tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33650217430444108612011-10-11T16:48:45.456+13:00gathering, mixing, experimentingJohanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.comBlogger1401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-83826975293871638902011-03-22T13:53:00.001+13:002011-03-22T13:56:44.496+13:00

I've started a small temporary blog, putting together a list of Canterbury small businesses that it would be good to support post the quake. So far lots of gorgeous crafts and craft supplies, lovely seeds and plants, and more. It'll be in blog format for a while, then when I find out about a few more businesses, I'll convert it to a categorised list,  and try and promote it a wee bit more widely

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-88168767124868891362011-01-12T07:38:00.001+13:002011-01-12T07:39:27.420+13:00

Despite good intentions, I haven't managed to write anything here for ages, and it will be a few more weeks before I do, as my family and I work through various life logistics! I'm so over moving, but it looks like we will probably do it one more time.  (Details of timing and destination TBC.) T'will be the 3rd move in 18 months. Wish us luck!

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-61224845240713750932010-11-09T08:50:00.003+13:002010-11-09T08:51:44.080+13:00

 In September I met Alec Lawless - a highly successful artisan perfumer from the UK who uses almost all natural botanicals in his fragrances. He was teaching an artisan perfumery workshop in Wellington. (A first for NZ as far as I know!) He appeared on the Good Morning Show while he was here - you might have caught it. His workshop was a huge success, so he's back to do just one more in early

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-45481927291852867782010-09-15T13:12:00.005+12:002010-09-15T15:14:51.784+12:00

Onionweed is in full, lush bloom, so it's time to dig out the onion flower tempura recipe again. I'm told by Kiwipurler that tempura should really be made with rice flour and will be extra crispy and delicious that way, so that's what I'll try this year. In other foraging news, Lus has a great post on chickweed on her blog. Also, I gave a talk yesterday morning on foraging to the Kapiti Herb

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-52050890414609760432010-09-10T13:05:00.005+12:002010-09-10T13:25:41.790+12:00

As the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquake unfolds, it's amazing to see how having a solid community currency system already in place is helping some people cope, and get the help they need rapidly. Canterbury's Lyttelton has a particular type of community currency system called a Time Bank - where hours of your time are the currency, rather than any form of 'dollar'. Through a Time Bank,

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-63968623820268643852010-08-30T12:55:00.007+12:002010-09-10T13:13:07.873+12:00

Whenever I ponder the economic crisis (recession/coming financial apocalypse/whatever you want to call it) I come back again and again to the usefulness of local currencies and alternative forms of trading -  vital tools that could help enable ordinary people like me to cope. Just lately I've started thinking about it all a lot more, and I thought I'd blog a semi-regular diary about it. I'm

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-88414784900190462542010-08-21T08:32:00.001+12:002010-08-21T08:33:00.460+12:00

Call me slow, but I didn't realise just how amazing Ti kouka and their rellies were until recently! Today on This Way Up at 1.30, I'm chatting with Simon Morton about them, and I've just put up some info about them on Wild Picnic. Next time I have a garden, the first thing I'm going to start planting is cabbage trees!

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-25724411951325119932010-08-11T13:11:00.004+12:002010-08-25T16:15:02.147+12:00

I've just taken the leap into selling handmade craft supplies. So far I've got a very small range of handspun yarn and beads available -  all scented one way or another with beautiful quality essential oils, absolutes, and extracts. (All natural botanicals - no synthetic fragrances). I sold my first skein of wool and packet of beads at a small craft fair in the Wairarapa on the weekend, and

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-20650969422538735522010-08-10T08:13:00.002+12:002010-08-11T12:40:49.883+12:00

Thanks for the entries! I wanted to send everyone some. But winners drawn with closed eyes and lots of swirling round of the paper are - Nikki and Gillybean! Could you drop me a line with your addresses? My email is johanna dot knox @ gmail.com

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-17314797766159512972010-08-06T09:52:00.005+12:002010-08-06T09:57:40.296+12:00

The newest issue of Good Magazine is out - and includes an article  I wrote about the growing natural perfumery movement. It was a lot of fun writing this article and talking to all the perfumers from around the world. I could only include a fraction of the fascinating stuff they told me, so over the next little while I'll feature longer interviews with some of them on this blog, like Ambrosia

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-81203254677212308222010-07-31T07:26:00.004+12:002010-07-31T08:23:28.660+12:00

Want to share? I never normally win a thing in giveaways and draws - but by some amazing luck I managed to score an incredible spray bottle of scent by California Perfumer JoAnne Bassett. It's completely delicious, and since I have so much, I'd love to decant a couple of 1.5 ml samples and give them away. The perfume is called 'Sensual Embrace' - you can see it and read about it here. It's

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-33785623399712599812010-07-17T08:06:00.000+12:002010-07-17T08:06:24.269+12:00

We went foraging for these round the neighbourhood last week, and it's on This Way Up at 12.20 today. The scented species of these plants are especially amazing. There's a huge 'rose geranium' bush down the road from me, whose leaves I've been tincturing for their fragrance; and I've just bought some apple-scented geraniums. I mean pelargoniums. I've written more about this group of plants at

