Slow Living – April

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Posted on May 1, 2013

Here we are with another month ended and it is time to for a review in the spirit of Slow Living Essentials

I must say that a do feel like a bit of a fraud as there does not seem be anything slow about our lives.

Here are the Slow Living categories:

{Nourish} We have continued to be very diligent with making our packed lunches every day. It is now 9 months since I changed my diet to one which is gluten and mostly grain free. I am feeling much better and as an added bonus have lost 8kg. My main focus has been ensuring that we do not waste any food. This makes for some interesting but nourishing meals. This was made from some leftover bits in the fridge last week. You can read more about it here

{Green} We are starting to reap the benefits of SAM – our Solar Air Modules. It is essentially solar airconditioning and we are using it to very effectively keep the bathroom and bedroom warm and dry. I can reduce the humidity from 90% to 65% in the matter of a few hours. You can read more about it here

sam15

{Grow} It is well into autumn but I have still been picking cherry tomatoes and cucumbers.

{Create} We have made 2 more raised garden beds.

{Discover} I have made a start on putting all of the family history research into a computer program and getting rid of a pile of paper in the process. I am discovering new facts and remembering some previous discoveries as I do it.

{Enhance} I have gifted 2 pairs of boots via Freecycle.

{Enjoy} I have celebrated my birthday, met a friend for lunch and spent a morning with another friend – morning tea and then window shopping.

Now I am off to check out some of the other slow living blogs.

Til next month………..

Weeds That Feed

6 Comments

Posted on April 29, 2013

What is a weed? A plant considered undesirable, unattractive, or troublesome, especially one growing where it is not wanted, as in a garden.

If the above definition is applied then my cherry tomato plants are definitely weeds. They are not particularly pretty, grow in places where I do not want them and generally get in the way. I am forever pulling the seedlings out of the ‘formal’ vegetable beds and The Duke must mow over thousands of them in the lawn.

However, we usually have a few that we leave to their own devices in areas where they are not causing harm. There is one plant which has been growing and bearing fruit for several months on the far side of the driveway in ‘no man’s land’. It has spread over a heap of mulch and has intertwined with thistles. I had not picked any fruit for about 6 weeks so I braved the thistles yesterday and was surprised to find all of these fruit just waiting for me.

There was about 3.5kg of fresh, full-flavoured cherry tomatoes. I have cleaned, rinsed and frozen 3kg of them in readiness to make more tomato sauce. I hope to do that next weekend. The remainder are spread on a tray to ripen fully and then they will grace the last of our summer salads.

Plants that are self-sown which survive and thrive will be good as they have passed the ‘survival of the fittest ‘ test. Perhaps that is why we have such success with the cherry tomatoes. Other self-sown plants which provide use with food include pumpkins and cucumbers.

Do you harvest from any fruit or vegetable plants which just appear in your garden?

Leftovers for Lunch

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Posted on April 26, 2013

Every day The Duke and I take a packed lunch to work. Since I do not eat bread it is often leftovers or a salad. The Duke will sometimes take some homemade bread, cheese and tomato and make a sandwich at work.

Today, however, I was at home so was not constrained by what I could pack. At lunchtime I looked in the fridge and pantry and found an assortment of leftover ingredients just begging to be used.

There was a small amount of mashed sweet potato from last night as well as some refried beans, 1/2 can of crushed tomatoes, an opened packet of corn chips. As part of my planned gourmet delight I also have some yoghurt, cheese, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.

In the interest of minimising the washing up I decided to use the glass dish that the sweet potato was in. I spread it evenly over the dish, spooned a layer of tomatoes over it, then added the refried beans and the seeds.

I topped it with corn chips and grated cheese and browned in under the griller.

This made enough for 2 serves so I will be having the same again tomorrow.

Served with a dollop of natural yoghurt this was a quick and easy meal which used up a couple of things that could easily have been wasted.

Getting Back on Track

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Posted on April 14, 2013

I have had 2 weeks back at work since my holidays and I still feel as though I am chasing my tail at home. Somehow everything has been done but the smooth process seems to have flown the coop. In fact, last Friday morning I had to iron a shirt for The Duke as there were no business shirts in his cupboard. That was not good.

