Yell's Kitchen

My Herbal Tea workshop is coming up. Learn how to use different herbal teas medicinally and have a taste test.

I often get asked about my air purifiers. Here is the old filter beside the new one. The old filter shows 11 months of crud. That particular filter is filter #4 on this air purifier. It is easy to see the difference. There are many pollutants these days both inside our homes and out. From dust, to debris from furniture, toxic cleaning products, toxic candles - whether it be lead in the wick, the nasties in the wax (paraffin - a waste product from the petroleum industry), GM soy, or the Phthalates from the fake smells aka ‘fragrance’ or ‘parfum’. Did you know that whenever you see ‘fragrance’ or ‘parfum’ it is a lab created smell consisting of up to 200 chemicals which are endocrine disruptors ( they mess with our hormones). While my nostrils and lungs can and do filter alot, I prefer to help them out and make their job a little easier.

New immunity elixir brewing on the bench. Featuring Calendula, Elderberry, Elderflower, Rosehips, Orange peel, Ginger, Brandy and Raw honey. It does not smell too bad.

Fresh tallow balm. Made with infused Calendula oil, pure Vitamin E, Sea Buckthorn oil and Frankincense essential oil.
Tallow is rich in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which has awesome anti-inflammatory properties, mineral rich, loaded with fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, K, and B12. The cell structure and nutrient composition of Tallow is similar to our skin. It provides the necessary nutrients to rebuild and repair skin. It is healing, soothing, replenishing and moisturizing.
Calendula is anti-inflammatory, anti microbial, wound healing, anti oxidant, and great for sores, pulled muscles, bruises and burns.
Vitamin E. Did you know many commercial Vitamin E products are loaded with petrochemicals? Often they are also mixed with Soy - most of which are genetically modified. It is important to check ingredients are where they are sourced from.
Sea Buckthorn oil is great for helping skin to repair and recover. It is heart healthy and rich is fatty acids like omega 7’s, palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid and antioxidants like Vitamin E, carotenoids and lycopene. These all help our skin deal with free radical damage.
Frankincense oil also known as Boswelia, is a great healing oil. It protects the skin and helps prevent signs of aging. It is an astringent, so it helps protect skin cells, prevent wrinkles and can help lift and tighten skin. Tallow balm is super moisturizing, great for rashes including nappy rash. It is the only thing I was able to use on my skin when having skin cancer treatment. This is a whipped Tallow Balm for ease of use.

I have been enjoying cutting glass bottles more than I thought I would! I have been cuttting 2L flagons to use the base as a saucer for seedling propagation, and the top as a cloche to protect my seedlings in the garden from birds ( 4+ punnets of onions and carrots lost to birds!), rats, snails and other garden pests.

The first of my Cayenne peppers! Now being dehydrated to go in a Circulation Tincture for Mr Yell. Have been getting a few Paprikas also.

Phew! Another Workshop done and dusted. Was great to meet new people and teach them how they can use herbs to support their health.

Tomorrow is the last Introduction to Herbal Medicine Workshop at Garden Goodness Smithfield. There are still spots available where I show you how to make Elderberry Syrup and the explain the benefits of Elderberry and other medicinal herbs. You will have the opportunity to buy some Elderberries, local raw honey and medicinal herbs to get you started on your medicinal herb journey.
Keep a lookout for the new workshops being posted soon. Herbal Teas and Tincture making may be on the cards in the near future at Garden Goodness Smithfield.

First pictures shows the older garlic honey ferment alongside the newest batch made fresh yesterday. You can see how the garlic has changed. The second pic shows the fermentation bubbles already appearing in the batch. Garlic honey is beneficial for this cold and flu season. Garlic is antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial.
Studies show that it can reduce the duration of the common cold by more than 70%. Taking garlic regularly reduces your chances of getting sick to start with.

Today I will be leading another Introduction to Medicinal Herbs workshop and showing people how to make their own immune boosting Elderberry Syrup at Garden Goodness Port Adelaide. There will be more workshops at a later date on Tincture Making, Tallow rendering, how to make Ghee, Bone Broth, Kombucha, Tallow balm and more. Tickets are still available for today's workshop. Simply head to Garden Goodness Port Adelaide for more info.

