blog

blog http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/trisha-s-blog/ Roast Vege Salad for a Shared Meal http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/roast-vege-salad-for-a-shared-meal/ Every Tuesday evening I go to Maori language class. We start at 5pm and finish around 9.45. Everyone brings a contribution for a shared evening meal. There are vegetarians and meat-eaters and some of us are gluten free or lactose intolerant. A few peops won't eat meat/chicken unless it is free-farmed and organic so bringing a plate for a shared meal these days is not so straight forward! During the warmer months a huge garden salad, with a scrummy vinaigrette dressing made with my own <a title="apple cider vinegar" href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/make-your-own-apple-cider-vinegar-part-one/#Make your own apple cider vinegar">apple cider vinegar</a> is always appreciated by most of the whanau but now the weather's turning I'm going to start making a roast vege salad. It's fuss free and you'll find you pretty much always have a good enough selection of veges on hand to whip this up and it's simply yummy. <img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/Uploads/NewFolder-325/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG4497.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/> Wash and cut the vegetables into large bite-size pieces, spread onto a shallow baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and turn veges to spread the oil, sprinkle with good salt and freshly ground pepper. For an extra bit of flavour nestle some sprigs of fresh thyme amongst the veges. Cook in a moderate preheated oven for about half an hour. Remove from the oven and drizzle some balsamic vinegar over the veges. <img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/Uploads/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG4516.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>Today I used 1 red bell pepper, 2 small purple kumara, 1 med carrot, 3 small purple onion, 1 large beetroot, 1 large potato and 1 piece of pumpkin. I also love to use eggplant, mushrooms, courgettes, yellow peppers, garlic cloves still in the skin and sweet cherry tomatoes. Ready to take to my class tonight. So simple and delish. Enjoy!
 
 
 Mon, 06 May 2013 19:25:19 -0400 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/roast-vege-salad-for-a-shared-meal/ Fresh fruit juice. http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/fresh-fruit-juice/ Got a problem with too many apples? There's a few different things you can do to store them. You can preserve stewed apples in jars or you can freeze them. Try making your own <a title="make your own apple cider vinegar" href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/make-your-own-apple-cider-vinegar-part-one/#apple cider vinegar">apple cider vinegar</a> or freeze freshly made apple juice. That's what I'm doing today. I'm making apple and feijoa juice and freezing it. Yup you guessed it. I've also got a problem (joke) with too many feijoas. Feijoas do make a really good chutney. I also freeze the pulp in little snaplock bags for winter puddings and winter smoothies. They sweeten up amazingly from freezing. I'm lucky enough to have a powerful juicer that will take a whole apple. All I have to do is give them a wash and put them through the juicer, no peeling and no coring. I've added a good cup of feijoa pulp to each load and this makes a really nice juice, fresh and not too sweet. I add a teaspoon of Vitamin C powder to each bottle too. It's a natural antioxidant and preservative and gives an extra vitamin C boost for winter when you most need it. I'll be bringing these bottles out during the winter months. I had a whole stash of Goji bottles which I've used as they are pharmaceutical grade and non leaching. You can use glass bottles as well but avoid using plastic as it will leach toxins into the juice. For more info read the full post.
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Washing apples
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Feijoa pulp ready to go into the juicer.
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Fruit into the machine
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Nectar of the Gods
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Adding the vitamin C powder to the bottle
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And of course the juice
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/Uploads/_resampled/resizedimage450600-IMG4449.JPG" width="450" height="600" alt="" title=""/>You can absolutely use glass bottles but make sure not to fill them to the top. This allows expansion of the juice as it freezes, without breaking the bottle. The best idea is to put glass bottles into the freezer without the lids on and cap them once the liquid is frozen. I've been putting down about five bottles every few days. It only takes around half an hour to do and so worth it. Once defrosted and opened, the juice easily lasts for a week in the fridge. Enjoy!
 
 
 
 Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:22:49 -0400 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/fresh-fruit-juice/ Poppy Seed Bread http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/poppy-seed-bread/ I made a poppy seed bread at Christmas to honour our Polish ancestory on my dad's side. It will now become a permanent addition to my special occasion bread making sessions. It's a sweet bread that tastes just as good fresh as it does a few days old. On day two or three (if there is any left) dress liberally with slices of cold butter. It's seriously yum. Almonds, poppy seeds, mixed peel, cinnamon and raisins make up the filling. Today Easter Sunday I made it for the second time and it was even better than my first attempt. For the recipe read the full post.<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/Uploads/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG4356.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
 
For the dough; 3 cups white flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tbsp caster sugar, 3 tsp yeast grains, 1/2 cup lukewarm milk, 2 small eggs lightly beaten, 1/4 cup melted butter.
For the filling; 3/4 cup poppy seeds, 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup ground almonds, 1/3 cup mixed peel, 6 tbsp caster sugar, 1/2 tsp cinammon.
For the icing; 1 cup icing sugar, juice of medium sized lemon, 2 tbsp water.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/Uploads/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG4295_2.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Into a large mixing bowl sift the flour and the salt. Stir in the sugar.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/Uploads/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG4314.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/> Heat the milk till lukewarm then stir in the yeast granules.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/Uploads/NewFolder-325/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG4318.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
 Add the lightly beaten eggs, the melted butter and the yeast/milk into the flour
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and mix to a dough.
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On a lightly floured surface continue kneading (about 5 minutes) until the dough is relatively soft and malleable. Lightly rub oil over the ball of dough and place back into the bowl, covering with a cloth and leaving to rise in a warm place. The rising time will take about 1 1/2 hours, depending on the ambient temperature. The dough should double in size.
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While the dough is rising pour boiling water over the poppy seeds and allow to cool. Once cooled, drain the water off through a fine sieve. I ended up using a tea strainer as poppy seeds are indeed very small!
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In a small pan melt the butter. Add the poppy seeds and simmer and stir for a few minutes.
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Take the pan off the heat and add the raisins, ground almonds, mixed peel, the sugar and cinnamon. 
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Mix and leave aside to cool 
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Turn out your by now risen dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knock down and knead very lightly. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a rectangle shape approx 40cm x 30cms.
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Spread the now cooled poppy seed filling over the dough leaving clear a strip of about 2 cms around the edge. Roll up the dough starting from a long edge and tuck/squash in the ends to seal.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/Uploads/NewFolder-325/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG4344.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>Place the roll seam side down onto a lightly greased oven tray. Ever so gently spread a little oil over the dough, lightly cover with a clean cloth and leave in a warm place for about 1/2 hour or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 190 C. When risen bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack until just warm.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/Uploads/NewFolder-325/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG4347.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>Meanwhile in a small pan mix the icing sugar, the juice of 1 lemon and a little water. Heat the mixture gently until warm. Drizzle the icing over the bread and sprinkle wiyth the flaked almonds. It's a bit tricky getting the icing the right heat/consistency and not having it all run straight off the loaf. Try with a little first and if too runny let it cool down some more. I have found this bread improves with age, so it's perfect to make a day in advance of eating. The filling keeps the bread moist and the flavours enhance with time.
