I've moved!!!

Hello loyal readers!  I've moved house to WordPress - as I find it easier to manipulate my blog and make it look the way I want.  You also can follow without having a Google account.

Find all the old content as well as new stuff and dress progress at

http://soilseedsneedlethread.wordpress.com/

See you for the housewarming!

Enjoy,
Kat

What you put on you, not in you

As you've probably guessed, I'm a big advocate for knowing what you put into your body an giving your machine the best, most high quality fuel possible.  However, for about 3 years now I've been also a bit advocate of knowing what you put on your body...you know... make-up, moisturiser, cleanser, shampoo, conditioners....the list can be endless.  I used to buy drug store whatever until I came upon this site...and it literally changed my shopping habits overnight.

The database is called Skin Deep and is run by the Environmental Working Group.  They have a huge database of skincare, haircare, make-up etc and the ingredients contained within.  But the best feature is an overall rating giving you an idea of the hazards that the chemicals contained in that product may pose.  It then breaks it down each chemical and gives you a rating for each and sites the evidence for the rating.  It's very informative and I highly recommend you look up the products you use everyday.

Just one more way we can take control of our bodies.

Enjoy,
Kat

Stupidly easy rhubarb spread

I heart rhubarb...I grew up with heaps of the stuff.  Unforunatley our rhubarb is about 5cm tall at the moment.  No problem, that's what fruit and veg shops are for, right?  Next time you're at the market pick up 5-6 stalks of the red stuff and try this out...it's FANTASTIC on toast or english muffins (well, I think so anyways)

You'll need:
5-6 stalks rhubarb
100g sugar (or so...sweeten to your taste)


1.  Cut rhubarb into chunks
2.  Put in a heavy bottom sauce pan (to be honest, mine is cheap a$$, and it still worked) along with sugar and 100 ml  of water
3.  Simmer until the consistency of a puree (about 30 min or so)

See...easy, eh?  Next put small batches into tupperware containers and allow to cool.  Slam one in the fridge for tomorrow morning and put the rest in the freezer where they will sit happily until your next craving.

Enjoy!
Kat

My first beet pickle!

The first thing I thought of while gazing lustfully at my shiny new jars were the beets that were very ready for harvesting from the garden.

So I decided to give er a go and can the little guys (well, not so little).  If you'd like to do the same, here's what you need:

500g beets (of same size, roughly)
500 ml red wine vinegar
112 g granulated sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise seed
2 peppercorns
1 small bay leaf
a pinch of salt

Cut the stems off the beets being careful not to injure the beets so they don't bleed.  In a heavy bottom saucepan, mix all the ingredients except the beets.  Heat gently until sugar dissolves, and then bring to a boil. Add the beets and boil for 1-2 hours until beets are VERY tender when poked with a skewer. Let cool in broth.

This is when you get your canning pot full of hot water (so it will cover the jars by at least 5 cm).  Bring to a simmer (not rolling boil at this point) and place your jars into the hot water as well as your lids.  This is to prevent jar breakage.  Leave in the simmering water for 10 minutes or until ready for use.

When your beets are cool enough to handle, remove with a slotted spoon, peel and dice.  Take your hot jars from the water immediately before use and fill until 0.5cm headspace remains. Remove cinnamon stick, bay leaf and anise seed and bring liquid to a boil again.  Once boiling, remove from heat and fill jars until 0.5 cm headspace remains.  Wipe the jar tops with a clean cloth as well as the lids - you want NOTHING coming between the jar and the seal or else it won't form properly and you won't get a seal - leading to fool spoilage (bad!).  Place the lids on and tighten the bands finger tight.

Immediately put your sealed jars into the canner and crank up the heat.  Wait till it comes to a rolling boil and set your timer for 30 minutes.  After processing for 30 minutes, remove the jars and place on a towel  10 cm apart and let cool naturally for 24 hours.  You should hear a 'ping' when the seal forms.  After 24 hours, label and place in a cool dry place.

You should wait for 1 month for the flavours to mature but the pickle will stay for 1 year if you can wait that long!  Come back in a month for the outcome of my first canning adventure!  Can't wait to do it again!

Enjoy,
Kat

Canning gear!

I've always wanted to start canning.  It's such a great way to preserve tasty ripe fruit and veg from the garden and it allows you to make your own spreads, marmalades, chutneys and pickles!  But, in order to do things properly (and safely, I might add) you need the right equipment.

I found a great (and relatively cheap) preserving kit from Red Back Trading Company, which comes with a dozen Ball Mason jars (more about these in a bit), a giant canning pot with a handy rack, lids, a great book and some handy canning accessories.  The whole kit was around $250, so a great value.  I got my jars on Saturday and see how happy I am!

Here in Australia we also have Fowlers Vacola jars...however I find the start up costs for these jars to be astronomical and the amount of accessories you need is over the top.  The Ball Masons have been made in America for over 100 years and only consist of a jar, a lid and a band which screws on the lid.  The only thing you can only use once is the lid.  The other handy feature of these jars is that you can screw the band back onto the jar once you use it and put it in the fridge (whereas you need to purchase a plastic lid for the Vacola jars once the seal is opened).

Stay tuned for my first canning adventure!

Enjoy!
Kat

Make your own granola bars

Let's face it - granola (muesli) bars are a great afternoon snack when your mind is repeating the word "chocolate" every 1.5 minutes.  However, if you look at the ingredient list of 80% of the brands on the supermarket shelf, they contain a lot of extra sugar - most sinister is "high fructose corn syrup" - no thanks.

Making your own snackies are SO EASY and you can put whatever you want in them - blueberries, apricots, cherries, yes, even dark chocolate chips!  The best thing is - you know exactly what went into them and can adjust things like sweetness to your preference.  I used Alton Brown's recipe and it's baking right now!

Dry ingredients toasted nicely

Oatmeal, nuts, fruit and honey in sweet sweet harmony

All pressed into the pan and ready for the oven! Ps - wet your fingers, it makes it soo much easier

I made a few changes, though.  I have a 9X13 pan, so I multiplied everything by 1.5 to fit my bigger pan.  I also nixed the brown sugar, figuring that honey was enough - and it was.  When I tasted the mix, I still thought it was too sweet, so I'll use less honey next time.   Nevertheless - DELICIOUSNESS!  It's really important to let the bars stand after baking (overnight is good) to set properly...otherwise you'll have granola blobs.

I chose dried blueberries, almonds, hazelnuts and cashews for my granola bars - what will you choose?

Enjoy!
Kat

Make your own chic organizer wallet!

I've got too many cards and crap all mashed into one place in my tiny wallet.  It seems I've been in Perth long enough now to start to accumulate a few plastic cards, some gift vouchers and pictures etc - along with cash and coins.  Time to get organized.  In the spirit of self-sufficiency, and feeling like a challenge - I decided to make my own organizing wallet.  I scoured the internet for tutorials and found this gem, which you can find here.

The tutorial is super easy to follow with pictures at every step.  It only used less than 2 fat quarters (a fat quarter is one quarter of a square yard, or 18" x 22") of quilter's cotton and some heavy interfacing - probably about $10 worth of supplies.  I had a super cute fat quarter lying around in my sewing room that I was just dying to use.  If you've got a sewing machine and a bit of time (a few hours), why don't you give it a whirl?  I love my new wallet - check it out!