Saturday, December 31, 2011

CHRISTMAS TIME


Wow, so there is only 5 days left till Christmas, and so much to do...I am not sure about you, but I have list's everywhere... First priority at Christmas in our family is always food, we relish daily in gathering to enjoy amazing food, but Christmas just intensifies this experience and inspires the greatest of culinary feasts. We enjoy the whole day together, gathering for both lunch and dinner.

The traditions and food of this time of the year are ingrained in our cells, with the most divine regional dishes being prepared lovingly by each family and brought to the table for all to devour. Its indulgent and divine, but this time of the year it also does something amazing for the soul. It nourishes the soul as much as it does the body. That is the biggest blessing of Christmas, and the truth is that food prepared and shared with love has the capacity to do this.

The power of food should never be under estimated, it truly does have the ability to bind people as much as it does to destroy them, and this is on so many levels. I can speak from my own experience when I can say that our family comes together gathering to enjoy food daily and if the food tastes amazing, the experience is heightened, the body more nourished and the bodies cells more receptive.

Traditions formed around food preparation are some of the best, and are something that should be passed down from generation to generation. These skills, historically are what have formed our societies, our health and our lives, so this Christmas, I urge you to share, a delicious dish, pass on an amazing recipe and make your food with love(and fresh organic ingredients). I would like to start the ball rolling sharing some of our family favourites....

melanganie-Melanzane Sotto'olio this is the most divine dish that my grandmother makes most weekends for me to devour. Its raw, eggplant and delicious. You can have this with everything or by itself.

dried figs -Walnuted figs- these are the simplest of sweets and are great for Christmas or anytime of the year. Don't underestimate the flavour of simple foods

stretching -Fragole al vino- Organic strawberries and wine.. sounds peciuliar but is so delicious

Head to our recipe book for so many more ideas....

There is something else that I think is really important this Christmas and that is to be grateful for the amazing people that we have to share this festive season with, how blessed are we to have the access to divine foods, but to be able to share them with people that we love, this is truly the essence of life. At the root of everything this is all that matters when you strip away all the distractions, food and people are all that matter, because with your health and food to eat and people..anything is possible.

On that note we wish to express our gratitute to you..We are so grateful for all the support that you all provide for us, your support means that we spread organic goodness further. We make the world a healthier better place as you do! We are so grateful that you care enough to eat the best, that you nourish yourselves and those you love with organic food. We are so grateful to be able to serve you. Check out our farm news for a new way that we are going to be able to serve you in 2012.

OUR GIFT TO YOU
We have a special gift for you all this week, in your boxes you will find a hand made eco pot, seeded and ready for you to plant. Simply plant your little pot in the ground and watch it grow. It is biodegradable, organic seeds and a little way we can give you a little of our hearts, a little of our farm and feed you whilst we are on holidays.
CHRISTMAS ORDERING
Due to the craziness of this period, we ask that you get your orders in as soon as possible prior to Wednesday for delivery this week. Be sure to stock your fridge full of our freshest organic produce, it will last well and truly into the next week or two. We have the freshest local produce, picked virtually the day of delivery or day before, this ensures absolute freshness and amazing taste.
CHRISTMAS BREAK

The summer holidays are such a brilliant time just to take time and we have decided to close from December 23rd and return to trade on Monday 30th January and although this is an unusually extended break we believe that holidays are just as important as working and thus we must rest ourselves and our staff. We will take this time to work on the farm and develop ways to serve you all better as well as catch a little Vitamin D. During this time we will spasmodically send out our newsletters to keep you informed, eating well and living well.

