Delicious and beautiful Nasturtium Salt is a great way to add some fun and flavour to your meals. The beautifully abundant Nasturtium is back for the Autumn/ Winter season and this year I’m giving this humble plant time to shine! It is so often under-utilised and I will admit that previously I have only ever used the flowers and leaves in a salad and as a garnish. So I am on a mission to put together a series of recipes and tips to help you get the most out of your Nasturtiums.
Nasturtium Salt
Packed full of flavour, vitamin C and beneficial minerals, this Nasturtium salt is a magical addition to your pantry staples.
Ingredients:
Two cups/ handfuls of Nasturtium flowers and leaves
1 cup of Salt – I used a mix of Australian blossom salt and pink Himalayan rock salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Method:
Rinse and check Nasturtium for any bugs.
Blitz all the ingredients in a mixer, blender or NutriBullet until the leaves are all broken down.
Then spread on to a tray and dehydrate on low 30-40 degrees Celcius until completely dry. It will lighten in colour so if you break up any larger pieces and they are still dark green it needs longer. Mine took 3 hours in the dehydrator. You can use the Oven too if you do not have a Dehydrator.
Pour into a bowl or mortar and pestle and break up any larger pieces.
Place in a jar and you have a beautiful, nutrition-packed salt! I used the Pink Himalayan salt for added beneficial minerals. A mild peppery salt to enjoy on your morning eggs on toast and add a nutritious flavour boost to any cooking.
What ways do you like to use Nasturtiums? Another great way is these delicious Nasturtium Wrap – Recipe Here. Leave me a comment below.
Holly 🌱
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my page so I can continue to provide you with free content!
It’s Lemon Season and nature times it perfectly with the start of the flu season. My lemon tree is about 5 years old and has really started producing decent crops this year. Part of my journey has been to learn different ways to preserve and use excess crops (as well as gifting extra to friends). I love dehydrated lemons as they not only look pretty on the shelf but they are also so easy to make and use.
How to make Dehydrated Lemons
Rinse lemons
Slice evenly – I use a mandoline to do this. It’s definitely worth it! I love mine.
Lay out the lemon slices on your dehydrator tray and turn the setting to around 60 degrees Celsius.
Dehydrate for 6-8 hours until the flesh is no longer sticky to touch.
Allow to cool and place into jars.
You can do this in the oven if you don’t have a dehydrator. It all depends on how thick your slices are and your oven type but I did mine at 60degrees celsius for 8-9 hours and cracked the door for the first few hours to let the moisture escape.
How to use dehydrated Lemons
This is a question I got asked a lot on Instagram. So here are some of the ways I like to use my dehydrated lemons.
Tea – Place a couple in hot water or green tea. I also add fresh mint or honey too.
Mulled Wine – I love a wintery mulled wine and adding these at the end makes it look and taste amazing!
Baking – I made a delicious lemon slice and cut the dehydrated lemons into quarters and placed on top for an extra lemony taste. You can also place in cakes and muffins and it will have a chewy texture so make sure they are small pieces.
Broken up into a Laksa soup – once the lemons rehydrate they are similar to a fresh slice so treat them as you would a fresh lemon.
The decoration on any cakes, baking, platters or fish meals.
Cocktails! or Mocktails. They make a beautiful addition and will elevate any drink.
What dehydrator do I use?
If you are looking to invest in a dehydrator I highly recommend keeping an eye out for a second hand one or borrow from a friend. They are the type of thing that people buy and don’t find enough things to make so it collects dust in the cupboard. Also, not all dehydrators are made the same…Some are super noisy and slow so make sure you look into the reviews before you purchase.
I have the Bio Chef Arizona 6 tray one and I love it.
Let me know in the comments below if you have made dehydrated lemons before and how you use them.
MY GARDENING ESSENTIALS //
Fertiliser spray gun: https://bit.ly/366nL1t
Retractable Hose: https://bit.ly/2TSC0Bo
More gardening tools: https://bit.ly/32IQmbD
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my page so I can continue to provide you with free content!