This weekend has been pretty busy as Miss O and Izz came to stay and that certainly limits what I get done. However, I have managed to finish the washing and ironing, written a menu plan and have the meals prepared for Monday and Tuesday.

Do you plan your meals? What is your process?

I have have also decided what I will wear to work tomorrow so I feel as though I am ready to start the week. How about you?

Slow Living – February

4 Comments

Posted on March 3, 2013

This is my second month of joining in the monthly round-up at Slow Living Essentials and already I seem to be struggling with what to write. A couple of things seems to have conspired against me – it is a short month – is it really the end of the month already? and the weather! Since the dry spell broke on the Australia Day weekend (26th January) it has rained almost constantly which limits our activities somewhat

Here are the Slow Living categories:

{Nourish} With the onset of some cooler weather with the rain it was an ideal time to pull out the slow cooker.

I made a batch of pumpkin soup and and beef casserole.

{Prepare} We had an excellent crop of figs.

As well as eating lots of them fresh from the tree, I was able to dry some. This was very successful so I am hoping to have enough to do again next year.

{Reduce} This is always a hard one as we do this each and every day. I turned a singlet of mine that was too short into one for Miss O.

{Green} The weather has brought out the mould but I am keeping things clean and smelling fresh with the use of clove oil. You can read a previous post here.

{Grow} The warm, dry beginning to the summer meant that we had about 8 mangoes on our small tree. We planted it about 4 years ago and this is the first time it has fruited. I suspect that it is generally too cool for them here but this year’s crop has made it worthwhile. They are some of the best mangoes I have tasted and the flesh is as smooth as anything with no sign of stringiness.

Last weekend we had a rare fine day so we bought and planted some vegetable seedlings. They have more than doubled in size in a week.

{Create} Since my sewing machine has returned from being serviced I have got quite a bit of sewing done. I am working through my stash of fabric as well as some pieces I have been given. Here are some of the results.

Winter and summer pyjama bottoms.

A new lining in my skirt.

{Discover} I don’t think I have read anything this month but in a different vein I did discover some fabric to be used when I was sorting out my stash.

{Enhance} We gave away the used fencing wire via Freecycle. I also shared some of the many self-sown cucumber seedlings with neighbours, work colleagues, blogging friends and also on Freecycle.

It is a shame that I did not take some photos of them. Not so much for the seedlings but the innovative packaging. I used some excess egg cartons that I had been given and each seedling and its soil was packed in a space in the carton.

An internet friend sent me some fabric and I used some of it to make a dress suitable for an 18 month old. I will send it to her for her granddaughter who was born last week.

{Enjoy} We travelled to Melbourne and spent a weekend with our daughter who moved there recently. We saw her new home, sampled food at some local establishments and shopped.

I bought this dress to wear to a wedding in a few weeks. I just need to finalise accessories.

The slow living this month has been heavily weighted towards sewing and I guess that is not entirely unexpected with being stuck indoors due to the weather.

Now I am off to check out some of the slow living blogs.

Til next month………..

Minimalism and Multipurpose

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Posted on February 20, 2013

While the nature of some tasks require a specific tool or space to complete the job, many things do not.

The first thing that comes to mind are the plethora of single-task appliances which seem to take up residence in many kitchens. You know the ones – waffle makers, ice-cream makers, popcorn makers, juicers, breadmakers and so on. I admit to having a breadmaker – The Duke makes all of our bread and has done for many years, although he is playing with the idea of artisan-style bread baked in the oven and successfully made a loaf the other day. We also have a juicer which could be used more.

However, today I want to take the concept of multipurpose away from appliances. When we had our kitchen re-modelled a few years ago we created a large amount of bench space, including this breakfast bar.

We use this space for eating meals, serving food and general food preparation so it does not always look like this. Once I have finished using the bench, it is cleared and we try not to use it as a ‘dumping ground’.

By having a clean, clear bench I am able to use it for other purposes.