Farm News-Scattagnolo

So this week we announce some amazing news, during the Christmas break we will be renovating our farm store. This will be opening in early 2012, a gorgeous original 1930's organic store in the Yarra Valley. We so look forward to welcoming you and once open please feel free to come and pick up your organics every week, have an organic juice with us and get out and about! Please stay tuned for more information, and check it out here....


organicempire

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Forage, grow, harvest and share




So last night, I had the privalidge of attending an event hosted by The Sustainable Table and Dumbo Elephant. All the guests were asked to bring something to the table, and from that bounty ,Chef from Pope Joan, Matt Wilkinson cooked up a storm. At grassroots this event was about bringing a consciousness to our food, eating with the seasons, tasting the sun, absorbing the rain, nourishing our bodies with the freshest produce.
For us all on this journey we call life, as humans, I think its important to connect with our food and the best way to do that is to eat seasonally. Living in Melbourne, we are blessed to sometimes have four seasons in one day, but we truly do have four distinct seasons in a year. Four seasons that each provide a bounty of flavour and health, with enough diversity to satisfy everyone.
Seasonal eating is not a new concept, rather living wisdom that dates back decades,centuries even millennia that has somehow got lost for the majority of us with the advances in transportation, supermarkets and the haste of our lives.
All is not lost, we can return to the beautiful place where we grow, we eat, we thrive, and we can do this quite easily. Think about it for a minute, what if you did an experiment and you only ate seasonal fresh foods for a week, how would this impact you? Your family? your world?
Get a seasonal list, we have one thats quite extensive, use it, get some organic seasonal produce and create your own food, food that is grown where you live.

http://www.organicempire.com.au


Thanksgiving


So today is Thanksgiving in the US, and I was pondering this concept and thinking that if there was anything that we should take from the US, it should be thanksgiving. Giving thanks collectively has to be one of the most beautiful things that we could do, living in Australia, having access to the most delicious foods to nourish ourselves- there's a good reason to give thanks.
So today, from the team at the Organic Empire we thank all the amazing people that support us so that we can serve you and deliver to you, the freshest local organic, seasonal foods, we thank our amazing farmers, artisans, and above all we thank you!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Eating Ethically


So its Nutrition Week in Australia and its all about promoting good health, to foster a better Australia.
Nutrition Australia has released a series of flyers to educate the broader community on healthy eating for a healthy world, one of them is a great one on Ethical Eating. At the Organic Empire, we love the promotion of ethical eating as one of the most important steps forward that we can take as a civilisation, one that can free so many from hunger, foster nutrition and promote a beautiful connection with our own lives and the people in it. Ethical eating forces you to take the slower more conscious path, one where convenience is not the only factor in food, but people matter and the health of our world. Have a read, what are your thoughts on ethical eating?
http://www.organicempire.com.au

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Fattoush Salad

Some guys I used to work with would call this fat arse salad, for the obvious name reasons, an amazing salad to make with the divine organic radish that are around at the moment.



Ingredients:

1 round wholemeal Mountain bread/ Tannor bread


2 organic Lebanese cucumbers, finely diced (if very fresh, no need to peel)


2 organic tomatoes, finely diced


½ cup organic radish, finely diced


½ organic red capsicum, finely diced


4 organic spring onions, finely diced


2 tablespoons organic mint, finely chopped


½ cup organic parsley, finely chopped


Dressing juice of 1 organic lemon


¼ cup extra virgin olive oil


Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste


Description:

Bake the Lebanese bread in a medium oven for about 10 minutes. This will make the bread nice and crisp.


Combine the rest of the ingredients with the bread and toss with the dressing

http://www.organicempire.com.au


ORGANIC EMPIRE, organic home delivery melbourne, local organic foods

Monday, September 26, 2011

Our farm-Scattagnolo...


Ok so the packing sheds are nearly ready to go, organic inspector is on his way its all happening. I feel like breaking out in song, "ei i ei i o...and on that farm, we have lots of snails ei i ei i oooo". To explain the quantity of snails we have at the moment, there is a new packing shed which has been erected, we are not sure how but snails have made a home inside, and if you you didn't know you would think that they are the walls. I have never seen so many snails in the one place before. Escargo anyone...
Its amazing they are a perfect reflection of our farm at this moment...slow...
So this is a picture of our farm, even just looking at the views make me happy, imagine how happy the veggies are going to be. Till next week, Farmer Ange x
http:www.organicempire.com.au

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Lettuce Facial


Place two lettuce leaves in a blender. Add 3 tablespoons and mix with natural yoghurt, and two tablespoons of raw honey.

