I found this video on the BBC Scotland website this morning and thought you might be inspired, too. I’m going out foraging this weekend, and the one plant I can recognise is a nettle. Will you join me?

You may be forgiven this last while to think I’d stopped eating food altogether and had taken to mashing it and grinding solely for use on my body – but do not be alarmed, I am a sturdy girl and still love to eat!

The Organikal kitchen does strike a fine balance between food love and health love, we can’t help it – and our latest foray has involved organising a new veg box for a new breakfast regime:

It’s been custom picked to provide us with enough juicy greens to make a green juice for five days out of the seven. A green juice, for breakfast? Remember we finally made the foray into green juices last year, trying out the powdered variety. Not an instant success, we got used to the smell and the taste, but I wasn’t sold on it as a regular supplement to our diet, although I still use it – especially on days when greens have been lacking.

Plant foods high in alkalines have been high on our list for some time, but our standard veg box just didn’t deliver enough of the right ones for a juicing regime. Until I read Kris Carr’s latest book Crazy Sexy Diet. Isn’t it funny, what finally moves you to take action on the stuff you know you should do, want to do, but haven’t quite got round to doing – stuff you’ve known for years?

Kris is an exceptionally motivational writer, telling her story of a particularly rare stage 4 cancer that she’s been living with for the past seven years or so. I’m loving her Crazy Sexy Life website and after watching a ton of videos I ordered the book. The day after I read it, I visited a supermarket and bought the ingredients listed in the recipe for the Make Juice Not War drink and promptly set to with a juicing extravaganza (you can see my real life TV approach to the making of on video over at my VegBoxMenu website).

An instant success! Yes, I’d found a way to get my day started with all of those juicy greens – rich in nutrients, enzymes, anti-oxidants and what not – in a format that actually tasted great! That same day I got in touch with our organic veg box suppliers, Grow Wild and asked for a custom box.

I’ll be honest with you, living in the frozen north as we do, this customisation adds a fair bit onto the cost of the standard box – particularly at this time of year.  At first I figured that we wouldn’t be able to afford it in our £80 per week groceries budget. But you know what? We value our health so much that we’re just going to cut down on the stuff we spend cash on that we know doesn’t really fit into our Organikal way of life. How many coffees would we need to quit drinking to pay for the extra cucumbers? Think about it? I’ll bet your good health is worth sacrificing a couple of coffees for …

And there’s an added benefit – the spring clean effect doesn’t just apply to your body, after juicing this lot the house stays smelling wonderfully fresh. Bonus

I’ve been busy creating a new website which I’m excited to share with you here. I hope you like it! It’s called Veg Box Menu : the culinary misdaventures of a cook, a vegetarian, a teenager and the weekly veg box:

What is it?

Well, it is loosely a diary of the meals we eat at Organikal Towers. What happens after the organic veg box is delivered each week.

Why?

I wanted to stop the blank moments that happen when I need to go make dinner at 6pm and a ready formed meal doesn’t just leap out of the fridge! I can type in the ingredients I have and find some meals that I know we like to eat. Quick food. Easy process.

It’s just starting out, so there’s not many meals in there, yet. Hopefully over time – and seasons – this will build up into a nice repertoire of inspiration. I’ll be adding in some sponsored recipes from trusted suppliers, too – thankfully, as I’m not much of a recipe creator, rather a competent assembler of components.

Click here to visit VegBoxMenu

The $2.8million campaign has begun to promote organic food in the UK. You’ll already be aware of my reservations about this campaign, but I want to state here that I fully endorse the sentiments behind it.

Organic UK in Europe

It’s heart warming to see some positive coverage about organics and there’s certainly a need to increase awareness. This research shows UK organic consumption to be well behind our Euro counterparts:

Development of organic consumption (€/head) in leading European Markets (2006 to 2008)

Denmark (€139)
Switzerland (€132)
Austria (€104)
Germany (€71)
France (€47)
UK (€34)

Source Eurostat

Reasons to love organic?

I’d have gone with a Lollipop Test advert born out of the fabulous post by fellow organikaler mook (but I’m not really their audience).

If you’re at all unsure of the reason why you love organic, go here for a 5 question test to help you discover it. Apparently I’m a Nature Lover - that’ll be me, the eco-warrior in disguise.

