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<\/a><\/p>\nWhat better way to spend another rainy day than to catch up on housework. Time to tidy up in the online Belly kitchen by letting you know what we munched on today.<\/p>\n
I started by tracking down a highly unusual yet perfectly suitable place to grow mushrooms… beneath a hillside near Mt Gibraltar (a small mountain between Baurel and Mittagong) in Southern NSW. Now, when I say ‘beneath’ the hillside I mean that literally, for there is a gentleman by the name of Neil Arrold who has converted a disused train tunnel into his very own mushroom farm. Unusual? Maybe. Appropriate? Absolutely!<\/p>\n
<\/a>The mushroom tunnel on the left, originally built in 1886 before being replaced by the double track tunnel on the right<\/p><\/div>\n
The single-track tunnel along the Sydney to Canberra route was built back in 1886 but only used until 1919 when another track was built beside it. In the post World War II years alot of abandoned tunnels and bomb shelters were transformed into underground growing houses. Back in the 1930’s the incomplete Circular Quay to St James line was also used for these wild and fun gi’s to grow.
\nHere in his controlled, damp and dark dungeon-like mushy abode Dr Arrold culitvates a true treasure trove of exotic species – Shitake, Golden Enoki, Shimeji, King Brown, Oyster and many more. (Cut to mad scientist wringing his hairy hands.)<\/p>\n
<\/a>Shitake logs on racks in the Mittagong tunnel<\/p><\/div>\n
In Australia more than 67,000 tonnes of mushrooms are consumed each year with a growing proportion of these being the more exotic types as the Ozzie palate becomes a touch more sofisticated. In fact consumption has lept from 0.6 kg’s per capita in 1974 to 3.1 kg’s last year… that’s about a five-fold leap!<\/p>\n
Apparently customers are very keen on shitake and chestnut mushrooms mostly, but the fluorescent pink, blue and yellow oyster are gaining in popularity too, especially amongst old psychedelic hippies.<\/p>\n
Down there in the Southern Highlands this grower produces 1.5 tonnes per week in the 1km long tunnel which keeps a constant temperature and humidity allowing the mushrooms to grow organically in a country that is not normally renowned for these dollops of delight.<\/p>\n Expand your tunnel vision and make the natural choice to buy local, organic mushrooms from a man with a different kind of tunnel vision.<\/p>\n Tour the tunnel. For information call 4871 2524 or go to siff.com.au.<\/p>\n To soy or not to soy… Soy is the question!<\/strong><\/p>\n I’ve noticed a fair bit of talk going round recently in the circles I frequent regarding the ever confusing barrage of information around Soy and Soy products. Now, being a vegetarian\/vegan for many many years, I have been presented with alternatives to meat, cheese, eggs, chicken, fish, milk, yogurt and a mammoth amount of other goods which I don’t care to eat. You see the reason behind my vegetarianism is that I don’t actually LIKE this stuff in it’s natural form so why would I go and eat a replication of it in a soy form? Further to that, having studied Nutrition it is my opinion that commercial, supermarket Soy products aint all that great for you.<\/p>\n There is good and bad in everyone and everything… the test we face is recognizing the difference.<\/p>\n \n The Good The Bad and umm.. The Ugly?<\/p><\/div>\n I share information that may or may not be of interest to you. My main aim is to bring awareness to certain things that I feel are not all that beneficial to your wellbeing.\u00a0 All I ask is that you consider what you hear or read and if you choose to research it further then great, if you don’t then that’s fine too… as long as you make your own choices. I feel that it is important to be able to make informed and educated decisions regarding what you consume in order to become aware of the health repercussions of that consumption.<\/p>\n I’m not going to bombard you with information in technical terms, I’m going to keep it as simple and sweet as possible and leave the rest to you.<\/p>\n Taken from –<\/p>\n Menopausal Years – The Wise Woman Way by Susan S. Weed<\/p>\n Healing with Wholefoods by Paul Pitchford<\/p>\n Soy is a member of the bean family.\u00a0 They have many health benefits when used correctly including being a natural source of Lecithin – a brain food, they are also high in protein and very alkalizing to the body.<\/p>\n There are certain substances that are contained within most beans called ‘Anti Nutritional Factors’ and what this means is that these substances interfere with our ability to use, create or liberate certain key nutrients such as Calcium, Zinc, vit B12 and Trypsin (an important substance produced in the pancreas and secreted into the small intestine to assist in the breakdown of proteins.)<\/p>\n In MOST instances soaking and cooking are sufficient to remove the Anti Nutritional Factors making the beans generally safe to eat but this is not always the case. Some beans retain their Anti\u00a0 Nutritional Factors unless they are treated in severe ways. SOY IS ONE SUCH BEAN.<\/p>\n Unless well cooked or fermented, soy beans inhibit the digestive enzyme Trypsin, making them very difficult to digest. Fermentation also destroy’s soy’s anti nutritional factors and increases it’s mineral availablity.<\/p>\n Fermented and recommended Soy products are L-R Miso, Natto and Tempeh.<\/p>\n Three types of Miso paste varying in flavour. Darkest is srtongest and saltiest. Lightest is sweeter and more subtle.<\/p><\/div>\n Raw Tempeh. It is far more apitising when cooked but if i show it to you cooked, you won't know what to buy!<\/p><\/div>\n Natto... a traditional Japanese food. Soy beans that have been left to ferment. Haven't tried it personally... yet!<\/p><\/div>\n Not recommended are – Tofu*, soy nuts, soy beverages, soy granules and fake soy foods (soy burgers, soy dogs, soy cheese… and so on)<\/p>\n Fried tofu. Wait a minute... is that a meatball?!<\/p><\/div>\n *A note on Tofu – Traditionally it is eaten with seaweed to offset it’s thyroid damaging effects and miso to offset it’s B12 disrupting effests and whenever possible fish and meat to offset it’s mineral depleting effects (although this is usually unlikely seeing as most people that eat tofu are vegetarians!)<\/p>\n When unfermented soy is eaten frequently in a diet low or lacking in animal protein (as in the case for many vegetarians and vegans) the anti nutritional factors can wreak havoc: brittle bones, thyroid problems, memory loss, vision impairment, irregular heartbeat, depression and vulnerability to infections.<\/p>\n Unfermented soy is also high in haemoglutin – clumping of red blood cells which may increase the risk of stroke.<\/p>\n Soy milk has it’s own story… Here’s a brief comparison between human milk, cow’s milk and soy milk that may be enlightening especially if you are considering it’s place in your infant or child’s diet. It’s important to note that I am NOT advocating cow’s milk here. Although it appears to resemble human breast milk in these particular components, it is way out of whack with what your body needs in many other areas, including being excessively high in casein which is used in high quality wood glue (ever wondered why many kids who consume lots of dairy are so congested and phlegm filled?) … but that’s a whole topic of it’s own that I will go into at a later date!<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>