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Our Family’s Spring Commitment

Spring cooking

Our native hibiscus has started to renew, our Spring Herbs are thriving, and the bees are buzzing around the lavender… just like that spring has arrived!

Our family is in that brief lull between winter and summer sporting activities, and so for a change weekend activities are at my discretion. Hats on, we are hitting the garden.

I’ve been inspired by my neighbour who has recently given me a few of her mini cabbages. Simply steamed with a little butter, salt and pepper, it was delicious! The mini cabbages are such a convenient serving size, so it’s straight from the garden, steamed and onto our plates. Perfect convenience food! I’m hoping they will thrive in my garden as well and in a few months, we will be feasting on our own cabbages. I just hope the white moths don’t find out!

Compostapak Caddy

Hopefully many of you now have access to FOGO. Approximately 30% of Australian households can now place their food in their Kitchen Caddy for composting. For the larger cities, it’s coming soon, with new processing facilities being built all over Australia. This small change in so many households is making a real difference, reducing emissions and our contribution to global warming. But we need to do more.

I’m on a mission this season to try to further reduce our food waste. Although we compost, food is scarce, as are the resources used in the production, packaging, and transportation of food. Australian research has identified our top wasted food items, and I’m sorry to say our family is not unique. Bread, Bananas, Bagged Lettuce/ Salad, and meat. Milk does also appear in the research, however with my kids, it’s definitely not a problem.

So here are my go-to tips to reduce our three most wasted food items.

 

Australia’s most commonly wasted food
#1 Bread
I’ve reduced how many loaves of bread I buy, swapping to wraps for the kids once my first loaf runs out, given their much longer shelf life. I also have fruit loaf in the freezer for toast. The kids love it, and the toaster defrosts and toasts it, so it’s just as convenient.

My favourite recipe when I do have stale bread is Italian breadcrumbs. Perfect as a garnish on pasta, meat or roasted veggies. Amazing on a cheese platter with my favourite goat’s cheese or hummus. It’s so good you will be buying extra bread just to replenish!

Italian Breadcrumbs

 

Australia’s most commonly wasted food
#2 Banana

It’s common to find really ripe bananas in our pantry which the kids refuse to eat, so we have our banana bread recipe down to a fine art. I actually premix the dry items, so all the kids need to do is mash bananas, melt butter and add eggs and Milk. So easy. Once cooled, I then add it to our ‘recess drawer’ in the freezer, and the kids choose each morning what they are going to take for the day.

Fruit bread

 

Australia’s most commonly wasted food
#3 Bagged Lettuce and Salad

I rarely buy lettuce. I find it often smells out of date from when you even open the bag. Instead, it’s always sown in our garden. For the times of the year when it might be more difficult to grow, my rocket always gets me through. When I started our small garden I purchased lots of different lettuce seeds, to see what worked best for our location. Now we have a few options which thrive and so as one garden bed is coming to maturity, I start to plant the next. Growing greens is so easy, even in pots all you need is sunshine and a relaxing daily watering routine and you will be eating fresh greens within weeks.Growing lettuce

 

Enjoy the sunshine and natural spectacle which is spring,

Mel

 

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Spring Herbs

Spring Update

It’s spring! I’m always tempted to say it’s my favourite season, but the truth is, I love most the promise of change that each season brings, with new things to look forward to.

As the weather changes, so to does our family’s lifestyle with the shift from being rugged up on the soccer field cheering, to enjoying the fresh breeze as the kids learn to sail on the lake. Spring also brings the promise of entertaining, and a shift in cooking to fresher salads with raw ingredients.

This year I’m feeling particularly inspired by the herbs which are thriving in the spring garden. After hanging over the pot last year, our oregano has now escaped into the garden, with the mint and thyme not far behind. We even have basil re-emerging out of the compost where it flourished last year, and rosemary elegantly stretching down our rock retaining walls.

