Monkey in the Garden

Monkeys off to Kelowna for New Years!!

2011-12-17T20:23:00.000-08:00

It's a lovely mild day out there- with just the lightest smattering ofsnow to remind us that it is indeed wintertime (or is it? Solstice isstill around the corner...). We're getting back into our groove aftera busy busy whirlwind trip off to Vancouver- our first coastal trip ina whole year. Luna Moonsprout enjoyed certain parts of the trip- likewhen she wasn't strapped into her carseat and could boogie aroundmeeting people.... Someday perhaps we'll all realise that the anxietyand grief that carseats create (for babies and for the drivers), thatan alternative can be created.... I wouldn't be surprised if carseatscause more accidents than the lives that they save.We're all enjoying some resting time around the woodstove and ourbountiful kitchen once again. Vegetable feasts abound for every mealhere alongside all of our other delicious treats from the season....Though we enjoy certain aspects of travel, much of the bounty of thebusy farming season is mostly enjoyed in the quiet, contemplativemonths of winter..... Music playing, reading, dancing, hiking,cooking, and relaxing- wintertime rewards....Some rather unfortunate news has come our way that the the 'tailingsponds' Highland Valley Copper Mine in Logan Lake near Merrit andAshcroft are leaching and could be devastating if ever a naturaloccurence (like an Earthquake) happened. A meeting was held in SpencesBridge where Highland Valley officials admitted to the leaking (ofchemical wastes) from their dams. Nothing was said of what they'd bedoing about this. Should these leaks get worse it could eventually getinto our lovely rivers around here and cause all sorts ofcontamination and devastation! Inquiries and research is beingconducted by several people in the community with attempts to makepublic the happenings in this mine- one of the largest open pit coppermines in the world!Obviously we're all guilty when it comes to mining as we mostly alldrive our vehicles and purchase commodities.... Yet more reasons tosimplify our lives, fix things when they're broken (as opposed tothrowing out and buying new), purchase used goods, trade for existinggoods, drive less (and compound any trips with as many purposes aspossible ie: we always have huge lists of things to return and bringback to the farm when we head out- we always pick up our cardboard forthe gardens, bulk grain for the animals or baking, compost for thegardens etcetera whilst returning recycling, and making fooddeliveries whenever we seldom head out on trips).... Surely there'smore than enough materials already existing that can be reused andsalvaged that we don't need to continue digging more out of ourprecious earth. The amount of electronics, vehicles, and contraptionsthat get offered our way or turn up in our area is staggering- andstill people buy new!Oh well- we like to spend our cash on the organic goods that weourselves don't produce which enrichen our lives (and our health)while supporting other organic producers for more sustainablehappenings on the planet. It's all just that sort of a cycle- moneyexists for us where barter doesn't work. As for barter- we're alwaysopen for bartering (that resonates with us) for our wonderous eclecticgoods that we produce out here in MonkeyLand. We like to keep it allas simple as possible.So on that note- us Monkeys will be coming to the Okanagan for our NewYears Adventure (becoming something of a tradition).... We're planningon heading out from the farm on Wednesday December 28th and makingdeliveries along the way through Kamloops, Vernon, and into Kelowna(for deliveries between the 29th through to the first couple of daysof the New Year!), then coming on back and making a detour throughArmstrong (to pick up organic grain at Fieldstone Grainary)If you'd like a delivery of our delicious organic edibles let us knowsoon so we can get it all together.Enjoy the festivities and Happenings the next while.Peace,Michael, Brandie, and Luna Moonsprout Monkeys

2011-11-15T22:03:00.000-08:00

We awoke to the first snow of the season. Just a skiff, but a truetestament to the passage of one season to the next. Swimming in theNicola, feasting endlessly from the garden, munching sweet abundancefrom the trees & running a weekend bistro, seem but long gonememories. With the cool weather though comes many a seasonal joy...Luxuriously lazy mornings of tea sipping, reading & writing, chasingthe sunshine up the mountainside on our ever lengthening daily hikes,mushroom hunting, building fires & delighting in the toasty efficiencyof warming one's home whilst cooking........Our season of abundance here was amazingly bountiful & filled withcountless blessings! Any trepidations of having a new little monkey onboard are long since quelled. Having a full time grandma as part ofthe team has made Luna fit fairly seemlessly into our life here. Wehave found a delightful combination of working & playing that appeasesall. It is an amazing thing to watch Luna tune into the magic thatsurrounds us. She loves the outdoors as much as we do & finds hours ofinexhaustable joy sifting grains of sand, digging in the soil,inspecting rocks & sampling the various flavours of her world. We haveyet to find any thing we grow that she doesn't enjoy munching on(well, there was that one time she got a bite of hot pepper & screamedat the top of her little lungs for a moment or two).... We believe allthis gnawing on real, solid food has helped greatly in the easyarrival of her 5 little pearly white teeth. They give her georgeousgrin quite the character!! Luna loves the animals (perhaps more thenthey do her....) & shares much exuberant affection with any who willtolerate her hair tugging hugs. The cats are the most magnanimous, asis Kodiak the dog when he's in the mood. The goats & chickens on theother hand...... the former want nothing to do with her unless she'ssafe in our arms & the chickens, especially the rooster finds her arather supicious little creature. Quite funny to watch a whole flockof chickens being chased from side of the barn yard to the next by atiny little person on all fours, trying mightily to catch one of them.They eventually settle down & peck around her curiously as sits amongthem as one of the flock. When she's feeling quite weepy, she'llsometimes cheer up if you cluck like a chicken for her. A real littlefarm girl, through & through.The crops are all harvested & stored safely away for the winter. Itdelights me to see our winter larder fuller then ever & having hadless waste in the process.... A real sign we're learning! Stillenjoying fresh goodies from the garden even after a dip into the subzero range a few weeks ago (-9C). Broccoli, kale, celery, swiss chard,wild & hardy greens, leeks & lovely red apples still hanging fromtheir branches. It is amazing to find so much vitality to nourish ourbodies with, even as the earth is starting in on it's inward cyclingof hibernation for the year.The squash harvest was a record breaking 900 lbs! The orchard/alfalfacompanioning proved once again to be a tremendous sucess. The mostamazing part of this project is witnessing the orchard floor becomingincreasingly lush with organic matter... walking barefoot where onceonly inhospitable little beasties grew. Watching the beneficialtransformation of our farm's eco system happening right before oureyes is an awe inspiring gift. Once the squash were harvested ( a fallchore that finds Michael with an ear to ear grin on his lovely face) &weighed up, they were all brought in & our upstairs living space linedwith these beauties along the base of the walls. Luna delights ininspecting them daily & exercising her little muscles trying to liftlarger & larger specimens above her head. We have been feasting uponthese orange fleshed gems with great relish & gastronomical delight &are pleased to be able to share their robust & intensly sweet flavourswith you in a number of dishes on the menu.The sweet potato harvest was a lovely & bountiful suprise, making theexperiment a grand sucess! We peeled back the plastic to find suchamazing activity bustling beneath... worms GALORE, along with theirnutrient dense castings (poops), mycelium & rootlets breaking up thesoil! I have completely rethought my previous stance on the use ofplastic in the garden & now firmly believe that if it is reuseablefrom year to year, it is not only a great way to increase yields forcertain crops & warm the soil but also seems to mutually benfit boththe health of the plants & the soil beneath. Digging up the sweetpotoates was like finding buried treasure. Great clusters of themgathered beneath their foliage, pointing downward in root like fashion& more were to be found off at great distances, connected by"umbilical cords". We pulled in a whopping 65 lbs of prize tubers inall! They are an unusual crop in that they must be cured in a warm (32C) place with high humidity, for a week to convert their starches tosugars. Many commercial varieties available have forgone thisimportant step & thus lack the mind blowing sweetness of a properlycured sweet potato. They need warmth to stay alive as well & thus manyyou find at the store are actually dead food. We found this out firsthand, trying to use these as mother plants & watching them rot beforeour eyes. We have set aside a nice little selection of "mothers" tobegin again with in the greenhouse next spring & hope to grow enoughto be able to use them on the menu next fall! Their creamy sweetnessis unlike anything else!The chicken tractor has revolutionized our land clearing, covercropping & chicken raising methods. They are amazingly industriouslittle creatures, scratching up the ground furiously, looking fortasty grubs & bugs to feast upon, leaving in their wake well turned,more fertile soil for planting the cover crop into. They are healthierthan ever & laying lovely, dark orange yolked, deliciously rich eggsdaily. We are looking so forward to getting the rest of the flock outinto their own "tractor" early next season & watching theaccelleration of fertility around the farm as a result. The firstsection they worked over was previously quite sparse other then a fewfruit trees. After the gals worked it over, it is a clearly defined,lusher green space, now home to two more plum trees, with space formore in the spring. If you have land you'd like to enliven & want toenjoy the most delicious eggs ever, I'd highly recommend chickentractoring. Michael is presently dreaming up a practical method forgetting the goats out into tractors as well.....We are really winding down here on the farm now. The garlic is happilyplanted & well mulched for the winter ahead. Two fat beds of our bestever planting stock, lay peacefully beneath the ever enlarging,resplendent willow tree... (a funny story in poor planing I'll savefor another time).... Quite the beautiful thing to behold, seeingfrost killed crops pushed over & transformed into a new planting spacesimply by covering with soaked cardboard, compost & hay. Papermulching has worked tremendous & commendable magic in our gardens thisyear, creating a dramatic increase in water retention (a real blessingin our semi arid desert summer months) & an outstanding improvement inour soil structure & overall fertility. We're hooked & happy to berecycling whilst feeding our soil & it's many inhabitants that make itteem with productiviy!Our latest "farm drama/ crisis", involves the Immaculate Maggie (oneof the goaties). Grandma went to milk the other night & found hercovered in blood all on her backside.(Quite the startling contrast toher lovely white coat!) She rushed up to get us & we went all four ofus (Luna on Dad's back), warmed unrefined salt brine & medicinal herbsin hand, to try & help. It was unclear what exactly had caused thebleeding, but it appeared to our eyes to be some sort of vaginalwound. Besides this, her ear was torn & her one eye lid bloodied &swollen. Poor girl looked like she'd been beat up! We cleaned her upas best as possible, fed her the herbs & shared some positvevibrations (Luna who was very quiet & serious throughout this whole"doctoring" even leaned in to give her a sweet & gentle littlepet....)The following days we have kept a close eye on her & she seemto be healing quickly, back to her usual well reposed & noble self.Grandma caught sight of a "handsome" buck, BIg Horn sheep wanderingdown to the barn as she drove off for town the other day..... Thoughtof how the Kodiak has been barking alot at night & suddenly we beginto formulate a very primal little scene in our mind to wonderabout......... Funny how we were just pondering having one of the galsbred to kid in the 2012 season.We marvel at the passing of time & how it really does seem to fly evenmore then before with a baby in our lives. Almost a whole year haspassed since we last ventured into the big ol' city to bring you alittle taste of our farm fresh organic deliciousness. Unbelievable!!!We are as equally rusty from the lapse in time as we are thankful tobe heading your way, having a chance to introduce you to lovely Luna &bringing our traveling Monkey show to your door. We'll be town doingdeliveries the 7th through to the 10th, weather permitting. That said,here's the menu to salivate over.... PLEASE GET YOUR ORDER IN ASAP, aslife is busier than ever (with lovely Luna) & we want so much to makesure you get all you want to.Here's the updated menu~ ENJOY
MONKEY IN THE GARDEN’S ALL ORGANIC MENU
For our menu we grow a wide variety of heirloom and open-pollinatedvegetables and herbs, berries, fruits, and flowers on our smallorganic farm in the scorching Nicola Valley semi-arid desert. Otherfruits, berries, and mushrooms come through trading with other localorganic sources as well as from foraging expeditions into thewild. We save all of our non-GMO seeds from our bio-diverse gardens everyyear- thus allowing for their increased adaptability to our soil andenvironment, and to assure the continued existence of these older,hardier, more nutritious, delicious, floral, and colourful fruits,vegetables, flowers and herbs.We use both Nutiva Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil and Mastro DonatoIl Frantoio Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil in all of our cooking andbaking. Bothoils are delicious and nutritious...All of our dishes are wheat-free using organic fresh ground (from ourown mill) Spelt, Kamut, and Rye flours, as well as organic wholegrains and organic legumes - quinoa, millet, buckwheat, amaranth,oats, barley; adzuki, navy, kidney and black beans; chickpeas;speckled peas, French, green,and red lentils). We only use unrefined Celtic sea salt exclusively for it’sbalance of minerals, mellow flavour, and positive influence in thebody (unlike commercial refined salts including refined sea salt whichdehydrate and kill your cells. Unrefined sea salt on the other handcontains all of the minerals we need- it has a similar composition asocean water as well as human blood. Our bodies need natural unrefinedsalts to survive and function properly.) .All grains, beans, and organic nuts and seeds are preparedwith digestion, nutrition, and flavour in mind- always soakedovernight to remove the phytic acid and indigestible sugars. Beandishes are then cooked with kombu seaweed and epazote (both seaweedand herb help break down proteins and help digestion) with carefulattention to digestibility and deliciousness.Our breads are sourdough and yeast-free, and our baked goodies are prepared withsprouted spelt flour. All flour is freshly ground in our mill before using.....ENTREES, VEGGIE BURGERS & PASTA●Squash Roshtis ~ Finely grated squash, onion & garlic patties, spicedto perfection & baked until lovely, golden brown. Delicious dipped inour heirloom apple sauce or fruit chutney.●Falafels~ Sprouted, Armstrong grown speckled pea, garlic, onions &spices. A monkey favorite! Quite nice accompanied by our CurriedCherry Tomato Pickle & Baba Ganooj, and served on a bed of basmatibrown rice.●Sourdough Buckwheat Pizza~ Fresh ground, gluten free, sourdough crusttopped with reduced heirloom tomato sauce, sundried tomatoes, fresheggplant, beta carotene rich summer squash, onions garlic, basil &oregano. Yummmmm…..●Chiles Rellenos ~ Poblano peppers stuffed to the gills with goldenquinoa, black beans, garlic, onions & toasted cumin. Spicy anddelicious!●Monkey Moussakka ~ Delicously creamy, layered up with eggplants,kidney beans, roasted heirloom tomatoes, onions & garlic.●Squash Samosas ~ Wonderful pastry treats! Roasted squash with peashoots, onions, garlic, and spices- in a sourdough Kamut pastry crust!● Black Bean Burritos ~ Mexican black beans (with sautéed onions,garlic, tomatoes, & spices) with roasted squash and toasted sunflowerseeds in a sourdough buckwheat wrap! Gluten Free! 2 pack● Curry Wraps ~ Black lentils, sauteed onions, ginger, monkey masala,wild greens and roasted squash in a sourdough buckwheat wrap! GlutenFree! 2 pack● Chickpea Stuffed Spaghetti Squash ~ with green garlic, fresh sauteedonions, and herbs. Gluten Free! 2 pack.● Mediterranean Kamut Pilaf ~ Delicious grainy dish with cherries,onions, bulb fennel, sundried tomatoes, tender salad turnips, andgreens.● Creamy Navy Bean and Oat Stew ~ with bulb fennel, sautéed onions,and whole oats! Yum Yum!● Brown Rice & Chickpea Burgers ~ with sautéed onions, celery, garlic,and sunflower seeds. Gluten Free! 6 pack● Coconut Chickpeas & Quinoa ~ with coconut milk, sautéed onions &garlic, orange peel, cinnamon, monkey masala, fresh herbs.● Mexi-Cali Burgers ~ with millet, black beans, sautéed onions,peppers, garlic & fresh herbs. Gluten Free! 6 pack.● Quinoa and Adzuki Bean Casserole ~ with celery, onions, heirloomtomatoes & fresh herbs! Gluten Free!●Aubergine Nimoise ~ Halves Heirloom Eggplant, scored & roasted tocreamy perfection, topped with our rich reduced garlicy heirloomtomato sauce. Serve hot with our sourdough rye for a true French treat.● Lasagna- Fresh, handmade thin Kamut noodles create this popularfavourite- with a rich tomatoey navy and kidney bean sauce, onions,garlic, basil, zucchini, and eggplants! Wonderfully delicious!BEANS & VEGAN SOUPSPerfect to accompany any meal, or to eat just on their own!Savoury & Delicious, our bean dishes are all very carefully prepared.Beans and legumes should always be soaked for 12-24 hours in at least fourtimes as much water with a splash of apples cider vinegar (whichbegins a proliferation of acidophilus bacteria which help inneutralizing phytic acid). When cooking, the soaking water is changedfor fresh water. The beans are brought to a rolling boil, and asAyurvedic tradition suggests, the gassiness from the beans is sent ‘upand away’ with the escaping steam for twenty minutes, while theindigestible foam that rises to the top of the pot is skimmed andcomposted. The beans are then lowered to a gentle simmer with unrefinedsea salt, kombu seaweed (for softening and mineral enriching), wholespices, and at a point, dried Epazote herb from our gardens (a Mexicanherb to help with digesting proteins). Once softened (when a beansquishes between your tongue and the roof of your mouth), additionalingredients are added (acidic ingredients, such as tomatoes, wine,lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, should be added to cooking beansonly at this point, as they can halt the softening process, and leadto ‘al denté’ beans- digestive disasters!) and the beans continue onthe way towards a savoury, heart warming dish! All our bean dishes andsoups go great with our delicious sourdough artisan breads. 750mlsize.●Golden Quinoa & Adzuki bean casserole- with roasted heirloomtomatoes, celery, onions & garden fresh herbs.●Black Lentil Dahl ~ with black lentils, sautéed onions & ginger, Monkey masala.● Mexican Black Beans ~ with sautéed onions, garlic, tomatoes, and spices.● Saucy Speckled Peas ~ with sautéed onions, garlic, fennel, and celery. Yum!● Lentil Dahl- Sprouted Red & French Lentils are cooked to creamyperfection with heirloom tomatoes, sautéed onions & spices.●Persian Kidney Bean Stew- Slow roasted heirloom tomatoes, sautéedonions, garlic herbs & spices, mingle deliciously with perfectlyprepared kidney beans. Warm up from the inside out!●Golden Canadian Quinoa & Black Beans- Simply delicious & spiced justright with toasted cumin, garlic & sautéed onions.●Monkey’s Fireside Beans~ Fire Roasted Adzuki & Navy beans. Rich,creamy & satisfyingly delicious. ● Summer Borscht ~ Brothy borscht with potatoes, beets, fennelbulb, onions, garlic, celery & caraway.● Creamy Roasted Squash Soup~ A favourite at our house. Deep orangedeliciousness with a hint of cinnamon….. Any extra can be blended witheggs & baked as an amazing frittata.● Szechuan Carrot Soup~ Spicy peanut & garlic accents, make thiscreamy & deeply satisfying soup delicious. Thanks to the folks atFountain View Organic Farms for providing us with such sweet & juicycarrots from the upper Fraser Valley!●Cream of Celery Soup~ Loaded with mineral rich celery in a creamyceleriac base.DELI STYLE FRESH CONDIMENTS & DRESSINGS in 250ml glass jars●Habanero Hot Sauce- Summer’s heat sizzles in this delicious creation.Habaneros, garlic & herbs blended to saucy perfection with unrefined,cold pressed olive oil & a cultured, probiotic rich unrefined sea saltbrine. Delicious on just about anything in our opinion!● Cherry Habanero Hot Sauce~ Habanero peppers fermented in their ownjuices meet the tangy zing of cultured cherry juice. Deliciously spicydigestive aid.●White Wine Monkey Mustard- Canadian grown mustard seeds, SummerhillPyramid Winery white wine & unrefined sea salt. Simply divine!● Fire Powder -A blend of our own homegrown organic sun-soaked chilies,dried and ground fresh to spice up your dinner table! Caution- VeryAddictive, Very Spicy! Spice jar size.SWEET AND SAVOURY PRESERVESShelf Stable Treats for the pantry- Organic Fruits and Vegetable basedcondiments and sauces for every palate… Unless otherwise noted, allpreserves are made without additional sweeteners (Fruit only- reducedto concentrate natural sugars within) There's something perfect forcomplementing any meal of the day ....... 250mL glass jar● Peach, Apricot & Shiro Plum Sauce~ Amazingly golden & absolutely delicous.● Roasted Apricots – A favorite…. full of luscious apricot flavouroven roasted to golden perfection!● Black Cherry - Delicous tree ripened full cherry flavour jam packedin every jar.● Pear Sauce- Luxurious ripe pears preserved at their prime!● Plum, Pear & Double Apple Butter- Reduced to a thick toothsome treat!● Sour Cherry Sauce – Sour Cherries are reduced with the pits in prior tostraining, extracting their delicious almond aroma…. An old worldspecialty.● Heirloom Apple Sauce- A real taste of the autumn season. Freshpicked from our massive, ancient apple trees & reduced, skins & all tosaucy, pink deliciousness. Great both sweet or savory… from smoothies,to toast topper, to chutney. Can also be used as a vegan eggsubstitute, ¼ per egg.● Saucy Peaches- A delicious hint of the flavourful & sumptuous abundanceof peach season.●Apricot & Baby Apple- Delicious combination of sun ripened apricots& sweet, rosy red crabby apples.●Cherry Mulberry – Amazingly sweet, wild mulberries mingle with a deeplyrich cherry base. Yum…..●Cherry Saskatoon – Tiny morsels of wild berry goodness, packed away insweet, black cherry sauce.●Peachy Apple - Dripping with flavour, these tree ripened peaches are madeeven sweeter with rosy little red crabby apples.● Saucy Apricots - Sun-Drenched Nicola Valley Apricots- lots ofsunshine in every jar of golden deliciousness!● Green Gage Plums- Delicous Heirloom Plums sunripened & full ofamazing flavour! Excellent sweet/tart flavour works well with sweetdesserts as well as savoury meals for dipping or saucing.●Summer Red Apple Sauce- Delightfully pink & naturally sweet sauce.The Summer Red apple variety originated at the Summerland FruitResearch Station!●Oaxacan Tomatillo Salsa~ Roasted tomatillos, onions, garlic, chilies& spices. Amazing addition to your next Mexican feast!● Spicy Monkey Ketchup- our version of this extremely popularcondiment- a thick, sauce of de seeded & skinned chilies & heirloomtomatoes, sweetened with our apple sauce.● Peach, Pear & Apple Chutney- with sautéed onions, garlic, chiles,and fresh roasted fragrant spices. Transforms a simple meal intochutney bliss.●Buttery Apple Sweet Relish- Fruity cucumber creation....Tradtional homemade relish flavour with a naturally apple sweet twist!● Peach Salsa- Full summer flavour with juicy ripe peaches, heirloomblue corn, heirloom tomatoes, eggplants, chilies, onions, & fresh herbs.●Roasted Apricot Salsa- Apricots dominate in this delicious combinationof fresh fruits, heirloom tomatoes, onions, garlic, bulb fennel,cumin, coriander, & quilquanna.●Monkey’s Marinara- Roasted heirloom tomatoes, fresh shucked beans,sautéed onions, celery, garlic & basil. Delectable Pasta Sauce● Ratatouille- A richly delicious blend sautéed heirloom tomatoes,eggplants, zuchetta, onions & garlic. Amazing on our sourdough ryebread with soft goat cheese.●Baba Ganooj- The simple & creamy deliciousness of roasted eggplants,unrefined sea salt & cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil. Pair withour fresh ground sourdough rye bread & make your next sandwichAMAZING!●Chile Sauce- De-seeded & skinned heirloom tomatoes, chilies, onions &garlic. Aromatic and potent!● Curried Cherry Tomato Pickle - A delicious salty pickle foraccompanying any dish wanting strong curried flavours- with GreenCherry tomatoes, chilies, garlic, ginger, tumeric, cumin, coriander,pepper, anise, cardamom, & unrefined sea salt.●Fire Water- Deliciously Spicy Blend of 6 types of de seeded HabaneroPeppers, fresh garlic, onions & unrefined sea salt, blended to smooth,saucy perfection with de seeded & skinned heirloom tomatoes. Add alittle FIRE to your life! (114 ml jars VERY concentrated)SWEET TREATS & SAVORY BAKINGOur baking is all made with locally grown, fresh ground, sproutedspelt flour (to decrease gluten content & maximize digestibility),unrefined, extra virgin, cold pressed coconut oil (only cooking oil,beyond butter, able to healthfully withstand high heat of bakingtemperatures), unrefined cane sugar & chocolate (sourced out from alocal collective, committed to fair trade practices & promotingfarmer/ processor alliances in Guatemala & the Philippines, unrefinedPortuguese sea salt, our own dried fruits, handcrafted brandiedvanilla, soaked nuts & seeds……. All are vegan friendly, using our ownapple sauce in lieu of eggs.DESSERTS●Monkey Power Cookies~ A delicious & energy rich power packed tastetreat!…. Whole sprouted buckwheat crispies, walnuts, pumpkin seeds &sesame, chocolate chunks & sundried cherries & apples.●Peanut Butter Thumbprints~ Peanut butter goodness made even moredelicious with raspberries & apples nestled in the middle.● Goji Apple – Antioxidant rich goji berries pair up deliciously withour shade dried apple chunks.● Pear Pumpkin Seed – Amazingly sweet dried pears & toasted pumpkinseeds. Yummm●Peachy Apricot- Shade dried peaches & apricots sweeten us up withthoughts of summer’s prime.●Cherry Chocolate Chunk – Shade dried cherries meet dark chocolatechunks. A real favorite.●Chocolate Cherry Brownie Bliss ~ Dark cherry meets densely rich &deeply satisfying chocolate goodness. Need we say more?●Matrimonial Squares- 100% Fruit sauce sandwiched between layers ofsoaked oat & coconut goodness. Available in 2 flavours~ Black CherryApple and Apple Chai●Raspberry Apple Upside Down Cake- On the up side of down… thisdelicious cake is bound to put a smile on your face (or at least yourtaste buds)●Stuffed Heirloom Apples- Delicious taste of the season. These juicyapples are cored & stuffed to the brim with oats, nuts, seeds & driedfruits. These re-bake amazingly & are superb topped with whipped creamor yogurt.● Monkey’s Sprouted Granola- Soaked oats slathered in extra virgin,unrefined coconut oil, apple sauce & brandied vanilla, baked tocrunchy golden perfection & then tossed up with roasted walnuts,pumpkin & sesame seeds & a tasty selection of our shade dried fruits.Delicious out of hand as a quick snack or done up for breakfast withone of our fruit sauces.SAVORY BAKING●Artisan Black Rye Bread- This densely delicious, fresh ground, yeastfree rye bread is sure to delight with its moist crumb, made evenbetter with toasting. The perfect “vehicle” for any of our condiments& served aside a piping hot bowl of soup.●Buckwheat & Millet Waffles- Simply the most delicious & healthfulwaffle going. Whole buckwheat & millet soak overnight to increasedigestibility. Blended & then baked to golden perfection. Top with oneof our sweet preserves for a Special Monkey breakfast. Surprisinglyexcellent as a “personal pizza” crust or sandwich base.●Squash Muffins- These naturally sweet, dense & very moist muffins aredelicious both sweet & savory. Perfect for snacking or servedalongside a nice, hot bowl of soup.HERBAL REMEDIES:Spilanthes Oleracea- Spilanthes is a native Amazonian herb- withsimilar properties as Echinacea, though with a potency five timesgreater. It is a plant commonly eaten in the Brazilian diet- often with themilder leaves of the plant minced up into soups and salads for itsimmune boosting properties.We find that it helps almost immediately with a variety of complaints-such as canker sores, cold sores, sore throats, toothaches, as well asthe common cold or flu. We always have it on hand to help beat backany sickness that creeps up in our household.We grow our Spilanthes as an annual plant, saving seed each year tokeep this potent medicine available. It’s a lovely, lowcreepingsucculent plant, with arrow shaped leaves, and small, chamomilelooking flowers of red within yellow within orange.We offer Spilanthes in two forms:● Whole dried Spilanthes flower heads- excellent for keeping in apurse, or in the glovebox or backpack- simply pop a dried flower inyour mouth and treat it as a lozenge. Its action is long lasting!● Spilanthes Tincture- Our tincture is in a vodka base and uses onlythe fresh, potent flower heads fresh harvested at their peak potency.Simply a few drops under the tongue or back of the throat and itsaction is immediately felt. It comes in a convenient 25mL dark glassbottle with dropper.● Reishi Mushroom Tincture- an amazing adaptogen used for millenia inthe east... an excellent stress reliever and immune booster- we findthat reishi both calms the nerves while adding clarity of mind andincreased energy. An excellent anti-carcinogen, it's used in thetreatment of many cancers and tumours. Many texts recommend it fordaily use throughout life for increased longevity (likely due to itsstress-relieving properties!). Our reishi tincture is vodka based withcertified organic reishi mushroom.MONKEYS GIFT BASKETS!!!The Perfect way to share Monkey in the Garden Goodness with those youlove! A delicous & ecclectic combination of sauces, preserves, herbs &medicinal tinctures, nested on a bed of organic straw & all wrapped upin an attractive natural fibre basket. Comes with a personalized, handmadegreeting card. Great ethically produced Christmas, birthday oranniversary gift for the eco conscience on your list! Available in $50& up sizes. As well as being available delivered in Vancouver, we canalso ship via Greyhound anywhere in Canada!!!Please get your order in ASAP so we can make sure to get everything you'd like!See you soon,peace,Michael, Brandie, and Luna MonkeysAlso Feel free to pass our email and menu along to anyone you mightthink is interested in hearing about life on the farm and deliciousorganic edibles!!! Our Small Scale Organic Family Farming Businessappreciates all the support we can get. It helps us to keep doing whatwe love and believe in.Ask about our non perishable shippables-Perfect for whomever, wherever!Monkey Goodies Across CanadaTinctures, Preserves, Herbs & MORE!Sent via Canada Post or GreyhoundCheck out our wonderous website & blogwww.monkeyinthegarden.comfull of fantastic photos and sensational stories!!!