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-10989291278831877972010-07-01T19:34:00.007+12:002010-08-02T16:44:24.512+12:00

No time to post screeds at the moment, but I thought over the next few weeks I would post a few bits and pieces about my current journey into the addictive world of smelly stuff. If anyone is interested, there's a rare opportunity to do an intensive artisan perfumery course in Wellington in early September - using natural botanical ingredients. The teacher is Alec Lawless, an artisan perfumer

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-70715184404650749822010-06-22T14:19:00.004+12:002010-08-02T18:04:54.975+12:00

I can't resist. My mum and my sister have been doing some cool things - and I really want to link to them. My sister and her partner are building a gorgeous eco-house in a suburb near us, and my sister has just a started a series of blogposts that explain some of the issues around the build and the choices they've made. Here's her first post on that - exploring timber treatments.  I for one am a

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-926286743090678832010-06-13T20:42:00.006+12:002010-06-13T20:53:04.851+12:00

Or maybe you'll laugh so much you'll cry anyway. BP Spills Coffee

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-27731800788064722062010-06-13T09:28:00.004+12:002010-06-13T13:39:22.145+12:00

It's being sold as young adult fiction, but there's no reason why this stunning dystopian novel can't be devoured also by - er - old adults. I've just started doing children's and YA book reviews every 8 weeks for Your Weekend in the DomPost - yippee. And one of the many pleasures so far has been reading this book by Wellington author Mandy Hager (yep, sister of Nicky Hager). It's the sequel

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-60481988236788839532010-05-29T22:06:00.003+12:002010-08-02T18:04:12.359+12:00

 Have you seen it? http://www.breathingearth.net/ Wow.

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-67359116677104453372010-05-22T18:04:00.001+12:002010-08-02T18:05:26.846+12:00

This whole giveaway thing has been very exciting and a lot of fun. I haven't won anything, but it's been nice to see some people I know or know of winning stuff! And of course I'm thrilled to bits with all the comments here, and very happy to announce yarn winners! Thank you so much to everyone who entered, and to SewMamaSew for running it. My daughter and I printed  the comments out, cut them

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-3369082513039851362010-05-21T08:37:00.000+12:002010-05-21T08:37:05.178+12:00

I'm closing the giveaway at 5pm today New Zealand time, and first thing tomorrow, my daughter and I will do the draw.

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-41829359238001880482010-05-17T22:56:00.010+12:002010-08-02T18:03:01.827+12:00

Okay, here goes with the SewMamaSew Giveaway. Above are the yarns I'm giving away, all made with a new spinner's ... er, exuberance! Below - a closer look at each of them and a few details But first how to enter: Just leave a comment here and say which yarns would be your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices, and tell me how to contact you. If you prefer, you can send your contact details to me at my

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-10175492218246130092010-05-16T19:54:00.007+12:002010-08-02T18:06:43.951+12:00

Dimly I had been thinking, what am I going to do with all this newly spun yarn? I don't knit or crochet. I just love spinning, and I'm building up great purposeless yarn mounds in a corner of the living room.  Then on Friday I read about the SewMamaSew May Giveaway. So I'm going to participate and give away two or three skeins. If you come back tomorrow or the next day, they'll be up. (The US

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-65171056189396281462010-05-14T23:51:00.001+12:002010-05-14T23:52:28.556+12:00

If you love vintage textiles, have a look at Glory Box. They are keen for contributions too ....

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-50391148662930750522010-05-09T13:55:00.009+12:002010-05-09T14:50:29.292+12:00

My mother-in-law has a huge and prolific fig tree in her backyard, and a couple of weeks ago, she kindly suggested that I come and gather some before the birds got them, and see what I could do with them. The tree is tall and a lot of the good fruit is at the top, so we tried various methods to get to the bounty, including standing on stools, bending branches towards us with broomsticks, and

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-78750758323212250622010-05-02T12:02:00.001+12:002010-05-02T12:04:10.275+12:00

I'm going to leave this topic alone for a while after this. But I wanted to post one more time on it and link to transcripts of talks by two brilliant women - one Maori, one Pakeha - both blunt, provocative, and cautiously optimistic. Each talks about the ongoing problems inherent in this country's race relations, and then proposes the beginnings of a way forward. Professor Ani Mikaere gave

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-7132609239983363472010-04-25T09:54:00.010+12:002010-04-25T12:44:52.650+12:00

Madz pointed out in comments on the last post that the settler government in the 19th century used legislation, backed up by military force, to take land from Maori. Important point! So I wanted to write a bit more about that - because it's one way to see the colonisation of this country as part of a bigger picture that continues today - and affects everyone in different ways. (Including the

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-21374208673266863992010-04-22T23:35:00.007+12:002010-04-23T06:54:44.189+12:00

It's in the news - NZ is signing up to it at last. It will be interesting to see what the ramifications are. You can read it online here. Sandra has encouraged me to give my thoughts on the big picture relationship between industrialisation/capitalism and colonisation, and I feel a bit daunted, but the starting point is: Everything the majority of people who live here today take for granted is

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-18519659107699651832010-04-14T00:07:00.017+12:002010-08-02T18:07:40.311+12:00

Months since I have blogged here, and at last life seems to be re-settling into some sort of happy pattern. We moved house twice over spring/summer - the 2nd time unexpectedly ... long story! People said it would take a while to recover and get back to routines, but I didn't believe them. (Kind of like when you have your first baby and you think you will be back at work again straight away!)

