Thank you so much to everyone who popped by my Sustainable House marquee at the Ipswich Sustainable Living Festival on Saturday.

It was fun to chat with so many folks interested in making sustainable changes at home. And, it was also really lovely to hear how much you liked my little educational space.

If you visited and put your name on my mailing list, you should have now received an email with the PDF downloads I promised. If you haven’t received it, please get in touch via the contact page on my website. Sometimes it can be a tad tricky to read people’s handwriting (or I may have made a typo when entering your details). Either way, shoot me a message and I’ll send the PDFs to you pronto!

I look forward to taking this marquee to other events, so if your school/TAFE/uni or local Council has an event that you think would be suitable, I’d love you to get in touch and let me know.

Until then, I update my Instagram page regularly, so drop by and say hi.

I’m running seven natural cleaning workshops on the Sunshine Coast in March, 2024.

Come along and learn how to use easily accessible and affordable ingredients to make better cleaning products for your family and the planet.

You’ll go home with samples of homemade laundry powder, timber furniture polish and cleaning spray.

Tickets are $5, and you need to BYO spray bottle. Everything else is supplied.

Big thanks to the workshop hosts, Sunshine Coast Libraries, and Living Smart by Sunshine Coast Council, for making these workshops possible.

To book your spot, visit the Sunshine Coast Libraries.

Suddenly, the end of the school year is only a week away and already the Christmas tree is up. Though, ‘up’ isn’t really the correct terminology, considering we’ve got a live tree that is always upright. So, let’s instead say ‘decorated’.

Regardless of word choice, I thought you might like to see our success with a living tree. Now 12 months old, our Daintree Pine has not only survived, it has thrived.

I purchased the tree in November 2022. At the time, I was looking to establish new values-aligned traditions for our first family Christmas post-separation. Considering my dislike for plastic, I knew I wanted a sustainable option for our Christmas tree. After researching the price of freshly cut trees, their potential longevity in the Queensland heat, and the climate impact of growing and cutting trees for Christmas, I settled on a live potted tree.

My local nursery has a great selection of plants, and in their Christmas collection, I discovered these Daintree Pines. They’re endemic to the Daintree Forest in northern Queensland, so they’re local-ish to the region I’m in, which means they’re more likely to survive. The species is also classified as vulnerable to extinction, so it’s nice to know I’m helping conserve them.

I opted for some tiny lights on copper wire to decorate the delicate branches. And this year, the branches were strong enough to hold some lightweight decorations we already owned. Mainly, brass-coloured bells and a few glittery birds. The plastic pot is wrapped in a repurposed brown paper bag and adorned with some ribbon that I saved from a gift many years ago.

In my mind, it’s a sustainable yet beautiful Christmas tree that’s perfect for a small home.

When not decorated for the silly season, the tree sits along the south-facing fenceline in my courtyard. It looks nice there, but more importantly, it seems to survive there despite my neglect.

Would you try a living Christmas tree at your house? Or, perhaps you already do. I’d love to hear your take on sustainable Christmas trees.

Spring has arrived early in Queensland.

This past week we’ve enjoyed 27 degrees, despite it only being mid-August. The heat has arrived, but the summer humidity hasn’t, which means it’s rather pleasant. :)

The early arrival of balmy days had me throwing the windows and doors open and beginning my spring cleaning early. Conveniently, it’s also been about one year since I moved into my little house, so having the anniversary overlap with springtime makes deep cleaning all the more likely to occur.

To clean, I used three trusty products (and did a lot of vacuuming):

• Soap and water spray

• Citrus skin vinegar spray

• Homemade furniture polish

These products are all very simple and cheap to make, which is a good thing, because who isn’t short on time and money these days? The cost of living crisis is real.

Making your own cleaning products is a great reminder to keep things simple in life and question the conveniences we’ve been sold. Marketers have done a great job at convincing us for the past few decades that we need an assortment of sprays to clean our homes: window cleaner, bathroom cleaner, kitchen cleaner, multi-purpose cleaner, etcetera etcetera.

The reality is that we can make do with very few ingredients, and people for generations did make do with those ingredients, mainly soap, vinegar, bicarb soda and water.

With those ingredients we can sufficiently clean our homes to prevent the spread of germs, prevent mould growth and of course, keep them looking and feeling fresh.

As an added bonus we minimise our exposure to chemicals, reduce the amount of plastic our households consume, and save money. Win, win, win.

My spring clean began by pulling things out from those frequently-used cupboards that get messy quickly. You know the ones — the cupboard under the kitchen sink, the pantry, and the cupboard beneath the bathroom sink for starters.

The shelves were wiped cleaned and things were placed back inside neatly. It’s also a great opportunity to throw out, repurpose or re-home anything that you don’t need.

I also took the opportunity to wipe down the tops of ceiling fan blades, vacuum the vents in my bathroom extraction fans, empty the washing machine filters and vacuum (yes vacuum) my books. Sounds wacky, but using the vacuum on books is so much quicker and easier than dusting by hand. I reckon it’s also more effective.

I use the same vacuum attachment (the one with bristles) to clean my skirting boards. It’s loads faster than using a cloth and there’s less risk of the dust spreading around the house since it’s getting sucked directly into the vacuum cleaner.

Once all the surfaces were dust-free, I finished with a mop of the floorboards and a cup of tea with several biscuits.

The house stayed clean for a good two days after that spring clean because the kids were at their dad’s house that weekend. But, the return of mess means the return of my favourite people, so mess is something I embrace more enthusiastically these days.

If you’re keen to try making your own cleaning products, I’ve popped some recipes below. Have fun spring cleaning and experimenting with these recipes. Let me know how you go.

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Soap and water cleaning spray:

• 1L spray bottle

• 900mL water

• 1/4 cup liquid castile soap

Soapy water is a cheap and effective way to deactivate most viruses. Combine these ingredients in a spray bottle and use it throughout your home. It costs about $1.90 to make 1L of this cleaning product.

Citrus skin vinegar spray:

• 600mL spray bottle

• 500mL water

• 1/2 cup citrus skin vinegar (or white vinegar with or without a few drops of essential oil)

Firstly, a word of warning. Do not use vinegar-based cleaning products on stone benchtops. It can damage or discolour the stone. Other than that, go nuts. This spray can be used to clean windows, mirrors, showers, timber benchtops, cupboard doors — pretty much everything.

To make citrus skin vinegar, fill a jar with citrus skins. I prefer lemon skins, but you can use whatever you have on hand. (Tip: you can freeze leftover skins until you have enough to fill a jar.)

Once the jar is full, fill it with white vinegar and leave it in the cupboard to soak for two weeks. After that, strain and bottle the vinegar and compost the skins.

This is the cheapest cleaning product you can make. Assuming you are using citrus skins that would otherwise go directly in the compost, you are only paying for the vinegar. To make 600mL, you're paying approximately $0.17.

Homemade furniture polish:

• A wide-mouthed jar

• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

Combine the ingredients in the jar and use an old towel or cleaning rag to wipe onto furniture. The mixture will last months in a dark cupboard, but if it gets mouldy, do throw it away.

Remember, you can use the lemon skins to infuse your vinegar, so don't throw them away.

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Lots of changes have been afoot between the last blog post and now. I’ve moved house, swapping the half-acre almost-off-grid home for a small townhouse with a courtyard. And, I’ve entered the world of co-parenting. But, plenty has remained the same — mainly, a desire to live more sustainably, grow some of my own food, and write for and about ethical businesses and sustainability initiatives.

