SEASONAL & SUSTAINABLE LIVING - APRIL: USING HANDCRAFTED HOMEWARES TO STYLE YOUR FOOD

7 April 2020 - Posted by The Sisterhood of Sustainability

Happy April! Although things seem a little strange and uncertain at the moment, we're feeling as inspired as ever and are here to continually support you on your journey to a sustainable and ethical lifestyle. This month, we decided to get a little creative with our seasonal and sustainable living ideas and so are sharing beautiful ways to style the fruits and vegetables that have just come into season...

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN SEASON THIS MONTH

Seeing as though Easter is just around the corner, now is the perfect time to make the most of bright, colourful fruits and crisp salad ingredients that have been freshly picked

SEASONAL VEGETABLES

Asian Greens – Avocado – Green Beans – Snake Beans - Beetroot - Broccoli - Brussels Sprout - Cabbage - Capsicum - Carrots - Celery - Chilli - Cucumber  - Eggplant - Fennel - Garlic - Ginger - Leek - Lettuce - Mushrooms - Spring Onions - Parsnip - Peas - Potato - Pumpkin- Shallots - Silverbeet - Spinach - Squash - Sweet Potato - Swede - Tomato - Turnip - Zucchini

SEASONAL FRUITS

Apples - Almonds - Banana - Cumquat - Chestnuts - Custard Apple - Feijoa - Figs - Fuji Apples - Granny Smith Apples - Guava - Hazelnut - Josephine Pears - Kiwifruit - Lemons - Limes. - Mandarin – Muscat Grapes – Peanuts – Pistachios –   Papaya - Passionfruit - Packham Pears – Persimmons - Plums - Pomegranate - Quince - Rhubarb - Sultana Grapes - Valencia Oranges - Walnuts

SUSTAINABLE & ETHICAL WAYS TO STYLE YOUR FOOD ON OUR HANDCRAFTED HOMEWARES

SPARKLING AVERY BASKETS 
Use our small, medium and large Avery Baskets to take with you into the garden to pick fresh citrus straight from the tree, snow peas from the garden or strawberries from your fruit patch. Once the fresh produce has been washed and dried, you can place the fruit and vegetables straight into the baskets and serve them up in the centre of your dining table.  

WOVEN COPPER PLATES 
Use these unique plates for serving up antipasto platters with freshly baked bread, little dishes of sun dried tomatoes and marinated olives, carrot sticks, homemade eggplant dip and crackers piled high with fresh cheese, diced capsicum and a sprinkle of alfalfa sprouts.

HANDCRAFTED COPPER BOWLS 
These beautiful bowls are perfect for so many types of seasonal and sustainable produce. Fill them with juicy oranges, potatoes that you've just dug up from the earth, organic zucchinis, crunchy apples, vine-ripened tomatoes, cobs of sweet corn or bunches of delicious grapes.

COLOURFUL MANDALA PLATES 
Our mandala plates are super versatile and can be used to serve any sweet or savoury meal. Use them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks and get creative by tying the colours of the food in with the colours on the plates. For example, our blue Oceanic Plates are really well suited to juicy plums, purple grapes & blueberries.

ORGANIC ​LINEN NAPKINS 
When buying fresh produce from the farmers markets, local fruit shop or picking it straight from you garden, wrap delicate vegetables and leafy greens inside our honey, blush or dahlia linen napkins. Secure the napkin in place by using a ribbon or piece of twine before storing in the fridge. This is a great way to keep your silverbeet, lettuce, shallots, celery and spinach fresh and crunchy. 

Now that you've got a few beautiful styling ideas up your sleeve, here are some great sustainable recipes to try using local, seasonal produce.

SUSTAINABLE RECIPES FOR FENNEL 

​Fennel is not sold by variety.  The small to medium-sized bulb has a mild liquorice flavour and a crunchy texture.  The bulb, which is pale in colour, is topped by green stems and fronds.  Both the bulb and fronds can be eaten.

BUYING
Look for firm bulbs that are white to pale green in colour, topped with feathery fronds.

STORING 
Trim the fronds to two or three inches above the bulb (if not already done). Wrap loosely in a beeswax wrap or clean tea towel and store in the fridge for 5 days or 10 days


Try this quick and easy pasta dish:  Prepare a package of gnocchi according to packet instructions.  Meanwhile, sauté a thinly sliced fennel bulb, red capsicum and onion.  Drain gnocchi and combine with fennel mixture, a splash of olive oil, chopped parsley and grated parmesan.  If desired, add slices of cooked sausage.
 
