Cheese, teas and rosehips.

Well apologies to all for my update being late.  I once heard someone say if they won the lottery they would keep working to avoid being board.  I have often wondered at their lack of imagination for what one can fill their days with.  I certainly seem to have little trouble keeping constantly busy and this last week or so has been no exception.

Last weekend I had planned to go for country walks foraging with the children, that was until a got a call asking if I could make use of some Guernsey cows milk! Could I!?!?  Not only can I always make use of milk but the fact that it would also provide a taste of home was an offer I could not turn down and so Saturday foraging was exchanged for a busy kitchen.  The children sat watching a movie glass jars full of cream in hand shaking then into buttery goodness.  Milk magically turned to curds and whey on the hob or jars of yogurt by the fire.  Then curds turned into brie shaped beauties sitting along my kitchen counter and why turned into ricotta.  The milk was so good I managed to drink 4 mugs of the creamy white goodness while working.  Nothing was wasted and the last bits of whey went to our pigs.  My brie has now been maturing for a week and has a beautiful white coat of soft white down which seems to really match these cold frosty mornings.  My yogurt, natural unflavoured and unsweetened, has set and I'm very much enjoying it over home made muesli for breakfast or on its own with a teaspoon oh homemade plum and ginger jam added.  I'll let you know in another 7 weeks what the brie tastes like.  There is also something very satisfying about the smell of freshly baked bread mixed with the wonderful aroma of sizzling home cured bacon with the added delight of home made butter to complete the breakfast buttie!

This weekend we turned our attention back to foraging with mixed results.  Our crab pot went out twice returning once with star fish - (which went back to the sea) and once totally empty bait and all gone.  We just got the pot last week and much talk about what to do with the elusive crab has been going on, the anticipation has been growing along with respect for the cunning little fellows who avoid our little trap and our resolve that we will one day have crab on the menu on this I will keep you posted.

Ive been reading an interesting book called "The Ministry of Food" By Jane Fernley-Whittingstall.  Its a history book come recipe book looking at food production, victory gardens and woman's imagination and frugal ways in the kitchen during WW2.  Its fascinating and full of ideas of making the most of what you have.  It includes rose hip syrup.  A high vitamin C concoction that was used as a tonic to ward off illness during in those days.  Interestingly there are quite a few wild rose bushes around the peninsula.  One local told me they were planted long ago to provide a source of vitamin C to shipwreck men.  How true this is I'm not sure but they provided me with a bag full of ruby red hips.  We bashed them slightly, covered with water and boiled until soft, strained through cheese cloth.  The liquid was then returned to the heat, sugar added and dissolved.  The result is a bottle of rather tasty sweet syrup that I intend to give the children a spoon of daily for the rest of winter and unlike some tonics they really don't mind taking it.

As I sit writing this the room is wafting with a beautiful Herb aroma.  I love my herbs and make the most of them.  In summer I fill bottles with water plunging herbs such as mint and lemon balm inside.  It only needs to seep for an hour before the water takes on flavour and is a wonderful sugar free drink for the children.  However its a bit chilly to drink on these cold days and so I'm drying out herbs on the lowest setting of my oven and storing them in jars.  These can be then be used to make delicious and healthy herbal teas to warm us up after winter walks.  Here are a few recipes.

BLACKBERRY.
At this time of year there are still leaves on my blackberry bushes.  These can be harvested and dried the used 4tsps of leaves to about 250ml of hot water.  Blackberry is known to have an astringent effect and also used to help asthma.

LAVENDER.
I love lavender, its so versatile.  The flowers can be added to cakes and biscuits.  Put some dried flowers in a jar with sugar and it takes on a wonderful aroma and mild taste, great sprinkled on cakes.  The flowers can also be added to the bath to produce a relaxing result and also aids sleep.  The stems can be used as skewers for fruit kebabs too.  According to "Herbal Teas" by Richard Craze Lavender also can help to reduce inflammation and prevent the onset of infection.  To dry pick stems as long as possible, tie a few together at the end of the stems and hang upside down somewhere out of sunlight.  Its often used as a natural sedative as well as for headaches and nerves. Tea can then be made by adding 1 tsp of flowers to 125ml hot water.