On this latter topic, I have exciting news. On Saturday, October 8, I’ll be heading out to Ipswich to run a workshop on reducing food waste. The event is part of a month-long series of Sustainable Ipswich events (the full program is here).

For those with good memories, you’ll know that I presented at Sustainable Ipswich last year too. I spoke about how households could reduce their reliance on plastics, and the link plastics have with the climate crisis. I’m so chuffed that I get to come back and do it all again with a new focus.

I have so many mum-hacks for reducing food waste and saving money — especially now that my household is reliant on a single income. And, I can’t wait to share those with you, as well as everything I’ve learned from years of interviewing experts and writing about sustainability.

If you’re keen to attend to my workshop, the event is free, but registrations are essential. You can book your ticket to my morning session online.

Until then, I’ll be getting a little more regular on this blog. There is lots happening in my tiny courtyard and kitchen as I learn how to live sustainably in a smaller space. I hope that’s of interest to you.

For now, here’s a recipe for “green soup” that’s made with food scraps. Sounds gross, but it tastes delicious, I promise. Enjoy!

Green soup

I unearthed two heads of broccoli from the bottom of my fridge recently. They hadn’t spoiled, but certainly weren’t at their freshest. To avoid them heading to landfill (or the compost) I transformed them into soup.

Soup is one of the easiest (and tastiest) ways to use up imperfect produce. It only takes about 30-minutes, and you can whack it all in a pot with little regard to measurements or accuracy.

Here’s what I used in this batch of green soup.

• Two heads of broccoli, roughly chopped;

• A jar of chicken bone broth (I make this in bulk from chicken carcasses and scrap veggies, then freeze it in clean jars);

• A brown onion, roughly chopped;

• Garlic (to taste);

• A zucchini (roughly chopped);

• A couple of handfuls of frozen peas;

• Extra water.

Start by cooking the onion in butter, add your veg and stock, and top up with extra water.

Simmer until vegetables are soft.

Blend. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then stir through grated cheese.

Once cooled, I portion a few servings into clean glass jars and pop them in the freezer for a quick and easy meal another time.

Making your own toothpaste is a quick and easy DIY project that can save you money, minimise your chemical exposure and reduce landfill.

You only need a few plastic-free ingredients and a minute or two of free time. 

Here’s how to make it.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp coconut oil.

• 1 Tbsp bicarb soda.

• Approximately 15 drops of good quality peppermint essential oil.

• A clean jar to store your toothpaste in once mixed.

• Optional: A few drops of liquid stevia (the sweeter will lessen the salty taste of the bicarb soda).

Why those ingredients?

Coconut oil is antibacterial and anti-fungal to help to keep your mouth clean, with some studies showing that it can help to kill the bacteria that causes tooth decay.

Baking soda is mildly abrasive which aids in whitening and cleaning teeth. The essential oil is purely for taste, and can be omitted or swapped for a flavour that you prefer.

Method:

1. Place your coconut oil and baking soda together in a small dish or directly into your clean jar.

2. Use a teaspoon to mix the ingredients well and break down any lumps in your baking soda.

3. Add your peppermint essential oil, and if you’re choosing to add liquid stevia, add this as well. Stir well.

4. Store the toothpaste with the lid on the jar, and use a small spoon to scoop your toothpaste and apply to your toothbrush as per usual.

You’ll notice that this toothpaste doesn’t foam up like regular store bought toothpaste, and if you don’t use a liquid sweeter it can taste a tiny bit salty. After a few days you’ll get used to the change in texture and will probably start to notice improvements to the look of your teeth.

It’s worth noting that commercial toothpaste foams up because it contains Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) — a detergent commonly found in body wash, shampoo, beauty products and even some cleaning solutions. There’s a fair whack of misinformation around SLS causing cancer, but from what I can tell, the main concern with SLS is that it irritates the skin (one German study found it irritated the skin of 42% of users!). The University of Queensland has a nice explainer article here if you care to do some reading into it.

Whether this means you want to avoid SLS is a personal decision. Plenty of people I know avoid it in shampoos because it irritates their scalp, but most people don’t seem too phased by it in toothpaste.

To me, the cost-saving and waste-minimilisation benefits of making your own toothpaste are more of a priority. Plus, the fewer the ingredients, the smaller the carbon footprint.

Whatever your motivation, it’s worth giving this DIY a go. You’ve got nothing to lose but your bad breath. :)

Note that coconut oil turns to liquid at around 24°C, so you might need to store your toothpaste in the fridge during the summer months.

Small acts matter

When it comes to tackling the climate crisis, we need to collectively take big and small actions. We need big, bold, sweeping changes from policymakers and big ideas and innovations from scientists and researchers. And, we also need small individual actions every single day that help to reduce our carbon footprint, because these small acts also direct our policymakers — an idea that’s summed up nicely in Howard Zinn’s quote above.

But before I get further into what actions we can take, I first want to acknowledge a few things.

It’s important to note that making changes to your life or lifestyle requires certain privileges. They might be financial, time, education, health, accessibility privileges or something else. It is a privilege to live within your values.

We also need to understand change takes time. For most families, it takes saving and strategising, and that's ok. Though, there are some quick wins I'll share too. But this is a reminder to just offer a little self-compassion and know that change takes time and sometimes it's two steps forward and one step backwards. Do the best you can with the knowledge and resources available to you.

The climate crisis feels overwhelming for a reason

The climate crisis feels overwhelming because it’s a huge problem, and also because our brains only began to comprehend a future a few hundred years ago. With a focus on basic needs like food, shelter and sex, we seek out ways to affirm that everything is alright, despite the bombardment of facts that show us otherwise. And that's one of the reasons dystopian reporting has failed to motivate the masses. Other reasons include campaigns of misinformation by fossil fuel industries and profiteers.

But let’s focus on our brains and how we can direct them into a state of action.

Act local first, then think global

The antidote to climate grief and inaction is optimism and local action. When something is completely overwhelming, we need to make the problem smaller. It’s the old: how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

And right now, we have seen some unfortunately timely reasons why action is required. 

Ipswich, Goodna, Brisbane, Gympie, the Sunshine Coast and Northern NSW, parts of Sydney have been smashed by storms and floods in recent weeks.

And, the unfortunate reality is that these storms and floods aren’t freak events. 

Scientists have warned for decades that severe weather events will increase in severity and strength as the planet heats. And the latest IPCC report, released right in the middle of these floods, paints a stark reality.

The 2022 IPCC report

Some key points from the latest report include:

• The climate crisis will hit Australia more than any other developed nation. We are already feeling the effects more than any other developed nation.

• Australia has already warmed by 1.44℃ — we are fast approaching the 1.5℃ increase we heard about so much in the Paris Agreement. (The global average increase is 1.2℃)

• The world is on track to exceed 1.5℃ in the next decade.

• Children under 12 will experience four times more natural disasters in their lifetime.

• Up to 14% of all species will face a very high risk of extinction.

• Mass starvations are predicted.

• This is our best-case scenario.

Get angry and start doing

There’s plenty in this report that angers me, especially when we know scientists warned about all of these changes for decades. Yet, despite those warnings and despite knowing Australia is going to be badly impacted, we still don’t have decent climate policies. In fact, we’re ranked last for climate policies.

Anger is an important reaction because it tells us injustice has occurred. We can then take time to pinpoint our anger and transform it into action.