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Easter treats. Enjoy!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Fri, 29 Mar 2013 20:51:56 -0400 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/poppy-seed-bread/ BLACKBERRY PIE http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/blackberry-pie/ Like most kiwi's foraging is in my genes. I can proudly claim Polish and English descent on my dad's side and Taranaki Maori and Welsh on my mum's side. My dad's greatgrandparents came over to New Zealand as refugees to escape the annexation of their country by Germany. Polish schools were closed and to use the Polish language was forbidden. This was in 1876. They were stoic folk, my people. They sailed to New Zealand on a scheme that was abandoned by the NZ Company mid-ocean and on arrival were sent by the colonial Government to Inglewood, Taranaki, as labourers. Somehow they managed to survive. At the time it was said they were treated worse than the Maori. My Polish ancestors gathered the native tree fungus hokeke and sold it to Chew Chong, an enterprising and honourable Chinese business man. He traveled up and down country on the train and purchased sacks of the fungus from the Polish immigrants. These he exported to China. For the recipe read the full post.
Interestingly at the same time on the other side of the mountain my mothers ancestors were trying to come to terms with their displacement. Almost all the productive land was being illegaly confiscated from the Taranaki tribes. The infamous Taranaki land wars were over, and the colonial Government was working hard to sell or lease to English settlers all maori land. In 1881 Parihaka would be made an example of with all of the men-folk illegaly imprisoned and sent to the South Island to serve years of hard labour. Parihaka had been a model village. They grew most of their food, raised their own animals and of course supplemented with foraged delicacies. For pre-European Maori, gathering food was a way of life. The bush, rivers and sea-shore were full of kai. They added this to their extensive kumara cultivations.
Yes foraging is in my blood, running thick and fast. I've come to understand why I have always loved foraging, why it makes me feel connected to myself. It's time standing still.<img class="right" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/Uploads/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG3960.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
My dad, who's 84 years young, tells of when he was a boy. He tells of his extended family working together to gather and process blackberries during the late summer. Forty gallon drums can you believe it, on the back of wagons filled with blackberries and taken back to the old Inglewood farmhouse where they were cooked up into jams, jellies, wine and preserves. They threw long planks over top of the massive bushes of blackberries for access, and picked for days. 
When I was a little girl living in Auckland, my mum and I had this real thing for collecting blackberries. My play house was at the bottom of our section right beside my very own blackberry patch. The patch was well contained by these great big volcanic rocks, the clusters of fruit hanging over. As I got old enough I took over from my mum to make blackberry pies for the family. Later when I was at college I would come home from school and supplement my patch by gathering from around the neighbourhood, down the creek and on nearby vacant sections. These days we are lucky enough to live rural and we can fill our freezers with blackberries every year. The season is just beginning. Every two or three days during the growing season I pick. I put them into ziplock bags and they go straight in the freezer. I use them in smoothies, pies, cakes, jams and cordial. You can't beat them. Yesterday my mother gave me her first gathered bowlful. She told me she hadn't needed to put her armoured clothing on for this lot but she was planning to get serious over the next few weeks. Thank goodness some things never change :)
Ingredients for one 23cm pie;
2 cups white flour, 1/2 cup cold butter chopped into pieces, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 level tablespoons icing sugar, about 6 tablespoons very cold water, 2-3 cups blackberries, 2 desertspoons sugar.
 
Method;
To make the pastry;
Place all the ingredients except the water into a food processor with the blade attachment. Process until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Now add water down the feed chute while the machine is running. Process for about 20-30 seconds until the dough clumps together.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/Uploads/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG3969.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Remove the dough from the processor and form a ball. Wrap in Gladwrap or put it inside a plastic bag and refirigerate for about 30 minutes. This makes the dough easier to handle.
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Preheat the oven to 220C and prepare your pie dish, by lightly greasing it. When the dough is sufficiently chilled, divide it into half and roll out one half to fit the bottom of your dish. Don't forget to sprinkle a little flour on your bench and on your rolling pin to stop the pastry from sticking.
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Make a few fork pricks on the base then load it up with fruit. If you don't have enough blackberries just add some stewed apple.
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Sprinkle 2 desertspoons of sugar over the blackberries. I find the less sugar the better, but I prefer my berry pies more on the tart side. You can always serve with sweetened cream or ice cream. Roll out the remaining pastry to cover the fruit and use a wet fork to press down the edges.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/Uploads/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG4011.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Cut a pattern into the top of the pie. This lets some of the moisture out during cooking. Now brush a little milk over the pastry with a pastry brush and sprinkle some sugar over. Place into your heated oven and cook for about 30 minutes.
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Delicious, serve hot or cold with cream or ice cream.
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This is my dinner tonight! Yummy :) Sat, 02 Feb 2013 17:31:03 -0500 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/blackberry-pie/ Deliciously Citrusy Almond and Polenta Cake. http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/deliciously-citrusy-almond-and-polenta-cake/ I've been wanting to use polenta for years now. I finally have and it's certainly earned a spot in my cake-baking repertoire. These days I reserve baking for special occasions however, sometimes I would like to have a cake in the tin that I can indulge in now and then with a cuppa, and preferably it be wheat-free. This cake fits the bill exactly. The "flour" content is half polenta/half almond meal which brings down the cost of ingredients. I have another orange cake recipe where I use all macadamia meal. It's very, very delicious. I have my own macadamias, but it does takes forever to get enough nuts for a cake out of the shells. If I have someone around who is hungry enough for that cake they will often shell the nuts. Remember the story about the little red hen? For the recipe read the full post.
Ingredients;
125gm butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 2 eggs, 1 cup almond meal, 1 cup fine polenta, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 cup orange zest, 1 cup orange juice.
Method;
Prepare a 20cm cake tin by lining with baking paper. This time I used a loose bottom tin. Not a good idea as the mix is quite runny and juice actually leaked out of the bottom of the tin in the early stages of baking. Next time I'll use baking paper and a regular cake tin. It would probably be a little difficult removing the cake in one piece from an unlined tin. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Centigrade.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG3246.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Zest as many oranges as you need to make 1/4 cup zest. This time I made about 1/2 cup of zest. Super tasty. 
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I love to use seasonal produce. These are some of the oranges from our trees. They aren't that big but are perfect for zest and juicing. I've already zested from these and they are ready for juicing.
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Fresh orange juice. Keep aside with the zest.
