A lull

Things have been quiet on the SkillCycle front for some time now. But I haven't given up on the idea. I'm planning big things for next year. December is always a bitter-sweet time of year for me. Trying to avoid thinking about the regrets of the year past; instead turning them into plans for the future. Feeling like a fresh start can be made with a new year. 

I have some ideas for things I'd like to do in the New Year but I'd love to hear from you about what you might like to be involved in.

SkillCycle - Photography edition date and time

The day has been locked in! Our SkillCycle photography session will be held at my house in Annerley at 11am on the 9th of June. Woohoo! Can't wait!

Here's a beautiful video to inspire you in the meantime...


My friend Maia from julia warr on Vimeo.

Skillcycle day - photography edition

Woohoo! I've managed to pin down someone willing to teach on my long awaited photography skillcycle day. I know Ed from Uni (he sits in my second office) and I'm really happy that he's on board with this. He takes some great photos (even if most of the ones I've seen are from his screen saver when he leaves his desk. Stalky...).

We'll be hosting the day at my house in May. The date is yet to be confirmed but will likely be a Sunday afternoon. I haven't decided what other skills will be demo'd on the day (anyone have anything the want to offer?) but I though it'd be nice if we all bring some food/beer (if you don't want to cook) to 'pay' Ed for his time. I hear he likes Coopers Sparkling tallies...

Ed will go through the basics of photography (aperture, shutter speed, iso) and how to get the best out of your camera. I'm hopeless with these things and I know some of you have said you're in the same boat. If you'd like to come along just give me a heads up here or on the Facebook page. Ed would like to know what cameras people are planning on bringing so he can make sure he's familiar with them beforehand.

Home Dairy

 . ricotta .

 . yoghurt .

. 'butter' .

I dream about the day I have a steady supply of fresh milk at my fingertips. I first learnt to milk a cow when I was on holiday in Chile. I have an aunty who is renowned for her fresh, white cheese. I remember her making it when I was a child and was still doing so

when I went back in 2007.  People come by the farm to pick it up, she makes and sells it daily.

Whether I ever will have my own cow, or a herd share, is yet to be revealed.  But I love the idea, even though it's quite a commitment. For the meantime I will live vicariously through books such as The Dirty Life and blogs such as Longest Acres.

I will also treasure the affordable supply of raw milk that I've been able to receive recently. This happy situation unfolded just at the time that the book Home Dairy arrived on my doorstep.

It has meant that we can master familiar recipes like Paneer and Yoghurt while experimenting with a whole bunch of other things, starting with Ricotta and 'butter' (more like whipped butter).

It is humbling to embark on such experiments and realise just how much time and milk goes in to making the final product. But you can't beat the satisfaction that accompanies this process either. Buttermilk pancakes with homemade butter, ricotta and local honey. Yes please!

 . breakfast time .

 . and I couldn't resist adding a photo of
 the eggs from our lovely ladies.

Individuality

I'm heading off to tutor a field course tomorrow. I love these trips (not just that I'm getting a week on Fraser Island), I love seeing my students get excited about research. This is one of those uni courses where people find friends and find themselves. It may seem corny but it's true. Field courses are often where science students find their passion for a system or an organism which sets them on a career path that will excite them for many years. I hear from these students after the trip that it was the first time they felt part of a group. They also realise, often for the first time, that it's ok to be different. In fact, that's what science research is about. School may have been all about fitting in, but science, that's about standing out. Like a pineapple that doesn't limit itself to growing in only one direction...

See you when I get back from Fraser with the latest SkillCycle day plans!

Dealing with 'failure'

So, I cancelled the Food Swap Day. I just didn't get enough people signing on to make it a success. Initially I was upset...and confused. Then I got an email from Jessie (remember Jessie from the green cleaning post?). Jessie often makes me see things in a different light. And this was no exception. She proposed that maybe my invitees didn't feel confident enough that the items they could offer for swap would be worthy of swapping. I hadn't thought of this. I love cooking, and as is often the case with something you love, I put a lot of time and energy into learning and practising cooking...and I enjoy doing this. Of course I have failures, that can happen to anyone. But most of the time I just love making something and sharing it with someone else. I forget that other people don't feel this way. I'm pretty bad a sport, pretty much all sport. I once scored an own goal in netball (I don't even know what you call that? That's how bad I am at sport). I could practise and maybe I would improve, but it's not my passion...and because I'm no good I wouldn't consider joining even a social sporting team. I feel I would just embarrass myself. When I started seeing things in this light, I understood a little better. Sure, some of the invitees were busy, some may have had better offers, some may just have wanted a quiet weekend. But those of you who didn't feel that they could be proud of something they'd made - I get you. I hope, one day, that I can give this whole thing another go and that maybe you will come along. The same thing can be said for many other things in life. Don't avoid participation because you don't think you're good enough yet...you get good by participating. Jump in and learn something. That's what SkillCycle is all about! 