Here are some ideas on where to begin.

Begin with the things that save you money: electricity

Natalie Isaacs, the woman who founded 1 Million Women, began her sustainability journey by focusing on reducing her electricity bill. She made some small changes and reduced her electricity bill by 20%. She was thrilled to have saved money, but also to be using less coal-fuelled electricity. And this is the prime example of how the climate crisis is a "we" problem, not a "you" problem.

On its own, this action is a nice financial saving that makes you feel good. But if millions of people do it, it adds up to a big tangible result.

And there are plenty of really simple ways to reduce your electricity consumption.

• Switch off appliances at the wall when not in use

• Set air conditioning close to outside temperature — every degree cooler adds 10% to running costs. Or, use a fan instead of air-con.

• Cover windows with curtains or awnings to prevent heat loss or warming.

• Avoid the clothes dryer and use the sun instead.

• Use eco settings on appliances

• Replace your lightbulbs. An old-style 75-Watt light bulb costs about $23 per year to run in the average home, whereas a quality 6-Watt LED produces the same amount of light and costs less than $5 per year to run ($27 annual saving per bulb)

• A digital smart metre might also help you pinpoint electricity use in real-time.

• In winter you can add rugs to tile and timber floors, close doors to trap heat, and use an electric oil heater to warm a room. Oil heaters are one of the most efficient heaters on the market. They can take a little while to warm up, but if you set them on a timer, you can have a snug room to wake up to or come home to.

The future is electric

An electric future might sound a little contradictory when I’ve just told you to minimise your electricity consumption. Let me explain more.

Every year the Australian electricity grid gets greener, but fossil fuels will always remain a problem.

If you’re looking to replace a stove or a car (or anything else that presents options other than electric), always go electric. Saul Griffith (Biden’s climate advisor, and an inventor and author) is one of the biggest advocates of this message (you can read his book for more info). And for good reason.

Australia is in the top 10 solar-energy producing countries in the world, and when you look at the top 10 small-scale solar-producing locations within Australia — Queensland takes six of those top 10 positions. And that number will continue to grow. 

And in QLD, the Queensland renewable energy target (QRET) requires that 50% of Queensland's electricity consumption is sourced from renewables by 2030.

Transport

Australians love cars. And it’s understandable because we live in a huge country, and regional areas aren’t always easy to navigate on public transport.

But each day, it’s estimated we have more than 8 million people driving to work or study. And, ¾ of those vehicles carry only ONE person.

Transport is Australia’s third-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, with emissions from transport increasing nearly 60% since 1990, more than any other sector, according to the Climate Council.

We have to rethink how we use our cars.

Diesel engines have been regarded as a more sustainable option because they can deliver up to 40% better fuel efficiency than petrol. But, these types of engines perform best when towing and driving long distances. When used for stop-start city driving, diesel exhaust filtration systems can become clogged, and a small and fuel-efficient petrol engine may actually be more efficient.
But, the future is electric remember? 

Electric vehicles

So, if cash is less of a concern, an electric vehicle is going to be the best option — but only once your old car is completely dead. A hybrid is another option that’s also cheaper than electric cars, though still dependent on fossil fuels. 

While there are limited options for electric vehicles on the Australian market right now (mainly as a result of Australia having weak emissions targets which encourage car manufacturers to prioritise the rollout of EV vehicles to other countries), the market is growing.

As of September 2021, Australia had 31 electric vehicles on the market. By the end of 2022, there will be 58 different models on the market. And, competition and tech improvements will reduce the price of electric vehicles in time.

By 2030, it’s expected that electric vehicles in Australia will be more affordable to buy and run than traditional vehicles. Your current car is probably going to be the last fossil-fuel-powered car you ever own.

Until that time when we’re all driving electric cars, and even probably still then, we need to reduce the use of our cars.

Transport alternatives

Carpooling whenever possible is a great option, or if you’re able, try going car-free and using car-share services.

Public transport is also a great option, especially rail.

Rail transport is one of the world’s most energy-efficient modes, producing up to five times less greenhouse gases per passenger kilometre than cars.

Of course, if you live close to your work, shops or university – bikes or walking is the best option of all if you’re physically able.

Food

Sitting down to eat doesn’t normally feel like a destructive habit — it’s essential to our survival. But food production requires enormous amounts of water, fertilisers, pesticides, chemicals and fuel to grow and transport.

And after all those resources are used to grow food, Aussie turf more than 3 million tonnes each year. I’m not going to dive into how we can minimise the impact of discarding food waste, because another speaker will chat about composting. But I will tell you how to make better food decisions initially.

One of the first places to start is by choosing locally grown food – reducing those food miles reduces the carbon footprint of the product. 

You can also eat seasonally. Again, fresh food grown in season isn’t stored for months in cool rooms which chew through electricity. And it’s not imported from foreign countries.

Lastly, you can try to eat more organically grown food. Certified organic food can be expensive, but you’ll probably find there are small-scale farms and market gardeners in your area that grow using organic principles but just haven’t bothered acquiring the expensive certification. These types of growers usually offer subscription services for veggie boxes, and they can actually be really affordable.

Food

Eat fewer animal products, especially beef and dairy.

Farming cows and sheep is resource-intensive farming. They require significant space and consume the most resources in terms of food and water. They also produce methane, a greenhouse gas that is 28 times more potent than CO2.

Cattle are the most inefficient of all animals. They produce the most methane and account for one-third of the water footprint of all farm animals.

Using our land and resources to raise livestock at increasing levels is simply unsustainable, particularly when the global population is estimated to grow from 7.2 billion to a staggering 9.7 billion by 2050.

We currently face a food gap of enormous proportions in some parts of the world, and changing the types of food we eat has a role to play in bridging it.

• Treat meat as a sometimes food – use smaller amounts to add flavour to cooking instead of dominating your meal.

• Consider the whole animal as food, and choose less popular cuts and organs.

• Reduce your dairy consumption or choose plant-based milk and yoghurt. Choose locally grown and packaged products where possible.

• You can also grow your own. Begin with herbs for cooking or tea, and leafy greens are also a great option for shady gardens or beginner gardeners. Remember, you don’t need to be perfect, but any small step you can take is a good one.

Reduce your plastic consumption

Plastic production is linked to the climate crisis.

More than 90% of plastics are made from petroleum and natural gas. Oil companies actually use up excess oil by making new types of plastic.

The oil is extracted using resources, and the manufacturing, shipping, and distribution all use more resources. 

If the plastic is recyclable — and not all plastics are (and no type of plastic can be recycled infinitely) — recycling involves shipping waste to overseas recycling plants, using more resources.

Plastic is responsible for more emissions than the aviation industry — almost double at 3.8% of global emissions.
If plastic was a country, it would be the 5th highest emitter in the world.

If you reduce your plastic consumption, you will reduce your household carbon footprint.

How to reduce your plastic consumption

You can reduce your household plastic consumption by:

• Cooking from scratch.

• Shopping from bulk stores or, choosing the biggest bag instead of products that are packaged in single portions (minimising waste is still better than nothing).

• Reassess the sorts of products you have under your bathroom sink.

• Use solid shampoos and conditioners and bar soaps

• Make your own cleaning products (I have recipes here as well as loads more tips)

Fashion shouldn’t be fast

Aussies are the world’s second-largest textile consumers, Australians purchase an average of 27 kilograms of new textiles annually (the global average is 13 kilograms). 

