• My zero waste aspirations

    ‘Zero waste’ is a new attitude towards environmentalism that is growing fast in popularity and momentum. I find it seriously inspiring, if not a little bit daunting – the idea that you can live a fulfilling, ethical life leaving only a minimal amount of waste in your wake, without having to forsake convenience, productivity, or

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  • Homemade hazelnut mylk

    It’s been 6 months since I wrote about how, and why, I quit milk.  I’ve actually ended up eschewing dairy completely, except for the odd restaurant or takeaway curry.  Oh, and I still occasionally buy a wedge of Castello cheese – there will always be a place in my stomach for Castello cheese!  Given that

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  • Easy fermented radishes

    The past couple of weeks have passed by in a total blur, as we have sold our house in Hamilton East, moved ourselves across town to my father-in-law’s house, and then discovered that we (and he) have FAR too much stuff that we really don’t need.  When there’s not enough room, something’s got to go,

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  • Seedy crackers

    After many gentle reminders, here is a recipe I’ve been promising to friends for ages!  Everyone who tries these crackers loves them, whether they’re accompanied by my homemade hummus or some creamy Castello cheese (a dairy product our mostly dairy-free family just can’t resist!).  Almost as important as the flavour and texture are the ingredients

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  • Responsible consumerism

    It’s an unfortunate fact of life for all creatures great and small, that there are ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’.  And although there are some weeks when I don’t know where our next mortgage payment is coming from, I’m pretty sure that as far as 99% of the world’s population is concerned, I’m a ‘have’.  Why? Because

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  • Why we quit milk

    I’ve been meaning to write about dairy for months, but my original intention was to write about why we were prepared to spend more on organic dairy.  Well, now we don’t drink milk anymore and we’ve cut out all dairy except for milk kefir and cultured butter from our family’s diet!  The old me wouldn’t have

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  • Homemade sunscreen

    When I was a kid, I don’t recall ever using sunscreen (although perhaps that’s just my flawed memory). What I do remember is lying out on the lawn as a young teenager with a bottle of Johnson&Johnson’s baby oil (shudder…) slathering it over my skin in the hope of getting a quick bronze tan.  I

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  • Mummy’s Milo

    Growing up, I guess I always took it for granted that Milo was made in New Zealand. I’m not quite sure why; I suppose it was my own ignorance …or clever advertising by Nestlรฉ helped me to form that wrong assumption. Well anyway, that was my understanding well into adulthood, so that when I left home (after

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