This salad showcases some of winter’s best produce.  In a large bowl, combine chopped lettuce with a thinly sliced fennel bulb, 1/2 sliced red onion, a handful of trimmed snow peas, 2 segmented mandarins or 1 segmented grapefruit and a handful of chopped walnuts or almonds.  Make a quick dressing from 2 tablespoons each olive oil and orange juice, and drizzle over salad.  
​
Use fennel instead of cabbage in coleslaw.  Thinly slice 3 fennel bulbs.  Toss with 1 thinly sliced onion, 1 grated carrot, a handful of saltines, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and 1/4 cup lemon juice until just combined.  Sprinkle chopped fennel fronds over coleslaw before serving.

SUSTAINABLE RECIPES FOR MANDARINS 

​The main varieties in Australia are: Ellendale, a larger mandarin with bright, glossy skin; and Murcott/Honey Tangerine, an especially sweet variety with tight yellow-orange skin.  Most varieties contain seeds.  

​BUYING
Avoid bruises, cuts or soft spots.  Choose brighter, glossy mandarins that feel heavy, which means lots of juice.  Note that some varieties have looser skin than others.  Choose mandarins that are firm.

STORING
Mandarins can be stored in or out of the fridge.  Keep in a cool, dark place for up to five days or refrigerate in the crisper section for up to two weeks. 

Add some zest to your meal.  Stir-fry some chopped mandarin, lemon, honey, onion, box choy, ginger and soy sauce along with your favourite meat, noodles and fresh, sliced vegetables.  

Make a roast dinner with a difference: mash some mandarins into a paste with garlic, seeded mustard and honey.  Brush the mixture over chicken, duck or leg of ham.  Bake until cooked, basing repeatedly.  The roast goes well with mashed potato and green beans or Brussel sprouts.

Why not sweeten up a salad? Toss together mandarin segments, mixed salad, onion, avocado, snow peas sprouts, black olives, coriander, parsley and chopped celery.  Dress with olive oil and vinegar. 

SUSTAINABLE RECIPES FOR PEARS

There are many common varieties of pear to choose from in Australia, readily available throughout the year.  These include Josephine, Williams, Packham’s Triumph, Beurre Bosc and Nashi pears.  Josephine pears have light green skin with a yellowy-coloured flesh, while Williams, also known as Bartlett pears have a yellowish skin when ripe and a white flesh.  Their highest sugar content means they tend to be used in desserts.  Packham’s Triumph pears have a light yellow skin with while, juicy flesh.  Beurre Bosc pears have a long neck and green-brown skin, which can feel slightly rough to touch.  Nashi pears are round and light yellowy-green when ripe.  

BUYING
Choose pears that are unblemished and firm.  Look for ones that are brightly coloured and fragrant, and avoid any with bruises or soft spots.  

STORING
Allow pears to ripen for 3-5 days at room temperature. Once ripe they can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.  

For a tasty salad, combine sliced pears with halved strawberries, goats’s cheese, chopped wallets and mixed salad leaves.  Drizzle with balsamic vinegar before serving. 

Grate two pears into your pancake or muffin batter for an easy way to get an extra serve of fruit.  You can also add finely chopped pears into your favourite banana bread recipe for an extra serve of fruit and a boost of flavour.  Keep the skin on for extra flavour.  

Roasted pears make a delicious side dish to various port recipes.  Try this  yummy pear side:  Combine sliced pear, chopped pumpkin and onion in a large roasting pan.  Spray with oil and season.  Cook at 220c for 20 minutes, or until just tender.

Each and every month, we share seasonal and sustainable tips which support an earth-friendly and conscious lifestyle. Keep an eye out for next months edition which will be shared in early May!

We’ve teamed up with Hannah Thompson @bramblyorchard and Camilla Jorvad @sigridsminde for this blog series and will be sharing their photos and little snippets of inspiration from them throughout each post. 
 
Photos displayed in this blog post have been styled, created and supplied by Camillia Jorvad from @sigridsminde. Camilla who is currently re-wilding a family farm on Ero Island in Denmark. She uses gardening and living mindfully and seasonally as a way of managing stress and depression shares beautiful and creative photos of life on the land.

Which are your favourite recipes in this blog post?