Share and win

Figured out your answer? Share it on the site and you could win an organic hamper. I entered, yes I did:

I should have completed the test before I gave them my answer

For the sake of providing some real inspiration, here are some more good reasons to GO Organic!

In case you’re wondering, here are some of the reasons given for not buying organic food.

If that label was on the loaf you just bought from the supermarket, would you still buy it?

See, the thing about making my own bread is, I know exactly what’s in it. It’s usually just flour, water, yeast and oil. Because they’re organic ingredients I know there’s no GM hiding in there.

But I know we don’t all have ours to spend whiling away in the kitchen, keeping starters alive and weighing up the merits of flour vs oil for kneading.

And the next bit is where the Real Bread Campaign is full of good advice:

Do you eat bread? If you’re not baking your own, then do look out for and support your nearest artisan baker. It’s the surest way you can be sure of what you’re feeding your family.

p.s. sometimes I take photos of the bread I make and upload them to my Organikal Rising blipfoto journal. It’s hit and miss, but you could be inspired

Yep, it’s that time of the year again. Start thinking about the C word. Marked in the Organikal Kitchen for the last 5 years by the publication of BBC Good Food’s Vegetarian Christmas issue.

What’s inside this year?

First impressions? It’s all gone a little upmarket compared to previous years. Maybe it’s just the typesetting and design, but on first read through, there’s nothing much inspiring me to take action It’s all a little restaurant-inspired for my taste.

Starters form the first recipe section, and after Asparagus & Cheese Pastries (asparagus – in December?), comes Griddled Leeks With Hazelnut Dressing:

Oh, how I laughed as I imagined Martin’s face when I presented this starter to him. “Full of Christmassy flavours”, no doubt – but definitely not one we’ll be recreating here in the Organikal Kitchen. Anyway, we don’t deal with starters anymore at Christmas. There’s so much to the main course, no one is interested in a starter.

I do like the look of the Wild Mushroom Tartlets and can see myself serving these to friends, but my Mum hates mushrooms, so that’s not one I can get past the family. Hummus and Dips arrive next. Look, we don’t really need a recipe for these. It’s more of an idea. Not one for Christmas Day, but for party season it does no harm to stash a few ideas away… and next, Sherried Squash Soup. Squash Soup with sherry added. Hmmmm, an autumn favourite made Christmassy with a drop of sherry. Again, not for me  Omelette Vegetable Rolls is the final offering in this wee chapter. I can’t see me getting around to it.

Oh, I’m really quite disappointed …

The Christmas Mains

I combine my veggie main course with a traditional Christmas roast to cater for all the family, so it’s often the case that the Mains suggested just won’t work alongside the other components. Spiced Potato Cake With Mint Raita case in point – but a useful dish for a dinner party at another time, definitely.

Spinach Roulade with Sundried Tomatoes, though. Really? This does not a Christmas main course make. Come on Good Food – you can do better…

Roasted Vegetable Lasagne? No, really, you are mistaken. Vegetarians eat vegetable lasagne all year long – we don’t want to face one at Christmas. We really don’t And if you’re not veggie and you’re planning on making a vegetarian meal for friends or family, please just give this a miss. Your veggie friends will love you for it.

Chilli Potato Stack with Squash next up. Too faffy for me, what with everything else going on. Oh, how difficult am I? Perhaps if I was serving an elegant dinner for me and the husband, this might work – but for a family of eight. It just isnae going to happen!

Mushroom & Goat’s Cheese Polenta Pie I think this is one I’ll definitely give a shot. Alas, not for Christmas day itself… Really difficult to please, me.

Layered Squash, Barley & Spinach Pie Now we’re talking! This looks really fabulous and delicious and just perfect. But oh, it looks very complicated for Christmas Day morning Perhaps I can do it the day before? Or maybe even the day before that?

Doesn’t it look deliciously scrummy?

The Creamy Risotto Layer Cake is a definite no-no and I can’t get hold of any fennel at this time of year for the Fennel & Gorgonzola Souffle Tart, so that’s out, even if I was moved (I do love a wee bit of Gorgonzola, but there’s no veggie version, is there?).

