"My kefir won't set!!! Why?!?"

I've been getting a few people asking me lately why their kefir (home-made Turkish yogurt) won't set at this time of year. Quite simply-  its because the weather is cold!! During the colder winter months when the temperatures drop the lacto-fermnetation process slows right down. Even after a couple of days of leaving your yogurt on the bench it won't thicken but remains runny. That's ok- its still full of good bacteria (essential for strong immunity and good digestion) and much of the lactose has been removed (eaten up) by the lacto-fermentation process but don't expect the milk to thicken as it does in warmer weather. I still make kefir even over winter but I just consume it as a drink or in smoothies as opposed to eating it like yogurt.  So for those who make their own kefir- continue to make it but try to put it in the warmest part of the house when its out at room temperature then transfer it to the fridge after a couple days. For those who want to learn how to make it, I will run a kefir-making workshop when the weather warms up over Spring.

When you start making your own food from scratch (such as cultured vegetables or lacto-fermented yogurt) you start having a greater appreciation of how our food supply is connected to the seasons. Coconut oil hardens, lacto-fermentation slows down, and different produce appears on the shelves of organic stores.  In stark contrast, buying food from supermarkets disconnects people from the food chain because they are buying the same produce all year round regardless of the season, temperature and where it came from.

How to keep kids active indoors during cold/wet days

Anyone whose spent any time with young kids will know that kids needs to expend energy more or less constantly.... especially boys! When he's not playing with Lego, my son Will (almost 7) is constantly climbing  all over the furniture, bouncing around the couch, almost bursting out of his skin.  And its only natural- its in our  genes to MOVE!  Trying to curtail this energy in sedentary ways only means that it's going to come out in unproductive (even destructive!) ways at a later point in time. Modern life has made children so much more sedentary than our hunter gatherer genes have evolved us to be. TV, cinemas, screens, homework, sitting in cars, indoor lifestyles, and other sedentary activities (some very worthwhile of course) just means that we need BALANCE it out a little with movement. Warm summer weather is a no brainer for entertaining kids- we head straight outdoors to nature (beach, park etc) where kids can expend their energy  swimming, rolling, running, playing ball sports, throwing a frisbee, riding bikes etc. A greater challenge is working out how they can expend their boundless energy in a productive way when the weather turns cold or wet or when its just not feasbile to be outdoors (case in point as I type this it is cold and teaming with rain!).

So here's a few things that I do with my kids that might give you some inspiration when they (and you!) are climbing the walls:

1. rebounder- this acts a little trampoline for kids to jump on. It's small enough that I can move it around the house depending on which room the kids are playing in.Whenever I see the kids climbing all over the furniture its great that I can direct them to the rebounder. Sometimes we turn on the music and team the jumping with singing and dancing - pretending to be the next upcoming Voice contestant (you can tell that I harbour some unfilled entertainer dreams!). I bought my rebounder from Rebel Sports.

2. Hyperdash - the interval training game for kids (and big kids too!). This is really cool. There's a battery operated baton that yells out instructions and 5 different colours / numbered targets that you spread out around the house. You follow the baton's commands by striking the targets it directs you to in the fastest possible time (e.g. "strike red", "now strike 5", "strike blue then green twice" etc etc). Who ever completes the instructions in the quickest time wins. There are different levels of difficulty (e.g. involving memory or maths).  You are racing around the house as fast as you can (taking turns or in teams) for about 90-120 seconds at a time- which is a perfect time frame to really get your heart rate racing before resting. Just like interval/cross training at the primal fitness gym I go to! I was skeptical about this when I bought it but I really enjoy playing it just as much as the kids (if not more!). Its advertised for ages 6+ but my 4 year old plays it (and I accompany her on her turn to keep her motivated to finish). If you have a double story house or a large house you can really spread out the targets to make you work harder. I'm dripping with sweat after a few rounds of this. So I get some exercise and tucker the kids out at the same time. Perfect. I bought Hyperdash from the Australian Geographic shop from Westfield for A$34.95. According to the sales assistant it's the best selling item in the store.

3. rough and tumble- its the age-old game of getting down on the floor with your kids- rolling, tickling, tumbling, frolicking fun. Its also a way that kids can get their physical attachment/affection needs met when they are no longer babes in arms.

If you try these activities out let me know what you think. Do you have any other ideas on how kids can remain active when indoors? I'd love to hear them!

Happy indoor moving!

New brand of raw milk hits the shelves

This week a new brand of raw (unpasturised and unhomogenised) milk has hit the Sydney shelves. Like Cleopatra's bath milk, this new milk is intended for cosmetic use only. As with everything I put in and on my body, its source and processing is paramount so I called the farmer to say G'Day and got the following low down to share if you're interested:

The cows are exclusively fed grass (this is a good thing as its the only things that cows are biologically designed to eat). However on very rare occasions when the grass is not plentiful they are supplemented with certified organic grain. I've been told that grain feeding is not required this year as there is plenty of green grass thanks to all the rain. The dairy farm, which is located in Lakes Entrance, and the milk are both certified organic. There are approx 250 jersey cows of which 100 are milking. This farm was purchased 2 years from the people that used to run Aphrodites bath milk (remember that one?). The farmers have been goat dairy farmers for the past 30 years making the lovely Alpine goat yogurt which my family and I have been consuming for ages. They are now focusing on the cows milk in addition to goats dairy. (As an aside, I was interested to learn that the Alpine goats yogurt is made from raw goats milk. However the process of making yogurt itself heats the milk- in this case to 90 degrees. Which is not necessarily a bad thing as the culturing process adds back many enzymes that may have been destroyed through heating).

...so back to the new raw milk, for stock lists in Sydney you can contact the exclusive distributors Sydney City Organics. I received a bottle from the online organic store Abundant Organics at  www.abundantorganics.com.au. They retail it for $8.95/2 litters. As to who else sells it I haven't checked but I suspect that we will see it retailing at all of the usual suspects shortly e.g. Wholefoods House, Dr Earth, Bondi Health Emporium etc.

For stocklists in Melbourne contact their exclusive distributor Maria's Select Food on 03 9380 5800.

The farmers are also selling raw cream but alas at this junction it is only sold in Victoria only.

Happy Bathing!!!