Monday, April 30, 2012

The beginning of conventional farming, edible weeds


The first half of the 20th saw many wars fought, many lives lost and Anzac day is an important day to commemorate the Australian fallen soldiers and the battle that they fought to protect Australia, we thank them for this sacrifice.

This part in time,  also marked the advent of conventional farming with the use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers.  Once World War II was over, ammunition companies needed to find a use for chemicals that were created for use in warfare, in particular ammonium nitrate which was an a cheap source of nitrogen. Soon after more chemical concoctions were produced and infiltrated agricultural farms the world over, in particular a highly toxic substance known as DDT, which since was also found to be damaging to reproductive systems in humans, carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting.  DDT has since been banned for use in food, but the tragedy as outlined by the Soil Association, is " that 150 of the available 311 pesticides commonly used have been identified as potentially causing cancer".* 
The irony is that all this drama could be avoided by eating organic food, supporting organic agriculture and refusing to buy into need to use artificial chemicals to grow food.  WE create the world with our dollars, so create a beautiful one, one where life grows naturally....

One place this happens, sometimes much to your disgust is in the garden, in World War II, the virtues of weeds were rediscovered when food was not always in abundance.  Many cultures, regularly enjoy weeds as part as usual daily fare, with some of our most common weeds bottled and sold as superfoods, namely dandelion, reputed for its ability to stimulate the liver, stimulates fat metabolism and serves as an amazing blood purifier.  This week our focus is on foraging in your own backyard, taking a leaf out of your grandparents wisdom...this topic does come with a clause though...don't eat anything you haven't identified and know to be safe...and if you don't know, get out there and get educated. 

 Join us on Facebook this week for some wild weeded recipes, and to identify some weeds in your own backyard that can be nibbled raw or added to a salad.

 Also I need to introduce you to Clare Flynn, she leads a double life as an amazing wholefood chef and yoga teacher and combined she makes life delicious, she has contributed some divine recipes for you. Try this week's salad, Cauliflower, kale and pomegranate.  To learn more about Clare, check her out here 


DON'T FORGET TO PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW.


GET A SMS REMINDER and BE ABLE TO TEXT ORDER  
Forgot to place your order??, register for our SMS reminder service and never miss getting the best organic produce delivered each week. 

Anzac day traditionally marks the harvest day for Chestnuts, and rightly so, we have them in abundance and at a sensational price.  Chestnuts are such a divine Autumn nut that is a great source of protein, exceptionally high in vitamin c,  high in folate and the minerals, iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and they taste amazing.
The organic Cos lettuce coming in from Macclesfield is fabulous a great size, and sweet to the bite.
Organic Avocado's are back, after a short absence, we will now have enough to supply everyone.
Organic Passionfruit; we have panama passionfruit in, these are a natural hybrid that has not been artifially bred.  The panana passionfruit is large in size, with a light purple skin and tiny white dots on the exterior.  The inside flesh is yellow to orange and is recongised to be one of the sweetest varieties.REGISTER HERE.  Once you are registered you can then text through your seasonal box orders whenever you like.  How easy is that?  

"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them."
A.A. Milne


No comments:

Post a Comment