Most of these items are made in sweat-shop conditions overseas, and, two-thirds of the clothes and textiles we buy are made from synthetic petroleum-derived fibres which never biodegrade and shed tiny plastic particles when washed (microfibers), polluting our waterways and entering our food chain. 

And, to make matters worse, Australians send an average of 23 kilograms of textiles to landfill each year, or 6,000 kilograms every 10 minutes!

• Stop buying so many new clothes.

• Shop secondhand.

• Hire or borrow outfits for special occasions.

• Choose natural fibres — organically grown if possible (organic cotton uses much less water and chemicals to produce).

• Learn to sew so you can repair clothes or modify them.

Other areas to consider

Almost everything we do can be done in a way that is a little lighter on the earth (and our carbon emissions). Other areas to consider that I don’t have time to mention today include:

• Materials and design specifics when building or renovating a home.

• How and where we travel.

• How we consume and recycle electronics.

• How we garden (choose natives and grow some food).

• Hygiene products for menstruating people and babies.

• How we bank and invest our money (you can read part of an article I wrote about ethical banking here).

Vote for climate

We have a federal election coming up soon and it’s our best opportunity for change. We need leaders who are brave enough and care enough to put proper climate policies in place.

So, that means we need to do our homework before the election. There’s no point walking into this election and voting for whichever party you usually vote for just because that’s who you usually vote for. We must be informed voters this election.

Scott Morrison’s government has already released their climate policy. It’s not good enough, but we’ve seen it.

The Australian Labour Party has not released any climate policy. That’s not good enough either.

In the lead up to this election we must spend time emailing or calling our MPs and asking:

• WHAT is your climate policy?

And importantly,

• WHEN will your party stop accepting donations from people or corporations that profit from fossil fuel industries?

Be very clear when speaking to elected officials and look for actual answers in their responses — what will they actually do if elected?

We need our leaders to know their electorate cares about the climate crisis. And we as voters need to know who is funding their campaign.

Vote independent?

In July 2021, the Grattan Institute released a report looking into the decline of policy reform over the last decade and concluded the best way to get important reforms implemented, is for independent members of parliament to champion institutional changes.

This is because whichever government is voted in this year is likely to be a minority government. Which means they’ll have to negotiate to pass legislation.

If we vote for independents who are climate-focused, this might be our best way to get major policy reforms through parliament.

The report also debunks the idea that an independent vote is a wasted vote because this particular election landscape is unique. You can read the report here.

To begin, I wrote down all the things I wanted from a new car:

• A car that could last me for 10-15 years,

• A car with at least half the fuel consumption of my current vehicle,

• A brand that I trusted with ample spare parts available and a proven track record of delivering on their promises,

• Ideally a plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle that could help maximise the use of our solar panels,

• A car that’s large enough to transport a family, their luggage and eventually another large-sized dog (an SUV).

When heading down the rabbit hole of hybrid and electric vehicles, I learned lots. Here’s a little summary.

1. Even if you buy a hybrid or electric vehicle, you won’t save money on fuel unless you keep the vehicle for its entire lifetime. This is because hybrids and electrics cost so much more money initially. But, over a lifetime, you will see savings and there are other benefits like cleaner air and few emissions.

2. Some climate experts like Saul Griffith recommend you purchase an electric vehicle even if you don’t have solar at home. That’s because the Australian energy grid is becoming greener and will continue to become greener, whereas fossils fuels are never going to improve.

3. Electric vehicles are more emission-intensive to make because of their batteries, but, their electric motors are more efficient than fossil-fuel dependant motors which evens things out, and, just like our improving electricity grid, the production of electric vehicles will continue to improve.

4. The mining of materials for lithium batteries is problematic, to say the least, especially when it comes to cobalt. Cobalt can leach into the environment, it’s really dangerous for young children and about 70% of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo where known child labour occurs. To make it worse, those kids mining cobalt have no adequate PPE. Though, cleaning up supply chains is a work-in-progress and improvements are being made.

5. Like all batteries, those used in electric vehicles contain valuable resources that need to be recycled for safety reasons and to ensure those resources aren’t wasted. This is a vital step in the lifecycle of electric vehicles, and one you need to commit to seeing through. But also, the Australian government needs to commit to better battery recycling within our country.

6. Australia is a long way behind electric vehicle uptake compared to countries in Europe where governments have set strong emission reduction targets and even put an end date to traditional cars (in Norway, for example, petrol and diesel vehicles are banned from 2025). As a result, the options for electric vehicles in Australia are crummy. That said, only 1 in 20 new cars registered globally in 2020 were electric, but it’s increasing and car manufacturers are “driving” the change. Many of the big car brands have targets to become completely electric, meaning, in time, you will have no option except to buy an electric car (especially since Australia no longer has a car manufacturing industry).

7. According to the ABS, Australia has 20 million registered vehicles and only 23,000 are EV’s but that rate is growing (fast).

8. As of September 2021, Australia had 31 electric vehicles on the market. By the end of 2022, there will be 58 different models on the market. Competition and tech improvements will reduce the price of electric vehicles in time.

9. If you live in NSW, ACT or VIC, there are tax benefits if you buy an electric vehicle.

10. The Australian government is still expanding its electric vehicle charging network in Australia. Right now it’s good considering how few electric vehicles are on the road, but it needs to improve. Thankfully, in the future, high-speed charging stations are predicted to be as prevalent as petrol stations. Again, Australia has just been slow on the uptake.

11. The price of electric batteries has dropped massively and will continue to drop. By 2030, it’s expected that electric vehicles in Australia will be more affordable to buy and run than traditional vehicles.

12. The future of cars is electric.

Considering all of that information, as well as what I needed from a car, here were my (limited) options for a hybrid SUV:

1. A plug-in hybrid Mitsubishi Outlander. Plug-in hybrids have an electric battery you can charge and run for a certain mileage before it switches to a petrol operated engine. For this car, the electric range is around 54km. That means, I could use electric for all my school pick-ups and running around, but still rely on fuel for longer trips. In 2022, this car will also come in a 7-seater option. The starting price for a 5-seater in 2022 is $52,000 before on-road costs. It’s also worth noting that the used market for this car is slim. It seems Aussies aren’t quite ready to part with this car.

2. Ford Escape, another SUV plug-in hybrid hitting Australia sometime in 2022. This one is expected to start at $53,000 before on-road costs and because it’s a new model, there is no used market.

3. A Toyota RAV4 hybrid. This sort of hybrid doesn’t plugin, so I wouldn’t be able to utilise my solar panels to help keep the running costs low. Instead, the electric batteries are charged when you brake. This hybrid technology has been around for ages and is typically used in taxis in Australia. These hybrids are very efficient if you live in a city and are frequently braking, but, if you’re cruising on highways and not braking frequently, they’re less efficient. A 2022 RAV4 hybrid starts at $44,610 drive away. As a bonus, Toyota has been making these cars for ages. So, the used marketplace has lots of them (though it’s worth noting they retain a pretty high value even when secondhand), there are plenty of spare parts for similar reasons and you can trust that the batteries will last the lifetime of the vehicle (some taxis are still operating on the original batteries with more than 300,000km on their dials).

So, what did I buy?