Apply on face for 15-20 minutes.

It contains vitamins and macro nutrients: A, B1, B2, and C, folic acid, manganese, chromium, phosphorus, and potassium.


Skin becomes softer, smoother, and more relaxed. Repeat once a week

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Saving Money by eating organics




Did you know that buying organic foods can save you money... what you say...lets clear up a few things.

We know the better you eat the healthier you are, the healthier you are, less you will need to visit the doctor, so first savings on doctors bills, second on medications. Organically grown food is your best way of reducing exposure to toxins used in conventional agricultural practices.

The more nutrient dense your food the less your body needs, note here I said nutrient dense not energy dense (by this I mean highly processed, sugared, inert foods), so you effectively get more carrot for your carrot. Organic foods are nutritionally superior to conventionally grown produce as a rule, 41 studies on organic foods have concluded
  • 27% more vitamin C
  • 21.1% more iron
  • 29.3% more magnesium
  • 13.6% more phosphorus

Eating seasonally will save you money, buy in bulk, and preserve. Buying organic in season can be cheaper than buying conventional, especially if you purchase from Organic Empire.

GET HEALTHY GO ORGANIC EMPIRE

Monday, August 15, 2011

Childhood Obesity- New initiative


The Victorian government has this morning announced a $40 million program to end childhood obesity in Victoria with staggering figures that have found that one in four children are obese or overweight. This is sad and scarey, never before in history have we seen nations suffering from these tremendous weight problems, with Australia leading the way with the highest rates of obesity per capita....

The initiatives include:

A research centre that will evaluate health programs in schools and other early childhood centres.

Policies implemented to guide the social, physical and emotional health of young people

Awards programs for schools, recognising excellence in health and food service to children

Cooking classes for adults and children

Various social marketing and public education engagements

I don't know that we need to complicate things though, this all just comes back to food, the importance of teaching children about food and nourishing them with healthy food is the only way that we can curb this. Childhood obesity is not just about being a 'bigger' kid, there are so many health problems associated with excess weight,cancers, diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes can be the reality of a unhealthy lifestyle.

Its also at this point that I think that Junk food should be heavily taxed, making real food more affordable in comparision. The real change will happen then, when it becomes harder and expensive to eat 'processed, inert foods'.

We agree that the value of educating children on good food is and should be our highest priority, what can you do at home, find our more here.


Have a question for our nutritionist...ASK HERE

Monday, August 8, 2011

Organic Certification and wombats

So back to the grind this week, the first thing we need to address on our farm is organic certification. Have been going through the different certifying bodies, to determine what separates them from each other and the truth is not much. They all routinely do random assessments, and have the same rules...so its fair game. The OGA certified organic Australia, will be our badge of choice....look out for it peoples, will be completing the forms this week...tooo exciting.

Prior to purchasing the property, we became aware of the fact that we have wombats residing under the buildings on the property...awww cute yes...not so good for structures though and our pets (supposedly they lure cats and dogs into their lair and intentionally do harm).... So after consultation with the local wildlife group, we have found out that you cant actually move wombats, because if you do they will try and find their way back home and usually end up as roadkill or having a fight with another wombat over territory...ouch... So the only way is to encourage the wombats to move to another one of the homes (yes quite the entrepreneurial spirit, often having 2-3 unrenovated homes). This will be undertaken by setting up a low grade electric fence around the perimeter of the buildings, placing sand around the burrow and waiting until they have left for the evening. The electric fence is then put on, once they receive the gentle persuasion, they immediately go and renovate another one of their dens... Amazing , think we will miss the huge pot holes around the buildings and the idea that another beautiful creature wants to share the space, but we have located their other dens and know that they will only be a couple of meters away....Till next week on the farm

Monday, July 25, 2011

Fountain of Youth


What if organic foods were the eternal, illusive 'fountain of youth'?, what if organic fresh foods held the key to youthfulness and health...look a little closer, the truth is that they do...

