Fracking

Normally a Saturday night at home would involve a fun, no-brainer movie with a few giggles (and some chocolate). Last night was a little different. Last night we watched Gasland.

It left me with a mixture of sadness, anger and frustration.


It is as though the people in the positions of power think believe that there is not a problem if it in not happening in their community. The companies do not take responsibility for gas and other toxins in household drinking water that was uncontaminated before the nearby fracking started. People are having to prove that the fracking caused this rather than the companies proving that it didn't. We all know it did. Some of the companies are even trucking in fresh drinking water for some of the families but they are still not admitting that they have caused the problem.


Although this evidence is out there for the world to see, Australia have still decided to go ahead with this practise. This is already happening in Western Australia and in areas close to homes.


"While the process is banned in France and parts of the US, Canada and South Africa, "fracking" - where sand, chemicals and millions of litres of water are blasted underground to rupture rock and release trapped gas - is happening in WA."


In a country where water is such a valuable resource, the governments are allowing fracking. Not only does this contaminate the drinking water (with hundreds of chemicals drilled down into the coal seam that then seep back into the water) but also 400 to 600 truckloads of water are needed for each hole to be drilled. 


Four Corners report.


When there are so many renewable, sustainable, safer energy options available, why is this allowed to happen? 


Take care

Cooking Seasonally

Our little Saturday morning jaunts to the local Farmers' Markets have become a regular part of out weekend. Everyone knows that by getting out of bed and dressed, they will be rewarded with a yummy breakfast of something other than toast or Weet-bix.

Although the weather was a tad on the chilly side, two of us organised ourselves onto bikes and headed over. Our regular organic supplier was there and didn't disappoint with a great selection of seasonal fruit and vegetables. I love the winter vegetable in particular because just looking at them makes me think of warming soups and stews. When I heard one lady ask for a cauliflower to be cut in half, I knew the other half was meant for me.

So cauliflower soup in now simmering on the stovetop ready for tonight's dinner.

Luckily the bakery had a great loaf that would be the perfect accompaniment. (I know I should have made my own, but I like to think on these little occasions that I am helping support small business).

The soup turned out to be average at best. Any wonderful cauliflower soup recipes would be greatly appreciated.

No 'Poo is On My Mind

I can't believe it was nearly two years ago that I first read about the No "Poo way of cleaning hair.

Being a child of the 70s and 80s I always though that unless my hair smelled of some exotic fruit from the jungles of a far off tropical isle, it just wasn't clean.

My hair had always been quite fine and oily (I thought) so through my teens it was washed, conditioned, blow-dried and styled just about every day.

As I have got older, the shampoo and conditioner changed to the more expensive brands and the 'product' was only purchased from the salon, as I thought this was all so much better for my hair. Being a everyday consumer, I had never read the ingredients on the back of any of the bottles and shudder to think about the chemicals I have been massaging into my scalp for the last .... (cough) years. What frightens me more really is the impact of the kiddoes.

In the year before going No 'Poo I had pretty much changed to organic products where possible, which I felt was a good compromise.

There was never really an a'ha moment (I know you are all humming "Take On Me"). I just thought "Why not give it a try".

It has been about a year now and I would not go back to chemicals in my hair. I have even stopped colouring it. My hair feels amazingly soft and only needs to be washed twice a week. I have stopped using any sort of product what-so-ever as it feels quite a bit thicker. The amazing difference I have noticed with the kiddoes is the lack of knots. Combing wet hair used to be an Extreme Sport in this house, but not anymore.

There are so many benefits.

• No more chemicals massaged into the skin.
• No more irritations from fragrances.
• No more screams from shampoo in eyes.
• No need to worry about animal testing.
• No more chemicals down the drain.
• Nowhere near as many empty bottles as I buy bicarb in bulk. I take my own jars and pay between $2 and $3 a kilo. I just need to find a place where I can buy Apple Cider Vinegar in bulk.
• The money we have saved.

One down-side is that I wouldn't travel overseas with a little container of white powder in my luggage. I think that could raise a few eyebrows.