I wanted a plug-in hybrid very badly. I wanted this for so many reasons, but mainly because I have solar panels and I want to maximise my return on that investment. But, we all have budgets. And sadly, a plug-in hybrid was outside of what I could pay for a car, especially considering I have to spend an additional $3,000 on modifying a vehicle so I can safely drive it (thanks to a chronic condition I was born with).

So, I’ve gone for a 2020 model Toyota RAV4 hybrid with very low mileage (it was a demo vehicle). It wasn’t my first choice, but I’m happy with it when considering the limited options in hybrid or electric family vehicles.

The Toyota will halve my fuel consumption and because I keep my cars for the lifetime of the vehicle (mainly because of the previously mentioned disability modification but also because I don’t care much for cars), this car will save me money despite the fact that it costs more initially than a petrol RAV4. And, I have lots of trust in the technology used by Toyota, in their Japanese manufacturing and their safety record.

I also take some comfort knowing that this will the last petrol-operated car I ever own. The future is electric, but for now, I’m stuck on fossil fuels like most other Australians.

It’s also worth noting that despite predictions that EV’s and hybrids will become cheaper, they’ve actually increased in price in Australia in 2022. This is mainly being blamed on the pandemic which has caused parts and labour shortages, as well as increased freight prices.

The roll-on impact of this means the used car market is also really expensive at the moment and wait times are huge for new vehicles. A mechanic I spoke to was delighted that for the first time in his life, he has turned profits on the last couple of used cars he’s sold. Another friend was pleased that they sold their used car for the same price they paid for it many years earlier. Right now, it’s not a great time to buy a car.

Some useful resources I’ve pulled facts from for this blog:

PODCAST: Why your next car will be electric (this one is nice and short - highly recommend!)

PODCAST: Saul Griffith (Biden’s climate advisor) chats with Sarah Wilson about the electric future of Australia

READ: Mitsubishi Outlander pricing in 2022

READ: The best hybrids arriving in 2022

READ: New Volkswagen models for 2022

READ: How green are electric vehicles

I recently asked people via Instagram if I should share some short reviews of the books I read each month. There was an overwhelming consensus for yes, so here goes — my January reads with a small review. Hopefully, it helps fellow avid readers find their next few titles to add to their to-read pile.

In January, I read three books and ingested another three via a free trial with Audible.

I'll admit, audiobooks felt a little like cheating at first, and I missed not seeing the arrangement of words. But, it was terrific for filling in tedious hours driving (I did two long road trips that month) and doing housework.

For those who are always on the lookout for their next read, here are my thoughts on my January reads.

1. The Dictionary of Lost Words, by Pip Williams.

I adored this book. Set between the 1880s and late 1920s, it's about the curation of the first Oxford Dictionary and the emission of "female words"—the words that describe women or were used by women that failed to meet the (white male) criteria for addition to the dictionary. But more than that, this book is about women's rights, and what it was to be a mother, wife, sister, daughter and female during the suffrage movement and Great War.

Definitely recommend this book!

2. But You Seemed So happy, by Kimberly Harrington.

Another great read. This collection of personal essays was sometimes sad, often laugh-out-loud funny, and really highlighted the ups, downs and quirkiness of the institution of marriage.

Whether you're happily married, happily single, unhappily married or unhappily single, there's something in this for anyone who has ever had to coinhabit with a loved one.

3. Love Stories, by Trent Dalton.

Like so many Brisbane folks, I have a sweet spot for Trent Dalton that may or may not influence my opinion on his writing. Overall, I found this book to be a soothing balm for the craziness of the current world—a pre-sleep affirmation that love is all we ned.

To write this book, Trent sat in the middle of Brisbane CBD with an old typewriter and asked people to tell him a love story. The collection of stories he curated shows depth and variety, and they are a wonderful mix of happy and sad tales and some deeply Brisbane-based stories.

The only thing I thought was missing from this book was a strong story arc to compel you forward. That said, it was still delightful and beautifully written.

4. How We Love, by Clementine Ford

This was the first Audible title I listened to. Narrated by Clem, she had me ugly-crying while I mopped my floor within the first few chapters.

There was so much to relate to in this book. Stories of parental love and loss, the love between friends, romantic love (and subsequent heartbreak), and of course, the strongest love of all: maternal love. It was such an honestly written book. Definitely recommend!

5. Daisy Jones and the Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I was expecting to be mad about this book, and it was good, but it wasn't my favourite, and it isn't a title I'd go back over for the sake of comfort reading. 

The story is about a band (The Six), and Daisy Jones (a rich, white, beautiful singer who had an unloving childhood and subsequently abuses drugs). It's also about love, addiction, rivalry, lust, music, devotion and the things and people that ground us.

This book is being made into a film, and it will be a great film. The book totally lends itself to the screen. And I have no doubt it will be a big hit. I think I'm just getting old, and I've seen my fair share of books and films about drug-addicted white musicians who need to sort their shit out.

Don't get me wrong, this is a good book with a compelling plot, and I enjoyed it. I just didn't love it. 

6. Beautiful World, Where Are You, by Sally Rooney.

This is another book I didn't love (or really even like), which surprised me because I've really enjoyed Sally's other books and know she’s an extremely talented writer.

Set in Ireland, it's about two friends, Eilleen and Alice, and their romantic interests—Simon and Felix. The storytelling alternates between Eilleen's story and Alice's story, with an email exchange from one or the other used as a divider.

I enjoyed moments in this book, but overall, I didn't get into it. The characters weren't very relatable to me; the email exchanges bordered on pretentious, making them appear unbelievable, and there's something about listening to people in their late 20s talk about their life failings that just annoyed me. Plus, the email exchanges seemed to show a very intelligent and modern understanding of the world, but then their romantic relationships were so neurotic.

I have no doubt many people will enjoy this book, but clearly I wasn’t in the targeted audience because it just didn’t resonate with me.

Whenever our oven goes on, I try to make sure it’s full. That way we aren’t wasting any of the precious resources used to heat it. In order to fill it with minimal effort, it’s tempting to resort to packet mixes. But I hate plastic packaging, I like to control how much sugar goes into our food, AND packet mixes can be expensive compared to baking your own.

Over the years, I’ve found a few cake recipes that require minimal effort, and these have become my go-to cakes for filling the oven. They don't require eggs to be separated, flour to be sifted, or even the use of electric beaters. Simply dump the ingredients in a bowl, mix and bake. They're foolproof and ready to bake within five minutes.

As an added bonus, these recipes freeze really well. So, I simply slice them once cooled and freeze them in containers. I add the frozen wedges to school lunchboxes as required, and they defrost during the day without going soggy.

Using a loaf or square tin makes slicing and freezing much easier.

Enjoy!

Chocolate chip cake:

• 2 cups self-raising flour

• 2 tablespoons cocoa

• 1 cup sugar

• 1.5 cups milk

• 2 eggs

• 2 tablespoons melted butter

• 2-3 handfuls of chocolate chips

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

• Combine all the ingredients, except the chocolate chips and butter, into a mixing bowl.

• Use a whisk to combine all the ingredients, removing any lumps.

• Melt the butter in a small dish (covered) in the microwave.

• Add the butter to the other ingredients and mix well again.

• Using a silicone or wooden spoon, stir through your desired ratio of chocolate chips.

• Pour into a lined loaf tin.

• Bake at 180 degrees for one hour.

Four ingredient coconut cake:

• 1 cup dedicated coconut (I chop shredded coconut in my blender)

• 1 cup self-raising flour

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 cup milk

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Use a whisk to combine.