The Organic Center is a research facility in the US, they have released an interesting article on organic foods, antioxidants and the fountain of youth, check it out here....
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH FOODS

Organic Blueberries, tea and cocoa, all contain tea and blueberries,catechins, antioxidants that can turn off damaging transcription factors and turn on protective ones. Cocoa contains procyanidin B-2, which can protects brain cells from inflammation and stop the production of pro-inflammatory chemicals that are released in the skin.

Organic Cinnamon is a powerful anti-inflammatory spice that regulates blood sugar and assists in keeping skin wrinkle-free.

Raw fresh organic foods in their natural state, offer a plethora of antioxidants and nutrients to nourish the body and provide anti ageing support and health.

Citrus Fruits–oranges, tangerines, lemons, limes, and grapefruit–all have vitamin C, known to reduce the risk of cancer and cataracts. In addition, citrus fruits contain limonese–a compound that may help the liver detoxify carcinogenic chemicals.

Sulfophrane found in cruciferous vegetables such as Broccoli, cauliflower, kale and bok choy contain a naturally-occurring compound in foods that neutralizes highly reactive, dangerous forms of cancer-causing chemicals before they can damage cells and promote cancer.



Sunday, July 24, 2011

Protect our daily bread


Ok people the time has come to act, this could be the biggest injustice to our livelihood ever, never before in human history has our ignorance compromised our food systems as much as the change that is about to occur. The PM has allowed for genetically modified wheat to be grown in commercial quantities in Australia, this is very very scary.
If you are new to the Genetically Modified food debate, please allow me to give you a basic rundown , genetically modified food is foods that are created in a laboratory, by modifying the genes of crops to make it possible to put more fertilisers and pesticides on them that it wont kill them...but possibly us.
Genetically modified foods have never been proven safe for humans to eat, yet our government is allowing this.
Apart from the the nutritional affects, if a genetically modified seed lands on a non GM farm, the farmer then has to pay foreign companies for that germination..... the most ridiculous thing ever... there are many court cases going on around the world as we speak, where little farmers are being taken to court. One such case already exists in Australia, an organic farmer in western Australia is battling these companies after his organic farm was contaminated by GM crops, losing his organic certification and ruining his farm!

So what can you do.....
GET EDUCATED
Check out this video


Boycott wheat, these amazing chefs are on board too , read more about it here

Download the true food kids guide here, published by GREENPEACE


SUPPORT ORGANIC FARMS AND BUSINESSES
Shop responsibly, email the supermarkets tell them you don't want GM crops on their shelves
VOTE WITH YOUR DOLLARS,


Thursday, July 21, 2011

Wholesale Markets moving to Epping

So it was announced yesterday that the Wholesale produce markets are officially moving to Epping, this has so many implications for anyone who eats in Melbourne unless of course you live in Epping or in the vicinity of Epping.
This is not just the organic world it will affect but the conventional markets as well, forcing increases in the cost of food, which is three fold, this in conjunction with rising oil prices and a new carbon tax, fruit and vegetable vendors have no choice but to either raise their prices or shut up shop. The relocation will also mean that the vendors will have to refurbish their stores and this costs money, which ultimately the consumer will wear!
Speaking of that already way to many small fruit and vegetable vendors have decided that by the time this move occurs they will have shut up shop. This is really sad for the fresh food industry in Melbourne and means that the bigger players, namely the supermarkets will dominate the market even more. The repercussions of this are disastrous for our farmers, our food and our livelihood.