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-56276360015530968232009-10-17T09:09:00.001+13:002009-10-17T09:09:25.560+13:00

Was fascinating - and fun.

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-23010398313144906512009-08-19T07:13:00.008+12:002009-08-19T08:06:30.632+12:00

This BBC article on methane already seeping from the Arctic is more than a little alarming. Especially given the way that the general pattern with climate research updates seems to be - every few months - 'actually it's worse/happening faster than we thought'.There's more commentary on the new methane escape findings here.I hate thinking about this stuff. It makes my heart start pounding

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-66483353247773736022009-08-16T07:40:00.004+12:002009-08-16T07:48:28.975+12:00

Yay for local mother Jo Campbell! She couldn't get along to the big Eyes Wide Open emissions target protest in town (because she was on Playcentre duty) ... so she organised a small protest for parents and children just outside her Playcentre instead.I was away, but the rest of my family went along, and apparently it was great.You can see the video here. (If you want to spot my loved ones, just

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-58262420888270325172009-08-03T07:24:00.004+12:002009-08-03T07:40:28.924+12:00

After saying I wouldn't blog much, I don't seem to be able to stay away from it! Yesterday at the Museum of City and Sea, I caught a good half an hour of Donna Lee's presentation on herbal cosmetic and hygiene products - and was very inspired. She even sent everyone away with a sample of her tooth powder, made from baking soda, spearmint essential oil, and stevia powder. I have yet to try it, but

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-34600464300791312452009-08-01T08:29:00.000+12:002009-08-01T08:30:20.820+12:00

Tomorrow (Sunday 2 Aug) I'm giving a low key, informal presentation at the Museum of City and Sea on 'Harvesting Without a Garden.' I'll be at a table from 2.30 to 5pm to chat about foraging and fermentation, and blending the two. I think it'll be fun!Before that, Donna Lee will be presenting on home-made cosmetics (from 11am-12.30) and on natural household cleaners (from 1.30-2.30). I'm really

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-89748072138537076052009-07-30T07:41:00.002+12:002009-07-30T07:45:05.594+12:00

Infrequent posting is supposed to be the kiss of death for a blog, but I've got so much going on at the moment that I'm going to have to pretty much stop posting for a month or so.I do hope to be back to it with a vengeance in September sometime! In the meantime I'll still be reading all my favourite blogs ... (nearly all linked to in the sidebars).

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-49639274572198998342009-07-23T08:18:00.005+12:002009-07-23T08:25:48.388+12:00

Wellington sustainable food fan David Stuart has started a blog about his and his family's adventures ... Take a look at their new pedal powered blender!As an aside, David's wife Charity runs the very wonderful Honeychild cloth nappy business.

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-84764246624067129522009-07-18T08:21:00.002+12:002009-07-18T08:25:57.785+12:00

Today on This Way Up I'm wandering down our street talking to Simon Morton about wood sorrel. It should be on at 1.30pm.There is nothing so excellent as a plant that's great in savoury AND sweet dishes!

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-33391657035608986062009-07-06T09:08:00.012+12:002009-07-06T10:31:55.090+12:00

A few weeks ago, I started thinking about the relationships people have with the materials they work with.It started when I did a weekend letterpress course with Sydney Shep at Victoria University's Wai-te-ata Press. It was one of the best things I've done in a long time, and I was buzzing for days afterwards.On the first day, I was talking to one of the other women on the course about why she

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-43943533657954461802009-06-20T09:45:00.008+12:002009-06-20T09:54:45.586+12:00

... you're probably after the info about chickweed, which is on my other blog Wild Picnic. :)(Or if you're reading this on Sat morning, I'm talking about chickweed to Simon Morton on National Radio's This Way Up - shortly after 1pm today.)

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-69629335760005156962009-06-09T06:23:00.005+12:002009-06-09T06:34:56.202+12:00

I haven't done much towards food independence over the past couple of weeks ...No planting or harvesting at all. (Although I've done a lot of looking at my garden and pondering which things are coming up and which are not, and why ...)Preserved: Got together with a friend, Nadine, and while our children played she made a bowl of kimchi and I made a bowl of sauerkraut, then we swapped a jar each.