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In a bowl put the firm butter, sugar and the vanilla extract.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG3269.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Now mix to a smooth cream. In cake making it's important not to melt the butter as this makes for an oily or heavy cake, it's got to be creamed from solid with the sugar.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG3274.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Add the eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition. This time I used three of my small bantam eggs, instead of two regular sized eggs.
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Now it looks like this. YUM!
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG3287.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Next add the polenta, the almond meal, the baking powder,
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG3288.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
the juice and the zest and fold them all together. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and place into the preheated oven. Cook for just under an hour. Test with a skewer. It's cooked when the skewer comes out clean.
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Serve warm or cooled with some natural yoghurt.
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Enjoy! I sure am :) Sun, 18 Nov 2012 03:25:40 -0500 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/deliciously-citrusy-almond-and-polenta-cake/ LUSCIOUS LEMON CURD http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/luscious-lemon-curd/ The lemon trees are loaded and the chooks are laying fit to bust. It never rains but it pours around here. (literally as well at metaphorically) So what to do with the abundance? It is tricky when you live on your own and far from your kids, to know what to do with all the produce. I've already <a title="preserved lemons" href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/preserved-lemons/#preserved lemons">preserved lemons,</a> made <a title="marmalade" href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/old-fashioned-grapefruit-marmalade/#marmalade">marmalade </a>and <a title="mixed peel" href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/making-your-own-mixed-peel-is-a-breeze/#mixed peel">mixed peel</a>. Eggs are more difficult to preserve but lemon curd is one way. I thought I could use some lemon curd or lemon honey, as it is also called, in an adaptation of my<a title="apple and almond cake" href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/my-very-very-delicious-almond-and-apple-cake/#almond and apple cake"> apple and almond cake</a> I'll substitute curd for the apples, add a layer of sour cream and maybe use poppy seeds instead of the almonds. I've got a recipe tucked away somewhere that sloshes a bit of gin on top of a lemon cake! That sounds yummy too. I'll let you know how it turns out! Again, I'm always a sucker for a citron tart with a dollop of thick, tart yoghurt. So many possibilities. I think I'll be needing to make a few batches! It is usual to store lemon curd in jars but still it must be kept in the fridge and will last for only a few months. I am going to experiment and freeze my lemon curd in snaplock bags. For the recipe read the full post.
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INGREDIENTS; 6 lemons, 185gms butter, 650g caster sugar, 6 eggs.
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Grate the skin of the lemons, avoiding the bitter white pith.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG3080.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Now juice the lemons and strain to remove any pips. Here I added the juice to the zest.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG3081.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
My new zester and citrus juicer. Both wonderful additions to my kitchen. I've been using the zester for grating fresh ginger for <a title="porridge" href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/best-ever-porridge-with-a-touch-of-ayurveda/#best ever porridge">porridge </a>and it produces such a fine zest so quickly and easily. The juicer was purchased by a friend (as a promo )for bombay sapphire gin. It strains as well as juices and it's brilliant.
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On a low heat melt the butter in a pot large enough to hold the remaining ingredients comfortably.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG3090.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Add the zest, the juice
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG3095.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
and the sugar to the pan. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG3097.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Now add the eggs to the mixture. The eggs shoud have been lightly beaten before being added to the mix but I forgot soooo I used a whisk and blended them in before they cooked. Whew! Maintaining a low heat is crucial at this stage as you don't want the eggs to cook before being blended in and you don't want the curd to catch on the bottom of the pan. You'll need to stir the curd continuously from 15 to 30 minutes until it thickens to the right consistency.
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Here is a nifty way to check if it's thick enough. Dip the wooden spoon in the curd and run your finger along the spoon. When your finger mark stays, the curd is ready.
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Transfer the curd to a medium meshed sieve sitting over top a bowl. You will need to force the curd through the seive. I can't abide waste so have also frozen the zest that couldn't pass through the mesh. I'll use it when I next make a simple madeira cake, adding it to the batter.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG3110.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Instead of pouring the curd into hot, clean and dry jars I froze mine into zip-lock bags. I made sure the curd filled the whole bag and contained no air. I'll simply defrost when I'm ready to use. Enjoy! Sat, 08 Sep 2012 03:25:17 -0400 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/luscious-lemon-curd/ OLD-FASHIONED GRAPEFRUIT MARMALADE. http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/old-fashioned-grapefruit-marmalade/ I love my home-made marmalade. There is nothing quite like it. Lashings of butter and chunky marmalade on freshly made bread and a hot cuppa, or for breakfast; a new laid egg, soft-boiled with toast and marmalade and a cup of best coffee. Last night after I'd cooked up this batch I couldn't resist having it for my dinner, on toast with chunks of good organic cheddar. Move over brown rice, well for last night anyway! I love my marmalade chunky with grapefruit. I'm not into minced up marmalade and I can't abide orange or lime marmalade. It's missing the strong and bitter taste that I crave in a marmalade. Here's how to make best grapefruit marmalade.
Ingredients;
4 large or 8 medium sized grapefruits, 2 lemons, 12 cups water, 12 cups sugar (I use organic). And yes I know it's a lot of sugar but it won't work without that amount. You're not going to eat it by the jarful, just a spoonful at a time every now and again so relax and enjoy.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2969.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
The night before you intend to make your marmalade, slice up the grapefruits and lemons. In a large pan cover the sliced fruits with the water. How you slice it depends on your preference. As you can see from the pic I prefer thick slices as the finished product has tenderly chewy lengths of peel. Try and remove most of the pips from the fruit as you slice. Leave to soak overnight.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2972.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Next day bring the fruit and water to the boil. Continue to boil briskly until the fruit is soft and pulpy - about 40 minutes.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2974.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Add sugar, bring quickly back up to the boil and boil fast until the setting point is reached. This will take another 40 minutes or so. Stir occasionally keeping watch to make sure the mixture doesn't burn and stick to the bottom of the pan.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2987.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
To test if your marmalade is cooked, place a small spoonfull onto a plate and let it cool. Put your finger onto it and when it sticks to your finger and gathers together you know that your marmalade is ready to put into jars.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2995.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
While your marmalade is cooking, thoroughly wash your jars and lids and have them sitting in a sink of clean hot water. Place newspaper and a warmed frying pan (use hot water) beside the preserving pan to catch any drips of marmalade. When your marmalade is ready take one warm jar at a time and dry it thoroughly with a clean tea towel. Place the jar onto the frying pan and using a ladle, fill the jar with hot marmalade. The jars need to be warm when you fill them otherwise they may crack.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG3000_2.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Allow to cool a little then lid. Make sure and give the jars a hot soapy wash before storing in your pantry. Enjoy!