I can pull the chairs back out of the way and I have a cutting table and workbench for when I am sewing. It is the perfect height and totally stable. I am also able to access it from almost any direction. My sewing machine is in the closest bedroom (a few steps along the hallway) but this is the perfect solution for me.

So, which comes first minimalism or multipurposing? If I had more stuff the bench would probably not be clear to use. If I could not use the bench would I acquire a suitable table and contribute to more stuff?

This is a winning solution whichever way I look at it.

Storing the Surplus

Slow Living – January

11 Comments

Posted on February 1, 2013

Today I have decided to dip my toe in and join the monthly diary started by Christine over at Slow Living Essentials. The idea is to post a round up of the slow living activities for the month based on nine categories. I have watched with interest and think that this idea will link in nicely with many of my own ideals and goals. Although Christine lives in Victoria, Australia I actually discovered her blog through Heidi’s slow living posts over at Lightly Crunchy. Heidi is in Ontario, Canada – what a small world our online community is!

Here are the Slow Living categories:

{Nourish} We eat largely unprocessed foods. I eat a gluten and grain-free diet for my health. I have been doing this for 6 months and am reaping the benefits. Here is my ‘cereal’ recipe.

{Prepare} A bumper tomato crop from several varieties gave me ample opportunity to save for later.

I made tomato sauce and tomato paste.

In the dying days of the month, I decided that I couldn’t bear to lose the 4kg of tomatoes that had been frozen and were rapidly thawing due to loss of power for 2 days. Using the gas cooktop, I boiled them up and reduced the liquid then bottled and preserved them using a hot water bath.

I needed to be a little inventive as I normally sterilise my bottling jars and lids in the oven at 140C. This time I boiled the jars and utensils. Finally, I used the same water for the hot water bath. Remember, I had to haul the water in a bucket from the tank at the back of our block.

We also prepared for, and survived, the wild weather from ex Tropical Cyclone Oswald (hurricane).

{Reduce} We repainted the old star pickets to re-use in the fencing project. You can’t see them here – the timber corner and bracing posts are new.

{Green} The timber chairs and table are sparkling after being polished. I use some vegetable oil with a little lemon essential oil on a soft rag to dust and polish all of the timber furniture.

{Grow} The tomatoes grew in abundance as did cucumbers. Due to a warm, dry summer (until the last week) we managed to successfully grow cantaloupe and capsicums (red peppers). The next month will be clearing and resting the beds ready for sowing again in March, weather permitting.

{Create} My sewing machine has been out of action (and, boy have I missed it)! I have been doing some hand sewing – mending a couple of items for Missy.

{Discover} I have indulged in some fiction this month. I bought the entire ‘Anne of Green Gables’ series for my Kindle. It was only a couple of dollars and will provide hours of reading. I did not read the books when I was young, although I did watch the videos when my daughters had them.

{Enhance} We swapped a cantaloupe for 2 small pumpkins with a neighbour. Also, checked to see how neighbours were going during the storms and flooding.

I also gave away 75 novels on Freecycle. The recipient was a co-ordinator for the Lifeline Bookfest so that is where they will be going. I feel like that is giving several times over. 🙂 They were ones that we now also have on our Kindles. We are enjoying the space, too.

{Enjoy} I introduced my granddaughters to live theatre.

Miss O and I went to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in Sydney and I took Izz to see Hairy McLary, based on the books by Lynley Dodd.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my first month of slow living as much as I have writing it. Looking back back over a whole month and what you have done is really worthwhile. I plan to continue this segment for the entire year. There are lots more blogs participating so it would be great if you check them out as well.

No Power – No Worries

9 Comments

Posted on January 31, 2013

As many of you would be aware, a large portion of the eastern part of Queensland has endured some pretty wild weather over the past week or so. Ex Cyclone Oswald (hurricane) has wreaked havoc over a large area. Because the system was moving quite slowly we had plenty of time to prepare for the bad weather.

‘Prepare’ is the key word here and I think I did a reasonable job. As usual, there are things that we did well and some that could be improved. In the interests of creating a reference for the future I thought I would share what I discovered.

