The taste and texture of these pumpkin, rosemary & poppy seed cake bites strike a perfect balance. Think swoon-worthy sweet pumpkin pie with a light crunch from the poppy seeds. Think perfectly moist cake that’s as easy to eat as a biscuit…they’re all that and more. Naturally, freshly-picked organic, home-grown ingredients give the best flavour.
This typical Dutch ontbijtkoek literally translates as ‘breakfast cake’. It is a rather fitting name as this is a dish we “Dutchies” like to eat for breakfast. But we also eat it as a snack and/or with lunch. So it is not limited to breakfast at all-eat it whenever you fancy! This Dutch ontbijtkoek recipe
This sour beef stew is an extremely local dish. It is only made in a very small part of the world; the very south of The Netherlands. This tiny region spans just 20km in diameter and has a population comparable to that of QLD’s Gold Coast, yet boasts a cuisine all its own. So to
Gardening is a fantastic hobby, but let’s face, it ain’t always cheap. From garden beds to soil to fertiliser to plants, no matter where you live, the costs can mount up. Add to that the recent worldwide price rises caused by a certain pandemic, and gardening can easily become an expensive hobby. But I think
If you’re anything like me, you have an abundance of pumpkins during the growing season (in fact it’s way beyond abundance, but that’s a whole other story). I’m always on the lookout for fun ways to make good use of my harvest, and what better way than a pie that can be shared with friends
Welcome to winter in the humid subtropics- all three weeks of it. Okay that’s a local joke where I live (Brisbane, Australia), but it’s not far from the truth. The subtropics give us a specialised climate- one unlike any other. Most gardening information found online and in books is written for cool or temperate climates,
No matter where you live, as a gardener you always have some sort of constraints. Whether it’s climate, space, time, energy or just plain personal preference, we can’t do everything. There are literally hundreds of different herbs you can try growing, but realistically we all have to make choices about what to grow and what
Ok so you’re new to gardening. Or maybe new to raised beds. We all know that veggies need soil to grow in, but where do you get the soil from? Which soil do you use? How deep does the soil need to be? What else do they need? Do I need to add fertiliser? If
The well-known catchphrase ‘beautiful one day, perfect the next’ was devised by advertisers to describe Queensland summer…but I don’t think they had gardening in mind when they coined it. Summer in subtropical south-east Queensland has 3 keywords: hot, humid, and rainy. This is a time where the gentle breezes and pleasant sunshine of spring have
Whether you’re a vegan or just fancy loading up on vitamins, these easy fried veggie wraps are always a tasty treat! A while ago I got into the habit of going meat-free on a Monday, and devised these vegan wraps…they soon became a regular menu item. Ideal for lunch, dinner, or snacks in between, they
The rapidly rising price of food, especially fresh produce, isn’t news to any of us these days. Basic living is getting tougher everywhere: inflation is up, interest rates are higher, and supply chains are stretched to breaking point. Being scared won’t help, because it doesn’t lead us to safety or rational thought. But there are
Recently I was asked if it is possible to grow blueberries in the ground in my area, and in Australia in general. The answer is ‘yes- as long as you create the right soil for blueberries first‘. Blueberries require an acidic soil, but most natural soils in Australia are quite alkaline. This means that you’ll
Turmeric belongs to to the ginger plant family, and is one of the most famous foods in the world. This is due to its versatility in cooking and its medicinal qualities. I grow a ton of turmeric every year, and you can too- just follow these key points. Scientific tests have shown that turmeric stimulates
This carrot cake with warming spices and dried apricots is so very more-ish! There’s no need to feel guilty either; it’s vegan, gluten free and contains no refined sugars. We eat this carrot cake for breakfast, lunch and dessert! If you can make this carrot cake last for longer than one day, you have amazing
Welcome to winter in the humid subtropics- all three weeks of it. Okay that’s a local joke where I live (Brisbane, Australia), but it’s not far from the truth. The subtropics give us a specialised climate- one unlike any other. Most gardening information found online and in books is written for cool or temperate climates,
This wonderfully purple recipe is a traditional Dutch dish. Red cabbage with apples is sweet and a little sour, easy to make & an extremely good way to get kids (and adult kids!) to eat red cabbages. Originally it is eaten with baked potatoes or potato croquettes and a beef stew that is literally translated
Although it is autumn, I’m still harvesting summer carrots. I love them and I love making delicious recipes with them. This is one of those recipes that I come back to again and again because it is so easy, healthy, yummy and you don’t even need an oven for this one! It is also vegan
This poem was salvaged from a scrap piece of lined A4 paper handwritten half in pen and then finished in pencil – I can’t recall but my biro must have run out. I do remember writing this rather crude piece in 1990 on a rain-soaked day in the Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area near Rockhampton
Most of us can benefit from a little more vegetables in our lives, and growing them at home is the best way to ensure those dinner plates are stacked with a heap of greens every time. But what if you don't have much space outside to grow your favourite vegetables or you live in a
Self Sufficient Me is a blog about self-sustainment by growing our own produce (plant/animal), and self-fulfilment by looking after our health (physical/mental) through exercise and slowing life down a little.