LEMON VERBENA
This herb has the most beautiful smell.  I cant walk by it in the garden without running my hand through it to release its wonderful lemony aroma. The tea has a wonderful strong lemony taste and its also reportedly good for colds and fevers as well as being antibacterial and antiseptic.  You can use two fresh leaves or 1 tsp dried leaves to make a wonderful warm tea.  Although it shouldn't be drunk excessively over a long period of time as it can irritate the stomach.  Its a favorite of mine with a slice of lemon added and maybe a little teaspoon of honey and if I have a cold a drop of rum turns into a lovely toddy.

Happy cooking
Anna

WHATS HAPPENING IN THE WORKSHOPS.

Pig in a Day

The next two workshops are on July 24th and August the 7th and both are filling up fast.  If you would like to book you can do so through our website http://www.preserved.co.nz/

Kids in the Kitchen

The holidays are almost upon us and we have two special days of cooking for kids.  Class numbers are strictly limited.  TO book call Anna on 0212686483 or visit our website http://www.preserved.co.nz/.

The $50 Challange

The Big Challenge




Last Saturday I was up early braving the rain to go to Lyttleton market with my $50 grocery allowance for the week. This was gonna be a challenge, feed the 5 of us for 1 week on $50!

A quick reminder of the rules is that I can use any pantry staples and produce from my garden or that I can forage on foot from home.

I returned from my shopping trip armed with a few filling veggies I haven’t got in the garden, some yummy cheese, a bag of soup bones, a large steak that was on special offer and milk. It came to $49.30. As I unpacked my chosen items back home it didn’t seem like much. Was a really going to be able to stretch this out? Feed us all with this? What was I going to give the kids for their lunch boxes?

However, on the whole I enjoyed the week, it sparked some creativity in the kitchen and everyone seemed to be interested in what was going on and enjoying the food.

The kids swapped their normal sarnies and chippies for a more varied and healthy lunch. Homemade bread and cupcakes, carrots, boiled eggs, fried rice, popcorn, apples (mostly foraged off a local tree). I didn’t get any complaints and the boxes were coming home empty and of course there was always something fresh baked waiting for them when they got home. Of course they didn’t mind starting the day with a warming bowl of porridge sweetened with honey.

Now dinners! We had homemade pasta with simple homemade sauces, omelettes and two beautiful stews. One stew costs $4 for the 5 of us and there as a good serving left over here is what I did:-

Ingredients

Stock

2 soup bones (buy a bag cause you’ll need more for the stew)
1 onion
1 carrot roughly chopped
1 stick celery roughly chopped 2
cloves of garlic – bashed
¼ cup soy sauce
Tbs fish sauce

Stew

4 soup bones (or whatever is left in the bag)
1 onion sliced
3 carrots chopped
1 stick celery thinly sliced
1 leek sliced
2 turnips peeled and chopped
3 potatoes peeled
and chopped my last two tomatoes – chopped.

• Put all stock ingredients into a large saucepan and cover with water at least 3 lt. Bring to the boil then simmer for at least an hour.

• Strain off stock into a casserole dish.

• gentle soften the onion, leek, celery, garlic and seasoning in a little oil, add to the stock then add all the stew ingredients and cover with a lid

• Place in a low over (around 125deg) for a few hours while you get on with other stuff.

• 20 mins before serving take out of the oven and removed bones to a plate – let cool.

• The meat left on the bones should easily fall off the bones – remove and add back to the stew.

Now I have learnt one thing about blogging this week. And that is more people read it than I thought and I am being watched!

Early in the week I popped into the local shop for a paper and a new cleaning cloth. As I passed the counter the lady behind it piped up “I hope you’re not buying food”. I was politely informed that she was watching me this week to see if I blew my budget. I wondered if she would notice one little bar of chocolate but decided to stick to the deal.



Now here I do have to admit some failure in my challenge

On Thursday this week, I decided to take a friend up on what I saw as her starting a new trend. No more would I spend a whole day board on my own trying to get back on top of the slightly out of control house! No I had found a new way. What you do is you call up a friend, in this case the lovely Christy Gardner, you get together mops, buckets, cloths, cleaning products in hand, music up- loud and the promise of a glass of wine on the way. Then you hit that house right the way through. I had a great day. We got the whole place ship shape, we chatted, laughed, even sang along to the stereo at times. The day went fast and the jobs disappeared. I now plan to do this on a monthly basis, of course offering my services back to my helper. When we were done we treated ourselves to a long cool drink satisfied with our girl power.

