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| These delightfully playful Alpacas live at Cape Jervis, South Australia. They bounded up to the farm fence where I was standing, and stopped to kiss each other, a mere metre away from me! Then they bounded off to where my husband was, 30 or so metres away, and started to poke him with their noses through the wire fence. He took no notice for a while, because he had not heard them approach from behind, and he thought it was me who was poking him!! |
Home March's challenge is to pack one item each day in a Survival Bag, in order to be prepared for an emergency.
1. my emergency foil blanket, plus silk sheet-bag and a sleeping bag.
9. my torches
2. a mosquito head net and a tube aloe vera
3. my clothing
4. my food and my drink bottles
5. my first aid kit
6. eating and cooking utensils
7. my Tommy Cooker Hexi Stove and fuel tablets
8. Windproof and Waterproof Matches (or a fire flint or cigarette lighter)
3. my clothing
4. my food and my drink bottles
5. my first aid kit
6. eating and cooking utensils
7. my Tommy Cooker Hexi Stove and fuel tablets
8. Windproof and Waterproof Matches (or a fire flint or cigarette lighter)
10. my washbag
Today I will pack soap for washing dishes & washing clothes
Washing dishes? Some years ago, hubby, Son-Number 3 and I set off for an adventure, hiking and camping across England, Coast-to-Coast. How did we wash our dishes? If there was no creek nearby, I would put a little of our precious water in a container, and I'd use a paper-towel or Wet-One adding a little liquid detergent kept in a very small bottle. When finished, I'd wipe out the container leaving it as clean as possible. I also found a silver pot scrubber handy because our saucepan needed more than a wipe-from-a-cloth!
Washing dishes? Some years ago, hubby, Son-Number 3 and I set off for an adventure, hiking and camping across England, Coast-to-Coast. How did we wash our dishes? If there was no creek nearby, I would put a little of our precious water in a container, and I'd use a paper-towel or Wet-One adding a little liquid detergent kept in a very small bottle. When finished, I'd wipe out the container leaving it as clean as possible. I also found a silver pot scrubber handy because our saucepan needed more than a wipe-from-a-cloth!
Washing clothes? During our 6 year teaching experience in Hong Kong, we would sometimes pop over the border to visit China. At times, we would see someone washing their clothes or their hair outside their shop or home, using a bucket of water. But I don't have a bucket in my Survival Bag. When adventuring, I usually washed necessary clothes items like underwear or a shirt, using the cake of soap which I kept in my washbag. It is important to have soap that doesn't sog-up too easily. A cake of Sunlight Soap, that has hardened on a window ledge for some months, can be used to wash clothes.
Garden Lemon Myrtle Australian Bush Tucker
Lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) is a citrus-fragranced spice that is native to coastal regions of Australia.
The following recipes are from a blog by the Outback Pride Project, a South Australian project promoting Australian native food industry involving traditional Aboriginal communities. The project provides indigenous australians with jobs and training in horticulture and the food industry. The journey began in 2001, with Mike and Gayle Quarmby of Reedy Creek, South Australia initially spending time in the outback with aboriginal people researching the bush food species while receiving support from botanist Peter Latz.
Lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) is a citrus-fragranced spice that is native to coastal regions of Australia.
The lemon myrtle tree is generally petite but can occasionally attain a height of over 60 feet (20 meters). The fragrant leaves, which are 2 to 5 inches (5 to 12 centimeters) long, are dark green, glossy, and lanceolate, or lance-shaped. The small, cream-colored flowers of the lemonmyrtle grow in clusters at branch tips throughout the summer season.
Lemon myrtle trees are also grown in regions of China and Southeast Asia, where the spice leaf is prized for its essential oil, which is used for both culinary and medicinal applications. The taste is bright and citrusy, with a pronounced lemon flavor. The leaves may be used either fresh or dried. Dried leaves of good quality have an intense flavor that may rival the flavor of fresh leaves.
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| A lemon myrtle tree in flower |
The following recipes are from a blog by the Outback Pride Project, a South Australian project promoting Australian native food industry involving traditional Aboriginal communities. The project provides indigenous australians with jobs and training in horticulture and the food industry. The journey began in 2001, with Mike and Gayle Quarmby of Reedy Creek, South Australia initially spending time in the outback with aboriginal people researching the bush food species while receiving support from botanist Peter Latz.
