, diced

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat well one at a time. Add the pumpkin, flour with baking powder and fruit. Mix well and bake at 170 degrees C or until brown on top and inserted skewer comes out clean.

*Tip*  At harvest time, boil or steam pumpkin, mash and freeze in 1-cup portions in the freezer. Then you have pumpkin for this cake (and other recipes) for months to come.