 
 
 Sun, 05 Aug 2012 22:20:15 -0400 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/old-fashioned-grapefruit-marmalade/ Make your own apple cider vinegar Part two http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/make-your-own-apple-cider-vinegar-part-two/ I figured it was time I got around to straining off my apple cider vinegar. See <a title="part one" href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/make-your-own-apple-cider-vinegar-part-one/#Make your own apple cider vinegar"> Make your own cider vinegar Part one</a>. Well over a year has passed since I had put it down and it was a grey and rainy Sunday, just perfect for mucking around in the kitchen. Read the full post.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2940.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Here are some of my old flagon bottles filled with last years apple juice. Now they have quite a dense sediment on the bottom and ideally a good plug of dense jellyish stuff on the uppermost surface of the liquid.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2950.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Strain the vinegar off into clean bottles. I used a small funnel with a piece of clean cotton cloth over top to collect most of the sediment.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2945.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Try not to disturb the sediment too much whilst you pour your vinegar into the clean bottles. Some of the sediment will get through your cloth and that is ok. Over time this should form a 'mother' in your finished product.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2944.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
I gave them all the taste test. One tasted musty and another batch was too bland so these both were thrown out. The rest tasted really nice. Sharp and strong.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2954.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Enough vinegar for a few years here! Organic, homemade and packed with goodies for your digestive system. Each bottle has a slightly different flavour and acidity. Surprisingly the lighter ones are stronger than the darker ones. I think I'll be having a shot each morning before my breakfast! Cheers! Sun, 22 Jul 2012 22:54:11 -0400 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/make-your-own-apple-cider-vinegar-part-two/ RAW ONION versus NIGHT COUGH http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/raw-onion-versus-night-cough/ This winter as always, I was determined not to succumb to the bot. Sadly it sneaked in the back door when I wasn't looking. I dosed myself up with all my usual remedies, Vit C, echinacea, cayenne pepper, <a title="More than just a lemon drink " href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/more-than-just-a-lemon-drink/#lemon">lemon and honey drinks,</a> kumarahou and kawakawa tonics, and consequently I wasn't actually ever sick enough to warrant any time in bed or any days off work. What got me in the end was "The Cough" It came on every evening at 8pm and continued until 2am. It didn't matter whether I was in bed or out of bed, inside or outside, in the bath or by the fire. It was a horribly persistent and at times quite violent cough, which after 10 days was still going strong. By now I was really exhausted. A friend suggested using an onion in my room at night. I did and was quite blown away by the result. She has been doing this for her family for years and it has always worked for night coughs apart from when her boy had whooping cough. For more details read the full post.
So what you do is you chop an onion into chunks (don't worry about the skin) and put it inside a muslin bag or you can use a tea towel and a rubber band.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2923.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Place the bagged onion by your pillow so that it is quite near your face.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2918.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
I hung it over my headboard. The first night I did this I started coughing at my usual time of 8pm. I took myself off to bed at around 10pm ( still coughing ) accompanied by an onion. I closed my bedroom door and got into bed ( still coughing ) After a few more coughs I quickly fell asleep and as they say the rest is history. I needed to have an onion in my bedroom for three more nights and you need to use a fresh onion each time. I really wouldn't have believed this if I hadn't experienced it myself. The cough was so persistent and so violent and a single onion stopped it dead in it's tracks. No sugar needed to help this medicine down. Sat, 14 Jul 2012 22:54:09 -0400 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/raw-onion-versus-night-cough/ GREEN SMOOTHIE http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/green-smoothie/ I'm not sure why I have resisted green smoothies for so long. One reason perhaps is because I don't have a proper blender, let alone one of those high powered jobs that people who make green smoothies always recommend. I've always found my stick blender sufficient for making my favourite <a title="smoothie" href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/breakfast-smoothie/#smoothie">yoghurt smoothie.</a> Another thing I resist is buying greens. I want them freshly picked from the garden and still buzzing with vitality. Last week, I gave the green smoothie a go with my old faithful stick blender and it worked well enough. Every winter I am recommended by my wonderful osteopath to consume fresh, young raw greens. My gut goes into stagnation around this time of year and needs chlorophyll-rich living food. Well I came home from an osteopathic session last week and wandered around the garden picking a bit of this and a bit of that, stick blended it up with a little water and added some fresh fruit and a little honey. I am hooked now, and my gut has responded beautifully. Gone is the uncomfortable bloating and thankfully the gas. Kale is recommended as a major player in green smoothies, but I wanted to use only what was growing in the garden. This was to incorporate some of the edible weeds that I wax lyrical about on my blog. For my first smoothie, I picked a few leaves each of cos lettuce, silverbeet, kale, NZ spinach, parsley, dandelion, nasturtium, <a title="clover" href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/red-clover-trifolium-pratense/#clover">clover</a>,<a title="puha" href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/delicious-and-healthy-boil-up/#puha"> puha</a> and sorrel. The list is endless, you could add <a title="chickweed" href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/chickweed-stellaria-media/#chickweed">chickweed</a>, coriander (cilantro), rocket, land cress, mizuna, any of the rocket mixes etc etc, pretty much whatever you have on hand. As always make sure you have a thorough knowledge of any weeds you use to ensure they are safe for consumption. For the here's how read the full post.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2882.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
For today's green smoothie I am using kale, silverbeet, puha, red clover leaf, sorrel, dandelion leaf, cos lettuce, parsley and fennel leaf. Wash your greens. I remove the white stems of the silverbeet and the stems of the parsley as I'm using the less powerful stick blender.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2885.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Add a small glass of water to the greens to help the blending process.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2886.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Blend until smooth.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2890.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Now add fruit of your choice. Bananas are good, adding creaminess, as did these persimmons. Pineapple is another really good addition. Ripe pineapples were only $2.99 each at Fruit World so I bought one, peeled it and cut it into chunks, keeping it in the fridge for my smoothie.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2896.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Now add a little sweetener. You can use stevia powder, honey or maple syrup. Spirulina, chlorella or any of the other superfood green powders can be added now.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2899.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>A final blend and you are ready to go. Delicious, nutritious and so easy to make and digest......Enjoy! Sun, 24 Jun 2012 18:11:55 -0400 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/green-smoothie/ Best Ever Porridge with a touch of Ayurveda http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/best-ever-porridge-with-a-touch-of-ayurveda/ It seems to be true that as you get older your digestion becomes more sensitive and reactive. I used to be able to eat anything and in large quantities and suffer no consequences. Now I need to eat in a conscious way and choose carefully what I put into my body. Don't get me wrong, for the most part of my adult life I've endeavered to eat organic wholefood. However, these days there seems to be an increasing overload of weird stuff that goes into or onto our bodies no matter what we do. One of my daughters rang the other day to tell me she had read the label of the 'organic' rice milk that she had been enjoying of late and there it was. To her disappointment they were using canola oil. As my other daughter told me recently when talking about food "you have to choose your battles". Taking into account the high prices of everything so-called organically produced, for most regular families to make those healthy choices it must feel almost unachievable.