• Pour into a lined loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes.

• Serve as is, or with butter.

I've summarised the main points from my presentation in this handy-dandy blog post for those who couldn't make the workshop. I've even included the recipes for three super-simple cleaning products I demonstrated in the workshop.

I hope you find this information useful and would love to hear any questions, feedback or ideas you'd like to share. Just add them to the comments section, and I'll get back to you.

x

Why we should reduce our household plastic consumption

In my mind, there are three main reasons we should all aim to reduce our household plastic consumption. While we might agree with all the reasons, holding at least one reason very close to your heart is required when making ongoing long-term changes. Because, frankly, there will be times when it all seems a little too hard to go against the mainstream. Returning to your reason 'why' will help keep you on track.

1. Plastic production is linked to the climate crisis. More than 90% of plastics are made from petroleum and natural gas.

The process of extracting these natural resources is resource-intensive. Then, the process of manufacturing and distributing plastics requires more resources again. If the plastics are recyclable, and not all are recyclable (and none can be indefinitely recycled like glass), the waste plastics are usually shipped to an overseas country for processing. Shipping and recycling use more resources again.

If plastic was a country, it would be the fifth-highest carbon emitter.

Plastic has a carbon footprint almost double that of the aviation industry. Plastic is responsible for 3.8% of global carbon emissions.

If you reduce your use of plastics, you will also reduce your household carbon footprint. An excellent reason in my mind.

2. Plastic pollution is everywhere.

Plastic packaging is new. It didn't really enter the consumer domain until the 1960s and 1970s, and approximately 50% of the plastic ever produced has occurred in the last 15 years. Considering the short period plastic has been around, the damage is immense.

Plastic pollution can be found on the tallest mountain on earth and the deepest ravine.

Microfibres (the tiny fibres synthetic textiles shed) make up 85% of all man-made debris found on shores across the globe. Using a guppy bag at home will help reduce this statistic, as will avoiding synthetic textiles and carpets.

Microplastics are being found in the placenta of unborn children, where it is inadvertently passed from the mother via her food and water consumption.

Babies have been found to have 10-20 times more PET microplastics in their faeces than adults. Researchers believe this is because babies and toddlers eat and drink from plastic pouches, plastic water bottles and plastic milk bottles while also gumming plastic toys and synthetic textiles and carpets.

Reducing our plastic consumption will help "turn the tap off" on this environmental disaster.

3. Plastic pollution kills animals

According to the World Wildlife Foundation, 100,000 marine animals die annually from ingesting or becoming entangled in plastic. This includes seals, whales, dolphins, porpoises and sea lions.

An astounding 1,000,000 seabirds die each year for the same reason.

When researchers compare the rate of seabirds ingesting plastic over time, the recent impact becomes obvious. In 1960, 5% of seabirds had plastic in their stomach. By 1980, 80% of seabirds had plastic in their stomach. By 2050, it's estimated 99% of seabirds will be ingesting plastic.

Research into the effects of plastic on seabirds suggests that the birds are being impacted by the toxins in the plastic. While there is little research to show ingesting plastics as adults have health implications, I still find this fact concerning. Especially when I think of babies and young children who may be ingesting more plastic than adults.

How to begin reducing your plastic use

To begin, you need to accept that reducing plastic takes time and perfection is probably unattainable. Instead, making slow and imperfect steps to reduce your plastic consumption is the best solution.

Do not throw out all the plastics you currently own; it's wasteful of money and resources. Use up what you have, then make better consumer choices.

To begin, a waste audit can be a valuable tool. There are plenty of resources online to help guide you through conducting a waste audit, but it basically entails going through your rubbish and looking for areas to improve upon.

For example, if you have a bin full of plastic soft-drink bottles, investing in a new or second-hand Soda Stream would be an obvious solution.

If you have a bathroom cabinet full of different shampoo bottles, using them up and then purchasing solid shampoo bars will be your solution.

If you have a rubbish bin full of takeaway containers, learning to cook or carrying reusable containers for your takeaway would both be better solutions.

Even if you don't conduct a proper waste audit, writing a list may be very helpful for keeping you on track with goals.

The plastic-free bathroom

For me, the bathroom was one of the easiest places to start reducing plastics. I have dabbled in Lush's solid shampoo and beauty products over the past 15 years, and in more recent years, have settled upon Ethique's solid shampoo range. I prefer their new concentrate range for conditioner, which comes as a solid but melts when added to boiling water. The concentrate shampoo and conditioner is also my preferred product for my children who struggle to use solid options.

There are also plenty of reusable sanitary products available these days. Reusable razors are easy to buy online, switching to plastic-free toilet paper is as simple as subscribing to Who Gives a Crap, and swapping your plastic toothbrush for a bamboo option is a no-brainer.

The bathroom might also be your first pit-stop for a plastic overhaul.

Reduced-plastic cleaning

For decades marketers have done a great job convincing us we need a cabinet full of sprays to clean our homes. In fact, the opposite is true.

Our great-grandparents cleaned their homes with soap, water, vinegar and bicarb, with maybe some washing soda or borax. Regardless, the ingredients required to clean a house are very simple and cheap. They will likely still require some plastic purchases (vinegar comes in plastic bottles, for example), but you'll still use less plastic which is excellent.

Castile soap (also known as cold-pressed soap) is the epitome of plastic-free cleaning and an essential for your cleaning toolbox. It's a very old form of soap that traditionally comes from Spain and is made with used olive oil - the scraps from frying food. It's non-toxic, gentle on the skin and can be used for everything.

American castile soap manufacturer, Dr Bronners, claims castile soap can be used for at least 18 different things. They are hand soap, body wash, shaving, removing makeup, washing pets, hand-washing dishes, mopping floors, washing windows, washing walls, toilet cleaner, multipurpose spray, laundry, hand-washing clothes, cleaning makeup brushes, controlling ants and aphids, rinsing fruit and veg, as a foot soak and even cleaning your teeth.

If you plan on using liquid castile soap, this dilution cheat sheet will guide you through how to use this one product for so many purposes.

Now, onto the recipes, I shared in the workshop.

How to make Covid-killing multi-purpose spray

• 1L spray bottle

• 900mL water

• 1/4 cup liquid castile soap

Soapy water is a cheap and effective way to deactivate most viruses, including the coronavirus. Combine these ingredients in a spray bottle and use it on your benches, stovetop, shower, bathroom, steering wheel, door handles or anywhere else.

To convince you further, here's a price breakdown.

• 500mL liquid castile soap from The Source will cost about $15. Depending on your local Source store, you may also be able to refill the plastic bottle time and time again.

• You will be able to make 8L of multi-purpose spray from 500mL soap

• Therefore, 1L of multi-purpose spray will cost aproximately $1.85

How to make a lemon-scented vinegar spray

• 600mL spray bottle

• 500mL water

• 1/2 cup lemon-skin vinegar (or white vinegar with or without a few drops of essential oil)

Firstly, a word of warning. Do not use vinegar-based cleaning products on stone benchtops. It can damage or discolour the stone. However, this cleaner is great for soap-scum, stove-tops, or basically any other surface in the home.

To make lemon-skin vinegar, fill a jar with lemon skins. You can also use other members of the citrus family like orange or lime. Once the jar is full, fill it with white vinegar and leave it in the cupboard to soak for two weeks. After that, strain and bottle the vinegar and compost the skins.

