Summer has arrived

We have the first of the summer fruits this week. I was told by Lee that they have to be eated when they are a little soft because before that they are a bit tart so just give them time and it will be worth it.

I also wanted to talk about the range and quality of the fruit at this time of the year. Now we are starting to get the yummy stone fruits and mango's I love mango's. Mango chicken salad is one of my daughter favourites, but please be aware that the quality of the rest of the fruit and veg can be a little...not up to standard. I am sure that if you went to woolies or coles you would be able to get stuff that would be what seems good quality. It is not, and a lot of it isnt even this years food. So be gracious when you pick up your stuff, it is not the buyers it is just the season. It will be great in a months time.

I think that we all have different reasons for buying our fruit and veg this way but if it is just for the money you save you will still be saving more than 1/2 of what you would normally spend if you were shopping through a retail outlet.

We have zuchinni's this week and here is a recipe that Nelsa shared and I have yet to make but I think that tonight is a good night for them

Zucchini Frittelle

Ingredients:

2 small zucchini or 1 large, grated
2 eggs
2 3/4 tbsp flour
1/3 cup grated cheese
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
Leaves from 1 stem of parsley, finely chopped

Grate zucchini into small, thin strips. Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Heat some oil in frying pan.

Use a tablespoon to measure and drop into hot oil.

Let them cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden.

Sprinkle more cheese after frying if desired.


Thanks to the girls that endured the heat today and did the shopping and sorting, it was a long hot day girls but we did it and the boxes looked great.

Rachelle will be back by the next sort, it will be great to catch up with her.

See ya's

Shop day

What to do ?

I was talking to someone this morning and she said that she didn't use spinach and that it was going to be thrown out.

Come on girls use your imaginations and use up all your stuff.

So I thought I would give you a little kick start to what you could do with some of your stuff.

Spinach - if nothing else chop it up and steam it and freeze it for when you do need it. Don't waste it.You can make a Quiche, Spinach pie, add it to most casseroles ( the kids won't taste it, or fry it in a little butter add cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and poach an egg and you have the mostest breakfast.

Cauliflower - I have the best cauliflowet salad

250 gm cauli
125gm button mushrooms sliced
1 large avacado
and 1/2 cup of sliced almonds or pine nuts.
Dressing :- 4 tablspoons mayonaise
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice and a clove of garlic

Cook the cauli for 2 mins and cool. Then make up the dressings.Add the rest of the ingredients and stir through the dressing

It is so easy.

Fennel - slice up finely and toss in salad
Rocket fennel and orange salad
or have it with lemon vinegarette and shaved parmesan

Just go onto the links in the top right hand side of this page and you just type in any food you have and you will get heaps of recipes.

My kids weren't getting through all the fruit the last few weeks so I have started maing smoothies for them. I didn't want them missing out on any of the fruit so I just put it through the blender. We add everything to them and they are asking each day for when I am going to make them one. I got myself some mint this week so I am going to add that to them. I am sure they will love it.

Try new things, you might be surprised what you like eating.

I didnt leave the country

Hi All

Well it has been a while since I last got on but life gets like that sometimes. So not a lot has changed since my last blog but we are still making lots of money for Metamorphic. We have a few new people that have joined and the shopping the last few weeks has been great.

Keep inviting your friends we still can do with more joining us, and helping out with the sort.

I am guessing you have all read the email about paying in advance for the next 3 shops. Rachelle will be going away and this is the only way that we can have the money sorted for shopping without too much rigmarole.

Don't forget that you will not be able to get rice, honey, or flour while Rachelle is away so stock up this week please. Eggs will be available but no pre ordering.
The other thing we need to look at is the BOXES. After the sort each fortnight lots and lots of boxes are left over and Rachelle is left to sort them out. I would hate to have that to deal with each week and I am sure you would too. So PLEASE take at least 3 empty boxes with you when you pick up your stuff. We also need to make sure that her yard is left tidy while see is away.

I am shopping this week, I am soooo looking forward to it. So I will see you all at the sort.