Firstly, here is a bit of background. Our household consists of 2 adults in a 3 bedroom, high-set timber-framed home on a small acreage. We are totally reliant on our tank water and have solar hot water as well as grid-connected solar panels. We live about 8km from the nearest town and there is no public transport. We have 2 vehicles. Strong coastal winds do affect our property.

Apart from the risk of structural damage to our home, my main concern was losing power. Without electricity we are unable to run the pump to get water to the house so we boiled water so that it was ready to drink. We prepared 40 litres which we stored in a 20 litre drum from our camping equipment and the Duke’s 20 litre home brew kit. We have a refrigerator/freezer in the kitchen as well as a small upright freezer in the study. I filled several ice-cream containers with water to freeze in an attempt to keep the frozen goods OK for as long as possible.

Once we lost power we were still able to access water from a tap on the tank to fill buckets. However, it is about a 400 metre round trip to the tank.

Because we are connected to the grid we cannot access power directly from our solar panels. I have heard that this can now be done so I will be investigating this possibility with the company that installed the panels.

Cooking was not a problem as we have a gas cooktop and we also had the wood-heater blazing in an attempt to keep the humidity down. We had 2 billies of water on the heater at all times so there was plenty of warm water for a ‘shower’ using buckets of warm water. I also cooked soup and bolognaise sauce on the heater .

The biggest challenge was keeping food cold. Since the refrigerator/freezer was in the same zone of the house as the wood heater it did not stay cool for long. The small freezer fared better as it was in another part of the house. I ended up using it like an ice-chest. It was lucky that we did not have a lot of meat on hand so I was able to cook and use all of it without any loss. I did throw out a few things but the total value would have been less than $30. That is a small price to pay rather than getting sick from eating food that has not been stored safely.

We were without power for a total of 59 hours and in that time we had to work hard just to ensure that we had food and drink as well as water for washing dishes and bathing. I did not even contemplate washing clothes as I knew that we had enough to last until the immediate crisis was over.

THINGS I DID WELL

Prepared plenty of drinking water
Cooked nutritious meals using ingredients we had available
Made sure that the perishable foodstuffs were used first
Wasted a minimal amount of food
Bought a lighter for the gas stove/fire when we realised that the humidity meant the matchbox was damp and striking a match was almost impossible
Having the house decluttered and organised meant that we knew where things were and they were easy to access with minimal light

THINGS I COULD DO BETTER

Start freezing water earlier to ensure that it is completely frozen before the power is lost
Consider buying a small generator
Set the camp fridge to ‘freeze’ before power is lost and fill it with frozen goods that will not need to be accessed during power outage. This would be especially useful if I had a lot of meat.
Move the small freezer downstairs (the coolest part of the house) and use like an ice-chest
Follow up on our plans to install a rainwater tank close to the house so that water is easier to access

I also gave some thought to what we would take if the house were damaged substantially. I had sturdy shoes and socks and a torch as well as my essential medications ready to grab if we needed to seek shelter downstairs. This seems very minimal and I need to give a lot more thought to what we would need to take if we had to leave in a hurry for any reason. I would love to hear if you have a ‘grab-bag’, what is in it and where you store it.

We survived quite well and were certainly not tested to the limit but the last week has given us several things to think about and priorities to consider.

Dinner Module

4 Comments

Posted on January 24, 2013

I have previously mentioned the concept of having modules to contain items fore a particular purpose. It helps to set limits so that you cannot begin to store more of a group of items than what will fit in the container.

Modules are also a useful concept to keep all of the things that will be used for a project in one place. It is this theory that I applied this morning in my kitchen.

Before I left for work I began the preparation for dinner. We will be having stuffed capsicums (red peppers) so the peppers are de-seeded and washed. I also thawed some rice which I will use when I make one for The Duke and there is grated sweet potato for the stuffing of mine. I have not finalised exactly what else I will use but there will definitely be mushrooms in the mix.

So, I grabbed a large plastic container (and lid), put all of the partly prepared ingredients in the tub and popped it in the fridge. Now it is all ready to go when I get home so I can quickly finish the preparation.