Making your own muesli (granola)

One of the best ways of saving money and having control over what you eat is by making your own cereal. After searching the aisles of supermarkets and natural food stores alike, I struggled to find a breakfast cereal that was just what I wanted. They all had either too much fat or too much sugar. None that was "just right"...hehehe. So I decided to make my own.

I'm a toasted muesli girl (or 'granola', for American readers) so that's what I chose, but you can make a wide range of cereals very cheaply. The easiest would be natural muesli (untoasted muesli). Just get your hands on some good quality rolled oats and mix it with any dried fruit, nuts, seeds and spices. You can add anything you like. There's plenty of recipes online but just go with what your taste buds tell you. 

The natural bulk foods store I shop at has a really good range of puffed, flaked and rolled grains. You can make a lighter option if you don't like muesli by just blending these with some fruit and nuts or seeds. There's some pretty protein packed grain options available (like quinoa flakes).

My favourite is a toasted muesli though. I don't really have a recipe, I just use what I have on hand. My most recent blend was rolled oats, coconut, almonds, apricots, cinnamon and honey. It's like a big bowl of sunshine in the morning. The basic guide is below, but really, it's hard to go wrong here. Start experimenting!

My muesli blend

all measurements are guestimates

6 cups rolled oats

2 cups shredded coconut

1 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped

1/2 ts cinnamon

1/3 cup brown sugar 

1 tb rice bran oil (any oil would do, olive is apparently nice)

1/2 cup water

2 tb honey

1 ts vanilla extract

1 cup dried apricots, diced

Mix the first four ingredients in a bowl. I like chunky bits (the ad companies call them 'clusters') in my muesli so I do a little trick where I put a cup of these dry ingredients in the food processor and pulverise them then mix in with the rest. 

Heat the next five ingredients until the sugar has dissolved. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Spread out on a lined tray (probably two trays) and bake on a low heat 'til lightly browned. If you like a muesli without clumps, stir the muesli as it cools. If you like clusters, don't stir. I add my fruit after the muesli has cooled. If you like your fruit super chewy, you can bake it in with the muesli. Store in an air tight container when completely cool. Lasts for about a month.

Food swap day planning

I've decided on the day for the food swap (March 25, three weeks away) and I've started making plans. The invites are sent (virtually) and I've begun the difficult task of making a list of what to make... So many options! This is the perfect opportunity to try out some new recipes. I often get overwhelmed with too many cookies or too much bread when I bake (good problem to have), a food swap allows you to have a little bit of everything. I can't wait to try what the other swappers bring too. It's a little bit like the best country fete/fair but everything is free!

So far, my list looks something like this:
pesto - my summer basil needs a trim
mini pies - there's some tasty apricots down at the green grocer
biscuits - too many options, but maybe these from 101 Cookbooks
jams - I have some rhubarb and vanilla bean jam I made earlier
salted caramel sauce - this looks amazing!


I better not get carried away though... What would you bring to a food swap?

Changing seasons

I spent the afternoon clearing out the spent summer growth in one of my vegie gardens. A pumpkin vine had taken over...but it wasn't earning it's keep, lots of flowers and no pumpkins. So off with it's head! I salvaged the last of the silverbeet (the leaves that the caterpillars left me anyway) and mixed up some tasty ravioli filling for the freezer. I've found this makes it super easy when you have a craving for fresh ravioli. Simply mix up some pasta dough, roll it out and fill with your frozen mix. I'm usually lazy and just have it with burnt butter and sage sauce. We can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes (more if I'm patient enough to rest the dough properly). 