Monkey's Bistro Now Open!!!!

2011-06-04T21:57:00.000-07:00

Hello Hello Hello,
WOw! What an incredibly smoking hot day out here in the Nicola Valley! It was so dry today, that the bowl of unrefined coarse sea salt that I'd set out crystalized into chunks within a few hours! The air needed the moisture more than the salt!
Today was the grand opening of the fifth year of existence for Monkey in the Garden (this being our fourth year on the farm!). We're now open every Saturday and Sunday, from 10am to 7pm, until the end of September... We're also open tomorrow (Sunday).
What a busy life we lead. The gardens are going wonderfully this year thus far. We've been having great success with paper and cardboard mulching- avoiding the use of any digging or tilling or forking implements in our garden beds. The organic matter is improving greatly, the worms are happy, and the plants are all thriving. We've been feasting on fresh delectables from the gardens for two months now!
Life with Luna has been wonderous. We've been learning so much with our beautiful daughter. She's helped us to slow down our rhythms and breathe deeper. She's evolving as quickly as any of the plants in the gardens- delighting us constantly with with all of her wonderous ways.
It has been so rewarding to take the time to spend here as a family. All of our energies have been focussed on family and the farm- and wow! The whole place is radiating with energy.
We still haven't been too successful with travelling with Luna, aside from short trips to town to haul compost, hay, and fallen trees (for our fantastic new seating area up at the bistro!) and do water samples. Our one overnight trip, and single day trip have shown us that it'll be a while before we travel too far from the farm.
As this is turning out to be seemingly the most exciting year here on the farm, we hope to see you out here sometime to meet Luna and check out the gardens. The tomatoes are sizing up and zucchinis are fruiting... Broccollis are dancing and greens are feasting.
Happy Summertime Adventures,
Peace,
Michael, Brandie, Luna and Char Monkeys

--
Check out our wonderous website at
www.monkeyinthegarden.com
full of fantastic photos and sensational stories!!!

A New Baby Monkey in the Garden!!!!

2011-02-09T17:30:00.000-08:00

Hello hello hello,
It's a fantastically crisp evening out here in Nicola Valley.
We went for our first really nice walk today in the brilliant sunshine with our new best friend- our little baby girl Luna!!!
Life has taken such a wonderful joyful little turn the past few days- we're loving how our little family is growing here. Luna Moon-Sprout Coutts-MacArthur was born just the other morning- January 28th at 3:05 in the morning- an Aquarius baby to join our little home of two Geminis and a Pisces.....
We were in Kamloops a few days ago on Thursday for an appointment with one of our Midwives- Tatania. All that day Brandie had been having minor cramping going on- we weren't sure if it was dinner at a restaurant the night before and the coconut milk ice cream that we snuck into the movies, or if this was the early beginnings of labour. Tatania thought that it was just some early stage cramping that could be the beginnings of a couple of weeks preceding labour (Luna's predicted due date was February 9th).
A little while out of Kamloops we decided to visit the Savannah 'Free Store' as we call it (we've been informed it's the dump- though very organized and clean). We collected a few Christmas trees for the goats (trees that folks had wild-cut), some tidy thick wire and fencing, and a couple of broken down freezers (which we'll have drained of freon, and will use for either grain storage or filling with soil and planting in as part of our 'ReUse It' Garden). Brandie's cramps at this poing starting seeming to her more like contractions.
As we were driving home, I recalled how a friend had mentioned that babies always come with the moon (there's always a moon of course. She had meant a full moon- then how could you explain that there are babies born every day...). I joked that the cramps were either from the 'Luna and Larry's' Ice Cream we'd enjoyed, or labour was beginning a couple of weeks early. We were still in disbelief that labour was coming shortly.... We had a couple of friends coming for dinner that night- surely the timing wouldn't be that festivities and birthing were to coincide.
The contractions were starting to come on stronger when we got home. We phoned up our other Midwife Joanna and told her how things were going. She suggested that Brandie take a bath and to let her know when the contractions were a minute long each with four minutes between them for a whole hour. Brandie got into the bath with these ever-stronger contractions. Char started timing them over a half-hour period- they were already a minute long and three minutes apart!!! Baby was coming fast. It was time to phone up Joanna.
By this time my longtime school friend Tyson and our organic Farmer friend Urs from Quail's Farm had arrived. They didn't quite know what to think when I calmly mentioned that Brandie was in the bathtub going into labour and that I was casually finishing up the dinner that Char had started. 'Remain Calm'- this definitely was the most important thing that we've learned over the last nine months of reading books and talking with midwives and mothers.
The night progressed. The birth tub that we'd picked up in Kamloops (just that morning, along with all of the other birth supplies) was inflated and filled with a salty brine- portuguese ocean water.... Tyson went home, Urs went to bed, the Midwives arrived, Char went to sleep.
Brandie dealt with the contractions as they came- we would make low gutteral noises to keep in the 'Primal State' and keep relaxed. Brandie would sleep between contractions, and take sips from a bendy straw of water and labour aid beverage, like a boxer between bouts. Cold damp towels would be rested on her forehead to keep her from overheating. She would go from the bathroom into the birth tub- now in our living room with a roaring fire. The heat was up to thirty-four degrees and the walls were sweating.
Joanna and Tatania were mostly keeping to themselves, letting it all progress naturally. Every so often they would check baby's heartbeat and make a few notes.
The contractions got stronger and stronger. Finally there were some membranes that had come out- looking like JellyFish floating about. I would hold Brandie up and she would muster all of her energy to push. Joanna finally said that the next contraction would bring out baby's body. 'Baby's body?' I thought... I didn't realize that her head was already out, that the membranes were just covering her. Finally with a great push little Luna swam out into the water and came up to the surface and onto Brandie's belly, all pink and lovely! Our lovely little baby- unbelievably real- here and now! A real baby girl had been growing inside of Brandie all along!
The rest of the night was a continuation of delerium. The placenta came out after a half hour of mom and baby sharing and staring at one another (causing a natural release of the Oxytocin- the 'Love Hormone' which causes a natural expulsion of the placenta). We laughed and cried and felt love radiating all about.
Sometime shortly after Luna was born, the moon came radiating out in the sky from among the clouds, a half-crescent moon glowing yellowish orange.
Hours went by until light crept in through the window. During that time Luna was checked all over, delicately weighed in a cloth (7 pounds, one ounce), she was measured, temperature taken and all of that. Much cleanup happened over that time- the midwives were really wonderful with leaving Brandie, Luna and I in our exhausted states and taking charge in reducing the carnage. Still over the next couple of days the house seemed as if a raucous party had happened!
A couple of days have passed and we're really getting into the groove of being mom and dad. Our lives are perfectly suited to having Luna with us. Wintertime is slow on the farm, and our usual routine hasn't changed too much. We're still reading, making food and smoothies, keeping the fire going, looking after our animal friends, taking walks (no hikes up the mountain for a while), playing piano..... We haven't played any board games the past few evenings but have instead opted for watching films from the library- it's warm in the living room and we're all a little sleepy.
Brandie's energy is increasing all the time. She's recovering amazingly well, and is going along with all of the changes that her body is going through. We're absolutely thrilled to be here now- with no desire to go anywhere.
Life is fantastic. Our world has just been expanded incredibly. We're loving being parents.
Peace and Love,
Michael, Brandie, Luna, and Char Monkeys

Sourdough Rye Bread Take Two

2011-02-09T17:28:00.000-08:00

Observational Sourdough Rye Bread Making….

