Yes it was a wild and varied belly this one – a big thank you to Sharon Gibson, permaculture and gardening teacher, Sister Deanna our weevil warrior bellysister, & Lilith the astrogourmet goddess, for sending in all the tasty info below.
FROM SHARON:
MADAGASCAR BEAN FELAFEL ½ kg Madagascar Beans (soak for at least 12 hours) 1 medium onion 1 knob of garlic 1 small bunch of corrianda including roots 100ml fresh water ¼ cup sesame seeds 1 tbs cumin powder ½ tbs cinnamon powder ½ tsp black pepper 2 tbsp salt 1 tsp bi-carbonate soda 1. Drain beans after soaking. The beans should be soft enough to chew raw easily 2. Madagascar beans have a tough outer skin that needs removing. If the skins don't easily slip off after soaking, pour boiling water over them and leave for 5mins. Then the skins should pop off easily 3. Process half the beans in a blender until they form a paste. Add the other ½ until they become a little granular 4. Finally chop the onion and garlic and stir into the bean mix 5. Mix all the spices together in a separate container 6. Stir all the spices into the bean mixture- it will taste more saltly then when it is cooked because the spices are only coating the beans. Once cooked the flavours will infuse the beans- 7. Take a large tsp of the mixture and form into balls 8. Heat at least 6cms oil until a small piece of falafel dropped in it sizzles. 9. Drop about 5 balls into the hot oil. It should take each batch about 3-4mins to cook. When cooked they should be still green inside with a thin brown crust Serve with a nice sourdough bread, lettuce, tomato, fermented vegetables and Tabouli and hummus. Also popular with pita bread as a falafel roll. falafel mixture can be frozen for later meals MADAGASCAR BEAN HUMMUS 250gm beans soaked overnight in water 80gm tahini 100ml lemon or lime juice 60ml of olive oil ½ a knob of garlic 3 tsp salt 500ml water for soaking the beans 1. drain the soaked beans 2. cover with fresh water and bring to the boil 3. lower the heat and simmer the beans until able to squash them between your fingers 4. while the beans are cooking prepare the following ingredients in order 5. blend the garlic in olive oil until fine 6. add the tahini and blend until smooth GROWING AND COOKING PERENNIAL VEGIES Perennial vegetables are low maintenance and produce abundant crops throughout the year. Many are suited to the subtropics, including staples such as taro, cassava, jicama, and yams, the madagascar bean and pigeon pea, as well as perennial versions of more common vegetables. You will learn how to grow, harvest and then cook a feast with these valuable plants. Additional materials fee of $10. date: 27/5/2013 time:9-3 cost: $60/ conc $48 contact: Byron community college www.byroncollege.org.au 66843374 growing fruit trees in the subtropics have you always dreamed of feasting under trees dripping with fruit. From small backyards to food forests we will cover soil preparation, planting, and dealing with pest and disease. We will discuss which are the best fruit trees for this climate as well as simple strategies for maintenance of your valuable trees. date: 24/5/13 and 31/5/2013 time:10-4 cost:$119 conc $96 all held in an inspiring back yard in Mullumbimby FROM DEANNA THE WEEVIL WARRIOR:
Becoming a “Weevil Warrior”: Prevention and management of weevil infestations
1. We bring weevils into the home after purchasing flour and other grains. You can help prevent entry by freezing flour, rice, and other grains you bring home for a minimum of 96 hours and ideally a week to kill any eggs.
2. Whilst it is tempting to buy bulk, only buy enough flour and grains to use in a reasonable amount of time. Bulk flour is a play land for weevils!
3. Ensure all flour, cereal, grains etc. are taken out of their original packaging and kept in well-sealed containers. Remember weevils can chew through plastic bags and other materials so store well in glass jars or other suitable sealed containers.
4. If you find you have weevils…remove all of the grains from your pantry. If they are infesting one product, they are likely elsewhere.
5. Remove all items from pantry and thoroughly inspect all items.
6. Thoroughly vacuum pantry paying careful attention to corners, cracks and crevices. Weevils are tricky and can hide in small spaces.