One last thing you also need to be picking up your order by 1.30pm after this shop or your food will be left out in the rain or shine cause there will be nobody to watch it after that time, and they wont be put in the house either. Hope that doesn't cause to much trouble but if it is a little hard just remember that it is only for 3 shops and thats when you can ask your friends to return the favour that they may owe you :)

Letter from Metamorphic

Just thought I would forward this letter onto the blog for all those that haven't got the email, or for those that read the blog



Each well provides for an average of 25 families and each family on average has between 7-10 members meaning that each well will provide safe clean water for between 175-250 individuals for life/20 years. As you are aware 80% of preventable diseases in developing countries result from no, or poor access to clean water and a lack of hygiene and sanitation. By providing these communities with access to clean water in effect 80% of the disease that they were previously likely to experience in their lifetime has been eliminated, resulting in better health, better job productivity, increased school attendance and better lifestyle and prospects in general.

Thanks again for the generous contributions the Co-op is making towards giving people better opportunities in life in developing nations.
grace, honor

DANIEL WATTS

senior project officer

WWW.METAMORPHIC.ORG.AU

Third well this next shop

Hi All

Just thought I would let you know that we will be getting our 3rd well after this weeks shop. We are only $40 off it, so great work to all of you supporting the co-op. What a great way to help supply fresh water to those that need it

Sorting

I dont know if you are like me or not but I love grocery shopping. To be able to come home with all my groccery's and fill my cupboard is very cool.To be able to not have just left overs to cook with, I love it. I can be as creative as I like and know that all the stuff I want will be there, no last minute going to the shops cause I have run out.

Yep I know I am weird, I have yet to find someone else that loves shopping for food as much, or even half as much as I do.

But when we all get together and do a co-op sort.....it is great. Even those of you that don't like shopping enjoy the co-op sort. We can all have a good chat and catch up with what has gone on during the week. Sometimes we are blessed to have Richard make us a cuppa after and we can do a little more chatting, very cool.

So to this weeks shop.

We have rubarb, and we have a few ideas for those of you that have no idea what to do with it.

Rhubarb and custard tart

Ingredients (serves 4)
2 bunches of rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 5cm lengths
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
20cm bought frozen tart case
600ml store bought thick custard, to serve
thod
Preheat oven to 180°C. Place rhubarb on a large baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Sprinkle with sugar, orange rind and orange juice. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until rhubarb is soft, but still holds its shape. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Prepare a tart case according to packet instructions. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely.

To serve, pour custard into the tart case and top with the rhubarb mixture.

Apple and rhubarb crumble

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 bunch (425g) rhubarb, cut into 2cm pieces
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons caster sugar
finely grated rind and juice of 1 orange
3/4 cup self-raising flour, sifted
3/4 cup Healtheries Berry & Apple Bircher Muesli
100g butter, chilled, cubed
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Put rhubarb, apple, sugar, orange rind and juice into a rectangular ovenproof dish (26cm x 16cm). Stir until well-combined.

Combine flour and muesli in a large bowl. Add butter. Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour and muesli mixture. Stir in sugar and hazelnuts. Sprinkle over rhubarb and apple mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes or until crumble is golden brown. Serve immediately.

I also found a different twist on pumpkin soup

Thai-style pumpkin soup with coriander pesto

Ingredients (serves 6)
2 bunches coriander, roots trimmed (a few leaves reserved for garnish)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves
1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp grated ginger
1 tbs Thai red curry paste
1kg pumpkin, peeled, cut into small cubes
2 cups (500ml) vegetable stock
400ml canned light coconut milk
Thinly sliced red onion and thinly sliced red chilli, to garnish
Method
To make the coriander pesto, process coriander, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic in a food processor. Slowly add 3 tablespoons of the oil to give a sauce consistency, adding a little warm water if necessary, then season.

Heat the remaining tablespoon oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and stir for 1 minute. Add ginger and paste and stir for 1 minute. Add pumpkin and stock, bring to boil, then simmer over low heat for 15 minutes until pumpkin is cooked. Cool slightly, then blend until smooth. Return to the pan, add the coconut milk and season, then warm through.

To serve, place soup in bowls and swirl in a spoonful of pesto. Garnish with the onion, chilli and reserved coriander leaves.