Why Sourdough Bread? Sourdough bread (and other traditional fermented breads and grain dishes) have been the long-term traditional methods for preparing grains for as long as grains have been cultivated. Within all grains (and nuts, legumes, seeds) there exist something called Phytic Acid. When we consume these foods in their whole, unrefined form (like in yeasted bread, or a simple cooked pot of grains, or nuts out of hand), our body gets depleted of such important minerals as calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, and iron. This leads to all sorts of problems including tooth decay, loss of bone density, eventual food intolerances to name a few….
When we make traditional sourdough bread (or soak our grains, beans, or nuts for at least 24 hours in water with something acidic- apple cider vinegar, yogurt or kefir, lemon juice- or unrefined salt with nuts and seeds), we neutralize the deleterious effects of the phytic acid. Now prepare these foods as usual. The nutritional profile of these foods increases, as well as flavour complexity, and digestibility. The food tastes better, is better for our health, and keeps longer (sourdough rye bread lasts for weeks)- isn’t this what we all want?

For more info and traditional preparation of all sorts of foods and beverages- check out ‘Nourishing Traditions’ by Sally Fallon, and ‘Wild Fermentation’ by Sandor Elix Katz
For a great article on Sourdough Rye Bread- check out Paul Pitchford’s ‘Healing With Whole Foods’ and the article ‘The Bounty of Rye’ by Jacques de Langes

Sourdough Rye Bread Recipe: (with a bonus flatbread recipe! WOW!)

For this particular batch of Sourdough Rye (every batch is different- this is the beauty of bread-making- allow this recipe to teach you the method for making the bread and adapt it to your particular likes and moods), a pumpkinseed loaf, the sourdough culture was revived from the fridge for a couple of days only, which created not so ‘bubbly’ of a loaf- a characteristic that we’d enjoyed on the previous batch when the sourdough starter had been being fed continuously for at least a week. The more active the starter- the better the bread!

Nonetheless this bread is delicious. We enjoy it every single day as a thinly sliced and toasted delight with an assortment of toppings: nut butters, goat cheese melts, salmon and soft cheese with sprouts, or just grass-fed organic butter with unrefined sea salt.

For eleven pounds of bread- in this case, three loaves weighing three pounds each, and two single pound loaves for sharing. Here is the ingredient list.

For the Sponge:
1250 mL active Sourdough Starter (or more)
4.5 cups organic whole rye flour (freshly ground ideally)
6 cups non-chlorinated water (we use mineral rich well water- cultured whey is also excellent)
1 heaping Tablespoon of Whole Caraway Seeds
1 cup of organic pumpkin seeds (or sunflower or sesame or any nuts)
a Drizzle of organic fair-trade unsulphured Black Strap Molasses

For the Bread:
15 ¼ cups of organic whole rye flour (or more, or less)
one Tablespoon Unrefined Sea Salt (coarse is best)

Sourdough Culture (Starter):
First you need to make some sourdough starter. Start with the freshest, highest quality organic whole rye flour- freshly milled is best. We mill our flour fresh- consider purchasing a mill. You can then grind flour fresh from any grain you so desire, as much or as little as you need. When flour is ground, most of the nutritional value is lost within two weeks as the flour oxidizes (consider how old most flour in the store is). You also can check out the quality of the whole grain before grinding it. The grain mill will eventually pay for itself as you’ll be able to save money by buying bulk whole unrefined grains at a fraction of the price of flour. We get most of our certified organic whole grains through Fieldstone Granary in Armstrong- they offer top quality organic grains sourced primarily from the Okanagan and BC, then Alberta, and finally Saskatchewan (no out of country grains). They also offer legumes, unrefined livestock salt, kelp, and more.

On with the sourdough starter. Take one cup of rye flour and stir it in with one cup of non-chlorinated water. Mix it together in a non-reactive bowl (a large ceramic bowl is ideal, especially if you plan to make bread regularly, though glass, or wood would work as well). Cover it with a cotton cloth and keep it in a room-temperature spot away from any drafts. Then every day for at least a week, mix in another cup of flour and another cup of water. Within a few days, your flour/water mixture will trap some wild yeasts that will proliferate and create a wonderfully sour and bubbly dough. You can now keep your sourdough culture going for as long as you desire- ours is now four years old, and there are some sourdoughs throughout Europe that have been kept alive for more than a century! The sourdough culture gets much better with time- better flavour and activity.
When we get an overabundance of sourdough culture it’s usually time to make bread! If there’s more than we need, we package some of it up in pint or quart jars, labeled in the fridge- for future use. To revive sourdough from the fridge, take it out, let it warm up for five or ten minutes, then start feeding it as usual. It keeps for months this way. If you’re still getting overwhelmed- consider making these simple flatbreads (similar to Ethiopian Injera or South Indian Dosas): Heat a cast-iron pan over medium heat, wipe it with oil, and pour about ¼ to 1/3 cup of pure sourdough starter in to the pan, form it like a crepe, sprinkle it with unrefined salt. When the stickiness cooks off the top (a couple of minutes), flip it and cook it for a minute or so longer. Delicious and tangy- great for wrapping up stuff like cheese and sprouts or eggs or with soup or stew!

Now that you have your sourdough culture alive and kicking, it’s time to make bread!

The day or night before bread making day, you need to start your sponge. In your large non-reactive (not metal!) bowl, mix up your starter, the water or whey, the molasses, the caraway seeds, the pumpkin seeds, and the flour. Simple. Cover it with your cotton cloth, and keep it in a warmish place.
The next morning or before lunch is the time to make the bread. Add your tablespoon of unrefined, coarse sea salt. Add the rest of your flour, one cup at a time, stirring it with a stiff spoon and eventually with your hand (it’s actually easier to skip the spoon and just use your hand). Mix it up until it’s extremely stiff and sticky like peanut butter (the hard to spread kind!). Scrape as much dough off your hands as you can, cover the bowl of dough, and go busy yourself for a half hour, or an hour, or two. This is the vitally important proofing period- it allows the dough to rest- making it so simple to work with. If you don’t have the patience to let your dough proof, you’ll drive yourself crazy and declare that rye bread is the hardest bread to make (when it’s in fact the easiest!)
After your little break, come back to the dough and scrape it out onto a thickly floured surface. Knead it a little to incorporate the flour and reduce the stickiness. Now you can slice or break off balls of dough- weigh them if you like or not. We divided this batch into two single pound loaves and three three pounders.
With each ball of dough, knead it and work the flour in until you get a smooth, cohesive dough and can form it into your desired shape- with the less cracks in it the better. Each loaf shouldn’t need more than a few minutes- don’t worry about intensive kneading.- just enough to form them. Put your loaves into baking trays or loaf pans- we use glass casserole dishes, well floured, making sure that the loaves aren’t touching. You can then make a slit about ½ centimeter thick into the top of each loaf (this allows for expansion during rising, with less blow outs from the bottom or side of the loaf). Cover the loaves with damp cotton towels, and put them into a warm, draft free spot (we like to put them over a vent on the upper floor above our woodstove with a box over them to hold in the heat- in summer you can use the greenhouse). Let the loaves rise for the rest of the day- eight hours or so, overnight if you forget about them….)
Time to bake your bread: Put a dish of hot water in the bottom of the oven (to create steam). Put your trays into the oven and turn the heat up to 415 degrees Fahrenheit. After ten minutes or so- after the oven gets to temperature, turn it down to 350 degrees. Bake the loaves for about 35 to 40 minutes- check them when you can smell them. You can tell when they’re done by taking a loaf and tapping it on the bottom- if it sounds hollow- they’re done. Pop your loaves out of the dishes, put them on cooling racks, cover them with cloths, and let them cool completely (overnight works good.). Then you can store your loaves in paper bags in side of clean plastic bags- the paper whisks away moisture and the plastic keeps them from totally drying out. Slice your bread thin, toast it up, and enjoy it for weeks on end. Yum.

Come check out our amazing restaurant seasonal, all organic restaurant ‘Monkey in the Garden’. We’re located in the Nicola Valley on Highway #8 (8km from Spences Bridge, 60 or so km from Merrit). Our amazing restaurant is open every Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 7pm, June through September. We grow of our heirloom and open pollinated veggies and fruits, herbs and flour on site at our STOPA certified ‘Mountain Monkeys Organic Delights’ farm. Our menu is ever-changing with what’s in season in the gardens. We serve up delicious breakfasts (with happy eggs), goat’s milk lattés (with organic ‘Coquihala Coffee’ roasted just 2 kms down the road), amazing whey-based soups, sandwiches, sourdough pizzas, handmade pastas, stuffed veggie dishes, curries, handmade goat’s cheeses, delectable desserts (with in season fruit and sprouted spelt flour)- every weekend offers a new exciting menu- with everything produced from scratch with the highest quality, unrefined organic ingredients! Our restaurant is completely wheat-free and yeast free, with no refined foods!
We also home deliver from our extensive menu of frozen prepared dishes, preserves, fresh baking, lacto-fermented pickles, tinctures, and much more. We make periodic deliveries through the year to Vancouver & the lower Mainland, Kelowna, Kamloops, and Ashcroft.
Check out our amazing website www.monkeyinthegarden.com and email us at thegourmetmonkey@gmail.com for our current menu and next delivery date!
Peace,
Michael, Brandie, Luna, & Char Monkeys

Baby Monkey in the Garden

2011-01-30T23:14:00.000-08:00

Hello hello hello,It's a fantastically crisp evening out here in Nicola Valley.We went for our first really nice walk today in the brilliant sunshine with our new best friend- our little baby girl Luna!!!Life has taken such a wonderful joyful little turn the past few days- we're loving how our little family is growing here. Luna Moon-Sprout Coutts-MacArthur was born just the other morning- January 28th at 3:05 in the morning- an Aquarius baby to join our little home of two Geminis and a Pisces.....We were in Kamloops a few days ago on Thursday for an appointment with one of our Midwives- Tatania. All that day Brandie had been having minor cramping going on- we weren't sure if it was dinner at a restaurant the night before and the coconut milk ice cream that we snuck into the movies, or if this was the early beginnings of labour. Tatania thought that it was just some early stage cramping that could be the beginnings of a couple of weeks preceding labour (Luna's predicted due date was February 9th).A little while out of Kamloops we decided to visit the Savannah 'Free Store' as we call it (we've been informed it's the dump- though very organized and clean). We collected a few Christmas trees for the goats (trees that folks had wild-cut), some tidy thick wire and fencing, and a couple of broken down freezers (which we'll have drained of freon, and will use for either grain storage or filling with soil and planting in as part of our 'ReUse It' Garden). Brandie's cramps at this poing starting seeming to her more like contractions.As we were driving home, I recalled how a friend had mentioned that babies always come with the moon (there's always a moon of course. She had meant a full moon- then how could you explain that there are babies born every day...). I joked that the cramps were either from the 'Luna and Larry's' Ice Cream we'd enjoyed, or labour was beginning a couple of weeks early. We were still in disbelief that labour was coming shortly.... We had a couple of friends coming for dinner that night- surely the timing wouldn't be that festivities and birthing were to coincide.The contractions were starting to come on stronger when we got home. We phoned up our other Midwife Joanna and told her how things were going. She suggested that Brandie take a bath and to let her know when the contractions were a minute long each with four minutes between them for a whole hour. Brandie got into the bath with these ever-stronger contractions. Char started timing them over a half-hour period- they were already a minute long and three minutes apart!!! Baby was coming fast. It was time to phone up Joanna.By this time my longtime school friend Tyson and our organic Farmer friend Urs from Quail's Farm had arrived. They didn't quite know what to think when I calmly mentioned that Brandie was in the bathtub going into labour and that I was casually finishing up the dinner that Char had started. 'Remain Calm'- this definitely was the most important thing that we've learned over the last nine months of reading books and talking with midwives and mothers. The night progressed. The birth tub that we'd picked up in Kamloops (just that morning, along with all of the other birth supplies) was inflated and filled with a salty brine- portuguese ocean water.... Tyson went home, Urs went to bed, the Midwives arrived, Char went to sleep.Brandie dealt with the contractions as they came- we would make low gutteral noises to keep in the 'Primal State' and keep relaxed. Brandie would sleep between contractions, and take sips from a bendy straw of water and labour aid beverage, like a boxer between bouts. Cold damp towels would be rested on her forehead to keep her from overheating. She would go from the bathroom into the birth tub- now in our living room with a roaring fire. The heat was up to thirty-four degrees and the walls were sweating.Joanna and Tatania were mostly keeping to themselves, letting it all progress naturally. Every so often they would check baby's heartbeat and make a few notes.The contractions got stronger and stronger. Finally there were some membranes that had come out- looking like JellyFish floating about. I would hold Brandie up and she would muster all of her energy to push. Joanna finally said that the next contraction would bring out baby's body. 'Baby's body?' I thought... I didn't realize that her head was already out, that the membranes were just covering her. Finally with a great push little Luna swam out into the water and came up to the surface and onto Brandie's belly, all pink and lovely! Our lovely little baby- unbelievably real- here and now! A real baby girl had been growing inside of Brandie all along!The rest of the night was a continuation of delerium. The placenta came out after a half hour of mom and baby sharing and staring at one another (causing a natural release of the Oxytocin- the 'Love Hormone' which causes a natural expulsion of the placenta). We laughed and cried and felt love radiating all about. Sometime shortly after Luna was born, the moon came radiating out in the sky from among the clouds, a half-crescent moon glowing yellowish orange.Hours went by until light crept in through the window. During that time Luna was checked all over, delicately weighed in a cloth (7 pounds, one ounce), she was measured, temperature taken and all of that. Much cleanup happened over that time- the midwives were really wonderful with leaving Brandie, Luna and I in our exhausted states and taking charge in reducing the carnage. Still over the next couple of days the house seemed as if a raucous party had happened!A couple of days have passed and we're really getting into the groove of being mom and dad. Our lives are perfectly suited to having Luna with us. Wintertime is slow on the farm, and our usual routine hasn't changed too much. We're still reading, making food and smoothies, keeping the fire going, looking after our animal friends, taking walks (no hikes up the mountain for a while), playing piano..... We haven't played any board games the past few evenings but have instead opted for watching films from the library- it's warm in the living room and we're all a little sleepy.Brandie's energy is increasing all the time. She's recovering amazingly well, and is going along with all of the changes that her body is going through. We're absolutely thrilled to be here now- with no desire to go anywhere.Life is fantastic. Our world has just been expanded incredibly. We're loving being parents.Peace and Love,Michael, Brandie, Luna, and Char Monkeys