Now I was also planning to go to my local that evening for “ladies night” and I was reluctant to use my now spit and polish shiny kitchen or to have to do a sink full of dishes before I went out. So, Im sorry everyone, but I cheated! I went to get fish and chips for the kids! And I would of got away with it too if it wasn’t for those pesky local readers (love you all really). As Kate punched the charge into the till she commented “did you budget for this in your $50?” I was sprung!! Kate was very good and said she would keep my secret but I feel I have to be honest so......



Im proud to say I feed my family for a week on $60!

I also realised that I don’t need to spend as much as I do and so from now on my new weekly budget for groceries will be a nice comfy $100.

WORKSHOPS


We had a fantastic day on Saturday with our June Pig in a Day Workshop. A lovely mix of people that I really enjoyed meeting. It was lovely for the weather to hold out and we managed to eat our home grown home cooked lunch outside in the sun. The feedback was great, here are some of their comments :-

“Thanks so much – a really excellent practical day and also quite inspiring”

“Had an absolutely great day, have learnt a lot and can’t wait to try it out at home”

“wicked views and relaxing......lunch was fantastic and tasty”

“Thanks for the confidence boost, I needed to do this”

We have a few spaces left for our next workshop on the 24th July.

Kids in the Kitchen

A workshop to inspire kids in the kitchen.

Tuesday 28th July EGGS!! Help me collect the eggs in the morning from the hen house. Then come inside and learn how to make fluffy French cup cakes and pasta. The watch a demonstration on how to make a quick pasta sauce and enjoy it with your mornings work.

Wednesday 29th July. BREAD! Best thing since slices bread! Why not learn to make your own? Have flat bread flying out in no time, learn to make chocolate cinnamon swirls and flat breads. Enjoy some of your creations for lunch.

Workshops run 10am – 2pm. ONLY 6 PLACES PER DAY. $30 per child per day, includes light lunch and refreshements. Workshops situated in Purau, Diamond Harbour. For more information call Anna on 0212686483

Foraging and a new challange

I saw a Lotto advert the other day. They are trying to sell you the idea of a glamour lifestyle. You will have no worries should you win the jackpot and become an overnight millionaire. It makes me smile because there is so much truth in that ad, not the images but in the words sung in the background “The best things in life are free”

I was very blessed growing up. There wasn’t a lot of money in our family but that didn’t stop my parents finding fun. My Dad had to work a lot in the week but Saturday he would take the time to be with my brother and me. We would often go for a long walk through the country, my mum and dad love to walk. Dad would have a back pack and at some point he would find the perfect spot, by a river or deserted farm building that was good for exploring here we would stop for a while. We would build a small fire and Dad would produce a handful of charcoal, a frying pan and some sausages. Now that beats a day at the mall any day of the week and I still remember those Saturdays now.



In our crazy consumer culture sometimes it takes a moment to stop and remind ourselves what is important. And it was with this in mind that, for my husband and daughters birthday, we took to the beach with some friends. Two small boys spent hour’s heads down searching the rocks for fish and crabs. The men tried their hand at fishing and getting the fire going, the younger girls cooked up some fruity delights and I scampered over the rocks looking for pink encrusted shells.

Delighted I returned with a bucket of Paua (Native Abalone). I love these beachcombers delight. As they cling to the rocks their shells look nothing special, crusty and rather like the rocks they hug but when you separate creature from crusty shell you reveal the most beautiful colourful interior of the shell. Guts are removed, paua sliced. A pan is balanced on top of the fire (the guys have a great one going - just as well as I was freezing) and a couple of sliced home cured spicy Spanish chorizo start to sizzle and release their juices. The paua is added for a few minutes, a few mussels are steamed in their own juice and dinner is served. Simple and delicious. Thank goodness for the seashore as the fish refused to get caught that day!


The children head off with a clue in hand to follow a carefully laid treasure hunt returning later with their loot – a large bag of marshmallows for toasting. As the sun set our big 9 year old blows out her candles and says “mum this is the best birthday”.   Simple delights.
I’m proud to pass on to my kids those memories I hold dear from my childhood and as I snuggled in closer to the fire I hoped this would be a memory all these kids will remember too.

A NEW CHALLENGE

I was discussing the topic of this week’s blog with my husband and he gave me some food for thought. Why not try and apply this belief to the table for a week. What? Feed us for free for a week? How about $100, the five of us, one week I suggested. How about the 5 of us for $50 he said. Never one to back down from a challenge easily I agreed.
The rules are......I can use anything in our pantry already. I can also use anything within walking distance, so from the garden and the beach. I’m a little bit nervous with this challenge I have to say, to do it and eat as well as we do and not go vegetarian for the week will be interesting but I’m ready to take it on.