My best advice for families is to try and grow as much fruit and veg as possible. This is quite a commitment, but one that pays off in the long term. And don't buy all the stuff that is altered, lite this, trim that, GE this and that. Lets get back to basics and yes eating porridge for breakfast is a fine example. Since the onset of winter, I have been hankering for something warm, delicious, nutritious and quick to make for breakfast during these colder months. I absolutely love <a title="The breakfast" href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/the-breakfast/#The breakfast">The Breakfast</a> during the warmer months but I have now found my winter morning fix. This weekend past I was at a rongoa maori workshop and Donna our tutor shared this gem that had been suggested to her by an ayurvedic doctor. Adding a few Indian spices to old-fashioned porridge creates a memorable breakfast. Here's how.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage450600-IMG2786.JPG" width="450" height="600" alt="" title=""/>
INGREDIENTS FOR ONE PERSON;
1/2 cup rolled oats, a pinch of good salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, a teaspoon-sized chunk of grated ginger,a very small handful of raisins and 1 1/2 cups of cold water.
METHOD;
Add everything to a small pot and bring to the boil. Stir until thick and smooth. Serve with milk or cream, a drizzle of honey, maple syrup or a sprinkle of brown sugar. 
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2784.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
 
 REKAREKA!
 Tue, 12 Jun 2012 18:12:35 -0400 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/best-ever-porridge-with-a-touch-of-ayurveda/ Cooked Beetroot Salad http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/cooked-beetroot-salad/ This is my latest craze. Cooked beetroot salad. I've been having it nearly every day or a variation of for lunch for the last few weeks. Packed full of goodness, all the ingredients are usually close at hand. I cook enough beetroot and chickpeas to last me the week, and then <img class="left" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2730.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>pick the fresh ingredients each day to make a bowl of deliciousness. I've been used to cooking for a tribe and it's strangely difficult to make the change to cook and eat healthy food for one. I'm still making the adjustment and looking for ways to feed myself well. For me fresh and simple tastes best. I've been researching beetroot recently and it really is a wonder food, touted for keeping cholesterol at a healthy level. Eat it 3 times a week for maximum effect. I sure won't be finding that a difficulty! For the recipe read the full post.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ingredients; Beetroot, cooked chickpeas, fetta cheese, fresh herbs or greens such as parsley, mint, nasturtium flowers, <a title="red clover" href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/red-clover-trifolium-pratense/#red clover">clover</a>, lemon juice and zest, good olive oil, balsamic vinegar, good salt and freshly ground black pepper.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2716.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Wash and cook the beetroot. Cover with boiling water, bring to the boil and simmer until the beetroots are tender.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2724.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Once the beetroots are cooked allow to cool. Once cooled enough to handle, peel by gently passing your hand over the beetroot and the skin will easily slide off. Chop the beetroots into bite sized chuunks.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2718.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Gather fresh herbs from the garden and chop roughly. You could use any small leaved greens like silverbeet, spinach, mesclun, coriander, rocket etc. Just use what you have available.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2740.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Add a handful of cooked chickpeas to your beetroot chunks and the mixed fresh herbs/greens/flowers. Add the chopped fetta and mix gently. Grate some of the lemon zest over top, add a squeeze of lemon juice, a wee shake of balsamic and a drizzle of olive oil. Salt and Pepper to finish. Enjoy! Sat, 26 May 2012 18:45:14 -0400 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/cooked-beetroot-salad/ PLUM SAUCE http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/plum-sauce/ I've finally got around to making another batch of plum sauce. The last precious bottle was consumed nearly a year ago and by gosh I've missed it. I don't care for any of the commercially made sauces. I use my plum sauce on burgers, sausages, fried eggs (divine), and pan fried potatoes. I do have plum trees but they haven't got to the age yet of producing enough plums for sauce or jam making. I had some plums given to me last season and was too busy at the time to make them into sauce. They keep well enough frozen for sauce making so I freeze them in 2.7kg (6lb) lots until I'm ready and psyched for a day in the kitchen. Today was that day. It was cold and rainy, and Molly, my eldest daughter was visiting. We had planned to do some house painting. Instead we stoked up the fire, and spent a day inside cooking and eating. For recipe read the full post.
Ingredients;
2.7kgs red-fleshed plums (like satsuma or red doris) 1.7 litres vinegar, 1kg brown sugar, 2 tsp ground cloves, 2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp ground mace, 6 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cayenne, 2 tsp ground ginger, 50gms fresh garlic.
Method;
Put all of the above ingredients into a preserving pan and boil together until they reduce to a pulp. This can take about 3 hours. You don't need to take the stones out of the plums and as for the garlic, I don't even peel it. I just chop the ends off and lightly crush the cloves with a mortar and pestle just so the skins split a little.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2683.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/> 
 All ingredients in the pan
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2684.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
 After a few good hours of gentlly boiling.
 <img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2690.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Now comes the messy bit. Strain the mixture through a seive. Then pour the strained sauce into bottles, seal and label. This quantity makes about 2 litres of sauce.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2703.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
At long last! Plum sauce for my eggs. Locally made black pudding and fried sage leaves...a match made in heaven! Sat, 19 May 2012 05:32:06 -0400 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/plum-sauce/ Chickpea Potato Top Bake http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/chickpea-potato-top-bake/ Chick peas are great don't you reckon. Creamy hummus in summer, stews and casseroles in winter, chickpea flour in pies, cakes and biscuits, roasted in a bit of tamari for nibbles. My<a title="Bulent's chickpeas" href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/bulent-s-chickpeas/#Bulen'ts chickpeas"> Bulent's chickpea </a>recipe is always a hit and here's another keeper. This one is perfect for autumn/winter meals for lunch or dinner. There are absolutely no fancy ingredients but it's tasty enough to serve up to guests!
Ingredients for the stew;
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, 1 can chopped tomatoes, 1 onion sliced, 1 carrot sliced, 1 stalk of celery chopped, 2 cloves garlic crushed, olive oil for frying, dried oregano, thyme and sweet basil, salt &amp; pepper, 1 heaped teaspoon of cornflour (optional for thickening)
NB. The day before you are planning to use the chickpeas, cover with water, bring to the boil and soak overnight. The following day change the water, bring to the boil and simmer until tender but still firm. Allternatively used organic canned.