2011-01-17T13:03:00.000-08:00

Hello and Good Day,This morning offered us thick fat fog up and down the valley- a rare occurence out here in the Nicola. It was a wonderful treat when the sunshine ripped through it all and burned it all off- providing us with glorious warmth up on our hike to the Quiet Spot.The snow is thick all over the place- the gardens completely buried under white blankets. When we headed out to Kelowna last week for some family visiting and food deliveries the whole place here was bare and seemingly springlike. Our drive home on Saturday offered many surprises after we dallied home like turtles, visiting thrift stores and natural food stores picking up this's and those. We should have been able to make it home in the daylight, but the roads seemed bare so what was the rush? Foolishness..... Leaving Merrit and onto the #8 highway, we found that that rain that was dropping started freezing up the windshield. Eventually we started hitting patches of extremely slippery ice, upon which we would just take the foot off the gas pedal and keep the steering wheel steady. We proceeded at a crawl, eventually too slow of a crawl, as on a slight incline the truck decided that it wouldn't go any farther. How slippery could it be out there? I thought this as I stepped out of the truck, slipping right onto my tail, and proceeded to slide down the hill away from the truck!Fortunately we always have a set of chains with us (which we've only unearthed once in the past three years!) and after much head scratching, untangling, and cursing loudly, we figured out how to attach them. Amazing how much traction- and what a racket- chains offer on a slippery drive home to the farm (three hours on a usual forty-five minute drive!). There's no place like home!Our little journey offered us plently of lovely visits, expanding our ever-growing learning of the alternatives of baby raising (baby isn't even here yet, and the ideas pouring out of our friends are fascinating.). We're hearing of the successes people are having with diaper free babies (which is much more hygenic, when you consider that a diaper is a place where babies can sit around in their own waste- let alone the environmental impact!) and teaching kids at home..... We never realized the alternatives that exist for 'home schooling'- many systems (including 'Life Learning') that aren't even curriculum based- instead are about teaching your children (and them teaching you) within where their interests lie. A child's curiosity will bring their interest about in so many areas- and their learning abilities will be greatly heightened when its them choosing the subjects.... I know that for myself, I always despised such subjects as Physical Education, Mathematics and Sciences after Grade 9, Music Lessons and many others. In most of these situations I unfortunately had poor relationships with many of these teachers. Nowadays I find myself immersed in many of these areas- I love to hike and garden and do moderate physical activity. We recently acquired my grandmother's beautiful Wurlitzer piano and I've found myself captivated and wanting to play more and more- it's such a treat to work out the notes to a song, plonk around and eventually have music emanating from this grand instrument (many songs I recognize- like a mystery unfolding). I never could have imagined that learning about the dynamics of pregnancy could be so fascinating- it's all about the material we're subjected to. The writings of Michel Odent have at points gotten me so worked up and ready for 'Revolution' that Brandie and Char have had to calm me down. I had to take breaks to cool down from that particular book 'The Farmer and the Obstetritan'. I realize that I learn much much better from a passionately written book than from somebody who teaches because its their job. Of course, I did have many fantastic teachers- many of my english teachers, creative writing and journalism teachers, and drama teachers- who quite likely saved me from utter depression!So now we're blessed with our last few weeks before the Birthday date (February ninth is the prediction). We don't have too many places to go, save some water samples in town and another midwife appointment in Kamloops at some point (and a last dentist trip for me)- though nowhere for more than a day! This gives us lots of time for organizing our place and planting a bit of this and that indoors (Brandie has been planting flats with peas, mixed greens, and some pots of dandelion roots.... Wow! The salads that are being offered us are way more exciting than the usual wintertime 'Sprout n' Kraut' salads.). We have lots of great reading to do (Ina May Gaskin's 'Spiritual MidWifery' is offering lots of baby delivery scenarios), birthing films to watch, board games to play, and squashes to cook (so many different shapes and colours that decorate our upstairs!). We're appreciating our last few weeks of quietude in our house, until our new little energy bundle graces our lives.The joys of farmlife....So I wanted to mention that Rebecca Wood has extended her special New Year's price on her dietary consultations until the end of this month. Her forty or so years of experience with nutritional research and writings offer her plenty of insight with digging deep into what ails you. Her 'Skype' based consultations allow her to study digestive health through reading the signs that are offered around and in the eyes and lips. Her dietary suggestions have always proved correct for me- I especially notice when I don't follow them and wind up feeling off balance and experiencing digestive distress! Check out here wonderful website at www.rwood.com for information about her consultations, plenty of fantastic recipes, and an extremely varied and diverse selection of excellent articles ranging from 'healthy and unsafe cookware', the incredible healing properties of apricot kernels, to ways of improving macular degeneration through diet (like making sure that every day we consume some orange or yellow coloured veggies, as well as some green veggies), and much much more. We're always looking up information in her poetically written books, and are now enjoying the rich diversity offered with her website. If you should find yourself interested in one of her highly informative consultations, feel free say hello from 'Monkey in the Garden'.Well the smells of soup are wafting up the stairs to where I'm sitting here writing away. Brandie is making a lovely lunch today and my tummy is grumbling. It's good to get a belly full of warmth before unloading the truckload of Christmas Tree goat food that's waiting on the back of the truck. Those goat ladies just love their breakfast of fir and pine and bark.Enjoy the sunshine,Peace,Michael and Brandie Monkeys

An ode to Sourdough Rye and its neutralizing properties of Ergot and Phytic Acid!

2011-01-01T00:15:00.001-08:00

Sourdough Rye Bread is amazing with its deliciously complex flavour, ease of digestion, ease of preparation, complex nutrition and excellent storability. We eat it every day, share it with friends, and it makes us feel great! We've been operating our little roadside completely organic summertime restaurant 'Monkey in the Garden' for three years now (as well as aseason at various Vancouver Farmer's Markets), for which we grow amazing organic heirloom and open pollinated veggies, fruits and herbs. Ecclectic dishes are served up all season long using the freshest, in season organic ingredients.We also bake up a wide array of baked goods using sprouted spelt flour (for the cookies and cakes and such), as well as authentic sourdough rye bread for the breakfasts, soups & sandwiches and for sale by the pound loaf. As we grind all of our flour from organic whole grains (from Fieldstone Granary in Armstrong), we get to appreciate and inspect each cupfull before it turns into that magical powder. Very seldomly do we come across any ergotized grain- usually there's an occasional split pea or lentil, or a different grain variety- Fieldstone does a great job in providing us with top quality cleaned grain!
Now you may have heard of Ergot, or not at all. Ergot is a fungus that, when the weather is just right (cool and wet), loves to spread itself throughout grain fields infecting the grain (usually rye). It has existed for as long as grain cultivation has been going on- at least 10,000 years. It has quite a remarkable history- causing the horrible affliction 'St. Anthony's Fire'.
Now just last week we got to haul a ton of certified organic uncleaned rye/spelt grain for the garden and to supplement the diets of the goats, and chickens (as well as the dogs!). This batch of grain wasn't cleaned as there was just too much spelt ratio to rye (it was being grown as a rye only crop)- it would be a hard sell to bakers lookingfor consistency and a pure rye product. This wonderous treasure (filling two freezers, two 55 gallon barrels, and four 25 gallon barrels!) is a real treat and joy! You can just sink your hands into a pile of it, and read the story of a season- the weeds that were growing there, a grasshopper skeleton here and there, lots of hullsand chaff, and Ergotized Rye! There it is, for all the world to see- Ergot- looking very much packrat poops! Finally we could inspect real specimens of the famous Ergot that we'd read so much about over the years. We can also very easily pick them out when soaking the grain for the animals.The past few years of baking sourdough rye bread has led to much interest in articles written about Rye grain- its nutritional properties, gluten content, folklore, and such. Rebecca Wood in her excellent book 'The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia' says that 'Rye is said to build muscles and promote energy and endurance, and is medicinal to the liver'. Rye also contains an abundance of vitamins and minerals including vitamin E, eleven B vitamins, protein, Iron and more. It has less gluten than wheat- but due to it's gluten content is still best avoided by people with gluten intolerances- including celiacs and some people with Crohn's Disease. Folks with 'B' type blood and who follow the Eat Right For Your Blood Type Diet might also choose to avoid Rye. For many centuries there have been flare-ups of St. Anthony's Fire all around the world, the horrible ailment that folks who consumed Ergotized Rye succumbed to- including hallucinations and often leading to gangrene of the extremities. Because of this problem and many others, the sourdough process with grain and breadmaking is extremely important. There were periods of time where populations were so hungryand poor that they were left with no choice but to consume ergotized rye. If you were milling your own flour, you could easily pick out the ergot. If, however, the only rye flour that you had to eat had been milled already with Ergot- the traditional sourdough process would completely neutralize Ergot's alkaloid substances (check out 'The Bounty of Rye' article by Jacques De Langre in Paul Pitchford's book 'Healing with whole Foods'.). Now true sourdough, yeast free bread-making does more than neutralize the effects of Ergot- which if you're buying your grain from a reputable dealer or mill shouldn't be a problem. It also neutralizes Phytic Acid. All grains, nuts, seeds, and beans, contain Phytic Acid, which when eaten binds with Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Copper, and Iron in the intestinal tract and blocks their absorbtion. This leads to allsorts of digestive disorders and nutrient deficiencies. Other ways of neutralizing phytic acid include soaking grains and beans for 12-24hours in water with a splash of something acidic (apple cider vinegar, lemon juice), and changing the water before cooking them (skimming all the foam off of beans if they're what's being cooked...). Sprouting is also an excellent technique. We like to sprout all of our spelt grain,then dehydrate it, and fresh grind it for more nutritious and delicious cookies, brownies, and cakes and such. Sprouting also lessens (and is some cases completely rids) the gluten content of grains! Nuts and seeds should be soaked overnight with a small amountof unrefined sea salt, then dehydrated or toasted. Your belly will thank you for the little bit of extra energy expended! Check out Sally Fallon's excellent book 'Nourishing Traditions' for more info on proper preparations of grains, beans, meats, pickles and more. Just for the hell of it: Here's how we make our sourdough rye bread.

Monkey's Amazing Sourdough Rye!!!
First you need to start your sourdough, and catch a culture. Mix a cup of non-chlorinated water with a cup of whole rye flour (ideally fresh ground or as fresh as you can get it for the best nutrition and flavour) in a non reactive bowl (ceramic or glass) and cover it with cheesecloth or a cotton towel. Leave it in an undisturbed clean, room temperature spot. Every day add another cup of water, and another cup of flour- between two days and a week, your flour water mixture should get bubbly and smell sour. This is your sourdough starter! You can keep adding water and flour every day indefinitely to keep your starter alive. What we like to do is mix up a quantity over a week or two, then pour it into several pint and litre mason jars with lids and rings, label them, and keep them in the fridge to set them into dormancy. I just pulled out a two month old jar of sourdough from the fridge and it worked great. Make sure you always make more starter for storing and reviving, as the longer you keep your starter alive, the better it gets (ours is now four years old- there are some in France over a century old and supposedly excellent!). So the night or morning before breadmaking, you need to make a 'sponge'. The other night I started with a litre or so of sourdough starter, and added about two litres of liquid (I used cultured goat's milk whey, though water works great). I then tossed in several handfulls of organic sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds (often I add lots of sunflower seeds), a small drizzle of organic blackstrap molasses, and a smattering of caraway seeds (which also aid in digestion and flavour). A bunch of fresh ground organic rye flour was added (maybe seven cups or so) so that the mixture was thick yet a little soupy. A cotton cloth was laid over it, and it was left overnight to get bubbly and sour. In the morning I added the rest of the ingredients- simply a small sprinkling of unrefined coarse sea salt (it's important not to put itin the night before as it can inhibit sourdough fermentation), and the rest of the rye flour- however much it can absorb (maybe another nine cups? I like to practice bread making as an art and not so much as a science....). I mix it with one hand adding flour as needed until I'm left with a sticky messy goo reminiscent of peanut butter that's lost much of it's oil. At this point, you scrape as much of it from your fingers as you can, put the cloth back over it, and leave it to rest for an hour or two or three (or half an hour).When you're ready to form the loaves- you find yourself rewarded for your patience. The beauty of sourdough rye is that it doesn't require laborious kneading like spelt and kamut or wheat. You simply set your dough onto a well floured surface, work some flour into it until itisn't so sticky, then cut it into the sizes of loaves you desire (wehave a scale and measure them out into one pound loaves for sale and gifting, and two and a half to three pound loaves for ourselves and using in the restaurant). With your smaller balls of dough, you work more flour into them and knead them for a moment until you can form smooth cohesive small loaves without too many cracks or cavities.Place your loaves into well floured (not oiled) baking dishes or loafpans, cut a slit into the top of each loaf (or design or several slits- so that as the bread rises it doesn't blow out the sides of the loaf), cover with a damp cloth, and put them in a warm, draught free spot, with a box overtop of them. That night (or the next morning-ideally six to eight hours, though longer is all right) you can fire your loaves into an unheated oven with a pan of water in the bottom (for steam), put the temperature up to 415 degrees fahrenheit for ten or fifteen minutes, then turn it down to 350 degrees and bake until they're done (around forty five minutes or when you can smell them). The loaves are baked when you can thump them on the bottom and they sound hollow. Cool your loaves completely on a rack with a cloth over them. Sourdough Rye bread is fantastically delicious when very thinly sliced and toasted with your favourite topping or made into open-faced sandwiches. It keeps very well, and actually improves in flavour overtime. We store the loaves in a paper bag inside of a plastic bag, out of the fridge and freezer- and they last for two to three weeks in perfect condition. So there you have it!
Enjoy your delicious, nutritious Sourdough Rye Bread!

2010-12-30T18:39:00.000-08:00

Hello Hello Hello.....It's another lovely clear sky day out here in the Nicola Valley.... a little brisk- a few degrees below zero- a colder spell has been predicted for any day now...With Solstice behind us we've been feeling renewed energy flowingoutward- many more projects have begun! Mostly there's been a lot oforganizing going on in the house- Brandie and I have been clearing outour room making way for new floor to ceiling shelves and a start atripping up the carpeting! Shelves, shelves, shelves- we have shelf building projects planned until the end of time...... we have enough books for a small library, squashes on every table and couch, boxes and bags of seeds from the garden overtaking tables, buckets of grains and beans stacked on top of each other, canning jars and planting pots exploding in our 'jar shed'. In my mind's eye I can see everything adorning wall space- where to search for something will simply mean aquick scan of the shelves. Every time new shelves get erected (everyyear there's two or three), new life gets breathed into our farmhouse. As well we have our lovely goat ladies to search out food for- we have another truckload of organic carrots planned to haul, another load of hay, and any home-cut Christmas trees we can find to bring home- they love chomping on tinsel free, chemical free (no farm raised trees) evergreens- it keeps the goats dancing! Wood splitting has interestingly started getting easier since theSolstice. We amassed an amazing pile of pine beetle wood that was cleared out and cut up near Merrit. It had been like no other firewood- axes and mauls would bounce repeatedly off of this seemingly cured wood. It could only be split with wedges, which is slow, meditative work. Yesterday I took to splitting wood after a couple of week hiatus, most of the wood was splitting easily (well easier) than before, without wedges. We had also brought back a maul that belonged to my Grandpa Kydd- clearly his energy was being channeled with every swing.
We're just over a month away from the predicted Birth Day! Brandie is amazing! Every day we hike up and around the mountainside above thefarm (yesterday in some wonderful locally made mocassins that we goteach other for Christmas!) for some fresh air and excercise. Lifehasn't slowed down one bit- and Brandie's energy is as strong as ever.Her health is fantastic- all of our midwife visits go wonderfully,with lots of engaging ideas. There's seems to be endless lifetimes oflearning to be had- how could one ever find themselves bored?
There's even been some fun (!) learning adventures going on at thedentist the past couple of months. My years of being a junk foodjunkie candy chewer in my teens and early twenties have come back tohaunt me.... A tooth that had been filled in November went haywire afew weeks ago stealing many nights of sleep and transformed me into awalking grouch.... I knew that I would be faced with two options atthe dentist (with a rush appointment one hour before they'd be closeduntil well into the New Year)- a root canal or pulling- neither ofwhich I wanted.... I had my first tooth pulled in the spring (my firstjoyous encounter with nerve pains) and chewing hasn't been quite thesame. Studies on root canals have shown that they're directly linkedwith heart and kidney problems (Weston Price, research director forthe American Dental Association for 17 years did many studies withroot canals.... He found that many cases of heart and kidney troubleswere relieved with the pulling of root canalled teeth. There are somany little canals within the tooth that a dentist usually can'tscrape out and sterilize them all, and so harmful bacteria have placesto proliferate and multiply, without anywhere to escape but back intoour bodies wreaking all sorts of trouble... There's some interestinginformation about Weston Price and his research in both PaulPitchford's 'Healing with Whole Foods', and Sally Fallon's 'NourishingTraditions'.). So after the dentist offered me these two options, Iasked if the filling could be drilled out, so that any infection thatexisted could simply drain (this is what I believe had been happeningbefore I had it filled in November).... A third option was finallyoffered after I remained stubborn for a while..... Once commonlypracticed by dentists (for several centuries), my dentist cleaned outthe cavity, and packed it with Calcium Hydroxide (slaked lime)....when you have an infection, it's due to an acidic environment existing(like in my unfortunate tooth)- Calcium Hydroxide is a slightlyalkaline substance that, when packed into the tooth, raises the PH sothat the infection cannot survive. Calcium Hydroxide is a naturalsubstance used in Nixtamalizing corn (to neutralize it's B-Vitamindepleting tendencies), and was deemed a 'holistic' option by mydentist..... I still have to do more research to find out how good ofa substance it is. The reason that this isn't common practice anymoreis because it's a temporary solution- the calcium hydroxide willdissapate after a few years, and need repacking. At any time, though,the tooth could still be root canalled (no thanks!), or at worst, bepulled. So far after about a week I still have strong sensitivity tocold liquids, but I haven't had any nerve pain otherwise (whereas itwas constant before)- hopefully I'll be able to once again chew onthis tooth- we'll see. As for having to have it repacked every fewyear- this seems like a far better alternative to no tooth or a toxictooth.
Six years ago, just before leaving living in Vancouver and heading upto Sapo Bravo Farm to begin my organic farming adventures, I wastravelling for a few weeks on train in Oregon and California. I lovedto seek out farmer's markets and restaurants that offered organicfare- travelling has always been a food adventure. After a short timewithout my own kitchen, I started experiencing the worst digestiveissues of my life- I was in constant pain for days on end and wasn'tenjoying much of any of the food as I could have (or any of themicrobrews that exist around there).... Eventually I ended up inAshland, Oregon- a favourite little town of mine where I'd experiencedsome of the finest live theatre back in 1997 (they hold the 'OregonShakespeare Festival' for most of the year, every year). Quitefortuitously, there was a three day cooking and nutrition class beingoffered by Rebecca Wood. Her wonderful books- 'The New Whole FoodsEncyclopedia' and 'The Splendid Grain' have influenced me greatly. TheNew Whole Foods Encyclopedia was the first book on fruits, veggies,grains and herbs that captivated me when working at a health foodstore in Halifax years prior- I had read it front to back for it'swonderful information on the healing properties, folklore, andpreparation of so many natural delectables. Almost daily this book isreferenced here in our home- and it has always as fresh andfascinating as ever. Her teachings offer a great mix of insight,taking from eastern and Ayurvedic philosophies and a long life ofpractice.The three day classes were fantastic- I was already quite familiarwhich much of the techniques and ideas from her books- and practicingthem with her was very rewarding. After the first day, my previouslyagonizing insides were completely soothed and I was feeling totallytransformed. At the very end of the three days, I had an hour withRebecca where she did a lot of studying of my inside health through myeyes and lips, as well as some muscle testing. Her findings were lifechanging- and I can always now look into a mirror and see what's goingawry. Mine and your digestive and physical health are written right onour faces for anyone to see- if one only knows what to look for.With the muscle testing I found out some foods that were ailing me andwhich were highly beneficial. The worst three foods were wheat, sugar,and cow dairy- Aha! During my travels in the States and eating in allof these restaurants, I was always offered homemade scones, buns,breads and all sorts- always wheat based (and probably with sugar andmilk in them)- living in Vancouver I would always eat sourdough ryes,kamuts, and spelts- not necessarily because I thought wheat was badfor me (though deep down inside I knew), but because I enjoyed theseother breads so much more! Going into health food stores in the U.S.,although there were fantastic assortments of the best unrefinedingredients anywhere- you were hard pressed to find any trulysourdough (yeast free) wheat free breads, while here in Canada thesebreads are widely available. Strange.So it has just come to our attention that Rebecca Wood is offering herdietary consultations by phone or by Skype Video- and she's currentlyoffering a holiday special. Check it out athttp://rebeccawood108.wordpress.com/Her website also offers a plethora of wonderful nutritionalinformation and whole food recipes at http://www.rwood.com/If you decide to have a consultation with Rebecca Wood- feel free tosay hello from us and that you heard about her through Monkey in theGarden. I know that my daily better health is owed in part to her fineknowledge and information.
So we're going to be making a trip through Ashcroft & Kamloops onTuesday, January 11th, and into Kelowna to make some New Year's fooddeliveries coming up on Wednesday January 12th & Thursday, January13th!!! It's going to be our last trip for some time, as Baby isexpected in early February- and we're so excited and don't plan toleave the farm for as long as possible....So check out our menu, and let us know as soon as possible whatdelicious organic whole foods you'd like to stock up on. Many dishessell out quick....Look forward to hearing from you soon,
peace,
Michael and Brandie Monkeys

