“Go Organic” in Your Garden

The first thing that you need to know is that if you have healthy soil you will be able to grow healthy plants!  Sounds simple doesn’t it?  The follow on effect is then that healthy plants make healthy people!  Straight forward?  Well not quite, but we are here to make it simple.........

Healthy soil is full of life.  It can be created and maintained by ensuring there is sufficient organic matter in the soil for breaking down, to provide a full range of nutrients to plants.  It is crucial for the production of “humus”, which provides a habitat and food for soil microbes that support plant health.  So what can you can for the first step to creating healthy soil?  Additions by gardeners to keep soil healthy include mature compost, worm castings, green manures, mulch, and occasionally other natural fertilisers.  How can I tell that my soil is healthy?  One of the best signs of healthy soil is an abundance of earth worms.

Apples and Pears

Australia is a major producer and exporter of quality apples and pears, and is the official home of the famous Pink Lady red apple variety.  Being a remote island nation, with extremely strict custom laws regarding bringing food in to the country, Australia is free of many of the pests and diseases that plague other international producers.  Australian apples and pears meet the rigorous quality and food safety standards of even the strictest customers.

Our prime position in the Southern Hemisphere, means as Australia we are well placed to provide retail seasonal fruit to complement northern producers and help keep consumers supplied year round.

Coffee – From Bean to Cup!

Coffee, it’s the drink we all love, it’s the drink many of us can’t do without and it’s the drink we have to kick start our day!  There are so many different bean varieties, growing regions and ways that coffee can be served for our enjoyment.  It’s a huge industry that just keeps growing.  But what happens to give us that delicious aroma, taste and feeling we all know and love?  From bean to cup and everything in between...............................................

Did you know, there are more than 60 different varieties of coffee?  But for trade purposes Arabica and Robusta are the most important.

What does “Low GI” really mean?  And how important is it for your health?

The Glycemic Index is a scientific ranking of how the foods we eat affect our blood sugar levels in the 2 or 3 hours after eating.   This index is measured against pure glucose, which has a value of 100 on the index.  The index ranges from 0 to 100 and uses the following scale:-

0-55  =  Low-GI              56-69  =  Moderate-GI         70-100  =  High-GI

Olive Oil and What It’s About!

We all know that certain fats are considered bad for our health in many ways.  Fats and oils should be avoided where possible as they are known to contribute greatly to things such as, weight gain, heart disease and respiratory conditions.  However, olive oil is a little different!  Why? 

Olive oil is mainly comprised of monounsaturated fatty acids.   These are healthier types of fat, they actually reduce total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol levels in the blood- stream, while raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL or “good”) cholesterol levels.   But there’s more.........

Vitamins ABC

Vitamins A, B and C are all vital parts of our everyday diet.  But what exactly are they?  Why are they so important?  And where can we find them?

Learn your ABC’s......................................

Give Yourself a Free Range

It might surprise you to know that 80% of all egg production in Australia still comes from battery farms, otherwise known as cage eggs.  Sometimes battery farms can have more than eight hens in one small cage, giving an individual hen less than half the size of an A4 piece of paper to live.  Hens are sociable complex creatures and have certain needs just like humans.  The organisation, “Free Range Egg and Poultry Australia Ltd.” (FREPA)  is one group of free range producers who are setting high standards of production and quality in the free range egg industry.  So what makes an egg free range? And why is it so important that we truly think about the eggs we buy and where they come from?

Cookies – We All Love Them, We All Have a Favourite -

But Where Did They Come From?

Some cookie history, did you know that the first cookies were actually created in Holland by accident?!  Cooks used to use a small amount of cake batter to test their oven temperature before baking a large cake. These little test cakes were called "koekje", meaning "little cake" in Dutch.

Cookies are traditionally made with sweet dough or batter, baked in single-sized servings and eaten by hand. Simple and yummy!  Perfect for snacking or as dessert, cookies are consumed in 95.2 percent of households in the western world!  Americans alone consume over 2 billion cookies per year, that’s over 300 cookies for each person annually.

School Gardens

Gardens can be used as an environment that allows for creative thought, active learning, and interpersonal skills, so having these in schools as part of everyday learning makes perfect sense.  The school garden is a living entity that serves as an excellent resource for teaching.   It’s simple, children learn from growing things!

For Chocoholics Everywhere

The History of Chocolate

The earliest record of chocolate was over fifteen hundred years ago in the Central American rain forests, where the tropical mix of high rain fall combined with high year round temperatures and humidity provide the ideal climate for cultivation of the plant from which chocolate is derived, the Cacao Tree.

The Cacao Tree was worshipped by the Mayan civilisation of Central America and Southern Mexico, and Cacao is actually a Mayan word meaning "God Food".  The Maya brewed a spicy, bitter sweet drink by roasting and pounding Cocoa beans, the seeds of the Cacao tree, with maize and Chilli peppers and letting the mixture ferment.  This drink was reserved for use in ceremonies as well as for drinking by the wealthy and religious elite. 

Genetically Modified Food

The online encyclopedia “Wikipedia” gives the following description for genetically modified food:-

“Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods derived from genetically modified organisms. Genetically modified organisms have had specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering techniques.”

Foods that commonly undergo the processes of genetic modification are foods such as, soybean, maize, strawberries, potato, pineapple and oil seed rape (canola).  GM foods may provide greater resistance to pests and viruses, higher nutritional value and longer shelf lives.  However, their safety, potential risks and ethical concerns are still being debated.  Foods certified as organic or biodynamic should not contain any GM ingredients, according to industry guidelines.  We outline the benefits and risks associated with GM foods below:-

Strawberry Fields Forever

Strawberries are grown all year round in all States of Australia.  As well as extending "traditional" summertime production in temperate climates, such as Victoria and South Australia, from October through to May, by using different varieties and planting techniques, the diversity of Australian climate enables June-September production in warmer or sub-tropical climates, such as Queensland and Western Australia.

We Are Going Bananas – Support Us!

Banana Facts

• Some scientists believe bananas were the earth’s first fruit and that they date back from as early as 8000BC.
• There are in excess of 500 banana varieties in the world.
• Bananas are harvested green because they continue to ripen even after being picked.
• Bananas are rich in antioxidants, B Vitamins, fibre and potassium.
• A medium sized banana will give you approximately 10% of your daily fibre requirements.
• Bananas can help reduce the risk of certain cancers and improve your blood pressure, therefore reducing health risks such as strokes.
• The Australian Government places strict import rules on the banana industry.  This not only helps to keep disease and pests out of our farms, but also helps to support the local growers within Australia and keeps the banana farming economy strong.

Environmental Sustainability

Top 20 tips for “going green”.

We all know the importance of looking after our environment.  “Green” education on the subject has improved so much in the last 20 years, new research, new studies, and overall increased awareness of the world around us, tells us only too clearly that we should be looking after our most precious resource, Earth.  So we know we need to be doing it, but what steps can we as individuals take to make a difference?  We have put together 20 of the most simple changes we can all make to our everyday lives to ensure the future of our planet.

ANTIOXIDANTS!  What? Why? Where?

You’ve heard the word “antioxidants” around town? Ofcourse you have!  It’s the buzz word of the new millennium.  Everyone’s talking about them!  Everyone’s eating them!  Everyone’s loving them!  But what is an antioxidant?  Why should we be welcoming them in to our everyday life? And, Where do you find them?