SkillCycle Day II - planning your own day.

Our next SkillCycle day is approaching so I thought this would be a good opportunity to let you know what we have planned and give you some ideas for hosting a day of your own. 

This time 'round we have planned a green cleaning session with Jessie. This will involve a bit of a demo and then a Q & A for green solutions to specific cleaning problems. We'll then have a frugal gardening session where I'll discuss seed saving, making your own pots from newspaper and toilet paper rolls as well as salvaging 'rubbish' for the garden. We're also hoping to have a session on sourdough cultures and one on spinning your own yarn by a new SkillCycler, Jane. 


We recently had a stall at the BOGI (Brisbane Organic Growers Inc) Fair (I will post about this very soon) and took the opportunity to tell some of the attendees about the theory of SkillCycle. We had a great response and I enjoyed seeing the enthusiasm from all the people I spoke to. The main point Mel, Kate and I tried to get across is that SkillCycle days needn't be huge events, they just need to have an exchange of information. You can run a day in an hour with only two people - you just need to teach each other something. The whole idea is based in the sharing of knowledge, big or small.

So, if you're not local enough to come along to our next day (Oct 23, comment if you want more info), why not organise your own SkillCycle day! You just need a skill to demonstrate, someone interested in learning that skill and a place to sit down together. Skills to teach can be anything you're both interested in. While most of the skills we share are quite domestic, we're trying to include more mechanical skills in future days. If you don't feel you have anything to share why not take it upon yourself to learn something new and then offer to teach it. The best way of learning is often teaching. Just give it a go! Anyone planning any days already? We'd love to hear about it!

Cooking with Lavender

I love lavender, the little purple flowers and their heady aroma. I have a very productive bush on my front path, which provides me with flowers throughout the summer. I've also successfully propagated lots of little lavender bushes which have exploded beneath my clothes line, and have begun to surpass the productivity of the original bush. I often cut flowers which last for ages in a vase. Last year I cut some flowers for drying and ventured into culinary uses for the dried flowers. They add quite an unusual flavour to dishes, obviously floral, but quite a musky depth of flavour. It might not be to everyone's taste, but I really like it, particularly in scones and cupcakes. With such a strong flavour, only a very small amount is required for most recipes I've found.

Stephanie Alexanders's Kitchen Garden Companion has a whole section on lavender, on growing, harvesting and drying the flowers. She suggests whizzing up a dried flower head with caster sugar and using the sugar to top iced cakes and make meringues. There is also a recipe for some nice lavender scones.

Lavender Scones

2 1/2 C self raising flour, plus extra for dustine

1/4 C pure icing sugar

1/2 teaspoon dried lavender flowers

1/2 C thickened cream

2/3 C milk

jam and cream to server (of course!)

Preheat oven to 240C. Sift flour and icing sugar into a mixing bowl and add lavender. Cut cream in with a pastry scraper or broad spatula. Mix in mile quickly.

Sift a little flour over a chopping board and over a baking tray. turn dough onto floured board. Pat into a rectangle and cut into 6cm squares. Separate and place dough squares onto floured baking tray. Bake for 5 minutes or until browned on top. Reduce over to 180C and bake for a further 10 minutes.

A quick google search will also provide you with many more culinary options. I've made these really nice cupcakes with lavender, an usual and sophisticated change from vanilla cupcakes.

Other ideas that would be interesting, lavender icecream, lavender flavoured cream in profiteroles or in a sponge cake, lavender icing. Dishes with lamb or rabbit might work as well, like as a stuffing.

We also had a wine when travelling in France that had been spiked with lavender that was amazing on a hot day. It was a white wine (not sure what type), with a sugar syrup added in and a sprig of lavender. It was then left for about a week before drinking. Serve very cold.

Can it like your grammy did.

Can, preserve, jam...whatever your choice of word, it's an old skill that has a sense of nostalgia. It brings to mind images of heavy laden trees, abundant harvests, kitchens full of people, long days of work and a glowing sense of satisfaction at the end of it.

I didn't grow up with my grammy's around. But I did inherit their names. Maybe this connection with the past is what compels me towards everything old. I hear stories from friends about their grandma's old canning gear and I wonder how I can find me one of those ladies to adopt and convince to pass me on such treasures. I also hear about various grandma-canning-techniques that leave me wondering how many other old school (sometimes questionable) methods are out there.

In my endeavour to learn more about canning, my two most overused resources have been 1. the internet, and 2. those who are further along this canning journey. As a person who likes to research well before doing and have a clear handle on what's involved, such resources have been invaluable.