 

Spring Herbs Climbing in the Garden

 

If you are limited on space, or time, herbs are my favourite plants, with the biggest reward. I love cooking, and a few fresh herbs can transform the look and taste of simple produce.

My current seasonal favourites…

  • Fresh Minted Peas. Mint transforms frozen peas into a delicious bed for roasts.
  • Roast Pumpkin with Rosemary and Dukka. Amazing in salads, this even sneaks into kids’ salad wraps for school.
  • Creamy Thyme Chicken. A midweek favourite with the kids because of the flavour, and with me, because it’s so quick, I can help them with homework before bed.

Shallots… I just put this on everything. Peter jokes that nothing can leave the kitchen without “the green”. It just makes everything look and taste better!

You can read the full recipes here.

 

FOGO Kitchen Caddy and Liners

 

Speaking of change, it’s been a turbulent time for the compostable and FOGO (Food Organics Garden Organics) industry over the last couple of months. The NSW EPA has recently banned all food packaging from FOGO Programs, limited programs to Garden Waste, Food Scraps and Compostable Bags only. This surprisingly quick decision came as a result of testing which found elevated levels of PFAS and contaminants in compost in many commercial facilities. Contamination is perhaps not surprising when you consider how many green-washed products have flooded the market, often containing harmful chemicals and micro-plastics.

If you are composting at home, you can be a little more flexible with your included products, however I would recommend always checking for the Australian Certified compostable logos. In addition, even if items seem to be made of organic material, such as cardboard, avoid products with lots of colour and dye, or if they feel waxy. For now, those pizza boxes may be best in the Landfill Bin, as protecting your compost from contaminants will protect your precious garden soil.

Enjoy spring and happy composting as the weather warms up!

Mel

PS. Thank you to everyone who recommends our products. We have many new customers supporting our Australian Family Business, which has meant we have even employed two new trainees. Don’t forget, if you are recommending Compost-A-Pak, the code ‘friends’ provides a small discount to anyone who hasn’t ordered before.

 

Compost-A-Pak Herbs in Spring

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Spring Gardening

Cooking With Spring Herbs

Spring Herbs Growing in the GardenI love cooking with fresh produce particularly when it’s been grown in our little garden.

Herbs are certainly my favourites! Even if you have limited space, or time, given the right spot, herbs can thrive without much care, and then when it comes to cooking, they can completely transform a dish.

I’ve included a few of my seasonal favourite recipes below. They all have a herb as the key ingredient, usually one which needs pruning at this time of year!

 

Minted Peas

This recipe transforms frozen peas into delicious, mashed bed for roast meats. I love the balance of flavours between the freshness of this dish, and the full flavour of the roast meat and vegies.

Ingredients
  • 400g Frozen Baby Peas
  • Half of a Brown OnionSpring Gardening and Cooking wtih Herbs
  • Tablespoon Butter (Or Nuttelex as a dairy free substitute)
  • Generous handful of Mint chopped well (Approx. 1/2 cup)
Method
  • Soften the Butter in a pan and add the Onions, cooking over low heat until translucent.
  • Add Baby Peas. Heat over low heat for 5 minutes, with the lid on to retain the moisture.
  • Then blend the mixture, or mash if you want a coarser appearance, and then stir through the chopped Mint leaves just before serving.
  • Generously season and serve.

 

Roast Pumpkin with Rosemary and DukkahRoast Pumpkin with Rosemary and Dukkah

This is a recipe I often cook on a Sunday afternoon in Spring, just to have in the fridge for the week. It’s amazing as an accompaniment to meat dishes, added to salads, and I even sneak it sliced into the kids’ salad wraps for school, making them more filling and tastier.

