 This recipe 'should' wow the pants off most fish-lovers, most food-lovers in general really because it's not only tasty it's dead easy! This is one of Farmer Mick's favourite meals and I get a real kick of 'clean-out-the-fridge' (COTF) meals because some of my best meals have been born this way....so this style of cooking suits me fine.
Farmer Mick will often complain that we have no food in the fridge and then I pull something like this out of my umm, hat and he will say every time without fail....'fish and three veg never tasted so good'! He's easy to please and this recipe is seriously easy. For this COTF meal, I was clearly favouring my purple veggies at the time so I thought why not use them all at the same time and alas this colourful creation was born. What you'll need These quantities will make enough for 2 people Fresh salmon fillets (any fish works fine) 3 x purple carrots (or any colour will do) 1 x sweet potato (you could use purple to really purp up the occasion!) 1/2 x purple/white cabbage shredded 1 x cup baby peas (I often use sugar snap peas, beans or brussel spouts) Dash of almond milk 1/2 teaspoon of Nuttlex (or any butter) 1 x tablespoon wholegrain mustard A dash of apple cider vinegar A swig of Barenuts Macadamia Nut Oil Generous drizzle of Barenuts Macadamia Nut Butter Fresh parsley Fresh dill 1 x lemon - half for the cabbage mix + extra for drizzling over the salmon Method Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Boil carrots and sweet potato until soft. Mash or smash with a fork. Add butter + milk and a generous amount of fresh parsley and freshly cracked pepper. Set aside and reheat just prior to serving up. Place salmon on baking tray. Drizzle with Barenuts Macadamia Nut Butter and a squeeze of lemon juice. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the butter goes crusty. Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine the shredded cabbage + peas + wholegrain mustard + apple cider vinegar + squeeze of lemon juice. Simmer on low with a lid on for approximately 10 mins. Season with freshly cracked black pepper. Remove salmon from the oven. In a bowl, arrange half of the smashed carrot + sweet potato mixture. On the other side, add the pickled cabbage + peas mixture. Top with the salmon fillet + squeeze of lemon juice + fresh dill. Happy Friday y'all!
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 As a kid, I used to hate the smell of manure. Every time it looked like rain, my Mother would get a load of manure delivered. Then the rain would come and she would get outside with her umbrella and shovel it all over the lawn and in the gardens. I would sit and watch her from inside the house, but I never quiet understood why she would want to be outside in the rain shovelling smelly manure?
Well I certainly understand why now. It's a labour of love and that distant earthy smell that I used to find so overpowering is now one of my favourite smells! That earthy smell makes me feel so happy. We just got a semi-trailer full of compost delivered today and one might say ole Farmer Mick and I are high off the fumes from this magic manure and will do for our trees! A lot of time goes into helping the trees prepare for their flowering season. Farmer Mick has been a busy boy and getting all of the compost out before the rain comes is vital. The compost needs to settle into the earth nicely so that we can still continue to harvest what nut is left on the ground and in the trees over the coming months. Applying vital nutrients via foliar sprays is also a very important part of nourishing the trees. Timing is crucial because the trees absorb the vital nutrients through their leaves and making sure the coverage is perfect. So now as Spring is almost upon us, we can sit back and watch the trees soak up all that goodness - it's really my favourite time of the season. With each day, the natural pollinators work overtime and the orchard is absolutely abuzz with activity!  Our new neighbours recently welcomed a sweet little baby boy so that's a good enough excuse to make a cake. My Aunty Barb first made this cake for me on a recent girls farm stay and us gals hoovered it down like nobody's business. Besides, every gal needs a good cherry cake recipe and this one is not only easy it's jolly tasty!
The twist ...well duh, macadamia nuts because in our house, macadamia nuts find their way into pretty much every meal so this cake was no exception. What you'll need 1 x tablespoon chia seeds 1 x cup SR flour (I used gluten free but you can pretty much use any flour) 1 x cup macadamia nut meal (almond is fine if you don't live on a macadamia nut farm :) 3/4 cup x sugar (I used a mixture of dark brown sugar + organic Canadian maple syrup because it's already a sweet cake with the cherries but caster or raw sugar work fine too) 2 x free range eggs 1/2 x cup dry roasted macadamia nuts cut into halves or quarters 125 x grams butter (melted) 1 1/2 x cups cherries, pitted and roughly chopped (I used a jar of Morello cherries) Method Preheat over to 180 degrees (fan forced). Line a 22cm springform tin with baking paper. Place chia seeds in 100ml cold water, whisk to combine then stand for 15 minutes - seeds will turn to gel. In a large bowl, combine flour, almond meal and sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, melted butter and chia seed gel + maple if substituting for sugar. Pour into flour mixture and beat until smooth and well combined. Add half the 🍒 and fold gently to combine. Pour cake mixture into prepared tin Push the remainder of the 🍒 in and around the top of the cake. Place in oven to bake for 45 minutes (the time will depend on your oven). To check cake is cooked, insert a skewer and it should come out clean when cake is cooked. Remove from tin and cool on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing. Serve with natural yogurt or chantilly cream aka dollop cream with vanilla bean or natural vanilla. Thanks Aunty Barb! xx  Macadamia raceme Traditionally, our macadamia nut harvest runs from April through until September but for the past few seasons, these balmy Winter days can often confuse the trees and they begin flowering early.