Any More For Any More?

There’s loads more in this issue, including some special recipes contributed by The Vegetarian Society. Personally, I’m not moved – there’s a lot of tomatoes in there (at Christmas! which veg box supplier does the BBC use?) and stir fries – my very least favourite type of meal.

Maybe I’m saturated. Overloaded with the same recipes over and over. That’s not Good Food’s fault, is it? Like I said, maybe if you’re not veggie and you need some veggie inspiration over the holidays, you might find this more interesting. Just remember to STAY AWAY FROM THE VEGGIE LASAGNE

Time Sensitive Giveaway: iPhone user? Good Food are giving away their Healthy Recipes iPhone app away free this week

Do you have baking disasters? Disappointing, isn’t it?

I had not one, but two this weekend. I blame it on the materials

First up, Saturday morning scones. Organikal child loves a cheesey scone so I bake them for him on Saturday morning, the enticing smell just enough to lure him out of bed (sometimes even on the right side of noon).

Gluten Free Cheese Scones

The flour – a blend of Rice, Potato, Tapioca, Maize & Buckwheat – is lighter to work with than wheat flour and I found it as uncomfortable as touching cotton wool when I was rubbing in the butter. (If you get freaked out with the feel of cotton wool you know what I mean. If that seems weird to you, then you’ll be fine!) When I added the milk it all seemed a bit mashed potatoes, but I gaily went ahead, adding in extra liquid as advised.

Turns out I should have added in more butter as well: the scones were way too crumbly. The child managed to cram a few down his gob, but they were falling apart as soon as you looked at them.

How to Recycle Scones

What to do? Rescue the remainder and whizz them up in the processor. Cheesy scone breadcrumbs straight into a zip lock back and stored in the freezer to be used next day as a savoury crumble topping on top of a tomato bean bake dish ensemble.

Organikal child suggested I use some to dress some fish for him. It’s more likely we’ll have it as a topping on another veggie bake first but if the local fishmonger has anything sustainable that’s substantial enough for crumb, I’ll definitely give it a go.

Banana Muffins for Halloween

Last minute moment of crisis. Is one toffee apple enough to impress kids who dress up and mug perfect strangers for bags of sugar drugs and even cash? I decided I’d supplement the gorgeous burnished apples we were giving out to guisers with something sweet but no less home made – a quick banana muffin for each of them.

Did I learn my lesson from the scone fiasco the day before? Apparently not. Out came two trays of tiny, hard rock cakes – definitely not something to impress guisers with.

A Trifle Disaster

Four failed muffins suffused with strawberry jelly and used as the base for trifle. Did it work? Not really. So what happened to the rest of the wee fellies? You guessed it… straight into the processor and whizzed up into sweet banana breadcrumbs:

I’m thinking a nice topping for a fruity crumble?

Good Housekeeping magazine sometimes makes its way into my reading (definitely an age thing?) and this latest issue had a nifty wee booklet insert “Superfoods Cookbook”.

I love a superfood. Makes up for all the cakes  I instantly adapted a couple of the recipes this week and they made quick, healthy lunchtime recipes you might find useful:

Superfoods Beans on Toast

Takes 10 minutes, serves 4 : all organic ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil; 1 small onion; 1 tsp chilli powder; 400g tin mixed beans; 400g tin haricot beans – drained and rinsed; 400g tin plum tomatoes; 1 tbsp chilli jam; 125ml vegetable stock; sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves; 8 slices home made bread; 50 g Crowdie Cheese*

Heat the oil in the pan with the chilli powder and onions for a few minutes, then add the beans, tomatoes, jam, stock and thyme leaves.

Heat the ingredients gently and toast your bread. Butter your bread (optional) and spoon beans mixture on top, then add a few teaspoons of soft Crowdie cheese on top and serve.

*I get my award winning Connage Crowdie cheese via my vex box delivery from Grow Wild. You could use goats cheese if you prefer.

Simple – and tasty, tasty, very very tasty!