I need to sit down and plan for my autumn planting. Autumn is one of my favourite seasons to grow veg. It's a little cooler, often more rain and plants just seem happier. Summer is passionate and chaotic - boom or bust. Autumn is a pottering, pondering season. I prepared a second bed during the heat of summer in anticipation. The warm temperatures are perfect for kick starting a lasagne style garden bed, gets everything breaking down. So far all I've managed to plant in it is lots of basil. What are you planning for the next growing season?

News and Links

Hey there skillcyclers, it has been quite a while since I last posted. I wanted to say a quick hello and update you with a few bits and pieces. 

In the time that I've been away from this space, we have moved house and are setting up (rental) home in a little cottage on our own. Quite a process. One of the things I'm excited about is knowing EXACTLY what we own and only keeping those things that are useful or wanted and have a place in our home. My husband and I were sharing house for 20 or so months and it was easy to accumulate things in a large and rambling home and lose sight of what we had and where it was!!

Another thing I'm very excited about is that a friend of mine is looking to start Skillcycle in her own town. She's been chatting with friends and thought there was no point in re-inventing the wheel. This opens more possibilities for inspiring one another and seeing what clever skills another lot of people are interested in and have to offer.  So we'll keep you posted with these happenings. 

And, finally, I wanted to put up a link to a write up on Megan's blog, The Byron Life. Megan also contributes on Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op where you can read about all sorts of things to do with sustainability and simple living. Megan has just written an article about another clever woman, Rhonda Hetzel, her blog and her new book 'Down to Earth: A guide to simple living". Rhonda has an interesting story and has a huge change of heart and lifestyle. Worth checking out! Click HERE to go to the article. 

I'm also curious to know what you're reading or what events, groups and happenings you've been involved in that share similar values to Skillcycle?

~ Melania

Food swap

I've been thinking about having a food swap day for a long time. I think February is the month it is finally going to happen. A food swap can be as organised or relaxed as you like. It can be as simple as a table where people place the food they've made/grown and want to share and anyone can take whatever they want. Or it can be structured, using cards where people can offer a swap for each item (using swap sheets with categories What, Who and Offers). Then the maker can choose what 'payment' they want for their product. I'm kind of excited about this! I'll keep you posted on the planning.

Community swapping and sharing is starting to gain momentum in Australia. Yesterday I read an article about home grown produce sharing in Melbourne and surrounds. It sounds like a great idea, one I'd love to get started here. It's just another way of developing community sufficiency, instead of being too worried about complete self sufficiency. Do you have anything like this near you?

Free Library

I recently stumbled across a link to any amazing project called Little Free Library on Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking. It started in the States and basically involves a weather proof box where you leave books you want to share with the neighbourhood. Locals borrow the books and then bring them back, same as you would with a regular library. People even contribute their own books.

It seems like a wonderful way to encourage community, sharing and reading. I wonder if it could take off here?

Chocolate Beetroot Brownies

I'm about to head to a friend's house warming party down the road and didn't want to go empty handed. I made some yummy fetta and pesto quinoa with grilled zucchini - but a couple of wilting beetroot in my crisper drawer were making me feel guilty so chocolate beetroot brownies were in order. These are easy to make and actually quite healthy...as brownies go. And a lovely way to warm a house! You could add nuts - if that's your thing.

Chocolate beetroot brownies

2 medium beetroot

100gm dark chocolate (70%) 

1 egg

60gm plain flour

50gm butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

125gm caster sugar

15gm cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Grease and line a rectangular pan (approx 15 x 20 cm). Peel and cut beetroot into eighths. You can either cook til tender in a microwave with a little water on high for 12 mins or steam on the stove top. Blend the beetroot with the chopped chocolate, vanilla and butter in a food processor until smooth. Beat sugar and egg until creamy, 2 minutes. Gently fold in the beetroot mix. Sift in the flour and the cocoa and gently fold into the wet mixture. Pour into the tin and bake about 25 minutes until the centre is almost done. Cool completely in the pan.

House vs Home

I spent this weekend clearing out, de-cluttering and organising our house with my partner, Andy. It was desperately needed, I only wish I'd taken before photos so I could do a comparison. We've lived in five different places since moving in together ten years ago (six if you count our stint in Dublin for 6 months) and it has turned us into water-treaders. When you move a lot (and also rent), it's easy to get into the trap of not really putting down roots. All of our previous rentals have really just been houses, this current place is the first I'd call a home. It's a big difference that, house vs. home. And it's taken about five years living in the one place to realise. 

