Is the question "what to eat?" Or "when to eat?" by Murray

I like to fast every now and then. I do it as much for the clarity of mind that results as for the physical purifying effect.

You might think it strange but what I like to do when I'm fasting is to look through cook books. It's so easy to take food for granted in our affluent society. When deprived of it, it is, for me, invariably restored to a divine status, a gift of heaven and earth and reading cookbooks becomes a devotional study.

By the time the fast ends I'm so clear as to what I want to eat. It's never the cake or chocolate. These are superficial cravings that subside quickly for me. What remains are truer and truer rememberances of what truly nourishes me.  Beetroot featured heavily in my most recent fast and when it was time I made a roast beetroot salad with goat's cheese and rocket.

A greater insight occurred as a result of this most recent 3-day fast though, which was not so much about what I eat but when.  In my reading I learnt that the liver governs the catabolic (breaking down) and anabolic (building up) processes in the body.  The former begins a 4am every day. Digestion is part of this process.  At 4pm every day the Liver switches in to the anabolic process using the nutrients derived during the day for restoration and repair.

In light of this, eating a big meal at night time is swimming against the tide of the body's rhythms.

This helps explain the heaviness experienced in my body upon waking, accompanied by a niggling anxiety prior to my fast.  Since the fast I have resolved to eat my main meal during the day and a light soup for dinner. I have been waking earlier, needing less sleep, and feeling lighter, happier and ready to go upon waking.

I can't help but wonder how much of the confusion about WHAT to eat might be resolved by changing the focus to WHEN we eat.

Of course, if like me you have an Anglo-Saxon background you'll probably be used to eating the main meal at night. No doubt there are some cultural hurdles to be jumped if you're considering implementing what I'm suggesting, but when you consider the costs verses the benefits through giving it a trial, you may discover, like me and my family, that it's a no-brainer.

By Murray Goodchild

ORGANIC TOURS AT PEACE FARM

PEACE farm is a beautiful permaculture farm in the Yarra Valley where we aim to grow our food, manage farm animals, work the land, and co-create a life where we can express, implement and support our own passions such as growing, teaching, yoga, building, craft, parenting, storytelling, sacred circles and healing.

We offer half day (3 hours) or full day (6 hours) organic tours which incorporate different options depending on your groups interests and what is available on the day. Lunch or dinner can be provided as optional extras. Smaller groups must choose the same activities however for groups of more than 15, we can split them between two activities concurrently. When booking please indicate your preferences. 

  

Half day - $45 per person

Full day - $85 per person

Minimum group size – 6   

Maximum group size – 30

Each half and full day includes: A tour of PEACE farm including an introduction to permaculture principles and systems, animals, seasonal considerations and observations, what’s growing in the garden, and composting etc (1 hour)

Plus choose 2 (half day) or 5 (full day) activities from the following options:

Tiny Home Tour

Green Technology Tour

Seasonal Planting (not available all year)

Propagation (not available all year)

Eco-printing

Yoga (Kundalini or Chi Yoga)

Massage club

Nature crafting

Edible Weed Walk

Shamanic Drum Journey

Campfire songs and stories

Food preserving (seasonal)

Farm to table – harvest, cooking and feast

Canoeing and swimming in the dam

Lunch/Dinner Options:

Wood-fired pizza $10 per person (1 pizza each)

Three course vegetarian feast $20 per person

For bookings/enquiries:  peacefarm.yarravalley@gmail.com or

Vicky 0417 985 713 or Cat 0403 334 808

Autumn Craft - Suncatchers

We have been having some lovely Autumn Farm Play days lately.  Farm Play is the playgroup I run at PEACE Farm on Wednesday mornings for preschoolers. Lately the children have enjoyed climbing the trees to see the leaves changing colours and collecting big piles to hide and play in.

We have also been doing some lovely Autumn crafts. I wanted to share a simple idea you can do at home which is easy even for young children.

You will need:  Baking paper, glue, scissors, autumn leaves, and other bits of wool or paper.

Cut a 40cm length of baking paper and fold in half lengthways.  Cut the corners to make a rounded edge. Collect autumn leaves of all shapes and sizes and colours.  Open the folded baking paper. Cover the inside of the baking paper with glue.  Stick on your autumn leaves, and wool/paper.  Re-fold and press to stick.  Leave to dry.  Stick on a window to make a beautiful suncatcher.

Sweet green tomato tart, specialty from Canada and Quebec

This recipe was given and made by our special guests from Canada: Tim and Tracy with their 3 children Mialana, Micah and Zoe. Micah was really happy to show us how to do it! Thank you Micah! Everybody loved it.

Ingredients:

-        3 cups of green tomatos cut finely

-        1 cup of sugar

-        2 teaspoon of corn flour

-        2 teaspoon lemon juice

-        1 pinch of cinnamon, or ginger

-        2 tart crusts

1.     Preheat the oven 180 degrees

2.     Mixed all ingredients except the corn flour, and cook slowly in low/medium heat for 30 minutes

3.     Add the corn flour to thicken the mixture

4.     Pour the mixture on top of a home made crust or puff pastry, and add one layer of crust on top of the mixture

5.     Cook for about 40 minutes

Pumpkin soup by Matis: adding water and cooking (part 5)

Pumpkin soup by Matis: keeping the seeds, adding garlic (Part 4)

Matis pumkin soup PART 3

Pumpkin soup by Matis (part 2)

Pumpkin soup by Matis (Part 1)

Watch the videos! From Garden to plate...