The significance of one season ending and one beginning is often a time of reflection. What worked well this season and what didn't work so well? How can we improve and what will we do differently next season? At the Barenuts Macadamia Nut Farm we care deeply about the welfare of trees and the ground in which they grow so our sustainable approach to orchard management practices is something we put a lot of time and effort into. At the end of the day, our focus is always finding the best ways to nurture and nourish our sweet baby nutlets so they grow into BIG tasty Barenuts! Even though Spring isn't quite upon us, before we know it the entire orchard will be abuzz and it's a truly magic time...even from the house you can hear this constant hum (I think it would make a great soundtrack) from the busy bees and other pollinators all day long! Attention all you foodies out there! Grab a $1 Macca Shot and receive $1 off any of our macalicious products this Saturday and Sunday at Regional Flavours at Southbank. Treat your taste buds to a trail of culinary creations when the farmer's of Queensland decend on Brisbane with truckloads of their homegrown goodness!
Barenuts will be located outside of the Queensland Taste aka where all the booze tents are so pop in for a macca shot and taste our little slice of the Fraser Coast!  Barenuts is proud to announce we have won a Gold Medal at the 2017 Australian Food Awards (AFA) for our Lemon Myrtle Macadamia Nuts.
So I very sneakily decided to enter some of our products into the Australian Food Awards, I didn't bother telling Farmer Mick because I honestly didn't expect to win but lo and behold our tasty native Australian treats scored top marks, 100/100! The AFA, conducted by The Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV), offers Australian producers broad opportunities to leverage their success locally and internationally with AFA’s national brand seal of quality. Entrants have the opportunity to benchmark against set criteria, receive invaluable independent feedback from industry experts, and be rewarded for excellence.  Barenuts is proud to announce we have been awarded Snail of Approval recognition as part of Australia's first Slow Food Noosa program!
Look out for Barenuts on the International Slow Food Planet app which is a global directory of producers, restaurants, food and beverage artisans, markets and farms who contribute to the quality, authenticity and sustainability of the local food supply.  These toasty Winter mornings are ideal porridge weather but let me introduce you to a special Farmer JoJo blend that your insides will thank you for.
Combine the following into a jar so it's ready to go each morning... 1 x cup raw buckwheat 1 x cup pearl barley 1 x cup gluten free whole oats 1 x cup freekah (cracked or whole) 1/2 cup linseeds 1/4 cup chia seeds 1 tablespoon organic ground cinnamon Give it a good shake and put 1/2 cup into a saucepan. Add 1 x cup macadamia milk* (no macca milk? Substitute for your fave - coconut milk is lovely too) Add 1/2 water Bring to the boil and simmer for 25 mins. If I am feeling fruity, I throw in a few fresh cherries or banana to stew in the milk. Get your walking shoes on and go for a walk! Rudi and I go for two walks around the farm every day, it's my favourite part of the day watching him run along, big smile on his face while he stops to lick the dew from the grass when he gets thirsty. Life just wouldn't be the same around here without him. Walk done = porridge ready! Pour your steamy porridge into a bowl... Squeeze with Barenuts Macadamia Nut Butter Drizzle with organic Canadian maple syrup Top with fresh raspberries, blueberries and passionfruit and viola perfect porridge every time! * simply soak 1kg macadamia nuts in water overnight - drain and viola you have milk Tip: blend the leftover soft macadamias and you have cheese, add some garlic, chilli and your favourite herbs/spices for a tasty crumbly cottage/cream cheese.  If you told me five years ago that one day I would be a farmer, I would have belly laughed until I cried. Honestly, I thought living in inner city Brisbane, catching the city cat to work everyday with the wind in my hair was appreciating the world around me. This blog documents how my whole world changed.