Thanks for joining me with On My Mind.

Take care

Little Surprises

I love surprises, especially those that happen in the garden.


When plants such as rocket and coriander (cilantro) go to seed, I generally leave them in the garden to "do their thing". The bonus for me is that the following season I have a lovely little crop that I had usually forgotten about.

A fortnight ago when I was sorting out the vege garden, I found some tiny coriander seedling popping up, so I made some seedling pots and potted up these little babies. Since they have spend two weeks in my little greenhouse they have grown so much.


I am really excited about trans-planting these are part of Sow. Give. Grow. and sending them to a new home.


Take care

Cinnamon Swirly Goodness

Yesterday a request was put in for some Cinnamon Scrolls. It was a bit of a Little Red Hen moment as no-one was really that interested in the making of the rolls, but everyone was more than happy to assist in the eating. In fact, they were so willing to oblige that the last two were finished this morning after a pancake breakfast. 

With guests coming for afternoon tea the suggestion of another batch was made. The first batch of the dough went straight to the compost. I have absolutely NO idea what happened but it was just wrong.

Take two.

The dough this time looked and felt right. I did cheat a little though and used the bread maker for getting the dough to the rolling stage. I made sure to add all the the fluids first and made sure to leave the flour and yeast till last.

I haven't bothered to ice the buns as the recipe suggests as these are already sweet enough.

Even though the afternoon tea didn't eventuate there are only a trio of scrolls remaining on the baking tray.

Hoping you all had a great weekend.

Take care

Long Awaited Winter Rains Are On My Mind

It feels as though our dry spell is hopefully coming to an end. I know that we need a lot more rain to be out of trouble with regard to the dam situation, but the rain we have had over the last few days is making my garden look so much greener that it has for quite a while. Everything looks really healthy.

These winter rains have definitely been on my mind.

Take care

Making Yoghurt

I was recently asked to explain how I make yoghurt. Now, I am not sure if this is the correct way but after quite a bit of reading and experimentation, this is the recipe that seems to work for me.

Before I start warming the milk, I usually put the jars I am going to use into the dishwasher on its hottest cycle.

It is amazing that only two ingredients are needed - yoghurt and full cream milk. I choose to use organic ingredients whenever possuble. Even though organic milk is difficult to get here in the west, the Margaret River brand is getting a little easier to locate. I love the creamy top you get on the milk. Yum.

I haven't made my own yoghurt for a while so I needed to start from scratch. Normally I would just save the last of the batch and use that to start the next yoghurt.

Two litres of milk are emptied into a big pot and brought to the boil. There are a few different opinions on what to do next but I choose to let this boil gently for two minutes and then turn the heat off.

As the milk has been boiling, the next step takes a while. It needs to cool so the bacteria that are going to be added survive. All you need to remember is the magic number - 43. 43 degrees Celsius is the temperature the milk needs to cool to before the living yoghurt is added. I find that a thermometer is a fabulous investment for this part of the process.

When the magic number  has been achieved, a large tablespoon of yoghurt is put into a bowl. A small amount of the warm milk is poured into the same bowl and the two are stirred together. This way the yoghurt is distributed evenly through the milk.

When the yoghurt and the milk are combined, add this back to the large pot of warm milk and give it a gentle stir.

Pour the mix into the jars and put the lids on straight away.

I then wrap the jars in a woollen blanket which is inside an insulated picnic bag . The blanket is folded over and the insulted bag is zipped up. This all needs to be done is a place where the yoghurt will not be moved.

Generally this is all done in the evening and the jars are snuggly in the bag by the time I head off to bed. In the morning the yoghurt is ready to go into the fridge. I usually let it chill before I open any of the jars. It just seems to set better.

Once you have a good supply of yummy yoghurt there are so many fabulous recipes out there. Two of my favourites are labna and gozleme. There is also a new cupcake recipe that is up on my 'to do' list.  I figure that if there is yoghurt in the recipe, it must be healthy.

Take care