The Greening of Gavin

Archives for January 2013

Burning The Candle…

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This lifestyle that I have chosen is not an idle one, which is not a complaint by the way.  It just is the way it is, and I love it.

So what have I been doing, and how do I manage to cram it all into a 24 hour day?

Well my day job takes up a vast majority of the day (2 hours of commuting, 9 hours in the office), so keep that in mind while I list the things I have done so far this week.  By the way, it hasn’t really been a busy one, so maybe I will do this exercise once a month.

  • Saturday – Fed chooks, Made cream cheese, Gardening, Archery Lesson, Cooked dinner for family (veggie curry).
  • Sunday – Fed chooks, Remedial gym session, Rest, research for cheese making book, finish off making cream cheese, Finalised six monthly workshop schedule for Melton Sustainable Living Group with Kim, then wrote and published Blog post.
  • Monday (public holiday) – Fed chooks, Garden maintenance, cleaned out chicken houses, wrote two blog posts and scheduled one on the Little Green Cheese blog, researched soft cheese.
  • Tuesday – Fed chooks, Commute, Work, wrote introduction chapter for cheese making eBook, eBook marketing, researching ideas for future podcasts.
  • Wednesday – Fed chooks, Commute, Work, research for cheese eBook  finished off book 1 of The Rangers Apprentice (thanks Dawn for the recommendation), formatted cheese eBook draft manuscript and added all cheese recipes, harvested dinner with Kim. 
  • Thursday – Fed chooks, Commute, Work, bought some more bird netting for Tomatoes, Committee meeting for Melton Sustainable Living Group, this blog post, start recording new podcast intro.

In amongst all these things listed above, I am constantly looking for new ideas for blog posts, thinking about our rapidly changing climate and resource depletion, and attempting to understand what things may be like in the future (but I don’t let it get me down), when these things hit our society in the face.

Also, as you can see, there is no mention of watching TV in there, because there is no room for it in my busy schedule.  In fact, it is because of the fact that I don’t watch TV that I have the time to do all of these things.  Life just seems a lot fuller, so much more satisfying, and without boredom.

So next time someone asks me how do I manage to fit in all the stuff that I do, I will just point them to this post!  I know from experience that you get so much more of your life back without the idiot box in it!

Are you beginning to get more things done by weaning yourself from TV time?

Upcoming Presentations and Courses

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As I mentioned at the start of the year when I set my personal goals for 2013, I will be getting out from behind the computer monitor more often and presenting or educating more people in person.

I really enjoy meeting readers and the interested members of public, and have a few presentations and courses over the next few months.  Unfortunately there are not TV appearances scheduled, but I am always willing to be interviewed if the subject matter relates to sustainable/simple living.  If anyone owns a TV station, send me an email. 😉

So, here they are.  If anyone is interested and lives locally, please ensure that you book ahead.  Appearances are listed in chronological order.

Vasili and I after shooting his TV show “Vasili’s Garden in November 2010.

Energy Efficiency in the Home

Date: TUESDAY, 19 FEBRUARY 2013
TIME: 7PM – 8PM
Ivanhoe Library, IVANHOE
Cost: Free Entry
Bookings: Must Book
http://yprl.vic.gov.au/calendar/view/459342

During Victoria’s Sustainable Living Festival, learn how you can make simple and practical changes around your home to save money and contribute to a greener planet.

Michael O’Connell, ATA technical expert, will share practical knowledge on energy efficiency, sustainable building and water conservation at home.
Ivanhoe Library
255 Upper Heidelberg RdIvanhoe, VIC 3079
Australia

The Sustainable Living Festival website mentions that my friend Michael O’Connell is presenting, but he asked me to fill in for him as he is volunteering in East Timor with the ATA and will not be available.  This presentation should be great fun, and thanks to Mick for asking me to sub.

Mozzarella and Ricotta

Make your own Mozzarella to take home and see a demonstration of Ricotta being made. Breadsticks provided for tasting. See requirement list.