Ingredients for the mash;
3 potatoes, 1 large kumara (sweet potato), a chunk of butter, a wee bit of milk, grated cheese.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2643.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
In a wok/large frypan saute the onions, garlic, sliced carrot and chopped celery for a few minutes. Add dried herbs (I used about 1/3 of a teaspoon of each) salt and pepper and stir and saute for a little longer.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2647.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Add the cooked chickpeas and the canned tomatoes. Cover and leave to simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes until most of the liquid has cooked off. Meanwhile wash and prepare your potatoes and kumara for the mash. Cut them into moderate chunks and bring to the boil in salted water. I leave the skin on, prefering the fuller taste and texture. Boil until tender.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2653.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
By now your chickpeas should be ready. I mixed a good teaspoon of cornflour with a little water and added it to the chickpeas and stirred for about 1 minute more on the heat. Transfer the chickpea mix to an oven proof casserole dish.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2659.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
When the potato and kumara are cooked drain most of the water off. Mash the veg in the remaining water, add a little milk and add a big blob of butter. Continue to mash until creamed to your satisfaction.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2664.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Spread the mash over top of the chickpeas.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2667.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Sprinkle with just a little cheese if you desire.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2674.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Bake for 20-30minutes in a moderate oven to bring the heat up and give a final blast under the grill to crisp and colour the cheese. Enjoy!
 
 
 Fri, 04 May 2012 19:53:26 -0400 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/chickpea-potato-top-bake/ Quintessential Quince http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/quintessential-quince/ <img class="left" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2555.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>My latest fad is cream cheese and quince jelly on toasted gluten free bread. The cream cheese and the quince jelly are perfect foils, subtley enhancing each other. I confess I'm a little addicted. Have you ever got up close and personal with a quince. The aroma of the ripe fruit is divine, evoking tropical flowers. The quince is actually a pear, though astringent until cooked. It's under-rated and under-used in my opinion. I have two different types of quince trees growing here. The Japanese and the European. Both are suitable for jelly making. The Japanese quince makes a darker coloured jelly which I have used this time. For the recipe read the full post.
 
 
Ingredients;
Quinces and sugar.
Method;
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2572.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Wash and chop your quinces into smallish chunks. Discard any bad or bruised portions. Quince bruise very easily. I find it's better to pick the quince off the tree rather than collect fallen fruit as these are often too damaged internally to be of much use.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2587.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
 Add the whole chopped quince (including the seeds, cores etc) to a large pan and just cover the fruit with water. Bring to the boil and continue cooking until the fruit is tender. I cooked my fruit for about half an hour and tried not to stir too much, keeping the fruit intact.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2598.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Once the fruit is tender, line a sieve or colander with a piece of cotton muslin or cotton cloth and strain the liquid into a basin or pan. Years ago I made myself a jelly bag, which I find so much easier to use for larger quantities and extracts more juice from the fruit.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2599.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
I fill up the bag with the fruit, then tie it around a shelf which is conveniently placed above the bench. I will let this hang overnight allowing all the juice to drip into the pan. The idea is not to squeeze the fruit as this will create a cloudy jelly. Using the seeds and the cores which contain pectin, will help the jelly to set more reliably.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2609.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Next morning measure the juice into a pan and add 3/4 cup of sugar to every cup of juice. It's tempting to skimp on the sugar as it seems a lot but this will create a jelly that is too runny. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and boil until the liquid jells.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2611.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
The jelly bubbling away, getting darker as the sugar cooks. It took about an hour before my jelly was thick enough, but it can take longer.
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To test if your jelly is cooked, place a small spoonfull onto a plate and let it cool. Put your finger onto it and when it sticks to your finger and gathers together you know that your jelly is ready to put into jars. I prefer small jars for jam and jelly as I don't eat a lot at a time. Thoroughly wash your jars and lids and have them sitting in a sink of clean hot water. Place newspaper or a wooden board beside the pan to catch any drips of jelly. When your jelly is ready take one warm jar at a time and dry it thoroughly with a clean tea towel. Place the jar beside the pan on the wooden board and using a ladle, fill the jar with hot jelly. The jars need to be warm when you fill them otherwise they may crack.
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Lid while hot. ENJOY!
 Fri, 04 May 2012 19:52:33 -0400 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/quintessential-quince/ Bottling Beetroot http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/bottling-beetroot/ I gathered up the last scraggy beetroots from my summer garden and bottled them today. I preserved the main crop about a month ago. These were the ones that weren't big enough then. They still haven't grown much but needed to come out of the ground. I buy beetroot from the vege shop all year long, boil or steam it, slice it and keep it in apple cider vinegar in the fridge. It comes in handy as an extra veg for most meals. Come next spring I'm going to grow a main crop of beetroot for bottling and will aim to cultivate a years supply. They are so very easy to bottle. Here's how.
Wash your beetroot, break the leafy stems off. Don't cut into your beetroots as this will make them bleed out into the water and lose their wonderful colour. I also grew some yellow beets this year. Manglebeet I think they were called, a heritage plant. They grew huge and had a milder taste than the red varieties, so I had a few late developers of those mixed in with this lot.
Place your washed beets into a pot of boiling water and simmer until they are cooked. The best way to test is to poke a skewer into one.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2465.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
When I said scraggy I meant it! They'll taste delicious though. When they are cooked till tender I tip them into the sink and run them under cold water to cool them down a little. Then peel off the skin, it will slide it off under your fingers. Easy!
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2479.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>Now cut the beetroots into chunks or slices, whatever your preference. On the stovepot add to a pan enough vinegar that will cover your sliced beetroot. I used cider vinegar. Bring to the boil.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2481.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>While the vinegar is coming to the boil wash your jars and lids and leave them sitting in the sink in very hot water. This time I didn't use 'special' preserving jars. I used jars with a metal pop down lid.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2483.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>Once the vinegar is boiling add the beetroots. When back on the boil (this only takes a few minutes) your beetroot is now ready to go into your hot clean jars. I place a frying pan beside the pan of simmering beets. I warm the frying pan by pouring some hot water into it then just tip it out. This stops the jar cracking when you pour in the hot vinegar.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2484.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>Take a hot jar and dry it with a clean teatowel. Place the jar in the frying pan then fill the jar with beetroot and top up with vinegar till just overflowing. Put the lid on and screw firmly shut. It's as simple as that.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2491.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/> Once the jars have cooled down to room temperature give them a wipe and store your preserves in a cool dark cupboard. Enjoy! Sun, 01 Apr 2012 03:46:57 -0400 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/bottling-beetroot/ Vege Lasagne http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/vege-lasagne/ Sounds dull doesn't it! Vege lasagne, It won't win awards for haute cuisine, but it does win awards in my book. What I'm looking for in a meal is something that tastes good, looks good, is nutritious, and is packed with fresh vegetables. This dish changes seasonally, is freezer friendly, child friendly, nutritious and delicious. I usually make two and divide one into single-sized portions to go in the freezer. For more details read the full post.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2396.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>From the garden I picked basil, zucchini, silverbeet, parsley and some multiplying welsh onions. I had a butternut and carrots in the pantry. Ricotta and cream cheese in the fridge. Perfect! The ingredients are just suggestions, use whatever you have on hand. Tofu or cottage cheese is good too. Like a regular lasagne you make layers. For this one it's layers of red sauce, veges, cottage cheese etc and lasagne sheets.