MONKEY IN THE GARDEN’S ALL ORGANIC MENUFor our menu we grow a wide variety of heirloom and open-pollinatedvegetables and herbs, berries, fruits, and flowers on our smallorganic farm in the scorching Nicola Valley semi-arid desert. Otherfruits, berries, and mushrooms come through trading with other localorganic sources as well as from foraging expeditions into thewild. We save all of our non-GMO seeds from our bio-diverse gardens everyyear- thus allowing for their increased adaptability to our soil andenvironment, and to assure the continued existence of these older,hardier, more nutritious, delicious, floral, and colourful fruits,vegetables, flowers and herbs.We use both Nutiva Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil and ABEA ExtraVirgin Olive Oil in all of our cooking and baking. ABEA is from acooperative on the island of Crete, Greece- this olive oil is producedon orchards inside of an ancient volcano- the fruit is unsprayed andcold stone pressed. After pressing the oil is quickly cooled overshallow rollers- never does the oil get warmer than tepid water. Bothoils are delicious and nutritious...All of our dishes are wheat-free using organic fresh ground (from ourown mill) Spelt,Kamut, and Rye flours, as well as organic whole grains and organiclegumes - quinoa, millet, buckwheat, amaranth, oats, barley; adzuki,navy, kidney and black beans; chickpeas; speckled peas, French, green,and red lentils). We only use unrefined sea salt exclusively for it’sbalance of minerals, mellow flavour, and positive influence in thebody (unlike commercial refined salts including refined sea salt whichdehydrate and kill your cells. Unrefined sea salt on the other handcontains all of the minerals we need- it has a similar composition asocean water as well as human blood. Our bodies need natural unrefinedsalts to survive and function properly.) .All grains, beans, and organic fresh crop nuts and seeds are preparedwith digestion, nutrition, and flavour in mind- always soakedovernight to remove the phytic acid and indigestible sugars. Beandishes are then cooked with kombu seaweed and epazote (both seaweedand herb help break down proteins and help digestion) with carefulattention to digestibility and deliciousness.Our breads are sourdough and yeast-free, and our baked goodies are prepared withsprouted spelt flour. All flour is freshly ground in our mill before using....All dishes are Vegan or Vegetarian (with the non-vegan dishes labeledunder ‘Goat Cheese and Whey based dishes).ENTREES, VEGGIE BURGERS & PASTA●Aubergine Nimoise ~ Seasonal favorite back by popular demand! Halvesof fresh picked eggplant, scored & roasted to creamy perfection,topped with our rich reduced garlicy heirloom tomato sauce. Serve hotwith our sourdough rye for a true French treat. Available in verylimited quanity due to poor weather & extremely decreased yeilds!● Lasagna- Fresh, handmade thin Kamut noodles create this popularfavourite- with a rich tomatoey navy and kidney bean sauce, onions,garlic, basil, zucchini, and eggplants! Wonderfully delicious!● Falafels!- Exciting persian delight with sprouted speckled peas,garlic, onions, and aromatic spices.●Baked Stuffed Potatoes- Our delicious multi coloured, desert fruitsof the earth, stuffed with sautéed hardy winter greens, onions,garlic, mustard & caraway. Baked to golden perfection, A EuropeanDelight!●Bolivian Stuffed Squash- Quintessential Winter Treat in celebrationof the harvest. Amazingly flavourful sweet dumpling style squashes loaded withquinoa, black & red beans, quillquinna (traditional cilantro/arugulatasting Bolivian herb we grow here on the farm) & toasted spices.Delicous topped with ourOaxacan Tomatillo Salsa!●Monkey's Winter Pizza - Paper thin slices of beets, carrots,zuchinni, onions, garlic, thyme, basil & heirloom tomato sauce atop afresh ground sourdough Kamut & sunflowerseed crust. Layered Succulence!●Roshtis - Grated (noodle-style) Celeriac, potato, sunchokes & leekspair up to create these delicious baked vegetable patties. Great witheggs and salsa!BEANS & VEGAN SOUPSPerfect to accompany any meal, or to eat just on their own!Savoury & Delicious, our bean dishes are all very carefully prepared.Beans and legumes should always be soaked for 12-24 hours in at least fourtimes as much water with a splash of apples cider vinegar (whichbegins a proliferation of acidophilus bacteria which help inneutralizing phytic acid). When cooking, the soaking water is changedfor fresh water. The beans are brought to a rolling boil, and asAyurvedic tradition suggests, the gassiness from the beans is sent ‘upand away’ with the escaping steam for twenty minutes, while theindigestible foam that rises to the top of the pot is skimmed andcomposted. The beans are then lowered to a gentle simmer with unrefinedsea salt, kombu seaweed (for softening and mineral enriching), wholespices, and at a point, dried Epazote herb from our gardens (a Mexicanherb to help with digesting proteins). Once softened (when a beansquishes between your tongue and the roof of your mouth), additionalingredients are added (acidic ingredients, such as tomatoes, wine,lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, should be added to cooking beansonly at this point, as they can halt the softening process, and leadto ‘al denté’ beans- digestive disasters!)and the beans continue onthe way towards a savoury, heart warming dish!We now sprout all of our beans for additional nutritional value anddigestive ease!All our bean dishes and soups go great with our delicious sourdough artisanbreads. 750ml size.● Coconut Curried Chickpeas- coconutty with cinnamon and sautéed onions● Fireside Monkey Beans- Sprouted Navy Beans are slow cooked over thewoodstove with heirloom tomatoes, griddle roasted poblano, sautéedonions & garlic, cinnamon & anise.● Lentil Dahl- Sprouted Red & French Lentils are cooked to creamyperfection with heirloom tomatoes, sautéed onions & spices.● Monkey Chili- Sprouted adzukis, black beans & chickpeas are slowcooked with tomatillos & tomatoes, sautéed onions, squash & sweetpeppers, toasted spices!● Borscht- A Bounty of Beety Blessings! The classic favourite! Loadedwith lots of delicious winter veggies, sautéed and simmered for aborscht like no other!MOUNTAIN MONKEYS AMAZING MINERAL RICH WHEY SOUPSOur Healthy Goat Friends live a happy life out here at the farm. Thesix of them have lots of room to roam, plenty of sunshine, andexcellent fresh well water. Everyday we feed them a feast of freshveggies, certified organic barley, oats & soaked rye, organic carrots, vibrantalfalfa & grass hay, fir & pine boughs (as well as bark which theylove snacking on!). They love to lick on their himalayan crystal saltblock! Our goat friends are here on the farm for us to have a healthyconnection with animals, to supplement our predominantly vegetariandiet with their lovely milk products, and for their compost thatprovides more organic matter and nutrients to our soil. All of ourgoat friends ended up at the farm by chance, theywere in need of homes from other farms and here they have a sanctuaryin the mountains with lots of fresh air and tranquility.The soups listed are whey based- Whey is the mineral rich high proteinliquid part of goat milk (the curds are the solids that make upcheese). Used as the base for soup it greatly increases the mineralcontent and is revitalizing and energizing, and imparts a wonderfulrichness and thickness to the soup.EATING WHEY BASED SOUP IS LIKE TAKING AN ENERGIZING MINERALSUPPLEMENT! THESE SOUPS DEEPLY SATISFY!All of these soups are available in very limited amounts.●Potato Leek Whey soup- Rich & delicious .... the sweet flavour of freshly dugpotatoes mingles perfectly with fresh leeks & celery in this creamyfavorite.● Curried Creamy Pumpkin & Lentil Whey Soup ~ A Hearty soup spiced todelicious perfection● Roasted Zuchinni & Garlic Whey Soup~ The unmistakable flavour of roastedgarlic meets sauteed onions & celery in this creamy creation.● Persian Whey Soup- with Red Kuri Squash, sautéed leeks, eggplants,celery, grape leaves, cumin, anise, mustard & cinnamon.● Roasted Squash Whey Soup- with sautéed leeks, tomatillos & celery- delicious!● Creamy Potato Whey Soup- with fresh dug potatoes, apples, sautéed onions,chilies, ginger, cumin, coriander, black pepper & garlic. Creamy Spicygoodness!● Harvest Medley Whey Soup- Bounty from the Harvest! with sautéedleeks, celery, tomatoes, roasted tomatillos, squash, & potatoes.SWEET TREATS!!Our desserts are made with your better health in mind. We freshlygrind our organic sprouted spelt flour, and use unrefined extra virginorganic coconut oil, fresh and preserved tree ripened organic fruits,and unrefined sea salt. These treats are sweetened with fruit andor small amounts of Fair Trade, Organic Panela (unrefined sugar withall of its minerals and vitamins intact- used in small amounts it is anutritious sweetener). All spelt, and organic nuts and seeds aresprouted and dehydrated to help break down the phytic acid andindigestible sugars, thus allowing for better mineral and vitaminabsorption, and better digestive ease.● Decadently Rich Brownie Truffles- Described by many as a crossbetween a brownie and the best chocolate truffle ever! Sprouted SpeltFlour, Cocoa Camino cocoa powder, Panela, and extra virgin coconut oilmake up these delectables.….. These moist, dark chocolate multi-bitebeauties are sure to make your taste buds smile.● Chewy Ginger Cookies~ Fresh ground organic & non-irradiated ginger,cinnamon & cloves make these clasic treats even better!●Toasted Hazelnut, Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chunk Cookies~ Who canresist the delicious choco-nutty flavour combination?●Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies~ Our own Sun Dried Cherries pair upwith Vivani chocolate chunks & sprouted oats for a delicous treat.●Kamut Fruit Turnovers~ An exciting & delicous new item to our menu!Flaky Kamut Crust wrapped around a delicious 100% FRUIT filling.Available in Spiced Pear, Pear Apple, Strawberry Apple or RaspberryApple. Comes frozen & ready to bake for a fresh from the oven treat!SOURDOUGH BREAD, SAVOURY MUFFINS & GRANOLADelicious and Nutritious! We grind all of our flour fresh for all ofour baking! After a whole grain is ground, oxidization begins- andwithin two weeks of being ground, much of the vitamins within havedissipated and the flour is on its way to becoming rancid- affectingnot only nutrient content, but also the wonderful fresh flavourstrapped within the whole grain. (For your information: If fresh groundflour is bought from a mill or farmer’s market and wrapped tightly inthe freezer, it is supposed to last for up to six months in goodcondition.)Like any whole grain, legume, seed or nut, there contains phytic acid-which combines with iron, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc in theintestinal tract, and blocks their absorption. Many digestivedifficulties with breads and baking lay within the preparation.Traditional cultures always soaked or fermented all grains, beans,nuts and seeds,- which neutralizes the phytic acid within and allowsfor better digestive ease along with increased absorption of vitaminsand minerals.We take care to follow suit with all of our baking- as well as alldishes containing grains, légumes, nuts and seeds. Not only do we likethe idea of increased nutrition and better digestive ease, butaccessing the complex flavours achieved through soaking and fermenting.● Sourdough Rye- Our daily staple here at the farm. Made with freshground Certified Organic Armstrong Rye, Organic Fairtrade BlackstrapMolasses, organic Sunflower seeds, unrefined sea salt and a touch ofwhole caraway seeds. Thin sliced and toasted this is a great bread forany meal.●Savoury Squash & Toasted Sunflower Seed Muffins~ A Monkey housefavorite! Densely moist, beta carotine rich muffins. Perfect as a midday snack or with your favorite soup.● Monkey Granola - Organic Oats are first soaked overnight (tobreak down the phytic acid), then dehydrated, and finally roasted togolden perfection with a vast array of our own dried fruits (apricots,peaches, cherries, apples, pears), a multitude of organic nuts (firstsoaked & dehydrated); almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts & sunflower seeds,organic extra-virgin coconut oil, and our own apple sauce! Great forbreakfast or snacktime!DELI STYLE FRESH CONDIMENTS & DRESSINGS in 250ml glass jars● Fire Powder -A blend of our own homegrown organic sun-soaked chilies,dried and ground fresh to spice up your dinner table! Caution- VeryAddictive, Very Spicy! Spice jar size.●Toasted Sesame Gomashio - Sprouted and Roasted organic sesame seeds &unrefined sea salt make up this delicious calcium rich seasoning toadd a dash offlavour to any dish. Perfect addition to any homemade salad dressing.●Cultured Pickles! Amazing digestive aids- traditional lacto-fermentedpickles are deliciously tangy and complex- packed full of enzymes,nutrients, and probiotics! We eat a different pickle with every mealto help with digestion- the brine is also excellent when sipped for anupset stomach! Always changing with the seasons!SWEET AND SAVOURY PRESERVESShelf Stable Treats for the pantry- Organic Fruits and Vegetable basedcondiments and sauces for every palate… Unless otherwise noted, allpreserves are made without additional sweeteners (Fruit only- reducedto concentrate natural sugars within) There's something perfect forcomplementing any meal of the day ....... 250mL glass jar● Peach, Apricot & Shiro Plum Sauce~ Amazingly golden & absolutely delicous.● Roasted Apricots - The favorite is back..... full apricot flavouroven roasted to golden perfection!● Black Cherry - Delicous tree ripened full cherry flavour jam packedin every jar.● Pear Sauce- Luxurious ripe pears preserved at their prime!● Plum, Pear & Double Apple Butter- Reduced to a thick toothsome treat!● Chocolate Cherry Raspberry Sauce – Whole Raspberries float amidst areduced Cherry and Cocoa Camino Cocoa sauce - Incredible alone or ontop of any dessert for an amazing taste sensation!● Pear Butter- Ripe Pears stewed down to a thick concentrated sauce.● Sour Cherry Sauce – Sour Cherries are reduced with the pits in prior tostraining, extracting their delicious almond aroma…. An old worldspecialty.● Saucy Apricots - Sun-Drenched Nicola Valley Apricots- lots ofsunshine in every jar of golden deliciousness!● Green Gage Plums- Delicous Heirloom Plums sunripened & full ofamazing flavour! Excellent sweet/tart flavour works well with sweetdesserts as well as savoury meals for dipping or saucing.●Summer Red Apple Sauce- Delightfully pink quite sweet (from perfectapples) sauce. The Summer Red apple variety originated at theSummerland Fruit Research Station!● Flamin' Baba Ganooj~ Roasted Eggplants, onions, garlic, ripe sweetpeppers & habanero chilies - Blended to creamy perfection of spicyeggplant bliss. Delicous spread or dip for almost anything!●Oaxacan Tomatillo Salsa~ Roasted tomatillos, onions, garlic, chilies& spices. Amazing addition to your next mexican feast!● Spicy Monkey Ketchup- our version of this extremely popularcondiment- a thick, blended up sauce of sautéed sweet peppers,chilies, heirloom tomatoes, onions, garlic, and celery- sweetened withapples, and spiced just right.●Ratatouille - Very rich, reduced vine ripened HeirloomTomatoes, Desert Gem Onions, Zucchini, Sweet Coloured Peppers, andbeautiful heirloom Eggplants. Amazing thick spread on toast with softgoat cheese or any savoury toppings. It jazzes up any tomato or pastasauce- transforming asimple sauce into a flavour extravaganza!● Antipasto- Rich & Thick spread for crackers & soft cheese- withheirloom tomatoes, roasted eggplants, peppers, chilies, garlic &onions, fresh shucked beans, scarlet runner beans, sautéed zucchini &onions, fresh herbs.● Apricot Chutney with Panela (unrefined sugar)- Ginger,cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and caramelized panela spice up reducedapricots and make this an excellent chutney to have with a curryfeast, or as a great sauce for stirfries, cooked grains, a bowl ofchickpeas, or panfried panir or tempeh.● Peach, Pear & Apple Chutney- with sautéed onions, garlic, chiles,and fresh roasted fragrant spices. Transforms a simple meal intochutney bliss.● Fruit Supreme Relish-With Suyo Long & Lemon cucumbers, onions,greengage and Bradshaw plums, apples, sweet peppers, D’Anjou pears,apple cider vinegar, Celtic sea salt, coriander. Fruity and Fantastic!● Peach Salsa- Full summer flavour with juicy ripe peaches, heirloomblue & yellow corn, heirloom tomatoes, eggplants, chilies, sweetonions, & fresh herbs.● Buttery Apple Relish- a mix of our favourite relish ingredientscooked down very slowly to achieve a wonderfully smooth condiment.● Sunshine Salsa - Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes (mostly Jaune Flamées),sautéed onions, celery, sweet peppers, garlic, habanero peppers, herbs& spices, unrefined sea salt & apple cider vinegar. Super flavourful &lightly spicy. Excellent for chip dipping, or as a rich zesty saucefor grains, beans, eggs, tempeh....● Curried Cherry Tomato Pickle - A delicious salty pickle foraccompanying any dish wanting strong curried flavours- with GreenCherry tomatoes, chilies, garlic, ginger, tumeric, cumin, coriander,pepper, anise, cardamom, & unrefined sea salt.●Fire Water- Deliciously Spicy Blend of 6 types of de seeded HabaneroPeppers, fresh garlic, onions & unrefined sea salt, blended to smooth,saucy perfection with de seeded & skinned heirloom tomatoes. Add alittle FIRE to your life! (114 ml jars Very concentrated)HERBAL REMEDIES:Spilanthes Olevacea- Spilanthes is a native Amazonian herb- withsimilar properties as Echinacea, though with a potency five timesgreater. It is a plant commonly eaten in the Brazilian diet- often with themilder leaves of the plant minced up into soups and salads for itsimmune boosting properties.We find that it helps almost immediately with a variety of complaints-such as canker sores, cold sores, sore throats, toothaches, as well asthe common cold or flu. We always have it on hand to help beat backany sickness that creeps up in our household.We grow our Spilanthes as an annual plant, saving seed each year tokeep this potent medicine available. It’s a lovely, lowcreepingsucculent plant, with arrow shaped leaves, and small, chamomilelooking flowers of red within yellow within orange.We offer Spilanthes in two forms:● Whole dried Spilanthes flower heads- excellent for keeping in apurse, or in the glovebox or backpack- simply pop a dried flower inyour mouth and treat it as a lozenge. Its action is long lasting!● Spilanthes Tincture- Our tincture is in a vodka base and uses onlythe fresh, potent flower heads fresh harvested at their peak potency.Simply a few drops under the tongue or back of the throat and itsaction is immediately felt. It comes in a convenient 25mL dark glassbottle with dropper.● Reishi Mushroom Tincture- an amazing adaptogen used for millenia inthe east... an excellent stress reliever and immune booster- we findthat reishi both calms the nerves while adding clarity of mind andincreased energy. An excellent anti-carcinogen, it's used in thetreatment of many cancers and tumours. Many texts recommend it fordaily use throughout life for increased longevity (likely due to itsstress-relieving properties!). Our reishi tincture is vodka based withcertified organic reishi mushroom.MONKEYS GIFT BASKETS!!!The Perfect way to share Monkey in the Garden Goodness with those youlove! A delicous & ecceltic combination of sauces, preserves, herbs &medicinal tinctures, nested on a bed of organic straw & all wrapped upin an attractive natural fibre basket. Comes with a handmade seasonalgreeting card. Great to have on hand for an ethically producedsurprise birthday or anniversary gift! Available in $50 & up sizes.Please get your order in ASAP so we can make sure to get everything you'd like!See you soon,peace,Michael and Brandie MonkeysAlso Feel free to pass our email and menu along to anyone you mightthink is interested in hearing about life on the farm and deliciousorganic edibles!!! Our Small Scale Organic Family Farming Businessappreciates all the support we can get. It helps us to keep doing whatwe love and believe in.