This is the cheapest cleaning product you can make. Assuming you are using citrus skins that would otherwise go directly in the compost, you are only paying for the vinegar. To make 600mL, you're paying approximately $0.17.

Tip: You can freeze your citrus skins until you have enough to fill a jar.

How to make timber furniture polish

• A wide-mouthed jar

• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

Combine the ingredients in the jar and use an old towel or cleaning rag to wipe onto furniture. The mixture will last indefinitely in a dark cupboard.

The current price of lemons is approximately $0.70 each, and you'll need about 1.5 lemons. If you're buying olive oil in a 3L tin like we do, this furniture polish will cost you approximately $1.

Remember, you can use the lemon skins to infuse your vinegar, so don't throw them away.

Please note, this recipe comes from the legendary simple-living guru, Rhonda Hetzel. I highly recommend you check out her blog or books (she's written three) for more brilliant recipes and tips.

What else?

Once you start reducing household plastics, you'll likely fall down a sustainability rabbit hole based on waste reduction and minimising consumerism. This is an excellent thing.

We are far too wasteful and consume way too much. I would encourage you to think hard before making any further purchases. You may already have a plastic-free solution at home if you're prepared to adopt an old-fashioned mentality. Think: waste not, want not; make do and mend; and, all the other war-time slogans our great-grandparents grew up with pre-plastic.

Good luck, and be kind to yourself. You won't always get it right, but you can always do something. Start with what you have and spread the word. The world needs more changemakers like you who are prepared to do something.

Nicole x

Exciting news, folks. I'm going to be chatting in a live workshop next month about reducing plastics in your home.

Hosted by Ipswich City Council as part of Ipswich Sustainability Month, I'll be sharing information about what I've learned from my family's own eco-journey, as well as tips from sustainability and environmental experts who I've interviewed during my career as a freelance writer.

While the event is called Plastic Free at Home, I won't be telling you how to become a perfect zero-waster because our family is not zero-waste. But, I can share how slow, small, imperfect steps over many years can have a big impact. And what the world needs right now is many people taking those small steps, instead of only a handful of people doing zero-waste perfectly.

If you're interested in coming along to the session, you can reserve your spot at the Plastic Free at Home workshop today.

For those who aren't local to Ipswich, I'll be sharing lots of useful tips and tricks on my blog throughout the month of November. So, make sure your sign up to my blog to receive alerts whenever I post.

Keen to get started now? Here's a few things I've already written on my blog and in other places.

• How to make a low waste lunchbox.

• Ten years of Plastic Free July: my interview with PFJ founder, Rebecca Prince-Ruiz.

• How to reduce your bathroom waste, part one.

• How to reduce your bathroom waste, part two.

• How to make your own beeswax wraps.

• How to reduce waste in the festive season: an interview with Biome founder, Tracey Bailey.

• How to make your own reusable produce bags.

• How to make your own whipped body butter.

• Tips and tricks on how to travel without waste.

• How to teach kids about sustainability.

• How to make your own laundry liquid.

• How to manage your family waste.

• How to make your own packet mix cakes and biscuits.

• How to reduce seasonal waste by creating your own reusable party pack.

• How to reduce seasonal waste through thoughtful gift giving (and wrapping).

• How to make your healing calendula salve.

• Plastic free ways to avoid dry skin.

• Make your own COVID-safe cleaning spray.

Want to know more about anything in the photo above? Comment below.

Nicole x

Last year was my third year of growing turmeric and I went slightly overboard by planting six rhizomes. We now have 4.5kg of fresh turmeric to chew through! I suspect we'll use it all up over the next 12 months, but next year I might plant more ginger (which doesn't yield as much) and only four turmeric plants.

With that fresh haul of turmeric, Charlotte and I have been enjoying almost daily mugs of warm golden milk. It's basically a cafe-style turmeric latte but a little more rustic. The ingredients are all great for your body, helping to reduce inflammation and support your immune system. It's also just a cosy warming drink to enjoy in the winter. If you're keen to try your hand at this homemade elixir, here's a how-to.

You'll need:

• 3 Tbsp turmeric

• 1 Tbsp ginger

• 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 3 Tbsp honey

• 1 Tbsp melted coconut oil

Mix all the ingredients together and store in a clean jar in the fridge (it should stay fresh for about two weeks). Add 2 tsp of the mixture to a 1/2 cup of boiled water and then top up your cup with milk. Alternatively, if you have a coffee machine style milk steamer, add the spice mix to a dash of hot water before adding cold milk and frothing.

Enjoy!

As if by magic, a slow cooker filled with chicken bones and vegetable scraps can be transformed into a healing broth.

Made from bones and inedible animal parts that would otherwise go to waste, bone broths are incredibly healing and nutritious. Learning how to make your own bone broth will not only go a long way to improving your family's immunity and gut health, it can also save you money and ensure a low-waste approach to eating in your home.

If you're keen to learn how, I've written an article for Live for Less explaining how and why you should make your own bone broth. Just click this link for more information.

Don't forget to let me know you how go. Or, if you already make your own broths, feel free to share any tips and tricks in the comments section below.

When I was a kid, my Great-Aunt would visit us every few weeks and stay overnight in our two-bedroom cottage. She would travel by bus with a small overnight bag, and my Mum would sleep on the sofa bed during her visit. Those stays were always marked by a Saturday night service at the local church, and small jars of pickled onions and olives she bought as gifts for my sister and me.

Despite not purchasing pickled onions for years, I still love to eat pickled vegetables. I've made my own pickled cucumbers and chillies before, so I figured it was time to try my hand at pickled onions. And I'm so glad I did.

These pickled red onions were simple to make and taste amazing with tacos, sandwiches, stews, cheese and crackers, or practically anything. And, I think they're even better than the store-bought variety.

Once you've eaten all your pickled onions, try using the pickling liquid in your next salad dressing to ensure you don't waste any of that flavour. Or, I don't see any reason why you couldn't re-heat the remaining liquid to use in your next batch. What do you think? I would love to hear if anyone has tried that idea before.

Here's what you'll need to make your own pickled red onions.

• 3 red onions, thinly sliced

• 1 cup water

• 1/2 cup white vinegar

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

• 3 Tsbp honey (or sugar)

• 3 tsp salt

• 1 or 2 chillies, sliced longways (optional)

Using a clean glass jar, put the sliced onions and chillies in the jar. Meanwhile, bring the other ingredients to the boil in a small saucepan. Then, carefully pour the hot liquid into the jar, covering the onions completely. You may need to use a clean spoon to submerge the onions and release any air bubbles.

Your onions will be ready to eat within 30 minutes and will last a few weeks in the fridge.

Enjoy!

A recent day spent in Brisbane has left our family under the same lockdown restrictions as Greater Brisbane. The kids are home from a school and childcare a few days earlier than anticipated, and like the rest of Queensland, we're wondering if our Easter holiday plans will go ahead. Despite this, life is good and of course, we are amongst the lucky and privileged: we have access to adequate PPE, our country has minimal cases of Coronavirus, our pantry is always well-stocked, our home is a beautiful space to be in, and there are plenty of local outdoor spaces to explore each day.

For the curious, here's a list of things we’ve been doing, making, baking, and enjoying (complete with links).