To make the Red sauce you will need;
A very, very generous slosh of olive oil, sliced onion, crushed garlic, dried breadcrumbs (about 1 tbsp), parsley fresh or dried, pesto or dried basil, salt and pepper tomatoes fresh or canned, tomato paste or puree, 1-2 small carrots grated.
Method;
In a medium sized saucepan saute the onion, garlic, then add the breadcrumbs. Stir until the breadcrumbs are a little fried taking care not to burn them. You may need to add more olive oil at this point (be generous). Now add herbs and or pesto, salt and pepper and saute for a moment longer. Add tomatoes and paste/puree and stir. Add approx the same amount of water as tomatoes to the pot, then the grated carrot, the salt and pepper and allow to simmer for about half an hour. It's better to have too much sauce than too little. You can always freeze any extra to use another time or in another dish.
Ingredients that I used this time;
1/4 butternut thinly sliced, a good handful of silverbeet leaves chopped, lots of fresh basil leaves, a few welsh multiplying onions finely chopped, 2 courgettes thinly sliced, salt and pepper, enough lasagne sheets to make three layers in your pan, ricotta, sour cream, parmesan cheese.
Assembling the lasagne
Put a little of the red sauce on the base of the lasagne pan to ensure the bottom layer doesn't stick to the pan.
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Cover with your first layer of lasagne sheets then with a layer of sauce.
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Place a layer of basil leaves over the sauce
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A layer of sliced pumpkin
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Generously dot with the ricotta and sprinkle with chopped welsh multiplying onions
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Season with salt and pepper and you are ready for next layer of lasagne sheets
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Again cover well with a layer of the red sauce
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2411.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Use the rest of the veges, this time it's sliced courgettes dotted with some sour cream
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2417.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
and the chopped silverbeet
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2418.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
season with salt and pepper and add the final layer of the lasagne sheets and lightly cover with red sauce
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Lightly sprinkle with grated cheese, parmesan is good
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Very carefully pour a small cup of water around the sides of the lasagne against the inside edge of the dish. Cover with silver foil and bake in a 180C pre-heated oven for about 40 minutes. Remove the foil, turn oven down to 150C and bake for a further 10 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and serve with a fresh green salad.
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Couldn't resist an extreme close-up. Enjoy!
 
 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 20:07:30 -0400 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/vege-lasagne/ Rongoa Maori weekend workshop http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/rongoa-maori-weekend-workshop/ Where to start! What a weekend. I attended the Rongoa Maori, traditional Maori medicine workshop with Rob McGowan (Pa Ropata) and the lovely Donna Kerridge in Te Puke. Nestled in the ngahere, lush coastal forest, we were taken on a journey. Rob shared his knowledge of the land, the plants, the birds and our own history captivating us all. Each person carefully gathered samples of plants and brought them to the table. These would be our focus for the weekend. We were encouraged to get to know each other because a lack of community says Rob is one of the major sicknesses of this world. Learning is easier when we are together as friends and not strangers. For more details read the full post.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2330.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Rob teaches through storytelling, and weaves his love and passion for rongoa maori throughout his tales. Everything is interdependent, the health of the earth, waters and forests reflecting the health of humanity. The plants heal not only us but the earth, the air and the waterways. The physical and the spiritual are connected and in balance within traditional Maori thinking. We look at the whole even if treating a part. We were reminded over and over that we need to be caring for the ngahere, the situation is in reality, dire. Rob works for DOC and is personally aware of what is really happening with the polllution and desecration of these taonga and all it holds within it's embrace. Somehow he has the ability to share these ugly facts in a way that makes one feel that it's not all hopeless.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2342.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
 Pa making sure none of his charges fall in the river
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2338.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/> A Mamaku frond gathered with all care taken of the mother plant.
I came away feeling very inspired and truth to tell a little sad to be moving out of what had become a sacred space. I value my role of kaitiaki of the land and now have more of an understanding of how the rongoa is needed to heal it. The trees and plants will teach us everything we need to know. Be still and listen to the quiet voices.
 Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:30:20 -0500 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/rongoa-maori-weekend-workshop/ COMFREY Symphytum officinale http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/comfrey-symphytum-officinale/ Comfrey was first brought to my attention after the birth of my son more than thirty years ago. My domiciliary midwife, the wonderful Joan Donnelly was a staunch advocate of eating weeds and comfrey was one of her favourites. She was a picture of health and as well as her weed salads she used to knock back tablespoons of cayenne pepper to keep any bugs at bay. Undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with and she was a guiding light in the homebirth movement in this country. But I digress... comfrey also a force to be reckoned with, there's no getting rid of it once it establishes itself. Every little rootlet will grow a new plant. I used to curse it when my garden was tiny. Now I welcome the huge clumps it makes and I have created gardens around it. In early spring when I am planting seedlings or planning to make a comfrey tea for the garden I can never get enough of it! It has had some very bad press during the last few years for causing hepato-toxicity in laboratory experiments with rats, but there's no need to throw out the baby with the bath water. Problems can occur from ingesting the roots, in quantity. Topically it is one of our most marvelous healers for all manner of wounds and injuries from the skin through to the ligaments and the bone, nicely backed up by placebo double-blind trials I might add! For more details read the full post.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG1629.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
 Picture perfect, An early summer portrait.
Family; Boraginaceae
Common names; Comfrey, Common Comfrey, Knit-bone, Bone-set, All heal, Bruisewort, Blackwort, Knitback, Bugle, Ass-ear.
Description; There are over 25 different varieties of comfrey. Most commonly cultivated is the variety 'Russian comfrey', a winter dormant perennial herb with a central leafy stem that can grow up to a metre high. The hollow, angular and hairy stem bears bristly, lanceolate leaves. The plant forms a cluster of large and prostrate leaves at it's base. These leaves can be up to 30cms long are rough, hairy and oval shaped. The leaves decrease in size as they are produced up the stem. The stem is terminated by clusters of drooping white to pinkish/purplish flowers. The flowers grow one-sided on short stalks, the racemes are scorpoid in form, curling over like a scorpion's tail. The tubular shaped blossoms taper from fully formed to minute buds at the curled over tip, resembling forget-me-nots. Each flower produces four small oval and shiny seeds. The mucilaginous, much branched rootstock is smooth and black on the outside and white and fleshy inside. The root branchlets can grow up to 2 feet and bring nutrients up from deep down in the soil. Comfrey flowers throughout the summer months and is propogated through root division or from seed.
