Saturday, December 17, 2011
Monkeys off to Kelowna for New Years!!
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
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
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 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!!!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Monkey's Bistro Now Open!!!!
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!!!
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!!!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
A New Baby Monkey in the Garden!!!!
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
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
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
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
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Baby Monkey in the Garden
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
Monday, January 17, 2011
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
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