7. Clean the entire area thoroughly with a vinegar solution, and/or use tea tree or eucalyptus oil which both work well.
8. When placing items back in pantry, sprinkle bay leaves throughout the shelves. Weevils hate bay leaves, so the sprinkling of bay leaves helps keep them at bay! (ha ha)
9. You can also place bay leaves inside flour and grain containers, or tape them to the inside of the lids.
FROM LILITH, BELLY ASTROGOURMET AND HULA GODDESS
ASTROTIPPLES & ASTRONIBBLES for GEMINI
*Today we¹re wishing happy birthday to the Shire¹s effervescent Geminis of
the active minds and mobile mouths we¹re actually on the cusp today: Twin
time starts on Wednesday 22nd. Astrologers say you can always tell a
Gemini, but you can’t tell them much because they do like to chatter. But
let¹s call it networking because we love our talkative Twins who, loving a
party as they do – are definitely the multicolored umbrellas in this month’s
astrological cocktail.
Being an air sign Geminis tend to dislike over-rich food: heavy textures
swimming in butter and oil; they like their cuisine light, interesting and
up to date; constant change and variety are their spice of life – they love
the stimulating buzz of snacking on trendy nibbles while gossipping over
coffee, which is usually their favourite fuel…
So making the obligatory Byron plate to take to a Gemini birthday bash you¹d
be thinking about a stylish variety of moreish little morsels, preferably
served with some newsworthy anecdote (like it¹s so and so celebrity¹s
favourite dish, or it¹s a specialty from some other famous restaurant –
you¹re writing the script, so make it witty and if possible a bit wicked).
Airy Geminis also enjoy food with air whipped into it: souffles, mousses and
meringues, but if you¹re not confident with this technique as so many people
aren¹t, try a plate of pastizzi or little spinach filo pastries or
mini-pizzas. Or you could do spring rolls filled with minced mushroom,
water chestnut, prawns and cellophane noodles – a few different fillings,
because these people love a tasting plate, and tell them its Angelina
Jolie¹s favorite food. Not really, she apparently prefers deep fried
crickets. Or you could dip pieces of any light, creamy cheese in olive oil
then into dukkah, the North African spiced nut mix and serve them on a
platter with Russian eggs: hardboiled halves covered with mayo and black
caviar.
MUSIC? Van Morrisons Bright Side Of The RoadŠ
If you¹re on sweets, something like lemon myrtle and macadamia biscotti or
else a selection of french patisserie would delight the Twins’ ultra-modern
tastebuds again, make it a whole lot of small different flavors to choose
from. Or since you¹re catering to caffeine addicts, you could make
ESPRESSO GRANITA: 1 cup of cooled espresso coffee,
1/3 cup caster sugar and
2 tablespoons of Kahlua liqueur or use vanilla extract if you haven¹t got
any Kahlua handy.
Combine all ingredients, pour into a tray, cover with foil and freeze for 30
minutes. Then take it out and flake the mixture up with a fork to break up
the ice crystals starting to form. Cover and freeze for another 2-3 hours,
flaking the mix every 30 minutes until frozen. Spoon into martini glasses
and serve with whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings
DRINKS: Being social mixers themselves, Geminis also like mixed drinks so
cocktails or the idea of socializing in a cocktail lounge ambience usually
appeals. If you¹re playing their birthday mixologist or intoxicologist,
you¹ll probably like to know Gemini tastes usually run to clear and light
with a bite rather than heavily sweet and creamy – so Mojitos or Caprioscas
are a safe choice. But then I personally prefer the adventurous, and
knowing their penchant for coffee I¹d surprise my birthday Gemini with an
Espresso Martini made with equal quantities of Kahlua
and Espresso vodka with a dash of
vanilla extract. You can shake in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain , or
if you don¹t have a shaker simply combine the ingredients over ice and stir.
I take no blame for the consequences.
Fortunately our climate never gets cold enough here for another coffee
cocktail I discovered unsettlingly named the Frozen Alaskan Prostitute,
featuring equal quantities of Espresso Vodka, dark rum and Goldschlager,
which is a Swiss cinnamon schnapps with tiny flakes of gold floating in it.
Though I do think there could be a place at a Gemini birthday celebration
for the Glitterbomb – that¹s a single shot of Goldschläger in a glass of the
energy drink of your choice it¹s also I think a rather apt description of
the Gemini personalityŠ so that¹s it for today and happy birthday
Glitterbombs.