Parts used; Leaves and roots.
Preparations; Fresh macerated leaf, ointments/creams/balms, poultices/washes, extracts/tinctures, homeopathic remedies.
Habitat; Comfrey is native to Europe and temperate Asia. It has spread throughout most temperate regions of the world, thriving on the banks of rivers and in ditches. It prefers wet locations and rich soil and fails to establish itself in very dry conditions.
Traditional &amp; Historical uses; You could probably write a book on the historical use of comfrey. It has been used by so many cultures for food and as a medicine, in agriculture as a fertilizer and stock-feed. There are references to it's use 400BC in Ancient Greece, to arrest bleeding and later for bronchial complaints. It is recorded as a healer in the writings of Herodotus, Nicander, Galen, Dioscorides, Pliny, Paracelsus, Turner, Gerard, Culpepper to name some. It was used for healing wounds, gangrenous ulcers, torn ligaments and broken bones. All manner of gastrointestinal problems including diarrhoea, ulcers and internal bleeding as well as for lung complaints, bronchitis, TB and as an expectorant. It acts internally on the mucosal tissues of respiratory and GI tract.
Therapeutic actions; A cell proliferant, emollient, antinflammatory, vulnerary, haemostatic, anodyne, expectorant, astringent, demulcent, diuretic, refrigerant &amp; tonic.
Constituents; Allantoin, mucilage (even more than in marshmallow root), tannins, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, steroidal saponins, tannins, inulin, silica, phosphorus, potassium, Vitamins C, A, E and B12.
Current Herbal uses; Externally; High levels of allantoin stimulates cell proliferation which promotes the granulation and formation of epithelial cells, hence it is a plant par excellence for wound healing. Deep wounds, burns, sunburn, sores and ulcers can benefit as well as<a title="study" href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944711304000327"> sprains,</a> <a title="study" href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944711306001759">osteoarthritis</a>,<a title="study" href="http://www.msscentershop.info/content/44/9/637.abstract"> back and joint pain,</a> inflammatory swellings and bruising. Wounds must be kept clean as they will heal over very quickly. When using <a title="study" href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944711304000327"> homeopathic comfrey for broken bones </a>one is advised to first ensure that the bone is set in place properly! As a hair and scalp tonic or conditioner. Internally; While there is much debate over the safety regarding the internal use of comfrey it has been used for gastrointestinal complaints such as gastric and duodenal ulcers, haemorrhoids and ulcerative colitis. The antiinflammatory activity and astringency of comfrey helps arrest GI bleeding and protects the gastric mucosa from further damage. Being high in mucilage it has beneficial laxative properties. It has also been used for bronchial complaints with spitting of blood ( bleeding mucosa) and as an expectorant. The information given here is for your general knowledge only. Please consult your health care provider for specific medical conditions and treatments.
Gardening applications; Comfrey is a welcome addition to any garden area; herb, flower, vegetable or orchard. As a companion plant for under your fruit trees, it's thick and fleshy roots will open up the sub-soil and the large leaves will create shade for the trees roots in summer. The flowers are loved by bees, hence attracting pollinators into your orchard and garden. As the comfrey leaves decay at the end of summer they add beneficial nutrients to the soil. In the compost heap comfrey leaf acts as an activator and is full of valuable minerals. Place a few layers of comfrey leaves on the top of the compost heap, then sprinkle a little garden soil on the top of the leaves. The organisms in the soil will act with the rapidly decomposing comfrey to speed up the decomposition of the compost heap. (Make sure not to add any rootstock to your compost heap as you will inadvertantly be spreading the plant through your garden. Whilst it is a wonderful plant in it's place, it is very difficult to get rid of once it has established itself somewhere.) As a liquid fertilizer for the garden, it is rich in potassium and nitrogen. You can use it pretty much on anything to promote growth of leaf and flowers which will in turn support fruit production. eg. tomatoes, potatoes, peppers etc. When growing potatoes or tomatoes <a title="using comfrey" href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/making-a-potato-patch/#I place wilted comfrey leaves">I place wilted comfrey leaves</a> in the bottom of the hole or trench, for a nitrogen-rich green manure.
Food uses; As a pot herb in soups and stews. Young leaves raw in salads in moderation (see contraindications).
Contraindications; It is suggested that comfrey (especially the root) is not to be taken internally as the alkaloids it contains can be carcinogenic and hepato-toxic if consumed in a large enough quantity and over an extended period of time.
Naturally by Trisha products containing comfrey; <a title="aches and pains" href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/aches-and-pains-3/#aches and pains">Aches and Pains</a>, <a title="warrior balm" href="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/warrior-balm-2/#Warrior balm">Warrior balm.</a>
 
 Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:27:41 -0500 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/comfrey-symphytum-officinale/ Savoury zucchini slice http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/savoury-zucchini-slice/ At this time of the year anyone who has a couple of zucchini plants in their garden and a few chooks is overrun with you guessed it..... zucchinis and eggs. This savoury slice recipe takes care of both of those little problems and what's more you can freeze them in convenient meal-for-one sized pieces. I live alone most of the time and find it quite diffficult to make healthy meals for myself. I love cooking for OTHER people and I like to cook BIG meals so I'm am particularly challenged in this respect. These savoury slices are ideal for vegetarians as well as for getting vege's into your kids. A perfect light meal on a hot summer day accompanied by a fresh garden salad. The actual recipe I'm sharing with you here is only a suggestion. Create your own version with what you have on hand. I do use some fabulous recipes that I follow to the letter but this is a dish that invites your own input, inspired by seasonal availablity or your own personal taste preferences.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2235.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/> Different varieties of zucchini/ courgette fresh from the garden
INGREDIENTS;
5 zucchinis, 3 carrots, 1 kumara (sweet potato), 1 small onion,
a big bunch fresh herbs,
1 cup grated cheese,
8 eggs,
1 1/2cups flour,
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder,
salt and pepper,
a few shakes of hot chilli sauce
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
METHOD;
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2244.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Grate the zucchini, carrot, kumara and onion.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2249.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Roughly chop the fresh herbs (I used parsley, fennel, mint, genovese basil, lemon basil, chives and thyme)
In a large mixing bowl combine everything except the flour, the baking powder and the seeds. Mix well.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2254.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Add the flour and baking powder to the mix. 
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Spread into a large oiled baking dish, sprinkle with the seeds and bake in a moderate oven for about an hour.
<img class="center" src="http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600450-IMG2280.JPG" width="600" height="450" alt="" title=""/>
Ooh yum! Enjoy. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:27:22 -0500 http://www.naturallybytrisha.com/savoury-zucchini-slice/