Spiced Rice & Lentils

Takes 40 minutes, serves 3 : all organic ingredients

1/2tsp ground cumin; 1/2tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tbsp dunflower oil; 1 medium onion, sliced; 100g arborio rice; 1/2 pint veg stock; 400g tin green lentils, drained & rinsed; 1 x head broccoli, chopped in 1inch pieces; 6 chopped dried apricots;  handful of sultanas; small handful omega seed mix; small handfull chopped cashew nuts

Put the spices in a large frying pan and heat gently before adding the oil and onions once you can start to smell the spices. Then fry over over a low heat until the onions are soft – about 10 minutes.

Add the rice, toss it in the oil to coat then add the stock and dried fruit. Cook until the stock is absorbed – about 20 minutes.

Meantime, steam your broccoli for about 10 minutes.

Add the lentils to the rice mixture and tip into a large warm bowl with the steamed broccoli and  seed mix. Season to taste and serve.

I loved this. Very veggie. Very old school. Huzzah!

Are you still not convinced about making the switch to organic food?

What are your reasons?

This recent YouGov SixthSense poll shows that a quarter of non-buyers state they don’t think organic food is any better than non-organic food.

But where’s the question that asks them how they feel about eating genetically-modified, hormone-ridden, chemically-laden food? Because that’s what non-organic food can mean.

I’d like to see the rest of this survey but it doesn’t appear to be available online.

You’ve probably heard of The Soil Association before – and perhaps even Garden Organic, if you’ve green fingers, but do you know about The Organic Trade Board or Organic UK?

Have you visited their website Why I Love Organic?

Well, I visited these websites last week to discover that

Sustain and the Organic Trade Board have been successful in their bid to the EU! The UK organic industry now has £2m over three years to run an integrated marketing campaign to help increase sales of organic products and promote the “organic brand”. The main advertising campaign will start in January 2011 and will include significant press advertising in women’s and supermarket magazines. Our objective? A 15% increase in sales per year for the three years of the campaign.

My first thoughts are hurrah! The organic industry does need to wage some kind of sustained, cohesive campaign to promote the organic message to individuals. There is so much adverse coverage leading to headlines which only serve to at best confuse and at worst counteract any evidence that organic produce, organic farming and organic lifestyles enhance our lives and that of the planet.

From the Organic UK site:

It will inform consumers about why they should buy organic products – how to identify organic products, what organic standards say and what the benefits of organic food production are.

The campaign will be a mixture of PR, advertising and on-line promotion. The steering group is optimistic that funds will be raised to make above the line advertising and on-line advertising a possibility for the first time.

Oh, there’s a PR Agency in charge of the campaign. You can check out the introduction to their campaign back in January 2010 (it’s already running late by a quarter) …

You will see that their plan is a “determined focus on the occasional organic shoppers” and the bulk of the advertising will appear in women’s and supermarket magazines. Oh, and they aim to create an online community for individuals to go to share their views.

Really? A whole new community dedicated to the organic movement, in which they are expecting supermarket shopping mums to congregate and swap stories. Because they have time for that. And they don’t have anywhere else to go already? Come off it.

A few supermarket magazine ads and an appearance in Marie Claire with a cute Facebook game ain’t gonna cut it. The campaign is trying to convert 80% of shoppers who contribute 10% of organic sales… with a comparitively speaking teensy budget.

Does this PR agency understand they are competing with the marketing might of Coca-Cola and Tesco? Don’t they understand that supermarket shopping mums will need more than a £2 million ad campaign and a here-today-gone-tomorrow Facebook application to convert them?

Crucially, doesn’t anyone understand that most organic shoppers don’t have their needs met by supermarkets (and I’d bet most organic brands don’t, either)?

The organic movement is already in existence. It already has its supporters and advocates.

Would it not be better for the organic brands to figure out a way to expand their reach and increase their sales values to the 60% of committed organic enthusiasts? Where money doesn’t need to be spent on education. And where you’re not fighting against some pretty dubious business ethics?

Imagine harnessing some of that budget to help match the suppliers and the consumers who choose organic for more reasons than there’s a buy one get one free deal…

The agency ends its proposal with a promise that the campaign will be “Brave, thought-provoking and smart”. I’ll bet my professional reputation that it won’t and it will fail. Or perhaps they’ll hijack Farmville and reach the masses that way and I’ll be proven wrong.

What do you think? How would you tackle this as a marketing issue?