Organic Granny

Even if you are not a huge fan of lentils, this particular recipe will answer a deep need on a cool winter's night when you have put out all day for the Man and are just ready for something comforting and satisfying!  It will feed 2 - 4 diners, depending on the hunger and the usual inputs.  I'm calling this Lentil Bowl #1, so expect some more quick and yummy one-dish lentil recipes! The potatoes in the above picture are white 'sweet potatoes' and not the bright orange yams we expect when we say 'sweet potato'.  They have the texture of  sweet potato, and they ARE very sweet (ooze syrup when baked) but they have a more neutral flavour.  Yams work extremely well also, so use either. Ingredients for the Lentil part: 1 T. Coconut Oil 1/2 Small Onion , chopped fine 2     Garlic Cloves, minced 1 C. Pineapple, chopped small (I use Costco's frozen Organic Pineapple-- smells like the tropics!) 3 C. cooked Brown or Green Lentils 2 T. Maple Syrup Shot of Ap

Roast Pepper-Potato Comfort Soup This roasted pepper-potato soup is a delicious, nutritious, warming comfort food that everyone will love. It is vegan (although you are free to plug in your animal products as subs) and gluten-free. The fragrance while it is cooking will draw everyone in the neighborhood on a cool day. My dog is also much attracted by the fragrance. INGREDIENTS: 3 T. Coconut Oil or Ghee (if not vegan) (Optional: Use an Extra Virgin Olive Oil spray) 3 - 4 Organic Red and/or Orange Bell Peppers 1 Medium or 2 Small Organic Yellow Onion (s) 1 Large Organic Potato , peeled and diced (1 1/2 cups) 3 Cloves Garlic , minced 1 Liter / Quart Organic  Vegetable Broth (or use 2 Organic Vegetable Bouillon Cubes in 1 Liter of Water) 1/4 C. non-dairy Milk , (unsweetened almond, soy, etc.) Cayenne, Celtic Sea Salt and Pepper to taste   METHOD: Roast the Peppers :   Wash and dry them.  Place them each in the oven, close together under the grill on the rack (no pan

Delicious & Fragrant Organic Borscht with Basil, Red Lentils, and Purple Cabbage I was at Costco today and saw a 2-4 servings package of ready-made beet borscht for ... are you ready?... $12+ change!!!!!  I knew I had beets at home in the fridge (thanks to that wonderful organic-vegetable-growing son of mine who harvested close to 3000# of beets this Fall!) and I DO know how to make borscht, so I could hardly wait to get home to make such a valuable-- and delicious of course-- soup. And this borscht I am making is ORGANIC, it does not have any GMO possibilities, or high fructose corn syrup lacings.  This recipe will feed 5 people... so, I guess it must be worth about $25?  You can make it too: Ingredients : 2 Tbs. Coconut Oil *4 small Onions , halved and sliced (3 cups) *1 T. organic dried whole Basil *2 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt *6 cloves Garlic , minced *3 medium Beets , peeled and grated, or pulsed until fine in Food Processor *Greens from beets (or bunch of Swiss Char

This luscious Ginger-Grape Jam is made with my own organic seedless green grapes! *Recipe for cakes below The kitchen smells of Jam.   Ginger-Grape Jam.  It is a dark rainy night in the Comox Valley. This is the kind of night that Grandmothers use to make jam.  We have a grape arbour that produces sweet seedless green grapes. This was a long hot, dry summer-- apparently the kind of growing season that these grapes enjoy! Originally the grapes  were used for wine-making. But we call them "Table Grapes". We freeze each little gem and use them in smoothies for most of the winter. And we make Jam.  Please note: This jam was made with ORGANIC seedless green grapes during ORGANIC WEEK!   So, let's get right to the recipe: Pick the grapes (at least 1 Kg/2 pounds) and soak 20 min. in basin of water with 1/4 C. Vinegar mixed in.   INGREDIENTS: 2 pounds/ 1 Kg  Fresh, Ripe Grapes .  1/4 Cup / 60 g  Sugar  or other Sweetener 1/2  Lime, Juiced , Fresh lem

Thornless Blackberries are the most prolific fruit in our back garden. Thornless (or prickle-free) blackberries are a cultivar of other blackberries -- maybe wild blackberries, but most often, other commercial varieties, such as loganberries. Wild blackberries still spring up with wily abandon on most empty lots in the Pacific Northwest (Canada and the USA).   When we came to Vancouver Island nine years ago this Fall, I was thrilled to hike around our neighborhood berry patches with a pail every summer.  Most of our neighbours were quite incredulous at my  industry-- why was I picking so many berries?  Most of them picked enough for a pie or a few jars of jam, and that was it.  The novelty had worn off.  They had so many other wonderful fruits and berries to choose from, many growing in their yards.  At the time, my husband and I were falling in love with-- actually, fast becoming addicted to-- green smoothies.  We were amazed by the simple abundance of the FREE blackberries.  W

I love lavender . Beautiful hues of purple. Drought resistant. Heavenly scent. Edible. Organic. What is not to love?  Here are 25 Things You Can Do With Lavender (if you have other suggestions, please add below!) 1. Scent your Linens :  Put sprays of dry lavender in with your sheets for a pleasant, relaxing effect. 2. Protect your Wardrobe: Hang Sachets filled with lavender buds to repel moths and bugs. 3. Make Lavender Chocolate Truffles for that everything-chocolate Auntie with a birthday. 4. Create a beautiful Lavender Bouquet for your wedding. 5. Bake a Lavender Cake for that Summer Tea Party. 6. Stop a Heat Stroke in its tracks with a couple of drops of  Lavender Essential Oil 7. Braid an enchanting Lavender Wand . 8. Chill out with Lavender Ices (ever so elegant!) 9. Spritz home-made Lavender Water to disinfect and before storing linen and clothing. 10. Wash doggie down with home-made Lavender Doggie Shampoo and repel fleas. 11. Relieve a heada

Traditional Landscape by Sterling Landscape Architects; Designers SURROUNDS Landscape Architecture + Construction -----------------------------------------------------------------  You may have deer trespassing into your yard, hoping to get a meal around your patio. Or, as in the case of our son, you might have bunnies chomping up your strawberries (leaving the lettuces intact-- there goes that myth)or neighborhood dogs-without-boundaries bouncing through your tomatoes. What to do? What to do? Well, traditionally, an elegant fence (like the one above) is an adequate barrier to roaming, intrusive critters. Here are some suggestions to keep other critters out of your garden area: Cats  are usually drawn to a veggie or flower garden because of the loose soil that is easy to dig up and dispose of their feces.  Cat feces are not suitable to compost or dig in as fertilizer because they are carnivores, and as such, may harbour pathogenic bacteria and viruses in their feces t