Date: Saturday 2 March 2013

From 1.30pm – 4.30pm (1 session)

Cost: $55.00 or $50.00 concession

Contact: Melton South Community Centre for bookings T 9747 8576

Soap Making

Learn to make your own soap with the right balance of bubbles, creaminess & moisturiser, which is free from harmful ingredients. Choose your fragrance and take home 1kg (12 bars) of soap as well as a reusable wooden log mould (valued at $30.00) See requirement list.

Date: Sunday 3 March 2013

From 1.00pm – 3.30pm (1 session)

Cost: $80.00 or $75.00 concession

Contact: Melton South Community Centre for bookings T 9747 8576

An Introduction to Sustainable Living

Ever wondered how to start living a more sustainable lifestyle? Come along and hear Gavin Webber (award winning writer), talk about his journey over the last 6 years, and how he transformed his suburban home, gardens, and family into an energy efficient, money saving, food providing, and thriving household.

Sponsored by Melton Sustainable Living Group Inc.

Venue: Arnolds Creek Community Centre

Date: Wednesday 20 March 2013

From 7.00pm – 9.00pm

Cost: $5.00 Entry – Tea / Coffee Provided

MSLG Members Free

Contact: Kim Webber Secretary for bookings T 9747 3616

So there you have it.  Lots of presentations and courses to enjoy.  Can I ask that if you do attend any of these events, don’t forget to say gid’day as Kim and I would love to meet you.  
It goes without saying that if you attend one of the courses that you will learn a valuable skill and have some fun at the same time!
What do you think?  Am I on the way to achieving my first two goals?  🙂

How To Make Cream Cheese

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Who loves cream cheese?  I like it with served with a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce or spread on crackers with some sliced heirloom tomato and a basil leaf.

Well dear readers, you are going to love this version.  It is so tasty and is easy to make, with very few ingredients unlike processed cream cheese which has a list of ingredients as long as my arm.

Like any great cheese, it just takes a little bit of time.

This is a cheese that I have been meaning to make for a few months, but it has been just too hot here in South Eastern Australia.  Luckily, this weekend has been mild with temperatures in the low 20’s (C).

I managed to source a non-homogenised full cream milk at a supplier in Bacchus Marsh (Jonesy’s Milk), which was just a delight to use for cheese making.

So on to the recipe and method.

Cream Cheese

Ingredients;

  • 4 litres (1 gallon) full cream (whole) milk
  • 1/8th teaspoon, (heaped smidgen) Mesophilic direct set culture type MA or MO30
  • 4 drops liquid rennet in 60 ml (1/4 cup) of non-chlorinated water
  • 2 teaspoons cheese salt
  • If using homogenised milk, add 1 ml of calcium chloride in 30 ml of non-chlorinate water.

Method;

Sanitise all equipment by boiling in hot water or a weak bleach (20 ml of bleach to 4 litres of cold water)

In a large pot, pour in the milk and add calcium chloride solution if necessary and stir thoroughly top to bottom for 30 seconds.  Warm the milk to 30°C (86°F).

Add the culture, stir well for one minute top to bottom.

Add 3 teaspoons of the rennet solution (discard remainder), and stir for two minutes.

Cover and allow to rest at room temperature (about 21°C or 70°F) for 18 hours.  After resting, it will have the appearance of a block of soft curd with whey.

Line a colander with cheesecloth (I doubled it over twice to make it four layers thick), or butter muslin.

Ladle the curds into the cheesecloth.

Note the yoghurt like consistency.  It also tastes slightly sour, but not quite like a natural yoghurt.

Then form a bag and allow to drain for 12 hours.  Don’t forget to tie a double granny knot by gathering the opposite corners of the cloth, otherwise it may slip and fall.

 After 12 hours, untie the cheesecloth, and remove the cheese from the bag.

 Work in the cheese salt with a clean spoon, a little at a time until all used.

Refrigerate the cream cheese in an airtight container.  When chilled, you can make small logs, roll in finely chopped fresh herbs and slice, or just spread on bread or crackers.

Delicious.  Once you have tried fresh home made cream cheese, you will never eat the processed stuff again.  It is delightfully creamy with a slight tang.  Just perfect!

So, a show of hands please.  Who is going to give this cheese a go?