Raw Organic Chocolate for Easter

This Easter why not go for organic chocolate or even better raw organic chocolate. Most major supermarkets now stock organic chocolate and you may be able to find ready-made raw organic chocolate at some health food shops, but why not try making your own.

 

Raw Organic Chocolate Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup Organic Cacao Butter

1 cup Organic Cacao Powder

1 cup Organic Sweetener (Agave syrup, Raw honey, dried fruits)

any other additions to taste

 

Method

• Melt cacao butter in a bowl (by placing a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of boiling water).
• Mix in cacao powder and stir well
• Add sweetener and mix well
• Add any other ingredients.
• Pour into moulds, allow to set in fridge overnight, ENJOY!!!

 

Notes

Quantities of the ingredients can be altered to suit the amount you wish to make, you just need roughly equal parts of each main ingredient.

This recipe is vegan, dairy free, organic and nut free.

 

The ingredients are available from most health food shops and online. Although you can also buy the finished product online and from some local produce markets.

 

WildRaw

WildRaw makes beautiful raw chocolate in a variety of flavours and styles. Available at the Margaret River Farmers Market and online at www.wildraw.com.au

 

Loving Earth

Loving Earth sells a wide range of Organic Raw chocolate bars online at www.lovingearth.net

 

Andersen Cacao Creations

Sell a great range of organic raw chocolate products online and at the Fremantle and Subiaco markets http://www.andersencacaocreations.bigcartel.com

The water wise plant battle – Native vs Exotic

Every time we hear about gardening, you hear water wise. While this in itself is a good thing, the other word that is usually associated with water wise gardens is native. Personally I am a little over the whole idea that the only way to have a water wise garden is to use Australian Native plants, because this is simply not the case.

 

There are many exotic plants that are just as water efficient (if not more so) than Australian natives. The secret to success is to plant to your environment, which varies greatly in Australia. For example in far North Queensland you can plant tropical plants without any worry, but in the South West of WA it is unwise as they require far more water than is readily available.

 

I have put together my top 10 water wise exotic plants:

1. Proteas (any plant from the Proteaceae family as these developed in Africa’s dry environments)

 

2. Cactus and Succulents (they store their own water for dry times)

3. Pigface (a type of annual or perennial succulent that has masses of beautiful flowers, great as a groundcover)

4. Agave

 

5. Grasses (Mondo, blue grass etc)

 

6. Echium (beautiful silver foliage, with large flower spikes from later winter)

 

7. Alstroemeria (Princess Lilies are a great cut flower as they last for over a week in a vase)

 

8. Day Lilies (huge range of flower colours)

 

9. Frangipani (flowering shrub/tree)

10. Jacaranda (flowering tree)

 

These are just some of the beautiful exotic plants that are water wise and grow in most areas of Australia. In order to find the right plants for an area it is always useful to go for a walk around the neighbourhood to see what is growing well in other people’s gardens. In addition to this most states in Australia now have websites that list suitable water wise plants for each area.