Monkeys Off to Vancouver December 10th & 11th!!!

2010-11-30T10:28:00.001-08:00

Joyous frozen Greetings from the Nicola Valley
Winter has at last settled it's icy kiss upon us, putting an end tothe seemingly endles golden autumn we had been blissfully enjoying.Well below zero for almost a week now, the Nicola is running slow &freezing up solid on the banks. A fiercely cold north wind forces usto recall the etiquette of proper winter dress & we adjust to moreindoor centered projects (which there is a never ending list of)......And so one season blends seemlessly into the next.
Thankfully we utilized Mother Earth's blessing of a warm fall well....creating new sunken beds for our 35 lbs of various garlic varieties,followed by planting & mulching. Wood gathering.... a local PineBeetle removal project, that created jobs (felling & bucking up treesin a forested area near to homes) & firewood free for the loading.What a gracious gift to warm our home with! Root harvesting (mutlicoloured carrots, parsnips, celariac, turnips & sunchokes) & sandboxstorage for fresh late winter & spring food. Greens & herb gathering(turnip tops, arugula, swiss chard, parsley, thyme, tarragon, alfalfatips, red raspberry leaves, shinjiku flower petals, clover blossoms &anise hyssop) Busy right up until the last possible moment.... frozeup solid that very night & has stayed well below zero ever since!
We had a wonderfully successful show in Kelowna at Summerhill PyramidWinery. There was a great turnout with lots of excellent vendors andoverjoyed market-goers. We were voted best market display by the fortyother vendors, and awarded with a bottle of pinot noir sparkling wine(to be cellared for next year).... Lots of excellent trades & newcontacts were made!
We also came home with a bountiful truckload of wire fencing- we'relooking forward to setting up more areas for our chicken friends toscratch around in- Borrowed an excellent & very inspiring book formthe library Titled "Chicken Tractor" By Andy Lee & Pat Forman. Itexplains in detail how to graze your chickens throughout the gardens,allowing them to fertilize & cultivate the soil as they are moved fromone section of bed to the next, thus further decreasing the need formechanical implements & increasing the overall fertility of the land.Utilizing the permaculture approach of "stacking functions"....allowing the chickens access to more wild & natural foods & at thesame time allowing them to do some of our work for us! Sounds right upour alley! We are looking forward to implementing some of these ideashere in the coming season!
Today we were blessed with glorious sunshine~ Much nicer for our dailywalk. as well as for the goats & chickens who live mostly outdoors.Despite the cold they continue to bless us with lovely fresh milk &eggs daily. Fresh carrots & apples for the goats & a full spectrumlight for the chickens make all the difference in production. Thechickens have a new house mate ~ Coregan, the lovely Buff Orpingtonrooster.... one of the more docile breeds, he never chases you ortries to peck at you when you go in for a visit or to search for eggs.He is quite spectacular, tall & golden plumed & has added mightily tothe general farm ambience with his continual crowing. The goats wereat first quite put off by him & his random announcements, but haveaccepted him as part of the "family" now. The hens are quite smitten &he is usually surrounded by the lot of them. And so the farm continuesto grow.
The worms have multiplied like crazy.... fed on a healthy diet oforganic coffee grounds, yerba mate, herbal tea leaves & shreddedpaper. We are stock piling worm castings to boost our potting mix upwith next spring in the greenhouse. Amazing to watch these tinycreatures transform "waste" into gold....
On the subject of growth,we are quite excited to announce that thiswill be our last delivery trip until spring 2011, due to the up &coming birth of our baby in Febuary! Our hearts (& my tummy) swellwith delight & excitement at the expansion of our little monkeyfamily. Feeling wonderfully healthy & full of vitality....we are both,baby & I, growing at a splendid & healthy rate. What a wonderful &amazing miracle to feel such lively life from within & yet waitpatiently to meet our new little friend.
We shall roll into town for deliveries on Friday December the 10th,continuing through into Saturday the 11th. In keeping with tradition,we will be setting up our Traveling Monkey Show (complete with one ofa kind handmade crochet creations, jewlery, gift baskets, giftcertificates preserves, herbs & tincutures). Please let us know if youare interested in sharing the Monkey experience with friends & familyin the comfort of your own home. It's a great time to find the perfectChristmas gift, without the hustle & bustle of busy stores & alsosupport the continuation of environmentally sustainable, family basedorganic farming in rural British Columbia. We vote with our dollarsevery day!~
Here is the updated seasonal Monkey menu~ Please make sure to get yourorder in as soon as possible to assure you get all the delicous treatsyou desire. (Some items are in very limited quantiity!) Happy reading~
MONKEY IN THE GARDEN’S ALL ORGANIC MENUFor our menu we grow a wide variety of heirloom and open-pollinatedvegetables and herbs, berries, fruits, and flowers on our smallorganic farm in the scorching Nicola Valley semi-arid desert. Otherfruits, berries, and mushrooms come through trading with other localorganic sources as well as from foraging expeditions into thewild. We save all of our seeds from our bio-diverse gardens everyyear- thus allowing for their increased adaptability to our soil andenvironment, and to assure the continued existence of these older,hardier, more nutritious, delicious, floral, and colourful fruits,vegetables, flowers and herbs.We use both Nutiva Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil and ABEA ExtraVirgin Olive Oil in all of our cooking and baking. ABEA is from acooperative on the island of Crete, Greece- this olive oil is producedon orchards inside of an ancient volcano- the fruit is unsprayed andcold stone pressed. After pressing the oil is quickly cooled overshallow rollers- never does the oil get warmer than tepid water. Bothoils are delicious and nutritious...All of our dishes are wheat-free using organic fresh ground Spelt,Kamut, Rye, and Corn flours, as well as organic whole grains andorganic legumes - red and white quinoa, millet, buckwheat, amaranth, barley;adzuki, navy, kidney and black beans; chickpeas; speckled peas,French, green, and red lentils). We use unrefined sea salt exclusivelyfor it’s balanceof minerals, mellow flavour, and positive influence in the body(unlike commercial refined salts including refined sea salt whichdehydrate and kill your cells. Unrefined sea salt on the other handcontains all of the minerals we need- it has a similar composition asocean water as well as human blood. Our bodies need natural unrefinedsalts to survive and function properly.) .All grains, beans, and organic fresh crop nuts and seeds areprepared with digestion, nutrition, and flavour in mind- always soakedovernight to remove the phytic acid and indigestible sugars. Beandishes are then cooked with kombu seaweed and epazote (both seaweedand herb help break down proteins and help digestion) with carefulattention to digestibility and deliciousness.Our breads are sourdough and yeast-free, and our baked goodies are prepared withsprouted spelt flour. All flour is freshly ground in our mill before using....All dishes are Vegan or Vegetarian (with the non-vegan dishes labeledunder ‘Goat Cheese and Whey based dishes), and are prepared withoutsweeteners (except fruit) unless otherwise noted.
ENTREES, VEGGIE BURGERS & PASTA●Aubergine Nimoise ~ Seasonal favorite back by popular demand! Halvesof fresh picked eggplant, scored & roasted to creamy perfection,topped with our rich reduced garlicy heirloom tomato sauce. Serve hotwith our sourdough rye for a true French treat. Available in verylimited quanity due to poor weather & extremely decreased yeilds!● Lasagna- Fresh, handmade thin Kamut noodles create this popularfavourite- with a rich tomatoey navy and kidney bean sauce, onions,garlic, basil, zucchini, and eggplants! Wonderfully delicious!●Buckwheat & Bean Burgers- with lots of vitamin A rich wild greens!(gluten free!)●Oat Groat & Lentil Burgers~ Whole oat deliciousness accented withpeppery greens, cumin & anise●Sticky Brown Rice Burgers- with chickpeas, ginger, cumin, coriander,cilantro, parsley and onions..... an absolutely fantastic curry stylemonkey burger! (gluten free)●Mexican Bean Pie ~ Delicously crisp millet crust, filled with kidney& black beans, sautéed onions, dried poblano peppers, fresh pickedherbs & fresh ground mexican spices. (gluten free)● Falafels!- Exciting persian delight with sprouted speckled peas,garlic, onions, and aromatic spices.●Baked Stuffed Potatoes- Our delicious multi coloured, desert fruitsof the earth, stuffed with sauteed hardy winter greens, onions,garlic, mustard & caraway. Baked to golden perfection, A EuropeanDelight!●Bolivian Stuffed Squash- Quintessential Winter Treat in celebrationof the harvest. Amazingly flavourful squash loaded to the gills withquinoa, black & red beans, quillquinna (traditional Bolivian herb wegrow here on the farm) & toasted spices. Delicous topped with ourOaxacan Tomatillo Salsa!●Monkey's Winter Pizza - Paper thin slices of beets, carrots,zuchinni, onions, garlic, thyme, basil & heirloom tomato sauce atop afresh ground sourdough Kamut& sunflowerseed crust.●Roshtis - Celeriac, potato, sunchokes & leeks pair up to create thesedelicious baked vegetable patties.●Samosas- Back by popular demand! Available with three differentfillings wrapped in a flaky Kamut pastry crust. Even better whentopped with our Peach, Pear, Plum Chutney! ●Heirloom Potato and Pea Samosas- With a mix of our multicolourmix of different potato varieties, speckled peas, sautéed onions andspices ●Parsnip, Sunchoke & Celeriac Samosas- a creamy mix of three ofour favourite winter veggies, sautéed onions & spices, and a touch ofpear sweetness ●Roasted Squash Samosas- our incredible 'Top Shelf Blue Squash',full flavoured, sweet & creamy with sautéed onions and spices
BEANS & VEGAN SOUPSPerfect to accompany any meal, or to eat just on their own!Savoury & Delicious, our bean dishes are all very carefully prepared.All beans and legumes are soaked for 12-24 hours in at least fourtimes as much water with a splash of apples cider vinegar (whichbegins a proliferation of acidophilus bacteria which help inneutralizing phytic acid). When cooking, the soaking water is changedfor fresh water. The beans are brought to a rolling boil, and asAyurvedic tradition suggests, the gassiness from the beans is sent ‘upand away’ with the escaping steam for twenty minutes, while theindigestible foam that rises to the top of the pot is skimmed andcomposted. The beans are then lowered to a gentle simmer with unrefinedsea salt, kombu seaweed (for softening and mineral enriching), wholespices, and at a point, dried Epazote herb from our gardens (a Mexicanherb to help with digesting proteins). Once softened (when a beansquishes between your tongue and the roof of your mouth), additionalingredients are added (acidic ingredients, such as tomatoes, wine,lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, should be added to cooking beansonly at this point, as they can halt the softening process, and leadto ‘al denté’ beans- digestive disasters!)and the beans continue onthe way towards a savoury, heart and warming dish!All our bean dishes and soups go great with our delicious sourdough artisanbreads. 750ml size.● Coconut Curried Chickpeas- coconutty with cinnamon and sautéed onins● Saucy Black Beans with Tomatillos, sautéed onions, cumin & cinnamon● Fireside Monkey Beans- Sprouted Navy Beans are slow cooked over thewoodstove with heirloom tomatoes, griddle roasted poblano, sautéedonions & garlic, cinnamon & anise.● Lentil Dahl- Sprouted Red & French Lentils are cooked to creamyperfection with heirloom tomatoes, sautéed onions & spices.● Monkey Chili- Sprouted adzukis, black beans & chickpeas are slowcooked with tomatillos & tomatoes, sautéed onions, squash & sweetpeppers, toasted spices!● Borscht- A Bounty of Beety Blessings! The classic favourite! Loadedwith lots of delicious winter veggies, sautéed and simmered for aborscht like no other!
MOUNTAIN MONKEYS AMAZING MINERAL RICH WHEY SOUPSOur Healthy Goat Friends live a happy life out here at the farm. Thesix of them have lots of room to roam, plenty of sunshine, andexcellent fresh well water. Everyday we feed them a feast of freshveggies, certified organic barley and oats, organic carrots, vibrantalfalfa & grass hay, fir & pine boughs (as well as bark which theylove snacking on!). They love to lick on their himalayan crystal saltblock! Our goat friends are here on thefarm for us to have a healthy connection with animals, to supplement ourpredominantly vegetarian diet with their lovely milk products, and fortheir compost that provides more organic matter and nutrients to oursoil. All of our goat friends ended up at the farm by chance, theywere in need of homes from other farms and here they have a sanctuaryin the mountains with lots of fresh air and tranquility.The soups listed are whey based- Whey is the mineral rich high proteinliquid part of goat milk (the curds are the solids that make upcheese). Used as the base for soup it greatly increases the mineralcontent, is soothing on the stomach, is revitalizing and energizing,and imparts a wonderful richness and thickness to the soup.EATING WHEY BASED SOUP IS LIKE TAKING AN ENERGIZING MINERALSUPPLEMENT! THESE SOUPS DEEPLY SATISFY!●Potato Leek Whey soup- Rich & delicious .... the sweet flavour of freshly dugpotatoes mingles perfectly with fresh leeks & celery in this creamyfavorite.● Curried Creamy Pumpkin & Lentil Whey Soup ~ A Hearty soup spiced todelicious perfection● Roasted Zuchinni & Garlic Whey Soup~ The unmistakable flavour of roastedgarlic meets sauteed onions & celery in this creamy creation.● Persian Whey Soup- with Red Kuri Squash, sautéed leeks, eggplants,celery, grape leaves, cumin, anise, mustard & cinnamon.● Skillet Roasted Tomato Whey Soup- roasty goodness with potatoes,celery & onions● Chickpea & Potato Whey Soup- with sautéed onions, celery & toasted cumin● Roasted Squash Whey Soup- with sautéed leeks, tomatillos & celery- delicious!● Creamy Potato Whey Soup- with fresh dug potatoes, apples, sautéed onions,chilies, ginger, cumin, coriander, black pepper & garlic. Creamy Spicygoodness!● Harvest Medley Whey Soup- Bounty from the Harvest! with sautéedleeks, celery, tomatoes, roasted tomatillos, squash, & potatoes.
SWEET TREATS!!Our desserts are made with your better health in mind. We freshlygrind our organic sprouted spelt flour, and use unrefined extra virginorganic coconut oil, fresh and preserved tree ripened organic fruits,and unrefined sea salt. These treats are sweetened with fruit andor small amounts of Fair Trade, Organic Panela (unrefined sugar withall of its minerals and vitamins intact- used in small amounts it is anutritious sweetener). All spelt, and organic nuts and seeds aresprouted and dehydrated to help break down the phytic acid andindigestible sugars, thus allowing for better mineral and vitaminabsorption, and better digestive ease.● Decadently Rich Brownie Truffles- Described by many as a crossbetween a brownie and the best chocolate truffle ever! Sprouted SpeltFlour, Cocoa Camino cocoa powder, Panela, and extra virgin coconut oilmake up these delectables.….. These moist, dark chocolate multi-bitebeauties are sure to make your taste buds smile.● Honeyed Plum, Pear, & Apple Upside Down Cake - A wonderful fruitladen autumn treat for dessert or afternoon tea!● Chewy Ginger Cookies~ Fresh ground organic & non-irradiated ginger,cinnamon & cloves make these clasic treats even better!●Toasted Hazelnut, Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chunk Cookies~ Who canresist the delicious choco-nutty flavour combination?●Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies~ Our own Sun Dried Cherries pair upwith Vivani chocolate chunks & sprouted oats for a delicous treat.●Kamut Fruit Turnovers~ An exciting & delicous new item to our menu!Flaky Kamut Crust wrapped around a delicious 100% FRUIT filling.Available in Spiced Pear, Pear Apple, Strawberry Apple or RaspberryApple. Comes frozen & ready to bake for a fresh from the oven treat!●Honeyed Pear Upside Down Cake~ Thinly sliced pears & honey sauce atopa deliciciously moist sprouted spelt cake base. Even better warmed inthe oven!