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-8660897942957126782009-06-07T11:28:00.002+12:002009-06-07T11:30:30.126+12:00

http://quietworldproject.blogspot.com/

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-61149719136493866232009-06-05T07:48:00.006+12:002009-06-05T07:58:06.281+12:00

My Mum sent me this lovely and fascinating email the other day, and I asked her if I could repost it here.By way of background, my mother has a popular (among spinners) NZ spinning wheel site, and a book in the pipeline.Here's her email:I spent much of yesterday going through World War 2 issues of the New Zealand Countrywoman, the newsletter of the Women’s Division of the NZ Farmers’ Union (now

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-47542502002141173112009-05-29T17:05:00.004+12:002009-05-29T17:20:35.147+12:00

The first in a monthly series of little foraging radio pieces is on Radio NZ's This Way Up tomorrow at about 1.10pm.I won't be able to listen as I'll be on a letterpress workshop up at Vic Uni's Wai-te-ata Press. I've wanted to start learning about letterpress for a long time, so I'm very excited about it! It's the start of my own personal journey to book independence ... Yay. (And thanks for

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-26560545451067590292009-05-25T09:39:00.003+12:002009-05-25T09:44:54.908+12:00

On the Quiet World Project I've interviewed Matvei Yankelevich from Ugly Duckling Presse.Ugly Duckling Presse is an innovative small publishing collective in Brooklyn, New York, and it was exciting getting to talk to Matvei about their ethics and processes. I've also editorialised about how freeing it must be to create art (including writing) without any regard for earning money from it, and

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-85917141811605581522009-05-23T08:22:00.006+12:002009-05-23T08:41:33.468+12:00

The sugar beets aside, this is what I've managed to do over the last couple of weeks ...Plant something: More peas and snow peas. Lettuces. Leeks. Red bunching onions. Plantago. The peas and lettuces are looking good so far. Nothing else has popped its head up at all yet.Harvest something: Chamomile flowers (the more you harvest, the more they produce). Self-heal (starting to take over the herb

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-34416670605637706232009-05-20T12:31:00.013+12:002009-05-21T11:31:58.706+12:00

I only planted a tiny patch of sugar beets this year, as an experiment. (Most of my gardening has been experimenting really - it's all pretty new to me - although I'm lucky enough to have a Dad who is something of an expert, although he's too much of a perfectionist to see himself that way ... He was the one who suggested I try growing sugar beets one time when I was off on a wishful thinking

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-80511714285362894732009-05-18T16:08:00.004+12:002009-05-18T16:13:29.069+12:00

No, I don't need another blog in my life - but I did so want to do this one.After many weeks of picking other people's brains, and mulling it all over, I've set up the Quiet World project for booklovers.I'm hoping to update it every Sunday.And my next post here really will be about sugar beets!

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-29904551888874415842009-05-06T09:45:00.006+12:002009-05-06T10:06:17.597+12:00

I have to remind myself that the point of Independence Days is to celebrate what you have achieved, rather than feel bad about what you haven't.With that in mind - I wont even bother to count up whether I actually have done one thing a day ... and I won't think about the boggy soil that has stopped me planting seeds I'm dying to plant ... and I won't think about that bag of figs that is sitting

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-57257252697091663892009-04-29T11:39:00.003+12:002009-04-29T13:00:21.783+12:00

This Nature article seems to lay out the situation quite well I think.Curiouser and curiouser ...

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-53281064023575896592009-04-29T10:56:00.009+12:002009-04-29T11:19:55.417+12:00

There are many murmurings on the Wellington grapevine about managers on powertrips ... It seems to me right now that this may be the most likely reason for JS's sacking. (Although I remain open to changing my mind.)Nonetheless, it's a very bad look for NIWA management politically. Given the current political context, they are going to have a hard job quelling talk of similarities between 'our

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-76017786998160561012009-04-27T23:28:00.002+12:002009-04-27T23:32:41.908+12:00

Okay, it seems that even once I thought I had sorted out the semantics of flu I still had it wrong! H1N1 is a subtype, not a strain, and has been around for a while. This new one they are worried about is a strain of H1N1 - and seems currently to be just being referred to as 'swine flu' - even though there are many other swine flus ...I think!(Thanks Mum for the corrections. lol.)

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-20446656450756020912009-04-27T10:22:00.008+12:002009-04-27T11:15:09.972+12:00

This morning's news worried me. First of all there's the sacking of climate expert Jim Salinger from crown research institute, NIWA. There's also another article about it here. At a time when the new National government is doing away with all sorts of projects (and positions) that relate to environmental stewardship, this looks kinda bad.I hope someone gets to the bottom of this.Oh, and then

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-38675362412500972462009-04-21T16:23:00.010+12:002009-06-05T23:30:08.148+12:00

Am keeping up with the challenge so far. On days 1 and 2, I preserved things - dehydrating apples from our tree and making chutney with figs from my mother-in-law's tree. On day 3, I cooked something new - making a caffeine-free coffee substitute from dandelion roots. I had done it before as a teenager, but the result was disgusting. This time I followed Euell Gibbons' instructions - cooking them

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-53878537101070320152009-04-16T01:39:00.004+12:002009-04-21T16:35:29.103+12:00

Right, I'm going to start doing this. (Nikki has been doing it already for quite a while.)It's a challenge set by Sharon Astyk to spur people on to make greater positive progress towards preparedness for economic difficulties and peak oil issues.So, my goal is each day to do at least one thing that fits into one of these categories:* Plant Something* Harvest Something* Preserve Something* Store

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-85835012830404674492009-04-16T00:14:00.006+12:002009-04-16T01:00:21.761+12:00

Buckwheat and oats - yay - two experiments that worked, albeit on a miniature scale ... Now to see if I can grow them in slightly greater quantity this year!Buckwheat was something I'd hankered to grow for ages. I love buckwheat pancakes and buckwheat noodles, and so do certain other members of the family. I can't get them to eat stuff made with wholemeal wheat flour very often, but buckwheat