Cooking:

• Jam drops proved fun to bake and eat;

• We recently experimented with a sweet and white potato, potato bake. Simply layer thin slices of sweet potato, cooked onion and white potato, repeating each layer like you would a lasagne. Add a few cloves of crushed garlic to a small bottle of cream, shake, and pour over the layered potatoes. Top with salt and pepper, nutmeg and cheese. A similar recipe to our DIY attempt can be found here;

• I have a few red onions set aside to make this quick-pickled onion recipe. I'll let you know how it goes;

• I'm also planning to pick up a few extra ingredients to make these hot cross buns. I have the River Cottage bread cookbook, which contains this recipe, and everything else in it has been delicious, so I'm sure this will also prove to be tasty.

Reading:

• I recently read Meg Mason's Sorrow and Bliss and loved it so much I then borrowed another of her books, You Be Mother. Both were wonderful;

• I'm also working through Jess Hill's See What You Made Me Do as well as Glennon Doyle's Untamed (though, I haven't really been able to get into it...perhaps it's just me);

• And I'm due to collect a pile of library reserves including: All our shimmering skies, Fake: a startling true story of love in a world of liars, cheats, narcissists, fantasists and phonies, Traditional healers of the central desert: Ngangkari, Between two kingdoms: what almost dying taught me about living, and Love objects. That pile should keep me busy for some time!

Watching:

• The whole of The Handmaid's Tale again, in preparation for season four which is coming out soon.

Making:

• My knitting skills have never progressed beyond a wash cloth or scarf, so I'm working on a sunny yellow scarf while watching TV at night;

• I also have grand plans to make this top (sans ruffle) in a gorgeous Liberty print, as soon as I can find the time;

• My youngest is also currently obsessed with jigsaw puzzles, so there's plenty of puzzle time happening here.

Growing:

• The garden is full of turmeric, ginger, one last snake bean which hasn't showed signs of slowing, bitter melon, chillies, herbs and perennial greens;

• I want to expand a little more and try growing Queensland arrowroot;

• I'm also dreaming of strawberries and a miniature banana tree, though I'm not sure we have enough sun for either.

I hope you're all well, wherever you are, and have a happy and safe Easter.

Today is day four of Autumn in Australia. After what seems an eternity of humidity, today is cool (only a top of 25℃) and wet, and I couldn't be happier about it.

To kick-start the new season, I have been harvesting the last of the summer greens and herbs, ripping up the old tomato and cucumber plants, and mulching the garden for our slow shady winter. Still in the garden beds, ginger is bursting from beneath the soil and some of my turmeric plants are flowering. Turmeric flowers smell incredibly sweet, a little like honeysuckle, and bees love them. In the kitchen is bunches of lemongrass, thyme, basil, lemon balm, mugwort and chillies drying.

Inside the house, I'm making efforts to keep our house warmer this year.

Our pole home is on the side of a mountain, and the downstairs level gets particularly cold. To make the most of our forest-like location, there are glass walls upstairs and down, which certainly don't regulate heat well. Our beautiful polished floorboards also make things chilly.

In the name of insulation, I've purchased a large woollen rug for downstairs and moved an old one into my downstairs office. Some months ago, I also rearranged our upstairs living areas, so the family/TV room is now in a room that gets beautiful morning light and has doors to trap heat within it. Near our open-plan kitchen and dining areas, we have a fireplace where we burn timber foraged (or felled) from our small block. The recent felling of two dead gums that would have soon fallen will keep us in wood for several years, thankfully. Hopefully, this year will be a little cosier, though, I'm still on the lookout for more floor rugs. :)

This week I also made my first pot of soup in some time: Italian-style chicken and pasta soup. It was delicious and so fresh thanks to the lemon zest and juice added to the broth before serving. It will definitely be a repeat menu item over the cooler months, despite only two out of four family members liking soup. ;)

Wherever you are across the world, I hope you're also enjoying a change of seasons. I would love to hear how you prepare for the new time, no matter how small the changes.

The return to school and work hasn't been without difficulties, though. Just days before the school year started, we farewelled our beautiful 11-year-old dog, George, who suffered a series of seizures over several days and had a subsequent loss to the quality of his life. It was a difficult but necessary decision to let him pass, and I'm feeling his absence more than ever in my home-office without my sidekick.

Despite the hole in our lives from his absence, our girls are thriving in this new year. They are kicking metaphorical goals at school and sports, learning new things, establishing new friendships and continually amazing me with wisdom, love and compassion. Though, there's an almost weekly reminder that a new dog would be high on their wish-list this year. :)

At work, I've been busy writing for magazines and businesses and dabbling in some fiction. Spare time is being spent on sewing projects, pottering in my much-neglected garden, and of course, cooking.

Our household's summertime dinners often included barbecued meat, with multiple plates and bowls of raw, grilled or pickled vegetables. This tapas-inspired presentation delights my young children who can be picky about what they will or will not eat depending on the day/moon-phase/weather and provides them with a feeling of independence and control as they can serve their own meal. Surprisingly, they choose to eat an assortment of vegetables with every meal. It's my new go-to method for dinners, and I only wish I'd succumbed to this style sooner than later.

In the garden, the last of the chillies, tomatoes, cucumbers and finger limes are being picked, pickled, frozen or shared. We even sold some of the limes on Gumtree, which was exciting. I'm starting to plan my Autumn garden (though, I'm probably a little late) and keeping a close eye on the self-seeding capsicums from home compost that appear to be thriving. Fingers crossed they continue to grow and fruit.

In only a few weeks, it will be Autumn, and our routines will once again change as the days become progressively shorter and cooler. We have an abundance of firewood ready after recently felling two dead gums on our property, and I've been on the lookout for more rugs to keep our timber floors cosy this winter.

I hope you and your loved ones are also doing well in this new year, wherever you are located.

I'm entirely aware the words fermented green tomatoes don't instantly make ones tastebuds sing. In fact, it conjures quite the opposite reaction. However, I'm here to tell you that not only are fermented green tomatoes a delicious way to eat your unripe harvest, it's also extremely simple.

Fermentation is such a simple (and ancient) way to preserve food, and it's also incredibly good for your gut. By fermenting green tomatoes you can prevent waste at the end of your tomato season, or in my instance, ensure you get an equal share of your harvest with the possums.

To make your ferment, you can purchase specialised fermentation jars or crocks, but I don't have that sort of fancy kitchenware. Instead, a sterilised glass jar with a lid will do the job. Just ensure you occasionally burp your jar by opening the lid and allowing built-up carbon dioxide an escape route. Otherwise, the whole thing could theoretically go bang (I'm yet to experience this but have been told it can happen).

The basic recipe is as follows, and can be adapted to suit your harvest or tastebuds:

• 4 cups water

• 2 tablespoons fine salt

• 700g green cherry tomatoes, quartered

• 2-4 chillies (depending on your tastes), sliced in half lengthways

• 4-6 garlic cloves (peeled)

• 6-9 black pepper corns

• Warm half the water in a saucepan with the salt, whisking until dissolved.

• Put the tomatoes into a sterilised jar with the chilli, garlic and pepper. Pour the brine over the top. Top up the jar with some extra water ensuring the tomatoes are submerged. You may need to add a weight to hold them down (or use a folded up cabbage leaf to help submerge them).

• Leave the jar on your benchtop for at least 14 days, but no more than six weeks. Taste them periodically until they reach your desired taste (I prefer 14-16 days). Then, store the jar in the fridge for up to six months.

The fermented green tomatoes can be eaten on their own, in a salad, on a burger, or as refreshing pickle-like accompaniment to a hearty stew.

Enjoy!