YOUR CHALLENGE

Why not join me? Set yourself a budget for the week and see where it takes you. Get creative in your kitchen and let me know how it goes.  I think you may be amazed with what you can make from what you have.  I will update here every couple of days



Until next time, doing it from scratch

Anna



WHATS HAPPENING IN THE WORKSHOPS

Our June Pig in a Day Workshop is now fully booked.

In July we will be starting our new workshop “The Big Breakfast”. It’s a bit of an introduction workshop showing the basics of sausages and bacon making, you will even get to try your hand at making some sausages. It’s great for those who don’t really feel ready for long curing and air drying but want to have a go at something. July 23rd 630pm – 930pm $75 (Go to http://www.preserved.co.nz/ for more details)

Also GIRLS NIGHT IN -  Book a girls night in and learn some new skills while having fun.  We will come to you and do a fun relaxed workshop.  You can choose
Big Breakfast - learn to make sausages (we will show you how to do it with no machines too) and bacon
Flour Frenzy - Make pasta, flat bread, french sponge and more if time allows
Winter Warmer - learn how to make different stock for soups, stews and winter fast food.
We provide all the ingredients and equipment.  For more info call 0212686483

Pig in a Day workshop will be running 10am – 3pm on the 24th July. We have a few places left; you can book through our website http://www.preserved.co.nz/

Where did it come from?

So guys whats on your table tonight?  Where did it come from?

Is it meat? What did the animal go through to provide you that meal?  Is it vegetables? Where did they grow? What has been sprayed on them? Are they seasonal?  Have you ever asked these questions?

I was interested to watch River Cottage Treatment this week.  Hugh had a group of people staying on the farm and was trying to show them the difference between free-range chicken and intensively farmed chickens.

The first thing that struck me was seeing the hens being intensively farmed.  Having kept chickens for some years now and spent a lot of time hanging out with them I have come to love them and enjoy their characters.  I know their sounds for hungry or thirsty, which are happy contented noises and to recognise that a chicken panting is under stress, something has given it a fright.  To see a shed full of panting chickens said it all to me.


The second thing that struck me was how disconnected some of the group where from their food.  They seemed unable to make the connection between a plucked, gutted, plastic wrapped chicken for dinner and a feathery bird running around a field.  I think this is one of the triumphs of the undesirable side of food production, its ability to separate us from our food, to turn it all into a product from a shop.  We cram chickens and pigs into alien unnatural environments that make it impossible for them to display their inbuilt natural desires and behaviours.  I feel this is not only a shameful thing for our society but also on a basic level it alters the taste of the meat, it really is substandard. We put little thought into the journey that meat took to get to our plate.

A few months ago my son and I sat quietly a egg in hand watching.  Small little chirps emerged from the crack as this new life pushed and struggled to brake out into the sunlight.  It was a beautiful moment that he will remember for a long time.  We watched it grow, how it would snuggle under its mothers wing, the gentle cooing noise she would use to let them know she had found food.  Its little fluffy body gave way to long sleek feathers and soon it was grown, independent and preferring to roost in the olive tree on hot nights rather than the chook house. Each day we would water and feed him a mix of grains, scrapes and veg from the garden.  When the time came it was swift and soon the kids were having a biology lesson as they examined its heart and other parts.  Its skin and fat was not pasty white but a beautiful yellow colour from its good diet.  Killing the animal is not easy, but being able to provide a healthy meal for my family free from chemicals and bad treatment is very satisfying.

Beyond the meat is the fruit and vegetables.  Strawberries are a prize food in our house.  We all love them and what a treat they are.  We only eat them in season and the children check the patch every day eagerly watching the little berries change colour and plucking the juicy jewels the moment they flush with red pride.  Eating home-grown, local and seasonal and where possible organic gives your food a whole new dimension.  How do we know when the winter is finally over?  The first time asparagus greets us at the table.  When you think that the three biggest killers in the US are all diet related it makes you stop and think about what, as a society we are doing to our food and with our food.

If you dont have chickens at home and cringe at the price of free range then check out this 3 day plan!