As I've clicked along online, I have found American based sites to be the most useful. There is a long and rich history of canning in a country where the seasons are more distinct than my home, as well the ever-present guidelines around canning methods courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

As I've collected jars and inspected old lids, googled places to buy new ones and started experimenting it has been great to have others around with their recipe books and useful insights (thanks Lucy!).

So, while there are a number of steps involved with 'canning', there is plenty of good information out there. Recently, the Kitchn posted a list of 5 great canning websites, including Food in Jars, Punk Domestics and National Center for Home Food Preservation (we don't have anything like that do we?!).

It pays to have your basics down pat though because there are many books and online 'recipes' that will lead you astray in your canning technique if you don't know better. Some of the basics include: Sterilising equipment (in boiling water for 10 minutes); using new or very good condition lids* (that means no odours, stains or damage to the seal); making sure you are using the right ingredients to make it safe (i.e. following a trusted recipe); water bathing your preserves for the right amount of time (this varies according to ingredients) and ensuring that your lids have sealed properly.

In the end, I think it's about making informed decisions and having a basic yet solid understanding of the concepts and principles around how canning works. If you are after local information, resources, equipment and people to ask questions of, Green Living Australia are based in Underwood, Logan City. They sell new lids, fancy canning tongs (that save you from scalding yourself with boiling water) and lots of other DIY things for your urban homestead.

As there are a few steps to the canning process, I'm thinking that I will do a series of posts on the finer details. What do you think?

How have your canning experiments gone? Do you have a favourite thing to can?


*Some people would say to never re-use lids. This is where we all make varying choices. The frugal and quite safe response is to inspect these lids VERY carefully then make your decision. I would never sell preserves with lids that have been re-used. Others would say just to keep such lids for storing non-preserved or dry goods...fair call when jars are one of the most versatile objects in your kitchen!

Strawberry and balsamic jam

I've made this jam twice now. It is just so lovely. My partner loves it on toast...and he's not usually a jam man. When strawberries are so cheap and tasty (now!), it's hard to resist them. 


I found the recipe in Eugenia Bone's book Well Preserved. I like my jam quite thick so while this recipe is for more of a conserve with chunks of strawberries, I cook the jam longer to make it more 'jammy'. You could always adjust to suit your tastes. 

Strawberry Balsamic Jam from Eugenia Bone’s Well-Preserved

8 cups washed and hulled strawberries, halved if large

5 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter
5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Pour the strawberries into a large, deep, heavy pot and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Once the strawberries are boiling, add the sugar and stir until it is dissolved. The sugar tends to burn on the bottom, so keep it moving until it is thoroughly dissolved. Bring to a boil and then add the butter (this helps keeps the foam volume down). Turn the heat down to medium low and boil the jam gently for 40 minutes, until thickened to a loose, soft conserve. Here you can choose to cook the jam another 20 minutes to make it more jammy or just stop here. Stir in the balsamic vinegar.

Fill the sterilised jars with hot jam and put the lids on. Treat the jars for a 10 minute boiling water bath. Remove the jars. Allow them to rest on a dish towel until cool. Check the seals and store in a cool, dark place for up to a year. Refrigerate after opening.

pretty videos to inspire

beet cake from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

These guys are doing beautiful things with video and food. I could go on about the light, mood and all that but I'll save you some time - just watch it and click over to vimeo if you want to see more.

p.s. I haven't forgotten about my follow up post on preserving...I think about it quite regularly...

Introducing Ruby

I live in a rental house in the suburbs. While our landlord is quite forgiving, he draws the line at chickens. I really wanted my own chickens. This situation lead me to a discussion with Mel where she generously offered to be a foster mother to any chicken I may adopt. Long story short, we built a beautiful hen house with the help of Mel's step dad super carpenter extraordinaire (thanks G!) and adopted five lovely girls. Meet my baby. Ruby.

She's a young Plymouth Rock. Isn't she beautiful?


The point of this post is that sometimes you can wait a very long time for your situation to be 'right'. And sometimes you just do the best with what you have. I dream of a time when I have some land for chickens, goats and fruit trees. But while I work towards that dream, I plant avocado seeds in pots and have a foster chicken. Make it work for you.

Cycle Skills!

*Photo from Cycle Skills

Mel and I have had many discussions recently about how we'd like to have a SkillCycle day devoted to home bicycle maintenance. You can imagine my surprise and happiness when I stumbled across Cycle Skills. Even the name made me happy! I can't wait to head out to Seventeen Mile Rocks for a sticky beak. Might even have to drop into the Rocks Community Garden while I'm there.