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-29281244905057145922009-04-03T23:07:00.003+13:002009-04-03T23:20:29.885+13:00

I went along with my Mum to the City Mission today, to drop off some surplus apples from my Dad's orchard.The woman at reception was very pleased and said that fresh produce was a 'luxury' that they don't often get. It made me think that when we have enough in our garden, I'll try and make regular trips down there to donate stuff myself. If anyone's interested in donating their produce I've given

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-67243408948562133892009-04-02T06:44:00.013+13:002009-04-02T08:10:57.314+13:00

This is the closest to from-scratch honey I will ever get I think! (I just don't have it in me to keep bees.)At the end of last year we bought an entire frame of honeycomb from Windy Bottom Farm (through Naturefoods).I think these frames are now selling for around $30, but I'm not completely sure. Hopefully Deb or Ian from Naturefoods will read this and correct me if I'm wrong.Sadly I seem to

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-21746936574310428462009-03-28T08:07:00.003+13:002009-03-28T08:20:20.858+13:00

We will do Earth Hour tonight I think, yes. But Keith Ng makes some very good points about it on his blog at Public Address.I'm getting excited about the challenge of going fridgeless, and heard from a friend last night that she is thinking of doing it too.Also, I have really appreciated some comments from Kate about it, containing great ideas and advice. I'm especially interested in the Nigerian

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-78343915459036100152009-03-26T16:07:00.008+13:002009-03-26T16:31:04.873+13:00

We've now officially switched over to Powershop. The range of electricity packages and products you can choose from is not as huge as the advertising might lead you to believe, but I think there's enough choice to make it worthwhile. (Well, any choice is an improvement on the alternatives.)What I like about Powershop best, though, is being able to keep track of and micromanage our power use. In

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-3128237488714263262009-03-24T09:25:00.006+13:002009-03-24T09:52:53.742+13:00

... for the doubters, much as I love them!Little Blog in the Big Woods whose writer 'Greenpa' has been fridgeless for 3 decades.'Don't Fight Room Temperature' - an Economist article ensuing from the discussion Greenpa started on his blog.'Trashing the Fridge' - the New York Times gets in on the act.Sharon Astyk asking - how necessary are fridges and several other appliances?Robyn M's blog post

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-78538481445777485152009-03-17T14:13:00.002+13:002009-03-17T14:18:06.931+13:00

Ruth has written a great post about going fridgeless, which we hope to do this winter ourselves.I think we would need to make some kind of outdoor cool store as we will have meat and milk ...I wonder too about how much we would add back onto our powerbill by turning off the fridge, but getting a chest freezer instead. Apparently chest freezers use quite a bit less power than fridges, but I'm not

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-11374316140077413912009-03-13T16:23:00.010+13:002009-04-16T08:40:51.683+12:00

Alas, the best solar cooking days are nearly over for the year. I thought I'd do a last quick update of things I learned this summer.1. When solar cooking meaty, casseroley dishes (bolognaise sauce etc.) - add way less water than you normally would. For solar-cooked bolognaise sauce I use tomato paste completely undiluted. The only extra liquid I add is a little balsamic vinegar. The mince

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-14228531505287718412009-03-02T14:00:00.006+13:002009-03-02T15:56:19.032+13:00

Oh well, that was nice. Ari Sargent from Powershop replied to my conspiratorial speculations about their new company.I think he's on a mission to win over the public, one conspiracy theorist at a time. (It's kinda working ... I'm a sucker for personal attention!)Well, 'they shall be known by their deeds' and all that. I'll wait and see how Powershop turns out ...

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-80417674919791534502009-02-25T10:29:00.006+13:002009-02-25T12:01:25.396+13:00

Does anyone know someone who has recently had, or is in the throes of planning an eco-wedding - or civil union - of some sort? And would be willing to be interviewed? I'm planning to write an article about eco or DIY weddings/civil unions for World Sweet World. I *may* have to focus on brides (for the pure and simple reason that grooms so far seem to prefer not to be featured!) ... But that's

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-64448708902422214192009-02-19T08:58:00.008+13:002009-03-02T07:41:49.059+13:00

I've joined the Internet Blackout - protesting against the new law 'Section 92A' that would allow an individual's internet to be disconnected based on accusations of copyright infringement without a trial. This is due to come into effect on February 28th unless immediate action is taken, and has been somewhat snuck through to date.There's also a protest on Parliament steps at midday today.