They created the systems of propagation and cultivation for up to 64bush food species. This process continues to be ongoing and consumes a large amount of Mike's time. The systems developed at this time were then put into practice on numerous trial sites in across South Australia and Northern Territory.
The group of aboriginal communities that form the Outback Pride network represent the largest bushfood growing organization in Australia.
Smoked Salmon Lemon Myrtle Fettucine
I just love the Outback Pride pasta range, and the Lemon Myrtle Fettucine is a favourite to accompany seafood-ish sauces. Wattleseed Fettucine is gorgeous with creamy sauces of any description. The Saltbush and Native Pepper Fettucines go with anything, and the Bush Tomato Fettucine is the ideal base for a rich ragu.
This one is a recipe I created many years ago that I've given a native twist. If you use regular pasta instead, the same recipe would benefit from an extra 1/2 tsp of Lemon Myrtle Flakes to compensate.
Ingredients
1 250g packet Outback Pride Lemon Myrtle Fettucine
1 bunch spring onions, white part sliced finely
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
100g smoked salmon, sliced
200ml low fat cream, or evaporated milk
1 tsp Outback Pride Seafood Sprinkle
2 tbsp tomato paste
Cracked black pepper, to taste
Shaved parmesan, to serve
Step One
Boil 3 litres of salted water. Add pasta.
Step Two
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a non-stick frying pan. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the spring onions and cook, stirring, until softened.
Step Three
Pour in the cream or evaporated milk. Add tomato paste and seafood sprinkle, stir to combine. Reduce heat and simmer for a couple of minutes before adding the smoked salmon. Add pepper to taste.
Step Four
Drain cooked fettucine and combine with sauce. Serve topped with shaved parmesan.
Serves 3.http://seasonwithsaltbush.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Lemon%20Myrtle%20Fettucine
This one is a recipe I created many years ago that I've given a native twist. If you use regular pasta instead, the same recipe would benefit from an extra 1/2 tsp of Lemon Myrtle Flakes to compensate.
Ingredients
1 250g packet Outback Pride Lemon Myrtle Fettucine
1 bunch spring onions, white part sliced finely
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
100g smoked salmon, sliced
200ml low fat cream, or evaporated milk
1 tsp Outback Pride Seafood Sprinkle
2 tbsp tomato paste
Cracked black pepper, to taste
Shaved parmesan, to serve
Step One
Boil 3 litres of salted water. Add pasta.
Step Two
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a non-stick frying pan. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the spring onions and cook, stirring, until softened.
Step Three
Pour in the cream or evaporated milk. Add tomato paste and seafood sprinkle, stir to combine. Reduce heat and simmer for a couple of minutes before adding the smoked salmon. Add pepper to taste.
Step Four
Drain cooked fettucine and combine with sauce. Serve topped with shaved parmesan.
Serves 3.http://seasonwithsaltbush.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Lemon%20Myrtle%20Fettucine
Salmon Salad with Lemon Myrtle & Chilli
This is a great option if you enjoy a light, fresh meal with a lot of yummy flavour!
Ingredients
Mixed lettuce leaves
1/2 avocado
200gm pink salmon, drained (tin)
Handful thai basil, shredded
1/4 cup coriander leaves, shredded
1/4 red capsicum, finely sliced
Handful pumpkin and sunflower seeds
2 tbsp Outback Pride lemon myrtle and chilli sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 small lebanese cucumber, quartered lengthways and sliced
1 spring onion (or 2 small ones), finely sliced
Step One
Combine salad ingredients and herbs.
Step Two
Top with salmon, sprinkle over the pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
Step Three
Mix the lemon myrtle and chilli sauce with lime juice and dress the salad. If you have any fresh lemon myrtle leaves, slice half of one up finely to add to the collection.