Day one.
Roast chicken
.smear butter over the chicken, place a nob of butter in between its legs and wings, season with salt and pepper.  Cut one onion in half, make holes in it and insert slivers of garlic. Place two roughly chopped carrots and a roughly chopped onion in a roasting pan with the chicken.  Add a cup of water and a tablespoon of light soy sauce.  Roast.
Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside to rest. Add a little more water to the pan, place over a heat and scrap the pan and mix all the juices together.  Take out the onion and carrot and you have your gravy!  Slice the chicken away from the table leaving some meat for tomorrow.

Day Two,
Chicken pie. (olive oil spread can be used instead of butter to make it dairy free)
Pick all the remaining chicken off your carcase.  Mix 2 cups of plain flour with a pinch of salt and 8oz of chopped butter to form bread crumbs, gradually mix in cold water until it forms a dough - use your hands to mix its easier. Set a side to rest.
Make stock using chicken carcase 2 carrot, a couple stems of celery, an onion a couple of bay leaves, salt pepper a dash of soy sauce and herbs. Add 3 lt water simmer for at least half an hour to an hour.
Slice up two leeks and 2 coves of garlic.  Melt some butter in a pan,  gently cook the leeks and garlic to soften.
Take a tablespoon of the stock, in a cup mix with flour till it forms a paste, add a couple more ladles of stock and stir till well mixed and no lumps.
Spread the chicken and leeks in a pie tin.  Add the thickened stock, roll out pastry and place over the top, sealing round the edges.  Make two small slits in the top and brush with milk or a beaten egg.
Bake at 180deg for about 40 mins

Day Three.
Potato soup.
Chop up some potatoes. Heat some olive oil in a large saucepan. Add some fresh rosemary and garlic to the oil and toss the potatoes to coat.  Add the rest of your stock from yesterday and simmer for 20 mins.  Using a masher, mash about 2/3rds of the potato. Stir in some cream or butter is desired.  In a pan fry 3 slices of smoked pancetta or bacon (free range of course) cut into little pieces.  Serve the soup in bowls with bacon sprinkled on top and fresh baked bread ont he side.

One chicken - three days, enjoy!

Next week I will be reporting on our weekend of seaside foraging and how to make the perfect garden fertaliser.

To learn more about stock making and the perfect winter soup look out for details of our new stock master class workshop coming soon. www.preserved.co.nz

Foraging
Anna

Self Sufficient

When asked what my dream is, I often answer "to be as self sufficient as I can be".

However I was thinking today that the word "self" can be misleading.  It almost sounds like its all for selfish gain all about me.

It all started when I looked out the window and saw a neighbours yacht lying on its side on the beach being battered by the stormy weather we had this morning.  Grabbing my waders I headed off to see if I could help.  Four of us were soon waist deep in the advancing tide pushing with all our might to try and turn the boat into the on coming tide and prevent it being pushed further up the rocky beach.  Shoulder to shoulder we worked in the cold water.

We're a community, we help each other.

When a neighbour has too many apples we find a bag at our front door.  A few weeks ago we stripped a neighbours pear tree.  They couldn't eat them all and had no time to do anything with them.  We both now have a row of beautiful spicy Indian pear pickle jars in our kitchen.

Its not so much about me, but being part of a community, coming together with our skills, time, bounty and sharing to create a better life for all.

I have bonded with many off my neighbours while cooking freshly picked mussels over a drift wood beach fire.  Laughed with their kids as we listen to their freshly made sausages sizzling; on an open fire after a day of pig processing.  I've swapped a days work for a pig and I've given porky goodies as payment to others.  We are all different ages, different background, different education even from different continents.  But as a community I wouldn't want to live any where else.

I've been enjoying myself in the kitchen this week too.  Last night we had a special treat.  Figs freshly plucked from our tree, cut in half.  Inside we placed a slither of blue cheese topped with half a walnut (from the tree down the road) wrapped in home cured procuitto.  It was all popped in the oven for a few moments to crisp up the procuitto and served warm.....imagine........

Tonight we turned to the sea.

Paua ( Native Abalone)  freshly gathered from a local sea shore, sliced.  Home cured spicy Spanish chorizo  were lightly sautéed to release the cure and oils.The paua added,browned and seasoned. A home preserved Bounty Of Summer Sauce reduced slowly and finished with a light sprinkling of fresh fennel leaves. 

I knew where every ingredient came from.  I can even see and smell the tomatoes patch that gave up its fat juicy rubies for my sauce.

Such simple delights.

Sufficiently yours

Anna
www.preserved.co.nz


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