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-5159515885634494892009-02-14T08:25:00.004+13:002009-02-14T08:43:18.758+13:00

Last week I was thrilled to bits to find a purslane plant had decided to make its home in our garden. It planted itself next to a luffa plant that was growing in slow motion and was never going to fruit - so I pulled that out to give the purslane more room.I'd been hoping I might find some purslane this summer. So far this is the only one I've found though. I wonder if I can propagate it?I've put

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-9832907087443369782009-02-13T08:51:00.011+13:002009-02-18T08:24:49.028+13:00

With some wild plants in urban areas, it seems difficult to find enough of them at any one time to do anything useful with.Still, if I can store little bits at a time and gradually build up a supply, that feels quite satisfying.Blackberry leaves, for example. We have only little patches of blackberry where I live, and the leaves that make the best-tasting tea are the newly sprouting ones. (I've

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-13449077642364285602009-02-10T09:16:00.013+13:002009-03-02T07:40:22.366+13:00

The two reasons I've just started home-roasting coffee are:1. It's way easier on my wallet - even taking into account electricity use.2. Green beans keep a lot longer than roasted beans. (I've read that if stored well, green beans can keep for 2-4 years with little loss of quality.) I'm keen to start storing coffee in case imported supplies become unreliable. Given how long they keep, it makes a

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-40078524207910090922009-01-31T16:37:00.005+13:002009-01-31T16:55:43.409+13:00

In my travels round our suburb, I've so far found only one flax bush out of many that has really delicious seeds. Mostly they are quite thin and black-coated and bitter. But this particular bush has pods that are shorter and fatter than the others ...And most of those pods seem to contain very sweet, white, meaty seeds ...I don't know what this means though. I don't very well understand the

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-31510621677249243502009-01-28T04:36:00.010+13:002009-01-28T05:13:33.028+13:00

I'm doing a show-and-tell about foraging for the next Wellington WAPF meeting. Then a few weeks later I'm going to lead weed walks during a Farm Day at our CSA. Both organisations are keen to focus on the 'free food' aspect of foraging. And yet - I'm not sure if many of us in urban areas could manage to save more than a few dollars a week out of our food budget by foraging. (Although of course in

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-15227199745620798442009-01-24T15:10:00.009+13:002009-01-24T15:44:53.406+13:00

My children say they have outgrown fluffies. Meanwhile I seem to have grown into them. Lately, in an effort to reduce my caffeine intake, I've been drinking frothed-up milk flavoured with rose or lavender.To make the lavender fluffies, I heat up milk in a lidded pot, along with with a sprig of lavender from my daughter's flower garden. When it reaches scalding temperature I add a bit of honey and

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-7617856003015161932009-01-09T07:32:00.005+13:002009-01-09T07:47:09.674+13:00

Jane, a friend we stayed with in Feilding, introduced me to flax seeds fresh from the pod. Pick a flax pod, break it open, and take out the little flat seeds carefully. It's fascinating the way each seed tastes different - some very sweet, others more bitter. It partly depends on the ripeness of the pod and the variety of flax, but even within each pod there is some variety.Since coming back from

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-29278308605175525862009-01-07T17:02:00.012+13:002009-01-07T17:55:48.873+13:00

We went away for the weekend to stay with two different families - each of whom introduced me to a new foraged food.First, at Tangimoana, Lynda and her lovely daughter took me to their favourite beach spinach spot - where a particularly lush crop of the stuff grows. Lynda noticed that it was in berry. We are both fans of the leaves, but neither of us had read that you could eat the berries. We

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-351087690997855202008-12-27T08:29:00.018+13:002009-01-02T00:37:55.819+13:00

Mustard can be made from the seeds of various members of the Brassicaceae family. A few months back I tried drying seeds from what I thought was wild turnip. (It wasn't though. It was a close relative, although I'm still not sure which one!) It was all a bit of a disaster. I got over-paranoid about whether the seeds were toxic, and the seedpods were too small and few to make more than a pinch of

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-80229161631411682462008-12-24T10:15:00.011+13:002009-01-02T13:17:35.810+13:00

For the summer '08 issue of Booknotes (the NZ Book Council's journal) I filled in for their regular children's book reviewer, who was on leave.A few of the books I reviewed had themes relating to self reliance and the environment, so I thought I'd 'reprint' those ones here.PICTURE BOOKSThe Stuck There Forever BoatGillian Torckler; illustrated by Bruce Potter(Picture Puffin, $17.95)The book’s

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-2557091802309085202008-12-22T07:59:00.010+13:002008-12-22T08:33:13.872+13:00

Last Thursday my children and I went to a solar cooking get-together with a group of home-schooling friends in Kapiti, hosted by Nikki.It was lots of fun and somehow we had managed to choose the only day of the week that turned out to be sunny!I love to see an army of solar cookers all working away together.Lynda made these ingenious frankfurter cookers (I think they are from recycled Pringles

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-16039970329440047552008-12-16T20:26:00.010+13:002008-12-16T20:45:29.484+13:00

I just got this comment from Pip in Kerikeri, about separating honey from its wax comb. It's so useful that I'll cut and paste it in here, since I know things in the comment section often get missed:Hi Johanna, we have just removed the frames from our hive. To start with we score the surface of the honeycomb, to open up the comb, with a normal fork. Then we leave it to drip into a bucket

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-69508625373728803122008-12-12T10:17:00.012+13:002008-12-12T13:25:42.334+13:00

We don't have the room to keep bees, but even if we did, and I was prepared to put the time and effort in, I don't think I would. I LOVE the idea of it, but whenever I've read those 'Is Beekeeping For You' articles - there is one sticking point. Beekeepers get stung. (I know, I know, it makes no sense - I've given birth to two children, but I'm scared of the pain of a bee sting.)Having resigned

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-41845869382501018522008-12-10T13:31:00.002+13:002008-12-10T13:32:30.619+13:00

Have found a good home for worm farm 2 now - that was quick!

