Vanilla Plums, Rice, Sugar and Olive Oil

Things I have learned this week!

1. Rice contains arsenic! I am gobsmacked! Maybe you knew this already. If you are a not a big rice eater then eating small amounts of rice should be fine. However, to make it safer, soak rice in water overnight, drain the water and discard it and then use fresh water to cook the rice. Arsenic will be drawn out of the rice and into the water  you are discarding making it much safer.

2. Never use olive oil in non stick pans. Use grape seed oil, avocado oil or bran oil. This will enable your non stick pan to stay pristine for ever. Olive oil will burn on your non stick pan rendering it useless. Thank you George! ( I read this on the box of my new George Colombaris pan) How come I didn't know this?


3. Quitting sugar is like giving up smoking. The thought of it is way more difficult than actually doing it. I am on day 6 of a sugarless diet! But, I did buy a jar of Rice Malt Syrup which contains no fructose and I tried it in my coffee. It tasted OK but it wasn't sweet.

4. Sweet cooked fruit in season does not need added sugar. If you add sugar out of habit to your food, stop and think 'do I really need this'.

5. Volunteering for something takes less time that you think and is a great way to meet new people and learn about your local environment.

6. Plums are one of my favourite fruits.

So I had better let you have my favourite plum recipe that is so simple you wonder why you have never tried it before. (Ssh, it contains no sugar either)

VANILLA PLUMS

Ingredients

1 kg ripe plums, any kind will do

1 vanilla pod

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 cup water

I feel a bit of a fake posting this recipe - if you can even call it that! 

1. Wash and cut the fruit into quarters removing the seed.

2. Add to a large pan with water, cinnamon stick and the seeds from the vanilla pod.

3. On a low heat cook plums until they are soft and thick, about 15 - 20 minutes. 

4. Take off the heat and cool. Remove the cinnamon stick. 

5. Serve warm or cold with ice cream, custard, yoghurt or by themselves.

See I told you it was really easy.

Did you know? The plum is related to the almond, peach and nectarine.Plums are called 'drupes' something with a hard stone at the centre, from the Latin word 'druppa' meaning 'over ripe olive'. (I think this must be because the olive has a hard stone in the centre). If you are a linguist and know more about this, can you leave a comment please.

Phenols are also found in plums and prunes (dried plums); they function as antioxidants - plus they aid in helping the body to absorb iron. And finally they are high in vitamin C. What a clever thing nature is.

Organic Markets - Love them or Lose them!

It is rewarding to grow your own fruit and vegetables. Because it is so nice to have produce you can pick exactly when you want it and you know what you have put on the plants to make them grow. We have a saying in our house when we pick anything from the garden " it could only be fresher if I had run from the garden to the house". For many people growing your own isn't an option, due to climate, availability of land etc, but where you buy your produce from, is an option.

If you are like me, the thought of buying all my vegetables from one of the major supermarkets is really not acceptable. Basically, I like to support local growers and I believe if I buy from a Farmer's Market or local market I am helping to keep the smaller growers in business. 

Thank goodness for dedicated, passionate people like Aasha, who runs The Organic Corner Store. Open at Glenelg North Community Centre, Alison Road, Glenelg North on a Thursday 9.00am - 1.00pm and  at the Bellevue Heights Primary School on Saturdays from 9.00am - 1.00pm. 

Look for this sign!

Aasha, has been running this Organic Market with the help of a few volunteers, for almost 2 years and when I visited the Glenelg North site last week, I was met with a fantastic array of fresh, in season, organic vegetables and a frenzy of people enjoying the weather and the atmosphere of the market. 
As part of the Organic Corner Store there is a fruit and veg co-op where you can pre-order a box of organic goodies. Aasha has searched the markets to ensure that what you get in your organic box lives up to its name - 'organic', at a comparable price. For $25 plus an admin fee of $5 you get a mixture of vegetables and fruit in season. And you can order as many as you like. You can email an order through and then pick up on Thursday or Saturday. Now what could be easier than that?

Check out the photos and see how this produce compares to what you are currently buying.

The fruit and vegetable orders waiting to be collected

A box of organic fruit and vegetables, ready to be taken home

What an enormous head of broccoli

There were many other delicious things to try and buy; Wine from Wild Fox Wines, Organic flour and rice and other pantry goods from Seed Independent Organic Co, Olive Oil from Armata Grove . The market at Bellevue Heights is relatively new and it would be great to see this take off like the Glenelg North market.

Beautiful local Olive Oil from the foothills of Adelaide

I bought the organic brown rice and I have to say that it is the best I have ever tasted

There is also a Food Swap table where you can bring in your extra fruit, herbs, veg or home made produce and swap for something else, maybe a jar of pickle or even some plants.

The swap table was doing a good trade for most of the morning

My biggest concern is that there are not enough locals supporting the venture in Bellevue Heights and if we don't give it our support then the major supermarkets win out again. The venue is ideal if you have children because they can use the playground while you sit in the sun and enjoy a coffee from the Great Relish Nomadic café. 

Believe me when I tell you that when I checked out the 'Organic' produce at the supermarkets, I would have thrown most of it in my compost bin! And the price.......well lets not get into a discussion about that.

If you are living close to Adelaide, in the local area or would like a great excursion, then wander in to one of these venues and say g'day! Because if we do not support these ventures, where to buy wholesome, organic food will be very limited if not impossible, especially on your doorstep.

Thank you Aasha and your volunteers for what you are doing to promote good, healthy, chemical free food.