So what can be done, now that the decision has been made, unfortunately not much in terms of lobbying. I think the most important thing that can be done is supporting your local fruit and vegetable vendors, ensuring that you vote with your dollar and keep the world of fresh food alive. The alternative is that when the big players totally dominate, your 'perfect' foods, waxed apples, sprayed tomatoes will take over this world.... Keep the power people, vote with your dollar and while we are on the subject 'go organic, support our local farmers, work with us'

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Organic Cheffie




So Masterchef is a phenomenal success that's inspiring people to get in the kitchen, which in itself is a great feat. Lets take this one step further and make it healthier with our version of 'ORGANIC CHEFFIE', please send us your favourite recipe, if we publish this on our site you will receive an 'organic bag', a bag of fresh organic seasonal delights delivered from our farm to your door.

Spread the word tell your friends, lets get creating together...a true masterpiece of health.

SORRY ONLY FOR FOODIES WHO LIVE IN METRO MELBOURNE

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

MIRANDA KERR AND ORGANICS and KIDS ORGANIC FARMS


I think its fabulous when a high profile celebrity such as Miranda Kerr, backs an industry. Miranda Kerr is a big proponent of organics and a down to earth realist, she has also developed her own organic skin care range KORA organics.
In Australia she is also backing the 'Organic School Gardens' program. This is a fantastic program that we will be hosting on our very organic farm 'Scattagnolo'. The 'Organic School Gardens' programs seeks to educate primary school children on the skills of organic farming and provides practical support to teachers and children alike. You can even use this program in your own educating your kids on farming methods that you can demonstrate in your backyard.

Its a fantastic resource from the Biological Farmers of Australia. Click here to download it .
For more information on our farm, check us out here

Monday, July 11, 2011

CARBON TAX V ORGANIC FARMING

All this conversation about the carbon tax can be very confusing, is it right to charge more and penalise for use, or would it be best to teach new ways, foster new methods. Charging people, industry more for use just increases our cost of living, when there are soooo many more methods for positive change, one of them being organic farming. This is known as carbon sequestion.

Through the process of organic farming, carbon is sequested from the environment, this is a process through which carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere is absorbed by trees, plants and crops through photosynthesis, and stored as carbon in biomass (tree trunks, branches, foliage and roots) and soils. This relates to the organic matter in organic soil being mainly carbon. In conventional farming the organic matter is typically depleted.
The Rodale Institute has translated this to if '10,000 medium sized farms were converted to organic production, they would store so much carbon in the soil that it would be equivalent to taking 1,174,400 cars off the road, or reducing car miles driven by 14.62 billion miles.'

Makes good sense...just another reason to GO ORGANIC.

Just another bit of information:

Other methods of carbon reduction would be to stop the logging of old growth forests, tropical deforestation accounts for around 20% of the WORLD's carbon emissions.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Organic Carrot Cake


250 g melted butter
1 cup organic brown sugar
3 organic eggs
2 tsp organic vanilla
grated rind of one organic lemon

2 1/3 cups organic wholemeal plain flour
1/3 tsp himalayan sea salt
1/3 tsp bicarb soda
2 tsp baking powder
2/3 tsp mixed spice
1 1/3 tsp organic cinnamon
2 cups packed, finely shredded organic carrot, soaked in juice of lemon

Beat sugar and butter, then add eggs one at a time, and vanilla and lemon rind, beat until light in colour. Then add flour and carrot alternating beginning and ending with flour, add rest of ingredients. Mix to combine.
Pour into a lineed cake tin and bake for 45-50(or until skewer comes out clean) at 160-180.

Enjoy


Thursday, May 26, 2011

Our new website


Hey y'all, you have to come and check out our new website, full of great recipes, easy shopping and the freshest local organic foods, the majority of which are coming straight from the farm.
Today we included some organic purple heirloom carrots in the boxes, this what all carrots were like until the 1500's, high in antioxidants, these are touted as a superfood.