Making Homemade Almond Milk is super easy and tastes so good! Being able to make milk from only a couple pantry staples will be great for those times when you can’t get to the shops. Plus you can create zero waste by saving the almond pulp and make delicious bliss balls. The recipes are below.
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As you can see I did it in two batches as I only have a small NutriBullet. This is the only blender I have and it works just fine! I like to make the most of what I have rather than buying unnecessary appliances. I also save the almond meal and use to make bliss balls! Recipe below..
Treat Yourself
As an added treat I add drinking chocolate to part of the batch and make delicious choccy milk. This is a fantastic way to make milk if you have run out or if you would like to reduce your plastic use!
Storing and Shelf Life
I keep my almond milk in a glass jar or bottle in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You have to shake it well before use each time as the layers will settle. When using it in hot drinks be careful as Almond Milk can tend to curdle if it is added to water that is too hot. This even happens with many store-bought types. The best way to reduce this is by leaving your boiled water to cool for a minute or two before adding the milk. I also find adding the milk first often helps too.
I love making my own almond milk because I know exactly what is it in. The fact that it is stored in the pantry aisle at the supermarket always concerns me due to the number of preservatives that must be used!
Homemade Almond Milk
Yield: 1L
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Homemade almond milk requires a little bit of prep ahead of time but is so easy to make! You can also mix it up and make chocolate almond milk too.
Ingredients
1 cup Raw Almonds
4 cups distilled water (or boiled and cooled water)
3 Dates
Instructions
Place Almonds in a jar with 1 cup of water. Place in the fridge overnight.
Blend almonds, water and dates.
Strain the milk through a fine cloth such as cheesecloth or similar.
Pour into a bottle or jar and store in the fridge. Use within 3-4 days.
Notes
Shake each time before use. Be careful when using it in hot drinks. If the temperature is too hot when you add the milk it may curdle.
To make chocolate milk add your favourite drinking chocolate and shake to mix.
Other flavours you can add are honey, cinnamon or chai.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8Serving Size: 1/2 cup Amount Per Serving:Calories: 65Total Fat: 4.3gSaturated Fat: 0.3gCarbohydrates: 8.2gSugar: 6.4gProtein: 1.6g
Almond Milk using a NutriBullet
x1 cup of raw Almonds soaked overnight in water.
x4 cups of distilled water ( I just boil water and cool it).
x3 dates
Blend and strain!
Zero Waste Almond Bliss Balls
Don’t waste the almond pulp because you can make these delicious bliss balls.
Almond Pulp Bliss Balls
Yield: 12 balls
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
After you have made your fresh almond milk you can make these easy and delicious bliss balls. Add your favourite dried fruits or chocolate to mix it up each time.
Ingredients
1 cup almond pulp
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 dates
1/4 cup cacao powder
3 TBS coconut oil
1/2 cup dark chocolate buttons
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
Instructions
1. Roughly chop up the chocolate buttons and dates.
2. Add all ingredients except desiccated coconut to a mixer until combined.
3. Roll into balls and coat in desicated coconut.
4. Store in the fridge and eat within 4-5 days.
Let me know if you make your own Almond Milk. I found it so empowering to be able to whip up some milk if we have run out!
MY GARDENING ESSENTIALS //
Fertiliser spray gun: https://bit.ly/366nL1t
Retractable Hose: https://bit.ly/2TSC0Bo
More gardening tools: https://bit.ly/32IQmbD
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my page so I can continue to provide you with free content!
A cute little DIY Heat Pack gift I made for my friends birthday. Courdroy offcuts I found at Spotlight that I sewed and filled with jasmine rice and finished off with a fresh sprig of lavender from my garden.