I finally arranged a little space for myself to call a craft corner, setting up my sewing machine instead of leaving it neglected in the linen closet. That feels positive in itself. I wish we'd done this years ago but it's better late than never. Definitely another reminder of the importance to 'grow where you are planted'.

I made banana bread to provide sustenance for the weekend's work. A very tasty, cinnamon-y loaf that's firm enough for toasting under the grill. And perfect for the sudden rainy cold snap we're having.

Banana Bread

adapted from a recipe in Things on Toast by Tonia George

200g self raising flour

125g brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

pinch salt

50g butter, melted

60ml milk

1 egg, beaten

3 very ripe lady finger bananas, mashed

Preheat the oven to 180degC. Grease a loaf tin (mine was 14cm x 20 cm). Mix the wet ingredients in a bowl. Mix the dry ingredients in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix to get rid of floury pockets. Don't over mix, it will be lumpy. Bake 30-35 mins or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin 10 mins. Fantastic toasted with butter!

Waste-less

I mentioned in an earlier post about the huge amount of food Australian households waste (estimated at around $6billion a year!). These numbers frighten me. It basically means, when weighed against how much money the average family spends on food, people might as well just throw out one full bag of groceries out of every six they purchase the minute they get home. Crazy.


I try very hard not to waste food, but I'm far from perfect. We're lucky that we have a dog who loves veggies and what she doesn't eat raw gets cooked into her dog food I make every few months. Anything below Frankie's standard goes to the compost bin to produce better soil in our backyard. 


All these options are good. But one of the tastiest uses for scraps of veg is in making stock. Same goes for bones and chicken carcasses but best not ask a vego for the recipe! I love home made stock, it really does make food taste better and is worth the effort. 


I read an idea somewhere (I can't remember where unfortunately) that suggested keeping an old milk carton in the freezer and adding all your veggie scraps to that throughout the week. You throw in all the onion tops and celery leaves and carrot tops and then when you want stock you just cut open the carton and chuck it in the pot. Simmer the stock 'til flavoursome and then strain. We did a mushroom stock the other day with some dried out mushies and it was amazing!


Once you have your beautiful stock, the options are endless. Below is my favourite soup recipe. We sold this with lazy girl bread at last year's BOGI Fair and it sold out in an hour. Great comfort food.

Potato and three onion soup


nice, local waxy potatoes
leeks
brown onions
onion chives
garlic
stock 
butter
olive oil
cream
salt and pepper


All quantities are to scale based on your number to feed. Dice your onions, use more onions than you would as a base to most meals. They're a major ingredient in this soup, not just a supporting act. Soften the onions slowly in a good knob of butter and a good splash of olive oil. Take your time here, when they're halfway done, add the sliced leeks (as many as you can afford). Cook until soft and delicious. Stir through your diced and peeled potatoes, get them well covered in the onion-y goodness. Add your stock and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through. Blend with a stick blender or in batches in a blender until very smooth. Add cream and some more butter (I didn't say it was a healthy dish!). Season. Serve with lazy girl bread.

Gifting

A friend, Amy, posted a link to a really interesting article about the economy of gifts recently. After reading I started thinking about ways to make this sort of idea work. I spoke with Mel about this and she mentioned she'd been thinking about the idea of community sufficiency as opposed to self-sufficiency for awhile. It makes a lot of sense to me. We'd like to have something organised (as described in the article) but I also started thinking about ways in which I'm already involved in gifting. 


Mel and I don't seem to ever visit each other without something in hand - a jar of jam, something home grown or a piece of clothing, even something we saw while op-shopping which made us think of the other. It's a natural thing and it makes me happy. Seeing someone else get joy out of something you made, or wear a beautiful dress you no longer fit in to can be really uplifting. 


I also use freecycle quite a bit. I recently posted some items and when a lovely girl called Em came to collect a couch and laundry basket for her new home, I thought she looked a little familiar. Turned out she knows Mel and a half dozen of my friends! She brought a home grown rockmelon and an eggplant, and some of her hen's eggs. It reminded me of the days when you'd never think of visiting a friend empty handed.

These simple, small acts are the easy way to start the circle of giving. I'm a big believer in starting small. Next time you visit someone, take them a flower from your garden or a few slices of banana bread you cooked. It'll make you both smile.