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-47221588563097704402008-12-10T08:14:00.006+13:002008-12-10T08:24:30.708+13:00

Until a few days ago, I had never been offered a free worm farm. But over the past week I have been offered - out of the blue - not one, but two, on completely separate occasions by completely unrelated friends.I guess it's the season for it?I had already accepted the first one, when the second offer came in. So if anyone would like it - and could pick it up from a very nice person in Island Bay

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-28985771174990229472008-12-08T16:19:00.009+13:002008-12-08T21:19:28.848+13:00

Also in the latest issue of World Sweet World is an article I wrote about the Transition Towns (TT) movement in New Zealand. It contains micro-interviews with a small selection of TT members from around the country.Most of them have their own personal websites and blogs:James Samuel - NZ's national TT co-ordinator - lives on Waiheke Island. His blog is Yesterday's Future.Deirdre Kent is an

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-91093146155525128132008-12-06T06:53:00.007+13:002008-12-06T07:22:00.186+13:00

It's out! This lovely magazine has made it to Issue 4, and thus through one whole year - with ever increasing distribution figures.As usual, WSW is full of brilliant, creative ideas - including a scheme for Carbon Action Brownie BadgesI have an article in there on using wild blackberries. Since it was mid-spring when I wrote it, I had to trial the recipes using bought, packaged, frozen ones. They

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-58885533752828359082008-12-04T16:19:00.006+13:002008-12-04T16:27:51.868+13:00

Sarah, from my writing group, is a renaissance woman. Seriously. Not only is she a writer, but an illustrator, a designer, a musician, a crafter, a gardener and a cook. (And I'm bound to have missed something.) Anyhow, she has a new blog - Garden Kitchen - where she cooks delicious (and eco-friendly) dishes and then draws them. It's beautiful!

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-78918450612246279822008-12-03T13:34:00.015+13:002008-12-03T22:00:50.018+13:00

I've been rummaging through cookbooks that used to be my grandmother's, and among the treasures is Any one Can Bake - a 1929 promotional publication from 'the Educational Department of the ROYAL BAKING POWDER CO.'You might get a laugh from their version of the origin of leavened bread - from a longer article entitled, 'The Evolution of Baking Powder'.The Royal Baking Powder Co tells us ...Yeast

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-38475273349347937192008-11-29T15:57:00.004+13:002008-11-29T16:09:19.246+13:00

Just had to share ... On a whim, I mixed a bit of our elderflower syrup into some very tart already-brewed water kefir - and I tell you, it is DELICIOUS!A quick google revealed that the combination of elderflower and kefir is not stunningly original, but it was new to me anyhow!(And in passing I noticed some sites talking about the cosmetic applications of kefir . Anyone know anything much about

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-45186737973015176852008-11-29T07:13:00.020+13:002009-01-28T06:38:40.089+13:00

There only seem to be a couple of Elders in our immediate neighbourhood, but the other day my mother took my children and me to a spot where they grow prolifically. After my Mum asked permission from a property owner, we harvested two bagfuls of flowers. There were many other Elder trees frustratingly out of reach - they were on someone else's property, probably not used by the owner, but we had

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-85540527568663084802008-11-27T17:35:00.012+13:002008-11-27T19:16:48.664+13:00

My foraging article came out in Issue 4 of the wonderful Good Magazine this week. I like the dandelion smiley face they chose for it.The article is sitting happily next to a delicious piece on Antipodean Christmas cake alternatives by Alessandra Zecchini - herself a foraging fan.There is also a really rather inspiring editorial.

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-22339452166122094782008-11-27T08:18:00.005+13:002008-11-27T08:35:48.497+13:00

In my last post I gave the wrong link for the article Cultural Uses of Native Plants by Sue Scheele. I gave the URL for the contents page of the journal it was in, instead of the article.Here's the correct link:www.rnzih.org.nz/RNZIH_Journal/Pages_10-16_from_2007_Vol10_No2.pdfIt's a great article.Nikki - thanks for letting me know the link was wrong!

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-4101477251509162552008-11-24T08:05:00.010+13:002008-11-24T08:37:23.986+13:00

My good friend Lynda organised a Weed Walk yesterday for the Wellington region members of our foraging email list. Unfortunately for me, life stuff got in the way, and I couldn't go. The walk was led by this Kapiti couple. Nikki has blogged about it here.It sounds like a lovely afternoon! I wish I could have gone. Still - I'm slightly consoled by having just found a fantastic article! It's

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-84025894704460703752008-11-23T10:44:00.012+13:002008-11-23T22:12:08.593+13:00

I'm pretty sure it's Sandor Ellix Katz who is responsible for popularising (among us westerners!) home-made t'ej - Ethiopian style honey wine. It's the first, and simplest recipe in his book 'Wild Fermentation'. Basically - 1 part raw honey to 4 parts water. Stir to dissolve honey. Cover. Leave in a warm room for several days. Stir at least twice a day, and wait for the wild wine-making yeasts to

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-29410623157914277242008-11-09T22:16:00.028+13:002009-03-02T07:41:24.239+13:00

