I beg your garden

Gardening to me is not so much of a hobby, as it is a full blown obsession! I blame Indira Naidoo for writing The Edible Balcony.

I kid you not, there have been times where I can’t get to sleep due to the sheer excitement of reading my gardening book then making a list of all the new herbs I want to plant and new tools I feel are completely necessary to own. “Go to sleep Em” my husband will murmur... Surely wondering what has possessed his once sane wife.

My dad like every little Italian man is the ultimate gardening guru. Many a desperate phone call has been made asking emergency questions such as “Do the tomatoes keep potassium or sodium in their soil?”

I discovered that there is nothing more satisfying than eating out of your own garden. Take today for example. Every morning I make a fresh pot of lemon balm tea. Add a bunch of mint to my coconut water smoothie. Pluck out some rocket leaves for my salad wrap. Then for dinner I make THE BEST basil pesto! Bugger that jarred crap.

Anyway I could ramble on for hours about the way the aroma from each herb wafts up to me as I run the watering can over each pot or the sweetness of that first cherry tomato from the vine. But seriously, no matter what your interests are, make sure that they totally consume you because they are what make you uniquely you xx.

Hummus from home.

We’ve received a swag of rad engagement presents over the last couple of months. One if particular being a snazzy little food processor! My latest culinary creation is homemade hummus! Those plastic tubs of hummus in the supermarket just don’t compare to the flavour, texture, smell and how filling the real stuff is!

I’m always trying to discover ways to become more self sufficient to improve my health and reduce the amount of packaging I use. Eg growing my own herbs, mixing up our own muesli, buying toilet paper in paper packaging rather than plastic so it can be popped in the recycle bin.

So I’ve stopped buying crackers and started using mushies, snowpeas, zucchini, cucumber, red capsicum, carrots as my dippers! Also by putting the dip into little glass containers you’re cutting down on the foil and plastic packaging of the commercial stuff.

Here’s what to do:

1 x 400g tin of organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained (packed with protein)
½ tsp pink Himalayan salt (rich in minerals)
1 garlic cloves (natural antibiotic)
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice (vitamin C)
2 Tbs tahini (high in calcium)
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil (essential fatty acids)

Whiz everything in a food processor then store in an airtight container in the fridge for about 5 days.

There are heaps of variations you can make like pumpkin hummus, spiced beetroot, mint and pea, etc. So get creative!

What new dishes have you made lately? How can you cut down on packaging around your house to reduce your carbon impact? xx

Oh yeah and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Go To Your Happy Place.

When I finished highschool I moved to Byron Bay. “You’ll get over it” I was told. “It’s just a phase”. It wasn’t. “It’s like anywhere, the novelty will wear off”. It didn’t. It just grew and grew. After all the countless places I’ve lived over the last 26 years, nowhere has felt more like home than the Bay.

I am unbelievably lucky enough to have my other half living in Byron so it has become my second home where I get to escape to every second weekend.

I’m a whole different person there. My heart becomes lighter. I’m not "Emma the naturopath" and my head isn’t filled with BAS statements, invoices, superannuation contributions and stock deliveries. It’s just about doing what I love: eating delicious fresh food, enjoying spectacular beaches and having fun with the person I love dearly and just soaking up the bubbly energy. I am able to put myself first.

We all need a place like this to keep our lives balanced. It’s important to remind yourself about who you are. Where you don’t have to play a role as “mummy” or “business owner” or “uni student”. All you have to do is be you.

You don't necessarily have to leave your postcode to do this. This might be out to breakfast with your girlfriends on a Sunday morning, doing a sun salutation at your weekly yoga class or sending the family out to the movies while you soak in a hot bath with the phone off the hook. Create somewhere to break away from your usual life so when you go back to it, you love and appreciate it even more.

Does your life reflect who you truly are? Where is your happy place where you recognise yourself?