Making gifts is something I love to do and I am trying to do it more often. People love the thought and effort that goes into a handmade gift. It also can cost a whole lot less than buying gifts and getting sucked into the consumerism funnel of having to spend more and more on gifts. This also means you can give gifts more often. Have you ever recieved a gift out of the blue for no reason? It’s such a nice feeling and I plan to do more of this. Try this DIY Heat Pack for your next gift idea.
Another great gift idea is some of my Nasturtium Salt, you can find the Recipe here.
What handmade gifts have you given? I would love to know, leave me a comment below.
MY GARDENING ESSENTIALS //
Fertiliser spray gun: https://bit.ly/366nL1t
Retractable Hose: https://bit.ly/2TSC0Bo
More gardening tools: https://bit.ly/32IQmbD
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my page so I can continue to provide you with free content!
New year, fresh goals! I love taking time to reflect, set new goals and revisit/ refocus on ongoing ones.
So here are my rambling thoughts inspired by Brooke McAlary’s book “SLOW” and some of the steps I am taking towards setting goals and making the next year of my life filled with much more of the things I love!
If you were to think about what are the top most important things in your life (no order). Write them down!
• Family
• Friends
• Pets
• Nature
• Adventures
And then think about where the majority of your time and thoughts are spent each day…
Working? Thinking about going to work? Thinking about all the work you need to do? How long do you spend on your phone a day? How long do you spend scrolling Instagram? How long do you spend thinking about things you can’t control? How long do you spend cleaning your house or washing or even just thinking about doing it in my case 😂 How long do you spend watching tv?
Evaluate, does how you spend your time and what occupies the MOST time/space in your thoughts add up and reflect what you love the most?
Mine definitely doesn’t… So I’m making some changes and Fresh Goals. Small changes towards spending more time and thoughts on the things I love 💕
1. So that doesn’t mean no washing (sadly) but I can have fewer things to wash (I recycled and threw out about 25 non-matching, scratchy towels and purchased 4 quality dreamy ones (which is still probably in excess).
2. I waste a lot of time procrastinating and therefore washing and chores occupy so much more time in my thoughts than just doing it!
3. Cups is another thing..well most items in the kitchen actually. There is usually only one to two people in our house at any one time, so why do I have 50 cups to wash, 4 spatulas and 10 frypans that don’t even work on our new induction stove??? Cyaaaa
4. Break the habit. Sitting on the couch after dinner watching tv but actually just scrolling Instagram for hours…now to walk the dog, tend to the garden until dark and I allocate one episode of tv, then read a book.
5. Randomly call your friends and family just to see how they are. My brother called me for an hour recently and it was the best! He does this more regularly these days because a year ago if he called me I would have had a panic attack thinking something was wrong. If your family and friends are one of the most loved things in your life they should take up more time than one text here and there.
This is a constant work in progress for me and I always need a reminder to get back on track (luckily I have Halen to nag me about clutter) but… “great things are done by a series of small things brought together” ✨
I made DIY Citrus Cleaner and it’s AMAZING, so I had to share! It’s really easy! You just collect some citrus peel or slices. You can do this over a week and just add to the jar as you get more. I used a combination of lemon, grapefruit, and orange. Citrus isn’t very good for the garden or compost so this is a great way to reuse the discarded peels. I also added lemongrass because it’s growing wild in my garden and smells amazing.
DIY Citrus Cleaner Recipe
Fill the jar 3/4 up with white vinegar and the rest distilled water (I just boiled the jug/ kettle and used the cooled down water from that). Leave it for two weeks somewhere out of the sun (pantry or cupboard) and then just strain and pour into a spray bottle with some extra water to fill.
I was quite worried it would smell like vinegar because it’s so strong when you first make it and no one wants to spray raw vinegar around their house! But I was pleasantly surprised when I poured it out today it smelt so good! I wish I had made this sooner rather than spraying who knows what nasty chemicals all over my bench 👎
Give it a try! I’m off to make another slightly different batch of DIY Citrus Cleaner because I’m hooked.
Have you made your own cleaner? Let me know your favourite homemade cleaning products below in the comments.