Ingredients
Mixed lettuce leaves
1/2 avocado
200gm pink salmon, drained (tin)
Handful thai basil, shredded
1/4 cup coriander leaves, shredded
1/4 red capsicum, finely sliced
Handful pumpkin and sunflower seeds
2 tbsp Outback Pride lemon myrtle and chilli sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 small lebanese cucumber, quartered lengthways and sliced
1 spring onion (or 2 small ones), finely sliced
Step One
Combine salad ingredients and herbs.
Step Two
Top with salmon, sprinkle over the pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
Step Three
Mix the lemon myrtle and chilli sauce with lime juice and dress the salad. If you have any fresh lemon myrtle leaves, slice half of one up finely to add to the collection.
Pan-Fried Fish with Lemon Myrtle & Chilli Sauce
This is more of a serving suggestion than a recipe, really. The ingredients for the rice can vary depending on what you have on hand, and the fish can be whatever is available to you. Either way, the end result is a tasty home-cooked meal, with a delicious native twist!
Note: this is a newer sauce that has not yet been added to the Outback Pride website, but will be online when the website is upgraded in May.
Ingredients
4 small or 2 large white fish fillets, such as Blue Grenadier or Snapper
1/2 cup plain flour
2 teaspoons Outback Pride Seafood Sprinkle (optional)
3 cups cooked basmati rice
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely sliced on the diagonal
1/2 red capsicum, quartered and finely sliced
1/2 cup Outback Pride Lemon Myrtle and Chilli Sauce
Extra virgin olive oil
Step One
Heat a splash of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute onion for a few minutes until it begins to soften. Add the carrots and capsicum, and saute all vegetables until soft. Stir in the cooked rice, and reduce heat to low. Stir regularly as the rice heats through.
Step Two
Mix the flour and Outback Pride Seafood Sprinkle, and toss your fish fillets in the flour mix. These quantities are approximate - vary the amounts of flour and herbs depending on what you need to cover your fish, and the strength of herb flavour you desire. For this recipe it is also fine to leave the herbs out altogether, though I think they add a lovely flavour.
Heat a generous splash of extra-virgin olive oil in a frypan over medium-high. Add fish fillets and cook on each side until lightly golden and cooked through. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.
Step Three
Pour the Outback Pride Lemon Myrtle and Chilli Sauce into the frying pan with the pan juices. Stir quickly to heat the sauce through.
Step Four
Distribute the rice between dinner plates and top with the fish fillets. Pour the sauce over and serve.
http://seasonwithsaltbush.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Lemon%20Myrtle%20and%20Chilli%20Sauce
Ingredients
4 small or 2 large white fish fillets, such as Blue Grenadier or Snapper
1/2 cup plain flour
2 teaspoons Outback Pride Seafood Sprinkle (optional)
3 cups cooked basmati rice
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely sliced on the diagonal
1/2 red capsicum, quartered and finely sliced
1/2 cup Outback Pride Lemon Myrtle and Chilli Sauce
Extra virgin olive oil
Step One
Heat a splash of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute onion for a few minutes until it begins to soften. Add the carrots and capsicum, and saute all vegetables until soft. Stir in the cooked rice, and reduce heat to low. Stir regularly as the rice heats through.Step Two
Mix the flour and Outback Pride Seafood Sprinkle, and toss your fish fillets in the flour mix. These quantities are approximate - vary the amounts of flour and herbs depending on what you need to cover your fish, and the strength of herb flavour you desire. For this recipe it is also fine to leave the herbs out altogether, though I think they add a lovely flavour.
Heat a generous splash of extra-virgin olive oil in a frypan over medium-high. Add fish fillets and cook on each side until lightly golden and cooked through. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.
Step Three
Pour the Outback Pride Lemon Myrtle and Chilli Sauce into the frying pan with the pan juices. Stir quickly to heat the sauce through.Step Four
Distribute the rice between dinner plates and top with the fish fillets. Pour the sauce over and serve.
http://seasonwithsaltbush.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Lemon%20Myrtle%20and%20Chilli%20Sauce
My Lemon Myrtle Tree
Fresh or dried leaves from the tree
Give lemon spice for you, for me!
Robyn
May we create tasty dishes using spices available in our own backyards
from Robyn
painting of robin by Brenda, my mum.