Three years ago, my then-boyfriend-now-husband Farmer Mick, asked me if I wanted to buy a macadamia nut farm? Despite feeling 'nuts' at the mere thought of leaving my solid well paid job, a huge part of me was intrigued and figured why not, we only get one life so why not live it? I was working as a media/communications advisor in Brisbane when this property came up, complete with a commercial kitchen so we snapped it up and haven’t looked back. Even though I am busier now that I have ever been in any comms job, I am so much more time-rich and not to mention happy. I never imagined that I would be doing what I am doing but I couldn't imagine doing anything else either. This tree change of mine literally happened overnight. I became Farmer JoJo overnight. Farmer Mick and I went from seeing each other every two weeks (he was FIFO at the time) to me resigning from my job, buying a farm and going into business together. I remember arriving at the farm full of butterflies because the realisation hadn't quite hit me yet....but the snake wrapped around the gas bottle on our first night at the farm made it sink in really fast! It took a few weeks to settle in and I remember asking Farmer Mick 'what's my occupation now?' Since I graduated from uni, I had only ever known myself as comms/media JoJo and all of a sudden JoJo wasn't in the city anymore? With a massive smile, Farmer Mick said 'farmer darling'. It suddenly dawned on me. I really was a farmer now. My 'you could be a farmer in those clothes' farm attire and Hunter gumboots I had purchased for Splendour many moons ago would finally get some real mud on them. A smile matching my Farmer's spread across my face. Born and bred bush boy Farmer Mick got busy farming, I got busy in the kitchen and Barenuts was born. I now lovingly handmade all of the Barenuts products in our fully certified gluten free kitchen at the farm....that's right, I snack on native nutty goodness all day long while making fresh tasty little treats that everyone can enjoy - that's right, all of our products contain NO NASTIES and they are everything 'free' but nut. As the saying goes, I am happy as a pig in sh@t! I’ve always been drawn to healthy food which is why I like to call myself 'The Health Nut’. From a young age, I always preferred carrots sticks in my lunch box than a roll-up. Unless my Mum was working in the tuckshop, I didn’t ‘do’ sandwiches that weren’t fresh. I have always listened to my body too so I know when I am lacking something because I naturally crave certain foods. I am a natural born foodie – always thinking about my next meal while eating and always looking at the menu before eating out – much to my husband’s distaste, but that’s why he always ends up with food envy because he hasn’t carefully considered the menu! My food philosophy has always been the same: keep food simple, fresh, seasonal, nourishing and as bare as possible. I love texture in my food so as long as I have barley, wild rice, freekah, quinoa, lots of fruit + veggies + fresh seafood then I am happy, oh and I pretty much refuse to cook without fresh herbs! As the crow flies, our farm is directly inland from Fraser Island (one of my favourite places in the whole world) so we consider ourselves pretty lucky when it comes to calling the Fraser Coast home. It’s a fairly diverse region and food bowl – red claw, rosella, lychee, pineapple, liquorish and sugar cane farms are all close by and we have access to some of the best seafood in Australia – which suits my pescetarian taste buds jusssssst fine! Naturally my food philosophy became the Barenuts philosophy which is to keep our ingredients as ‘totally bare’ as possible. I get really excited when I discover a new flavour combination and when it comes to macadamia nuts, well they are so bloody versatile that they pretty much find their way into every meal in our house, without even trying. Personally, nothing beats the buttery taste of a macadamia nut fresh from the tree, without any of the fuss that goes into making them flavoured. But in saying that, nothing beats the citrusy zest that only Australian natives like fresh Lemon Myrtle and Kaffir Lime can provide. When we first inspected the farm, I remember smelling the amazing Kaffir Lime tree before I actually saw it. She grows some of the biggest and juiciest limes + leaves that I had ever seen and is the sole provider of all our Kaffir Lime products. With an abundance of citrus trees including mandarins, limes, lemons, oranges and crazy amounts of bananas growing so freely, we knew we were sitting on some fertile soil and promptly planted a Lemon Myrtle tree once we moved in! If it can one day get to the size of the Kaffir Lime, I will be over the moon because you cannot go past freshly roasted Lemon Myrtle and Kaffir Lime leaves - it's the most divine smell in the world! I have always craved natural flavours, even from a young age I was very aware of flavours and never enjoyed the taste of red meat. When I noticed I was picking white meat out of every meal, I stopped buying it. I have been a pescetarian for 6 years and pescetarian and vegetarian food excites me – it’s definitely where I get my inspiration from. I hate wasting food too so I get a real kick out of creating meals using everything left in the fridge/cupboard. Some of my best meals and flavour combo’s have been born this way! That's pretty much Farmer JoJo in a nutshell...Farmer Mick + Rudi + macadamias + fresh food + wide open spaces. I finally found some time to start this blog because it was actually at the top of my to-do list when I arrived at the farm...famous last words as I quickly discovered there is never any 'down' time at a farm because there is ALWAYS something to do. As this blog follows the adventures of a city chick turned country chick, I ask you the question are you craving a tree, sea or mountain change? If there is even a flutter of butterflies deep within, then I encourage you to trust it and take a chance on yourself. I did and look where it lead me. Love + macadamias Farmer JoJo |
City Chick turned Country Chick living a wholesome, free range all round idyllic life with Farmer Mick, our Baby Barenut & Rudi the Staffy Red Cattle Dog at our Macadamia Nut Farm on the Fraser Coast. Archives
February 2018
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