So New Zealand now has a right-wing government, and Roger Douglas is back. I should be feeling angry and miserable, but actually I feel great.Today, we had some lovely people from Wellington South Transition Towns round for a solar cooking get-together - and it was the perfect antidote to Terrible-Election-Results Blues. Who cares what the government does, when Transition Towns communities are

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-70741137027444032962008-11-05T20:39:00.016+13:002008-11-05T23:04:24.372+13:00

I haven't posted a solar cooking update for a while, but we've been puddling away at it and having a few nice meals.What's becoming obvious is that a solar cook's biggest challenge here in Wellington is the unpredictability of the weather. I don't mean from day to day, but from minute to minute.Wellington weather is like - 53 minutes of sunshine, then 46.5 minutes of high cloud, then more

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-32832853433814979462008-10-30T19:13:00.009+13:002008-10-30T20:39:41.849+13:00

On a NZ email list I'm on, some of us decided to do a seed swap. Here are some of the goodies I've received in the mail - from Esther, Jackie, Karen, and Madz, who are all keen seed savers. (Unlike me. I really need to learn more about seed saving.)In return, I sent out some Caspian Sea yoghurt and little sundew seedlings.Actually that book on using natural plant dyes is from Lishelle, and wasn't

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-91940974791337341292008-10-27T14:02:00.004+13:002008-10-27T14:10:13.848+13:00

This morning I put Ruth's lively sourdough starter to good use, making Emma's sourdough buttermilk pancake recipe. (Except I didn't have any buttermilk, so used Caspian Sea Yoghurt instead.)I think they were the fluffiest pancakes I've ever made. And they tasted good too.

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-84925654010476373602008-10-24T19:55:00.006+13:002008-10-24T23:15:05.878+13:00

So many things I have been planning to post about, but work is full on right now, and everything made more tricky by having a broken ankle. (I can't even carry my own cups of tea from the kitchen to my desk. I've taken to drinking iced coffee with lots of ice-cream in it, because it's the only thing that doesn't slop out of the cup when I hop. Yes - the sacrifices I am making! ;o)Anyway, just

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-53169201565610109922008-10-23T12:51:00.007+13:002008-10-27T16:30:11.756+13:00

At the fracture clinic there was a very distraught little girl in the waiting room. Her Mum was trying hard to cheer her up. 'Look!' she said, pointing at me and my cast, 'Look at that lady! That's what you're going to have, too. Isn't that cool?!' Her mum looked at me somewhat pleadingly, so I felt compelled to smile and nod. 'Yes, it's really cool. Really. I love it. It's great.'I don't know

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-3347730300345170392008-10-20T08:33:00.005+13:002008-10-21T21:42:40.563+13:00

Oops. Ruth's Westport sourdough starter is clearly rearing to go!Thanks heaps Ruth. It made the trip well.

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-75989496860431310062008-10-17T20:17:00.005+13:002008-10-18T01:09:30.774+13:00

Something fun I did this week was go foraging around the nearby park with Simon Morton from This Way Up. (Thank you Hannah, for making that happen.)I think it will end up as a 10-minute piece, going to air on his show sometime between noon and 1pm tomorrow.I will probably sit all scrunched up and grimacing with a cushion over my face, hoping I don't sound as much of a dick as I think I did.At

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-88116988423277190512008-10-17T09:13:00.009+13:002008-10-18T08:31:51.727+13:00

Well, sadly, it wasn't really. The greens were foraged from a nearby park, but the snails were bought in a can from a store, and the potatoes were from our CSA.But what I'm thinking is that this could be an almost wholly home-grown and foraged meal, once our small potato patch is ready, and once I get a bit more organised, protein-wise.I'd been thinking about how Sandra said that she feels more

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-20623402039873237122008-10-16T16:01:00.024+13:002008-10-17T08:14:04.282+13:00

Right then. I'll start with the most confusing specimen, and finish with the most joyously straightforward.The first Brassicaceae family member I took to Julia was something that I thought was LIKE wild turnip, but NOT wild turnip.Just to be clear - here's a pic of what I always thought was wild turnip ... (Click on it to see it better.)But then, quite a few weeks ago I started to see this (below

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-33529938376490005802008-10-13T18:32:00.015+13:002009-01-28T06:40:51.027+13:00

About 10 days ago, I pleaded for a friendly botanist to help me distinguish between different wild, edible Brassicaceae species. And lo and behold - one answered!So late last week, my daughter and I headed across town to Julia Stace Brooke-White's house with a big bagful of plant specimens to show her. The minute we stepped onto the long, shaded path up to her house we were enchanted. The path

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3365021743044410861.post-82154399031065449712008-10-08T07:19:00.015+13:002008-10-08T07:50:46.448+13:00

I'm thrilled to bits with beach spinach (Tetragonia trigyna) as a leafy green. It tastes mild, salty, and little sour. It keeps for ages in the fridge, and it holds its volume when cooked. (It's better cooked than raw.)Like 'real' spinach it's relatively high in oxalic acid - so all the usual warnings and recommendations apply.I've been looking for it every time we're near a coast.So far I

Johanna Knoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09268918125129111587noreply@blogger.com3