There are more and more things I discover which are easily made at home. Ginger beer is one of them. It’s relatively easy to make, requires limited equipment, and it’s ready to drink in about three days. Equipment The equipment needed to make ginger beer at home is basically a set of special bottles. […]
Second-hand appliances – never again
About three years ago we needed to buy a fridge and a washing machine. In true fashion, I went to a used white goods store and bought both of the appliances second-hand. At the time it was a matter of looking at the outside and negotiating price and delivery. Now, three years later, I regret […]
Our backyard: gardening in small spaces
Whenever I look at my backyard I get a bit discouraged. It’s tiny. I’ve never measured it but it’s barely larger than our lounge. And the space of actual dirt is even less. We’ve been trying to make use of that space as much as possible and grow a few things but I feel like […]
Growing herbs – Backyard gardening
As the temperatures are slowly rising here, I got into gardening on the weekend and gave my little backyard some much-needed attention. Unfortunately, one part of that attention was dedicated to farewelling most of our herbs. They just hadn’t managed to keep going due to our dry (yet warm) winter. Now, I know that not […]
Food preservation – overview
Food preservation is not the sexiest topic but something to keep in mind when you’re working with whole foods and fresh produce. For example, I get a veggie box once a week but I can’t cook it all up in one go. Knowing my options for food preservation are awesome in this case. I regularly […]
Sealing food
If there is one food preservation method I’m not very familiar with, it’s food sealing. Reading about it made me want to try it even less. Food sealing, however, needs to be mentioned because there is a good chance you will have come across it in the form of a vegetable covered in oil. Let […]
Cellaring and storing food
Storing food correctly can greatly increase their life span. I remember growing up that we always had a cellar. At the time I didn’t pay much attention to it and now I wish I would have one. Potatoes, for example, could last up to a year in our cellar. Now, I only have the ‘modern’ […]
Pickling food
When I hear ‘pickled food’, my mind usually turns to pickled cucumbers. Pickled cucumbers are easily the most well-known kind of pickled food. But, little did I know that you can pickle all kinds of food. And pickling is actually one of the oldest forms of food preservation. So today, a little run-down of what […]
Urban farms and the story of our veggie box
We are trying to grow a few of our own vegetables in our little backyard. Last season we had tomatoes, chillies, and (almost) zucchini. We enjoy our attempts at growing our own food although we’re not very good at it. The aim though is to show our kids where our food comes from. Our little […]
Freezing food
Recently I talked about reducing food waste. One option to reduce food waste is to freeze food so it keeps its freshness. This option is particulalry great for fresh produce and I love using it for something like kale. But I also like freezing when I prepare meals in advance. Today I decided it’s time […]