Category: TIPS & TRICKS

Years ago, while renovating our charming but weathered 1920s bungalow (who am I kidding, it was falling apart), I stumbled ... Read More

Homemade shelf-stable lemon and lime juice? Yes-siree. If you’ve ever found yourself with a glut of lemons or limes, whether ... Read More

Preserved Lemons: the pantry staple you didn’t know you needed Bright, tangy, complex, and deeply aromatic, preserved lemons are a ... Read More

After a lemon dilemma, I’ve turned my hand to the process of dehydrating lemon zest and turning it to Lemon ... Read More

With an over abundant harvest of kale, silverbeet, chard and spinach in my garden I’ve turned to dehydrating and powdering ... Read More

I love limes. I absolutely adore them. In fact, all citrus gets a big tick from me. Here’s how to ... Read More

This blog is to honour the humble celery – all of it, from top to tail. Celery takes a while ... Read More

I am so into this at the moment! Frozen Mystery Mix bags, conveniently frozen and ready for a stir-fry, slow ... Read More

In old villas especially, original knob knobs can be hiding under multiple layers of paint applied over decades. Here are ... Read More

Free-flow freezing is a must when you have fresh vegetables in excess. Here’s how! Whether you are looking for points ... Read More

Save those fresh veggie leftovers and make a delicious refrigerator pickle. Unlike most of my preserves which are intended to ... Read More

Removing labels from glass jars and bottles can be tricky, so here are a few tips and tricks to make ... Read More

Love love love homemade yoghurt…and oh those delicious supermarket bought sachets, creamy and perfect every time. But you only need ... Read More

Can you freeze egg whites and yolks? Yes you can! How about avocado, milk and coffee? Save money and get ... Read More

Love your leftovers! Thankfully, there are many delicious ways to use jam and those last few spoonfuls can go a ... Read More

I know I’m not the only one: flour is in short supply at the moment. It seems New Zealand has ... Read More

I’m a give-it-a-go DIYer and recently got stuck into puttying – a first for me. We have a 100 year ... Read More

Being resourceful in the kitchen in a time of uncertainty helps to manage stress levels, your budget and your supplies ... Read More

Other than grilled cheese toasties, dagwood sandwiches and adorning your cheese platter, just how do you use relishes and chutneys ... Read More

Have you bought lettuce only to find it weeks later in the back of the fridge in a limp mess? ... Read More

Keep those orange peels! After enjoying fresh juice and baking ’til your heart’s content, don’t be in a hurry to ... Read More

Buttermilk is not a common recipe ingredient but, from time to time, you’ll stumble on a recipe that requires it ... Read More

Fire it up! It’s sure getting chilly! Frosts are an every day occurrence and at times, while the sun pushes through ... Read More

I go back to basics and rediscover the water-bath method of preserving, just like grandma used to. While I have ... Read More

Good hygiene and trusted preserving methods are essential for long-life, shelf-stable preserves that will last for months in your pantry ... Read More

Just how do you make the most of an abundant plum harvest? My plum tree is rather special. It has ... Read More

I’ve had more than a passing interesting the concept of ‘waste not, want not’, which was a saying my grandmother ... Read More

A slight ‘segway’ from my current project, my very own veggie garden makeover, today saw me (a) trimming my rosemary ... Read More

The statement couldn’t be any clearer. There’s a campaign in New Zealand to help raise awareness of the amount of ... Read More

Bush walking will never be the same. Foraging through the damp undergrowth of the Pirongia Forest Park has opened my ... Read More

Making your own vegetable stock makes perfect sense, as it has been for generations. I love old New Zealand cookbooks ... Read More

Leftovers make up 8% of 122,547 tonnes of avoidable food waste each year in New Zealand. Where is the disconnect ... Read More

Put yourself up for the challenge! ‪#‎junkfreejune‬ is upon us, designed to raise awareness of healthy eating and to raise ... Read More

Bread goes stale. Fact. Breadcrumbs bought from a supermarket could set you back $1.80-$6.00 depending how fancy. Fact. You get ... Read More

This isn’t the first time I’ve spoken about food waste and certainly won’t be the last.  Per annum, 79kg of ... Read More

I’ve spotted whole milk (full cream milk) before and wondered who would buy it given our fat conscious society – ... Read More

Looking like magic beans you’d expect to read about in Jack and the Beanstalk, I’ve had fun this season growing ... Read More

Not all jellies need to be made with gelatine (an animal byproduct for the uninitiated). I’ve had fun making my ... Read More

Rose petals are deliciously fragrant, carry delicate flavours and have been used in cooking for hundreds of years. Dried and ... Read More

Food wastage is unnecessary. There is utterly no need to add to the already gloomy statistics that every New Zealand ... Read More

Many years ago when I was working in England and living on a tight budget, I fed my family of ... Read More

When it comes to harvesting leeks, there is a fine line between leek envy and greed! Best you smile and ... Read More

It took a minor catastrophe in the making to work this one out!  I needed caster sugar for a batch ... Read More