The new website development means that we will be posting more recipes onto that site, with occasional recipe posts here. I would love to use this blogging platform to explore the wide world of food, customs, traditions, tastes, nutrition and everything else that accompanies food on this journey we call life.

Love to hear your thoughts, experiences and all things food too....


This cold weather makes me wonder what warmth ever looked like, or how I could ever want to eat watermelon again....I find myself craving warm soups, anything substantial, which is a far cry from my usual fare of raw foods. Its at this time of year that warming soups and cooked foods make their way into my diet. 30% is my rule of thumb, still feel good and nourished.

So what's happening in your kitchen, what do you feel like eating, what do you want that you feel you shouldn't have. Our relationship with food is such an interesting topic to delve into, it is actually consuming (pardon the pun), and as much as we deny it, it has a place in every encounter we have, food is always at the centre of everything (and anything in my world anyway). And rightly so, food is what keeps us alive, keeps us warm, keeps our blood pumping and in alot of ways keeps us happy. I have written before about putting love into food, but sometimes I feel like food puts love in me. There is nothing like having a delicious meal, being so satisfied with every mouthful and so content, but yet yearning for more. That is love, mmm that is life

Monday, May 9, 2011

Organic Empire: Bircher Muesli

Organic Empire: Bircher Muesli

Bircher Muesli


Bircher muesli is a great way to start the day, raw oats, dried fruit, soaked overnight. Tastes so good the kids will want it for dessert and jam packed full of nutrients to keep them and you in optimum health. Great source of raw carbohydrates, protein and goodness.

BIRCHER MUESLI

½ cup organic rolled oats

¼ cup freshly pressed organic apple juice

¼ cup organic yoghurt (sugar free is best)

handful organic currants or sultanas

a sprinkling of organic ground cinnamon

1/4 Organic apple, grated (skin on) to serve or banana

Seasonal berries and chopped almonds.

Method:
Combine the rolled oats, juice, currants or sultanas, and cinnamon in a large bowl and stir together. Chill overnight.

To serve, stir in the grated apple and yoghurt, put into a bowl and garnish with berries and crispy almonds


ORGANIC EMPIRE, organic home delivery melbourne, local organic foods

Monday, May 2, 2011

Whats in season, May

apples
banana,
cumquat,
custard apple,
feijoa,
grapes
kiwifruit,
lemons,
limes,
mandarin - imperial,
melon - champagne,
nuts - chestnut - hazelnut - peanut - walnut,
pears - howell - josephine - packham - red sensation - williams,
persimmon,
quince,
rhubarb.

asian greens , bok choy, - choy sum - gai laan - wonga bok,

avocados - fuerte - sharwill,

beetroot,

broccoli,

brussels sprout,

cabbage,

carrots,

cauliflower,

celeriac,

celery,

daikon,

eggplant,

fennel,

garlic,

ginger,

horseradish,

leeks,

lettuce,

mushrooms - wild - field - pine - slippery jacks,

okra,

olives,

onions - brown - spring,

parsnip,

peas,

potato,

pumpkin,

shallots,

silverbeet,

spinach,

squash,

swede,

sweet potato,

taro,

tomato,

turnip,

witlof,

zucchini.


ORGANIC EMPIRE, organic home delivery melbourne, local organic foods

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Raw Oat biscuits

In commemoration of our fallen diggers, a raw version of the traditional Anzac biscuit, packed with nutrition and so easy to make

1 cup organic raw oats
1 teaspoon organic ground cinnamon
1/2 cup firmly packed organic pitted Medjool dates
1/2 cup organic sultanas
Favorite topping such as chopped, nuts, coconut (optional).
Combine the oats and cinnamon in the food processor and process into small pieces. Add the dates and process to mix well. Add the sultanas and your favorite topping and pulse to mix.

Press about 3 tablespoons of the dough into cookie cutters on a plate lined with baking paper, or roll the dough into ball and flatten.

You can add a tiny bit of molasses for some anzac flavour