SOURDOUGH BREAD, SAVOURY MUFFINS & GRANOLADelicious and Nutritious! We grind all of our flour fresh for all ofour baking! After a whole grain is ground, oxidization begins- andwithin two weeks of being ground, much of the vitamins within havedissipated and the flour is on its way to becoming rancid- affectingnot only nutrient content, but also the wonderful fresh flavourstrapped within the whole grain. (For your information: If fresh groundflour is bought from a mill or farmer’s market and wrapped tightly inthe freezer, it is supposed to last for up to six months in goodcondition.)Like any whole grain, legume, seed or nut, there contains phytic acid-which combines with iron, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc in theintestinal tract, and blocks their absorption. Many digestivedifficulties with breads and baking lay within the preparation.Traditional cultures always soaked or fermented all grains, beans,nuts and seeds,- which neutralizes the phytic acid within and allowsfor better digestive ease along with increased absorption of vitaminsand minerals.We take care to follow suit with all of our baking- as well as alldishes containing grains, légumes, nuts and seeds. Not only do we likethe idea of increased nutrition and better digestive ease, butaccessing the complex flavours achieved through soaking and fermenting.● Sourdough Rye- Our daily staple here at the farm. Made with freshground Certified Organic Armstrong Rye, Organic Fairtrade BlackstrapMolasses, organic Sunflower seeds, unrefined sea salt and a touch ofwhole caraway seeds. Thin sliced and toasted this is a great bread forany meal.●Savoury Squash & Toasted Sunflower Seed Muffins~ A Monkey housefavorite! Densely moist, beta carotine rich muffins. Perfect as a midday snack or with your favorite soup.● Monkey Granola - Whole Organic Oats are first soaked overnight (tobreak down the phytic acid), then dehydrated, and finally roasted togolden perfection with a vast array of our own dried fruits (apricots,peaches, cherries, apples, pears), a multitude of organic nuts (firstsoaked & dehydrated); almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts & sunflower seeds,organic extra-virgin coconut oil, and our own apple sauce! Great forbreakfast or snacktime!
DELI STYLE FRESH CONDIMENTS & DRESSINGS in 250ml glass jars● Fire Powder -A blend of our own homegrown organic sun-soaked chilies,dried and ground fresh to spice up your dinner table! Caution- VeryAddictive, Very Spicy! Spice jar size.●Toasted Sesame Gomashio - Sprouted organic sesame seeds & unrefined seasalt make up this delicious calcium rich seasoning to add a dash offlavour to any dish. Perfect addition to any homemade salad dressing.
SWEET AND SAVOURY PRESERVESShelf Stable Treats for the pantry- Organic Fruits and Vegetable basedcondiments and sauces for every palate… Unless otherwise noted, allpreserves are made without additional sweeteners (Fruit only- reducedto concentrate natural sugars within) There's something perfect forcomplementing any meal of the day ....... 250mL glass jar● Peach, Apricot & Shiro Plum Sauce~ Amazingly golden & absolutely delicous.● Triple Berry Cherry - Loaded with fresh picked mulberries,raspberries & saskatoons!● Roasted Apricots - The favorite is back..... full apricot flavouroven roasted to golden perfection!● Black Cherry - Delicous tree ripened full cherry flavour jam packedin every jar.● Pear Sauce- Luxurious ripe pears preserved at their prime!● Plum, Pear & Double Apple Butter- Reduced to a thick toothsome treat!● Chocolate Cherry Raspberry Sauce – Whole Raspberries float amidst areduced Cherry and Cocoa Camino Cocoa sauce - Incredible alone or ontop of any dessert for an amazing taste sensation!● Pear Butter- Ripe Pears stewed down to a thick concentrated sauce.● Sour Cherry Sauce – Sour Cherries are reduced with the pits in prior tostraining, extracting their delicious almond aroma…. An old worldspecialty.● Roasted Peaches and Plums- Late Season Peaches roasted up with abunch of delicious Bradshaw plums- this superb fruit combination makesthe mouth dance.● Saucy Apricots - Sun-Drenched Nicola Valley Apricots- lots ofsunshine in every jar of golden deliciousness!● Lambert Cherries in Juice- Whole ripe, unpitted lambert cherriespreserved in a thick cherry juice. They're the perfect dessert untothemselves when a bowl of cherries is just what's desired.● Lapin Cherries in Juice- Whole ripe, unpitted Lapin cherriespreserved in a thick cherry juice. Same as the Lambert Cherries, justa different variety. Yum! Yum!● Green Gage Plums- Delicous Heirloom Plums sunripened & full ofamazing flavour! Excellent sweet/tart flavour works well with sweetdesserts as well as savoury meals for dipping or saucing.●Summer Red Apple Sauce- Delightfully pink quite sweet (from perfectapples) sauce. The Summer Red apple variety originated at theSummerland Fruit Research Station!● Flamin' Baba Ganooj~ Roasted Eggplants, onions, garlic, ripe sweetpeppers & habanero chilies - Blended to creamy perfection of spicyeggplant bliss. Delicous spread or dip for almost anything!●Oaxacan Tomatillo Salsa~ Roasted tomatillos, onions, garlic, chilies& spices. Amazing addition to your next mexican feast!● Spicy Monkey Ketchup- our version of this extremely popularcondiment- a thick, blended up sauce of sautéed sweet peppers,chilies, heirloom tomatoes, onions, garlic, and celery- sweetened withapples, and spiced just right.●Ratatouille - Very rich, reduced vine ripened HeirloomTomatoes, Desert Gem Onions, Zucchini, Sweet Coloured Peppers, andbeautiful heirloom Eggplants. Amazing thick spread on toast with softgoat cheese or any savoury toppings. It jazzes up any tomato or pastasauce- transforming asimple sauce into a flavour extravaganza!● Antipasto- Rich & Thick spread for crackers & soft cheese- withheirloom tomatoes, roasted eggplants, peppers, chilies, garlic &onions, fresh shucked beans, scarlet runner beans, sautéed zucchini &onions, fresh herbs.● Apricot Chutney with Panela (unrefined sugar)- Ginger,cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and caramelized panela spice up reducedapricots and make this an excellent chutney to have with a curryfeast, or as a great sauce for stirfries, cooked grains, a bowl ofchickpeas, or panfried panir or tempeh.● Peach, Pear & Apple Chutney- with sautéed onions, garlic, chiles,and fresh roasted fragrant spices. Transforms a simple meal intochutney bliss.● Fruit Supreme Relish-With Suyo Long & Lemon cucumbers, onions,greengage and Bradshaw plums, apples, sweet peppers, D’Anjou pears,apple cider vinegar, Celtic sea salt, coriander. Fruity and Fantastic!● Peach Salsa- Full summer flavour with juicy ripe peaches, heirloomblue & yellow corn, heirloom tomatoes, eggplants, chilies, sweetonions, & fresh herbs.● Buttery Apple Relish- a mix of our favourite relish ingredientscooked down very slowly to achieve a wonderfully smooth condiment.● Sunshine Salsa - Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes (mostly Jaune Flamées),sautéed onions, celery, sweet peppers, garlic, habanero peppers, herbs& spices, unrefined sea salt & apple cider vinegar. Super flavourful &lightly spicy. Excellent for chip dipping, or as a rich zesty saucefor grains, beans, eggs, tempeh....● Curried Cherry Tomato Pickle - A delicious salty pickle foraccompanying any dish wanting strong curried flavours- with GreenCherry tomatoes, chilies, garlic, ginger, tumeric, cumin, coriander,pepper, anise, cardamom, & unrefined sea salt.●Fire Water- Deliciously Spicy Blend of 6 types of de seeded HabaneroPeppers, fresh garlic, onions & unrefined sea salt, blended to smooth,saucy perfection with de seeded & skinned heirloom tomatoes. Add alittle FIRE to your life! (114 ml jars Very concentrated)
HERBAL REMEDIES:Spilanthes Olevacea- Spilanthes is a native Amazonian herb- withsimilar properties as Echinacea, though with a potency five timesgreater. It is a plant commonly eaten in the Brazilian diet- often with themilder leaves of the plant minced up into soups and salads for itsimmune boosting properties.We find that it helps almost immediately with a variety of complaints-such as canker sores, cold sores, sore throats, toothaches, as well asthe common cold or flu. We always have it on hand to help beat backany sickness that creeps up in our household.We grow our Spilanthes as an annual plant, saving seed each year tokeep this potent medicine available. It’s a lovely, lowcreepingsucculent plant, with arrow shaped leaves, and small, chamomilelooking flowers of red within yellow within orange.We offer Spilanthes in two forms:● Whole dried Spilanthes flower heads- excellent for keeping in apurse, or in the glovebox or backpack- simply pop a dried flower inyour mouth and treat it as a lozenge. Its action is long lasting!● Spilanthes Tincture- Our tincture is in a vodka base and uses onlythe fresh, potent flower heads fresh harvested at their peak potency.Simply a few drops under the tongue or back of the throat and itsaction is immediately felt. It comes in a convenient 25mL dark glassbottle with dropper.● Reishi Mushroom Tincture- an amazing adaptogen used for millenia inthe east... an excellent stress reliever and immune booster- we findthat reishi both calms the nerves while adding clarity of mind andincreased energy. An excellent anti-carcinogen, it's used in thetreatment of many cancers and tumours. Many texts recommend it fordaily use throughout life for increased longevity (likely due to itsstress-relieving properties!). Our reishi tincture is vodka based withcertified organic reishi mushroom.
MONKEYS GIFT BASKETS!!!The Perfect way to share Monkey in the Garden Goodness with those youlove! A delicous & ecceltic combination of sauces, preserves, herbs &medicinal tinctures, nested on a bed of organic straw & all wrapped upin an attractive natural fibre basket. Comes with a handmade seasonalgreeting card. Available in $50 & up sizes.
Hope this finds you truely enjoying the delights of this season!Looking forward to seeing you soon!
Peace, Health & HappinessBrandie, Michael, Char (momma monkey) & Baby Monkey~

Fabulous Finds Artisan Show!

2010-10-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

Hello hello hello- Happy Autumn Colours,
The sun is shining and it's a crisp lovely morning out there. We're
just enjoying some morning tea on this lovely Saturday (restaurant
free- closed for the season!) morning getting ready to head out to
visit our farmer friends up at Stein Mountain Farm for the night.
Tomorrow it's off to Fountainview Academy Farm for an International
Feast and some of their lovely music. The season has slowed down
enough for farmers to get together and share stories.
Most of the harvest is in- our rooms are filled to the brink with
bright squash colours, potatoes curing, apples and pears mellowing,
tomatillos,eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers waiting preserving. We've
still carrots, sunchokes, and parsnips waiting digging (awaiting some
good frosts to sweeten them up) up and burying in our sunken sandy
space with beets and celeriacs for the winter. There's cabbages
awaiting krauting, leeks awaiting souping (and roasting and
omeleting), more greens awaiting salading (a never-ending bounty from
early spring to late fall).
Our firewood pile is ever growing, compost is still being hauled and
layered, and more garlic is being planted. We're quite excited about
this year's garlic planting. The past few years we've always produced
rather tiny bulbs of garlic- potent flavoured and excellent keeping,
though far from decent size. This year we're undertaking some rather
heavy laboured transformation of garden space. In a patch that has had
two cover crops through the season, we're preparing sunken beds.
Traditionally used for premium crops by many indigenous peoples in
semi-arid desert regions, sunken beds have many advantages over raised
beds or simply planting right in the ground. They trap more moisture
and retain it better (water that falls on the raised paths washes into
the beds), they aren't as affected by the drying winds we enjoy out
here, compost stays in the bed and doesn't fall away (like in raised
beds), the temperature is more moderated (raised beds simply bake and
dry out in our scorching environment). In preparing our garlic beds,
we're excavating clay soil from in front of our greenhouse, and
wheelbarrowing it to the garden to create raised paths. The beds (like
giant troughs) are filled with compost, forked, planted, and heavily
mulched with alfalfa hay. Excitingly, this excavation in front of the
greenhouse is bringing us closer to our dream extension sunken
greenhouse, where the insulation of the ground will keep the
temperature more regulated and allow for earlier and later crops. We
hope to heat the greenhouse with pipes running under hot horse manure,
which circulate in the greenhouse and keep it warm. Walter Harvey from
Snowy Mountain Orchards in Cawston heated a greenhouse this way last
winter where the temperature stayed to 20 degrees celsius! and
provided him with delicious salads all winter long.
This past season we already experimented with several sunken beds in
sandy new ground (where the digging was easier- the soil had never
been amended and so we simply dug a trench and piled it high for the
raised paths, then amended in the trenches) for our potatoes, corn &
beans (and volunteer tomatillos which worked wonderfully), and some of
our eggplants and peppers. All crops did great- the eggplants and
peppers had far healthier plants and produced more fruit than those
planted in raised beds! As well the sunken beds catch extra organic
matter- leaves and such. Fun fun fun.
So we're heading out next weekend to set up at a show in Kelowna
'Fabulous Finds' at Summerhill Pyramid Winery (with the most
delicious, most energetically charged organic wine we've ever
tasted!). The show happens Friday, November 5th from 4pm to 9pm, and
Saturday, November 6th, from 10 am to 4pm. The show is described by
organizer Rio Branner as showcasing 40 of the Province's best artisans
(we're honoured to have been invited!). It's sure to be a great event,
with organic wine and hors d'oerves offered, and lots of great stuff
to check out. We'll be setting up with our full selection of preserves
and tinctures, a freezer full of delicious prepared meals, fresh
baking, and of course Brandie & Char's Mountain Mommas incredibly
diverse original hand crocheted wooly goodies (toques, scarves,
mittens, slippers, creatures).
Hope to see you there!
Enjoy the lovely changing colours of autumn.
Peace,
Michael and Brandie Monkeys

Warm Evening in the Nicola Valley

2010-10-08T21:00:00.000-07:00

My how the weather has warmed.... the nightshades (peppers, eggplants, tomatoes) were all flowering today, hoping for summer to keep on keeping on..... We're enjoying a delayed frost with lots of treats from the garden still to munch on.
The restaurant is officially closed until the last weekend in May 2011. It was a great season, though now we're in full swing getting ready for winter.... Loads of firewood, compost hauling for the garlic to plant, cover crop planting, as well as all of the ongoing food processing. A small batch of baba ganooj was made this evening- in prior years we had more eggplants than we could handle- with this cooler summer we were left with a small fraction of the usual harvest (10% harvest on the nightshades!). Oh well- the leeks and celery, potatoes and winter squash, melons and peaches were all plentiful and delicious!