Spinach and Cheese Muffins

1 1/2 cups chopped cooked spinach
2 cups self raising flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
60 gm feta cheese crumbled
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Preheat oven to 210. Sift flour and nutmeg into a bowl, add cheese and stir to combined. Make well in the centre of the flour mixture. Add the combined milk and egg all at once, then add the spinach. Mix dough lightly until just combined. Batter should be lumpy. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and Bake for 20 mins.


So here is just a few receips to keep you going this week. If you need anymore just clink on the links at the top right hand side of the main blog page. Have and awesome week.

Another Great Shop

So I decided to pull out all my fruit and show you what I got for my $40....
There is
7 passionfruit
10 Red Apples
10 Oranges
8 Green Apples
1 Pineapple
6 Lemons
10 Corella Pears
12 Bananas
And on top of that we got broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, the nicest purple potatoes,onions, corn, and pumpkin.

So I hope you can find some more people to join the co-op, and for those that have been sitting on the fence about joining us, just give it a go one week, that way you can realy judge if it is good or not, but I can't imagine that you will be dissapointed.
Thanks for those of you that have been writing your comments in, I love reading them so keep them coming, and for those of you that are having trouble seeing the comments and posts if you want to look at the latest post just click on this months post that is just under the bookshelf and then to look at the comments click either on the title of the post that is in brown writing to see all comments left for that post or at the bottom of each post click on the comments link to view them.

Have a beautiful week and have fun cooking.

We have our second WELL

Thank you to the generous person that donated money to the co-op for Metamorphic this week, over $500 so after this weeks shop we have enought for our second well. You have truely blessed a community for life.

So I have just finished the fruit part of this weeks shop and we have a great variety of fruit for you.
Pears, Bananas, Apples, Mandarins, Oranges, and one of either Red Papaya, Pinapple, or Custard Apples.


If you haven't eated Custard Apples before, give one a go; they need to be eaten when they are soft like a grape. Cut the fruit in half and take any hard centre out, after that just pull bits of the fruit off It will come off in small pieces that have a seed inside about 2cm long.

As for the pears if you can get to them before the kids, try stewing them.

Pears in wine

red or wine wine, with a cinnamon quill, 1/2 cup or less of sugar and a vanilla pod or essence for about 10 mins then serve warm with custard.

Rachelle got tomatoes this week for us, they look lots better than they did last week. We also have beetroot ( try it baked next time you do a roast) and silverbeet, plus the usually stock items.

Well have an awesome week and please put some recipe ideas up, we always need new ideas

Our first well

Just letting you all know if you havent read the comments yet. We have made enought for our first well. . So keep inviting your friends to join so we can get the next one sooner.

12 th June

So everyone happy with this weeks grocery's. Ginger is the new thing for this week, so if anyone has any cool thing to do with ginger besides adding it to your stir fry let us know.
Just a bit of info on ginger, It is great for winter as it warms your body, great for the chilly evening we have been having. Someone said that they like to add it to tea.
Anyway have fun with your cooking and can't wait to hear your comments.

Welcome

Thanks for dropping by to have a read on the happening of our co-op.

We have had this co-op running since April 2010 with the main aim to be able to raise money for fresh drinking wlls overseas in marginalised communities through Metamorphic International.

Part of the money the co-op member suppy for their fruit and veg shopping each fortnight gets put aside for these sink wells. Each well costs $660 and this fornights shop should bring us the donation we need for our first well. To find out more info on metamorphic go to www.metamorphic-community.org/Pages.aspx?=273

In addition to this we have been getting out fruit and veg for our families at a great price. The savings on what we normally spend has cut my budget in half .

So the benifits of buying this way are endless; the co-op community, the new friends, cheaper grocery bills, less packaging by buying in bulk, learning to be creative with seasonal veges and the start of a recipe swap on this site. The shop is done fortnightly and boxes come in $20 lots so for a family of 4 $40 or two boxes would do you for the fortnight.

So please leave your comments, invite your friends to join and have fun knowing that you are helping change the lives of people with something that everyone should be able to access..... Fresh Water.

Keep in touch photo's coming soon