Ingredients
  • ¼ Pumpkin (Tip –  I usually purchase whatever is on sale, as when it’s plentiful it’s usually in season and fresher. Butternut and Queensland Blue pumpkins are favourites.)
  • 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 4 Cloves of Aussie Garlic
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
  • Bunch of Fresh Rosemary. (Set aside one sprig and finely chop to ½ Tablespoon)
  • 2 Tablespoons Dukkah
Method
  • Preheat your oven to 180.
  • Crush the Garlic to release the oils, and then place this into the Oil to fuse.
  • Cut the Pumpkin into chunks. I like to leave the skin on. It’s delicious and eliminates unnecessary food waste.
  • Place a little Oil on the bottom of the roasting pan, and add your Rosemary and Pumpkin, skin down. Sprinkle some Smoked Paprika overRoasted Pumpkin with Rosemary, Dukkah and Goats Cheese the Pumpkins. Use the remaining Oil and Garlic to coat the Pumpkins.
  • Roast at 180 degrees for approximately 40 minutes. I usually re-drizzle the Oil in the pan onto the Pumpkin after 20 minutes. (Tip – If you want me make this quicker, simply cut the Pumpkin into smaller cubes, shake in a little more Olive Oil to coat and cook at 220 for approx. 20 minutes, or until each cube is golden brown and soft when pieced with a fork. Taste testing recommended!)
  • Finely chop the remaining Rosemary and mix through the Dukkah. Sprinkle the pumpkin with the mixture when it’s still hot. The Rosemary sprigs on the tray infuse the Pumpkin with a lovely woody flavour. The small additional to the end adds a fresher flavour.
P.S. Studies have shown this woodsy scent helps with concentration and may boost moods! Perfect before the kids homework duty! 😊

Added to a bed of greens with Goats’ Cheese and a splash of Red Wine Vinegar, this is my favourite salad!

 

Creamy Thyme Chicken

A midweek favourite with the kids because of the flavour, and with me, because it’s so quick I can help them with homework before bed.

IngredientsCreamy Thyme Chicken
  • 2 Large Chicken Breast
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 3 Tablespoons Butter (Or Nuttelex for a dairy fee option)
  • 1 Onion
  • 4 Cloves Garlic
  • ½ cup Chicken Broth (Or White Wine if you have an open bottle 😊)
  • 2 Teaspoons Lemon Juice (Freshly squeezed if possible)
  • 2 Teaspoon fresh Thyme Leaves and handful of sprigs to garnish
  • ½ cup Thickened Cream
  • Optional Parsley or Chives to garnish is you have them in the garden.
Method
  • Slice each Breast into serving pieces. I usually cut thirds however the key is to keep the even thickness. Coat the breasts in the Olive Oil and season.
  • Melt 1 Tablespoon of Butter over a medium-high heat and then add the Chicken in batches. Cook for approx. 3-4 minutes per side, so that it’s aCooking Creamy Chicken with Thyme lovely golden colour and cooked through. If unsure cut open one of the thicker pieces. Remove from pan.
  • Over medium heat, add extra Butter, Onion and Garlic until the Onion is translucent. (Approx. 3 minutes)
  • Add Chicken Broth (or wine), Lemon Juice and Fresh Thyme Leaves and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Stir regularly.

Tip – I remove a little of the sauce at this point and set aside with a chicken portion so I can feed the dairy free member of our family. It’s delicious even before the cream.

  • Over a low heat, add the Cream, stir well and add back in the Chicken including and juices which has escaped as they rested. Heat gently (low) for another 2 minutes and it’s ready to serve.
  • Garnish with the left-over Thyme, and any leftover Lemon pieces. Parsley or Chives are also a lovely addition for garnishing if they are handy.
  • I usually service this dish with rice, or mashed potato and some greens such as broccoli or beans.

 

ShallotsSpring Gardening and Cooking

 
So, this is not a recipe, but Shallots are certainly my favourite herb to grow. It looks gorgeous in pots and is easy to grow if you have sunny spot.

I just put this on everything… steak, salads, noodles, rice dishes and scramble eggs. Peter jokes that nothing can leave the kitchen without “the green”. It just makes everything look and taste better! Plus, it turns out shallots play a role in removing toxins from the bloodstream…. What’s not to love!!

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