Monkey's Spring Planting Menu

2009-05-09T22:05:00.000-07:00

Happy plantings to you all...
The season is upon us!! Everything is wanting to grow!! The sun has warmed the soil- give it water and it'll burst to life!!
This is what we're feeling out here as we're filling our gardens with delectable veggies, herbs, fruits and flowers.... Treats for the eyes, nose, tongue, ears, and fingers. What a beautiful world that we live in...
Though our Month of May is busy planting and hauling compost, we'll be coming out to Vancouver in the first week of June, with our full menu as well as some last minute additions.... The Brocolli Raab is sizing up niceley with mixed lettuces interplanted and peas soon to come... Our salads of late are plentiful with wild and cultivated greens- Mizuna, Bok Choy, Wild and purple mustards, dandelions (and flowers!), alfalfa tips, red ruffled lettuce, pak choy, ox-eye daisy and whatever green edibles pop into the basket. We'll be sure to have fresh crisp mixed greens for our visit....

With our prepared food we use all in season and preserved organic heirloom veggies and fruits from our farm, neighbouring organic farms (including Sapo Bravo, Stein Mountain Farm, Earl's Court, and Fountainview), and from the wild.
Everything is wheat free using organic Spelt/Kamut/Rye/Corn Flour, and
organic whole grains and legumes (red quinoa, millet, buckwheat,
amaranth, barley; adzuki, navy, kidney and black beans, chickpeas;
french, green, and red lentils). We use Le Paludier unrefined Celtic
Sea Salt exclusively. All grains, beans, and nuts are prepared with
digestion and flavour in mind- always soaked overnight to remove the
phytic acid and undigestible sugars- the bean dishes cooked with kombu
seaweed and epazote. Our breads are sourdough and yeast-free, and our
baked goodies are prepared with soaked or sprouted spelt flour..... So
here's the menu:

ENTREES:

PIZZAS ~ Fresh Ground Sourdough Spelt Thin Crusted Handmade Pizzas.
Feel free to add Happy Day's Goat Feta, or Gort's Grassfed Gouda

Wildly Mushroom Medley~ A mushroom lover's delight........ wild
crafted morel & pine, certified organic shitaki & oyster, wood ear
fungus, onions, garlic & sesame atop heirloom tomato sauce.

Mediterranean Monkey ~ Thinly sliced FRESH Pomodori Vermilli tomato
(our overwinter keeper tomato), red, yellow & green sweet peppers,
onions & basil atop our rich heirloom tomato sauce.

RAVIOLI ~ Fresh milled Kamut flour, rolled out as thin and transformed
into delightful ravioli with dense sweet winter squash, sautéed
onions, and swiss chard- meltingly succulent- packs of ten

MILLET POLENTA~ delicious alternative to the traditional corn polenta
(actually, millet predates corn's arrival to Italy and likely would
have been an early polenta!). With heirloom tomato sauce, onions,
garlic, and chopped almonds. Gluten Free! 6 pieces.

SHEPHERD'S PIES~ Our version of these potato topped veggie pies- with
an Ogi crust (a fermented millet dish from africa that makes a
wonderful gluten free crust with a tangy cheese flavour! Very tasty)
In two flavours.... Half Pie orders.
~Mexican White Bean Pie- with just a touch of heat
~French Lentil Pie with veggies

MONKEY BURGERS- delicious complete protein veggie burgers-
~Zesty Spelt & Lentil Burgers with Zuchinni & Herbs 6pack
~Millet Burgers with mixed organic Nuts and Seeds. 6pack
~Mediterranean Barley & Adzuki Bean Burgers with dense winter squash.
6pack

MARINATED SALADS - A Fresh Flavour in Praise of Spring
~ Greens & Beans Salad - Kindney Beans, Fresh Spring Greens & Lacto
Fermented Green Bean & Carrot Pickles.
~Red Quinoa Tabouli - Ox-eye Daisy, Mint, Shallots, Garlic, Olive Oil
& our own Pear Cider Vinegar .

VEGGIE SIDES: Our delicious heirloom, open-pollinated & sometimes wild
veggies done
up just the way we love them!

~Spelt Stuffed Sweet Dumpling Squash- two squash halves stuffed with
sunflower seeds, whole spelt grain, and spiced just right!

~Spicy Stuffed Thai Long Eggplants ~ Whole Spelt Grain, Lentils
Onions. Bursting with flavour! 2pack

~ Sauteed WILD GREENS ~ Fresh from the earth, greens signal the fresh
growth of spring! Yumm..... add fresh panfried Mountain Monkey Goat
Paneer

~ Roasted Herb Crusted Zucchetta Wedges ~ Amazing long orange Italian
zuchinni, rolled in our Mountain Monkey herb mix & roasted to
perfection.

SOUPS, STEWS & STAND ALONE BEAN DISHES
Rich, Hearty & Delicious ~ always great with our Artisanal Sourdough
Breads. 750mL sizes.

~Smoky Amaranth Soup- with roasted anchos and tomatillos, sautéed
onions, garlic and chilies, epazote and toasted cumin.

~Summer Harvest Stew- delicious thick soup with lentils and spelt,
tomatoes and veggies...

~SEXY 6 BEAN Chili ~ A spring tradition, rich with chickpeas, black,
navy, kidney
beans, lentils, sauteed onions, garlic & mung bean sprouts.... with a
touch of heat to spice up your life!

~Potato Chowder- delicious east coast treat with navy beans, squash,
sautéed onions and garlic and herbs.

~Winter Jubilee!- A delicious purée of Roasted Squash, Beets,
Celeriac, Onions and Spices.

~French Lentil Soup- with lots of vegetables- carrots, beets, onions,
celeriac, and more.....

~Borscht- Always a favourite! With plenty of beets and flavour- rich
in iron and deeply satisfying.

~Monkey Dahl- with French, Green, and Red Lentils- spiced just right....

~Fireside Beans- A rare treat made only during the coldest days....
Beans kept cooking for several days continuously on our woodstove....
Haunting depth of flavour- Spiced with Star Anise, Cinnamon, Smoky
Pepper....

~Autumn Delight - Thick soup with Peas, tomatoes, sweet peppers,
onions, herbs and spices!

DESSERTS - All desserts are made with your better health in mind.
Freshly ground spelt flour, unrefined extra virgin coconut oil, fresh
tree ripened fruits from the farm, aluminum free baking soda, celtic
sea salt & your choice of panela (unrefined sugar), honey or fruit
sweetened. Spelt flour is either soaked overnight for your digestive
benefit, or sprouted spelt flour is used.

~ Stuffed Apples - Perhaps the last of the season.....Soaked &
dehydrated oats, MONKEY'S dried apples, cherries & pears, toasted
soaked almonds, walnuts & sunflower seeds, drizzled with coconut oil,
spiced nice & baked to golden perfection. Packs of five or eight.

~ Sour Cherry Matrimonial Squares- Full sour cherry flavour nestled
between layers of coconutty oats

~ Triple Layer Chocolate Cherry Cake - Rich, moist & delicious....
Decadant Black Cherries rest between layers of Dark Chocolate Cake.
mmmmm......

~ Strawberry Rhubarb Cake - A hallmark of SPRING. Fresh succulant
rhubarb pairs up with sweet red strawberries & toasted walnuts in this
amazing classic.

~ Monkey Cookies - Sprouted spelt flour, soaked oats, MONKEY'S dried
apricots & apples, toasted coconut, almonds, walnuts & sunflower
seeds.

~ Triple Berry Mini Muffins - Saskatoons, Black Berries & Mulberries
pair up to create this bite sized berry explosion!

BREADS & THE LIKE

~ Sun Seed Sourdough Rye - Freshly ground rye flour, cracked rye and
our year a half old sourdough culture make up this densely delicious
bread with lots of sunflower seeds. Thin sliced, it's excellent
anytime of the day. 1 or 2 pound loaves.

~ Skillet Corn Bread - Sauteed onions & chilies are baked into this
moist, freshly ground corn bread. Perfect with sexy six bean chili!

~Monkey Waffles- Whole Buckwheat and Millet are soaked overnight for
this delicious flourless and gluten-free waffle.... perfect popped
into the toaster for a snack on the run 6pk

~Granola- Prepared for maximum flavour and digestibility- Oats, nuts
and seeds are soaked overnight, then dehydrated, then mixed up with
our own dried fruits, and extra virgin coconut oil and baked to crispy
perfection- 500mL glass jar

~Berry Oat Bars- A mix of soaked oats, sunflower seeds, saskatoons,
mulberries, and strawberries... popped into the toaster oven and
topped with nut butter, these make a wonderful snack. 8pk

DELI STYLE CONDIMENTS in 250ml glass jars

~ Strawberry Salad Dressing - Brighten up your greens with this sweet
tart flavour sensation

~ Zesty Pumpkin Hummus - A Rich & Creamy Twist ....... Roasted
Pumpkin, Sunflower Seed Butter, Chickpeas, Garlic, Celtic Sea Salt,
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Cumin & Corriander.

~ Crispy Nuts - Soaked overnight for maximum nutrient absorption &
easier digestion, then toasted to crispy perfection. A delicious mix
of certified organic almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts, sunflower seeds,
sesame seeds. Amazing out of hand or as a tasty topper for salads or
grain dishes.

~Chinese 5 spice Green Chili Paste (125ml jar)- Spicy Paste to add
kick to any stirfry, simple cooked grains, soup or whatever meets your
fancy! Spiced with Licorice Root, Orange Peel (from Buena Fortuna
Botanical Garden in Baja, Mexico!), Cinnamon, Star Anise, and
Cardamom.

~Oaxacan Style Marinated Jalapenos- Whole Jalapenos, Onions and Garlic
in Olive Oil and Apple Cider Vinegar and Spices! We even eat these
with our Savoury Style Oats for Breakfast!.... as well as lunch,
dinner, snacks....

~Preserved Cherry Tomato Mix in Extra Virgin Olive Oil with fresh
basil sprigs- Delicate and delicious over salads or topped onto cooked
grain- only a few jars made.... 500mL jars.

CROCK FERMENTED SAUCES
Beneficial lactobacilli aid in the digestion & absorption of nutrients
& improve your intestinal flora. Recommended to eat with every meal!
Probiotics at their best!

~Heirloom Tomato and Chili Sauce- A Tangy Twist on Tabasco Sauce

~ Tangy Carrot Sauce - Rich, Creamy & loaded with Beta Carotene.
Wonderfully orange & slightly spicy, we love this creation on
everything from salads to sandwiches.

Chili Powders- spice jar size
~Fire Powder (Our Dried Fifteen Chili Blend to spice up your dinner
table!) Caution- Very Addictive!
~Poblano Power Chili Powder- Full Chili flavour without the heat.
De-seeded Ancho and mixed Chili Peppers, dried Garlic, and spices

SHELF STABLE TREATS FOR THE PANTRY ....... 250ml glass jars

~Ratatouille -Sauteed onions, garlic, herbs, tomatoes, peppers &
eggplants......... reduced in the oven to creamy perfection. Tasty
spead on toast or in soups, pastas, or grain dishes.

~ Heirloom Tomato Pasta Sauce - Rich ripe tomatoes cooked down to a
thick sauce with veggies and lots of fresh basil and garlic....

~Zesty Pizza Sauce- Thick with Tomatoes and Spices- perfect for
creating your desired Pizza - available in mild or spicy

~Tomatillo Salsa- Salsa Verde- Delicious Oaxacan Style Smoky Fruity
Condiment. Excellent addition to any Bean, Grain, Veggie Side. One of
our favourites!!

~September Sunrise Salsa - A Honey sweetened Orange Tomato
salsa....... sauteed peppers, onions, garlic, chilies & spices!
Available in hot or very hot!

~October Pepper Salsa- with lots and lots of fall sweet peppers. Not too spicy.

~ Plum Sweet Cucumber Relish- The Monkeys' Cucumber mix & fresh
veggies from the Garden & sweetened with tree ripened yellow & pink
plums!

~Honey Cucumber Relish- Sweet and Tangy! Fresh picked middle eastern &
lemon cucumbers, onions, sweet & hot peppers, combined with honey,
apple cider vinegar, garlic, celtic sea salt, tumeric & cumin.
Delicious served on veggie burgers!

~Monkey Red Sauce - Thick and delicious rich tomato, apples and
spices- Try it cooked with veggies, grains, or soups OR as a
interesting dipping sauce & ketchup alternative. Available in mild,
medium, or spicy

As well we have a new batch of Reishi Mushroom Tincture- made with
locally grown certified organic Reishi Mushroom, Alberta Vodka,
andWell Water from the farm. A great stress reliever, strong
anti-carcinogen, adaptogen, and immune booster. 25mL tincture bottle.

The flavours of desert grown food is so complex and mineral rich- our gardens supply so much incredible sustenance.
Send us an email if you're interesting in tasting some of our delectable dishes....
Peace,
Michael and Brandie Monkeys

2009-05-09T00:28:00.000-07:00

Hello hello everybody out there,
What a wondeful time of the year we're in.... May is a busy busy time on the farm and we're loving it. We're spending each and every day out in the roasting desert sun, digging beds and planting gardens- experimenting with different methods of watering and mulching for maximum water retention with less frequent though deeper watering... We're itching to plant our first bed of early heirloom tomatoes- there's a nice mix of Jaune Flamée, Red Calabash, Golden Muscat, Isis Candy, Stupice, Persimmon, Black Russian, and Green Zebra- all bursting out of their pots and over a foot tall yikes!
We'll be planting this bed in our top garden, in between a bed of cucumbers and a bed of Zucchinis (and Zucchettas!!). We're planning to dig two trenches in a raised bed thick with compost (llama, rabbit, and chicken) and plant the tomatoes as deep as up to around their top four leaves, removing the lower leaves to allow for a larger root mass. We'll then mulch the trench with an inch of black gravel (conveniently from the base of the mountain across the road from the farm). Posts will be pounded within the bed to string up the tomatoes, pruned to three main branches. We're expecting earlier tomatoes with a greater yield and denser flavour due to less watering and more heat generated from the gravel...
Today we planted our 'Beach Pyramid' Garden- a patch composed almost entirely of beach sand! Last year we hauled compost, dug trenches, planted a variety of potatoes (purple, red, yellow and white) and mulched heavily with hay from the goat yard (mixed with precious goat compost).... The potatoes did amazingly and we enjoyed them all winter long- the rest are sprouting like crazy and asking to be planted this week....
Today after pulling up the Rye cover crop, mixing in a truckload of five year old cow compost and making terraced beds, we planted a mighty mix of roots and toots.... Beets- Golden, Chioggia, Detroit, Ruby Queen, Cylindra, and Patsy's Red; Kohlrabis- Purple and White Vienna; Carrots- Long Orange Improved, Nantes Corless, Scarlet Nantes, Amsterdam Gold, Nuova Kurota, and Purple Dragon; Radishes- French Breakfast, Easter Egg, Tasty Red, and Lo Bok; Summer Turnips- Purple Top and Goldette; and a lovely mix of flowers- Zinnias, Sunflowers, Purple Poppies, LionsMane Dagga, Angel Trumpet Datura, Cosmos, Marigolds, and Hollyhocks.... we still have a lovely Castor Bean to plant on the edge of the path to our shallow bay on the river where you can float about on a scorching summer afternoon...
The rest of the month is busy busy busy with onion planting for at least an hour every night, bed prepping, opening up new land- picking rocks and digging beds, and planting planting planting.... The greenhouse is exploding with forty-five varieties of heirloom tomatoes, twenty types of sweet peppers, more of chili peppers, eight varieties of eggplants, celery and celeriacs galore, flowers and herbs, cucumbers and melons, tree and grape cuttings and planted apricots and hazelnuts, hops and more! We keep having to move trays of plants from the big greenhouse to the little one, then outside to 'harden off'- face the wicked wind and brilliant sun...
As well we're getting ready for the Grand Opening of the new season for the Monkey in the Garden Restaurant on the farm... We'll be opening up on the Last Day of May- Sunday, May 31st. We'll be making delicious Sourdough Spelt Crusted Pizzas, Tender Salads freshly picked from the gardens with thick strawberry dressing, Goat Milk Fruit Smoothies, Triple Layer Cakes, strong fantastic Cappuccinos and lots more! There'll be a last chance plant sale (gotta plant those gardens!) and tours of the farm! It's going to be a grand event!
Until next time- Happy Planting!
Peace,
Michael and Brandie Monkeys

Monkey in the Garden featured in ZR's Hot Pursuit 2008

2009-04-01T23:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a clip from ZR's Hot Pursuit 2008. We catered a group of about 50 exotic car owners from Calgary. Here's what happened:

Big thanks to Zahir and Allison for bringing their group to our Restaurant!

Welcome to our Blog!

2009-03-20T22:30:00.001-07:00

Hello fellow monkeys!

Welcome to the Monkey in the Garden blog.

We are just getting used to all this technology, but check back soon as we will be posting all kinds of fun and exciting updates from the land of Monkey in the Garden!

eee eeee aaaa aaa!