New water filter, old water filter. And this is only one of the filters from our reverse osmosis water filter. It is important to drink clean water. Did you know fluoride is a neurotoxin? It is good for our teeth but not our brain. It can also be harmful to our bones. It can be harmful to our endocrine system - thyroid. And that is the tip of the iceberg of why we filter our water.

My first juicy homegrown elderberries. They are now fermenting in the Elderberry Honey.

Making your own yoghurt is as easy as 1, 2, 3. When I first started making yoghurt I used the sachets of flavoured, sweetened stuff.
Then as I learnt more about health, I progressed to making it from scratch. When we had access to raw milk, I made our yoghurt from raw milk, which makes a creamy yogurt.
Now, I have a family member who is lactose intolerant, so I make our yoghurt from lactose free UHT milk. UHT would not my first choice from a health perspective, however it makes yoghurt making super easy.
1. I use 4 Tbls of yoghurt from my last batch of yoghurt as my starter or I get a starter culture.
2. Stir/whisk in 2 L milk, since this is heat treated already there is no heating required. When using raw or pasteurized milk it needs to be heated first.
3. After stirring well, place in yoghurt maker to culture for 24 hours. When timer is finished place in fridge to thicken for at least 6 hours.
Optional: I then strain my yoghurt for 24 hours which makes it a greek yoghurt. This strains the whey out. Whey has many great uses. It is great in the garden for acidic loving plants or it can be used to lacto ferment. We like to use it in our sauerkraut.
By making your own yoghurt you can control how much sugar is in the yoghurt, the type of milk used and the culturing duration. The longer culture time makes a tarter yoghurt.

Apple Cider Vinegar update. The cider is still brewing/fermenting away and smelling stronger every day. Soon it will be time to turn it in to vinegar.

First batch of Apple Cider Vinegar is brewing. Apple Cider Vinegar with the mother is good for you. There are studies that suggest there could be benefits for cholesterol and blood pressure. It also has anti-microbial properties. ACV may also help manage blood sugar levels. Can be used as a skin toner, for Candida and to help digestion.

My fermented garlic honey is fermenting away. Will be ready just in time for flu season. Both raw honey and garlic have medicinal properties. Once fermented, garlic can be eaten by the clove or a spoonful of honey instead. This has been historically used for its antibacterial, antiseptic, antiviral, anti microbial and immune boosting properties. Great for soothibg sore throats .

First batch of Tallow Balm. Trialing and testing phase. It is dog approved 🙄

Are you aware of how much sugar you consume? It is easy to be deceived and think a ‘healthy’ choice is being made.

When life gives you lemons, make lemon curd, bake a cheesecake, top the cheesecake with lemon curd and enjoy.

What is tallow? It is the rendered fat of beef and/or lamb. What is so good about tallow? Tallow from grass fed cows contains vitamins A, D, K, E and B12, choline, CLA and a few other fatty acids. Tallow has a high smoke point. It is great for frying, baking, sauteing and roasting. Consuming good fats is important for our cognitive health. Our brain is made up of cholesterol and fat. Tallow is great for seasoning cast iron pans. Tallow can also be used to make soap and body balms. Using tallow on your skin can improve skin moisture, help increase skin healing ability and flexibility. For longevity tallow can be stored in the fridge or freezer. Or it can be stored on the counter or in the pantry.

Ghee aka liquid gold. I get asked why Ghee is so good. Ghee is similar to clarified butter, meaning the milk solids have been rendered out. Since it is made from butter, it smells (and tastes) delicious. It is rich in vitamins A, E, K conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and butyric acid which helps to reduce inflammation in the body and improves digestion. It has a high smoke point. Being lactose and casein free means that lactose and casein intolerant people can enjoy a butter alternative that is good for them. It can be expensive to buy in stores. But so easy to make at home. It stores well, tastes delicious and is great to cook with.

Summer! The time of fresh berries. Which means Mixed Berry Jam with fresh local berries. Personally, I am not a huge fan of jam and the sugar it contains, but I do like this jam. Mmm maybe next I need to perfect Gluten free scones.

Peach Cobbler coming out of Yell’s Kitchen today. Made by special request. We will see how it tastes.

Grass Fed Beef Tallow bites. These have been slowly rendered to a creamy tallow, perfect for frying, roasting, and cooking. Tallow is great for high temperatures. Between 280-300g total weight. This tallow comes in small round discs weighing between 11-18g, which is a perfect size to cook with. Store in a jar in the fridge or freezer. $14.95 per bag.