Straw Hat Gardens

09/09/2022

Hi everyone!

We haven't been on socials for a while for the simple reason that we have decided to hang up our hats and put Straw Hat Gardens on the back burner since last Spring.
We have been busy with our young family, training for new careers and living life!
Straw Hat Gardens was and still is a project that is close to our hearts as we believe growing food in a sustainable way is the strongest base for healthy living. We will be digging soil, planting and growing food for ourselves in the meantime...

We still have some side projects on the go (as our minds are forever overworking 😜), and you can follow us on our plant-based journey on Kiwi Plant Eaterz or Jen's new hobby creating jewellery on Bijou by Jen

Thank you to all that supported us in the last few years, it meant a lot to us! Special mentions to , CrossFit Wild South
ComplEat Wellness The Pantry Invercargill and our friends and family for your constant and invaluable support! ❤🙌

See you on our next adventures!
Mike & Jen 🌿

24/05/2021

🌸🐝 Bulbs for Bees!!

There is still time to plant bulbs for a beautiful Spring display and most importantly, food for the bees when they come out on their first flights after Winter!

If you have a garden you probably have amazing colourful bulbs already planted but why not make a special pot/corner for our buzzy friends?

I chose lavender/blue colours as they are the bees favourite (they can see them better) and added some daffodils for contrast (and because I looove them!❤)

So to make a bulb lasagne, you prepare your pot with rubble and a layer of soil/compost and start laying the bulbs that need to be the deepest first, generally the biggest, like daffodils. Then you cover them with another layer of compost and carry on with the other bulbs until you have planted all your layers!

I planted in this order:
🌸Daffodils/Crocus/Muscari/Anemones🌸

You then finish with a bit of mulch and wait for the magic to happen once Spring comes!!

All bulbs have different flowering windows so you will have a beautiful display for weeks and the bees will loooove you for it! 🐝🌸

24/05/2021

🐝🌻 Bzzz!! All about bees continued...
The following pictures will help us recognize the different type of bees we can find:

The most known species of bees is the Honey bee. Yes the little creature that makes delicious honey 🍯! They are black and yellow, quite furry and they live in hives in a very structured colony with a queen and mostly female bees.

But did you know that there are about 28 different species of native bees in New Zealand? They are great pollinators and important to the health of ecosystems. Most are solitary ground nesting bees, called digger bees, as each female constructs her nest in the ground. They are smaller than honey bees and black!

And at last the good looking Bumble bee! As described by my 5 yo, it is a fat bee that doesn't make honey... 😆 but they also live in a hive and are great pollinators!

I also added a wee reminder on how to differentiate bees from wasps (not so cool critters!) 🌻🐝

22/05/2021

🌸🌼🌻 As some of you may know, it was World Bee Day this week (May 20th) and we thought it would be a great opportunity to talk about these amazing creatures 🐝🐝

That is why we are creating this new Guide, "All about Bees", in which we will post:
- who they are and info on different species here in Nz and abroad
- tips to help the wonderful pollinators in your garden...
- what to plant to make sure the bee population grows!
And much more... Enjoy and 'Bee' aware 🌻🌼🌸

15/05/2021

🫐🥝🍓 Smoothie time! 🍓🥝🫐

This is a repost from our old blog but a goodie to start your Sunday on the right foot!

Today I blended:
🍌 1 small banana
🍎 1 small apple
🥝 1 gold kiwifruit
🥭 1 serving of frozen tropical fruits
🫐 1 serving of frozen blueberries
🥥 1/4 cup of coconut milk
🍊 1/4 cup each of orange juice and 🍍pineapple juice
💧 some water and ground ginger to spice it up!

Super loaded for the day!! 🤩

14/05/2021

🔴💮 RED VELVET BLISS BALLS

(or like my 5yo calls them, Spiderman power balls - ie: photo 😂)

To make these tasty protein balls you will need:
(For about 16)

1/4 cup nut / seed butter
1/2 cup applesauce
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 serving vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup rolled oats ground into flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp red beet powder (or food colouring if you can't find beet powder)

🔴💮🔴💮🔴

In a food processor, combine all the above ingredients and blend into a homogeneous mixture.
If the mixture is too dry, add in a few tablespoons of water to help with blending (or if too liquid like mine was, add more oats/coconut 😉)
Roll the mixture into 16-20 balls (about 1-2 tablespoons each) and place on a flat tray. Let set in the fridge for 15 minutes before serving.

You can roll the balls in coconut flakes and chia seeds for a different look! Yum yum! 😜

14/05/2021

🥜🍜 Peanut Butter and Veggie Stir Fry on Kumara Noodles!🥦🍠

If you love Satay, this one is for you!! 😉

🍽 For the sauce you will need: 🍽
~ 3 cloves of garlic (peeled)
~ 200g of peanut butter (could work with other nut butter)
~1/2 tsp of ground ginger
~1 & 1/2 Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar
~ 250ml of water
~ 1 Tbsp of soy sauce

🍽 And then: 🍽
~1/4 cabbage (purple or green) sliced thinly
~1 head of broccoli chopped in small florets
~ 2 courgettes (zucchinis) sliced and chopped in quarters
~1 Tbsp olive oil
~1 packet of sweet potato (kumara) noodles

So... here it goes: 😋

Combine all ingredients for the peanut butter sauce in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Set aside

Heat olive oil on medium heat in a wok or a large pan with a lid. Add broccoli and zucchini, cover and cook for 3-5 minutes. (To make this recipe oil-free, substitute water for olive oil.)

Add cabbage plus a tablespoon of water, and replace cover. Allow to cook 2 more minutes, or until cabbage is just tender. Add more water if needed. Remove lid and pour half of the peanut butter sauce over the vegetables.

Cook the noodles according to the directions on the box.
Plate the stir-fry on top of or next to the noodles, and drizzle remaining peanut butter sauce on top.

So good!! 🤗

- recipe is in the Guides section for future reference - 😁

25/04/2021

💥🍠Shepherdless Pie 😉🍠💥

Yay! Comfort food! And so healthy! Protein, iron, vitamins...flavour...checked! 😋

♨️To whip up this one, you will need:

- 2 cans of cooked lentils
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 2 cloves of garlic diced
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 courgette grated
- 3 button mushrooms diced
- a handful of baby spinach leaves
- 1/2 tsp rosemary
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 250 mls of vegetable stock
- salt/pepper to taste

For the top:
- 3 medium kumaras (I sometimes mix with potatoes if I don't want it too sweet, or parsnip for a bit of an edge 😉)
- 1 tsp cumin
- grated dairy free cheese and/or nutritional yeast ♨️

♨️So, basically sauté the garlic and veges in a tbsp of olive oil (or water), add can of tomatoes and mix well before adding rinsed lentils, stock and herbs. Add the spinach.
Let simmer for 10-15mins to get all the flavours mixed.
Meanwhile, boil the kumaras, mash, add the cumin and the grated cheese.
Put lentil mix in an oven dish and delicately spread mashed kumaras over it. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast for extra nutty flavour.
Straight in the oven @180°C for 25-30 mins or until it starts bubbling and browning on top.♨️

💜The smell and flavours of this dish are A-MA-ZING! 😀💜

Enjoy!! 😎

24/04/2021

🌿 The growing season is coming to an end! Thank you all for your support and we'll see you in Spring for more deliciousness from the gardens! 🌿

The Straw Hat team 👨‍🌾 👩‍🌾 👱🏽‍♂ 👶🏽

04/04/2021

🐰🥚 Our chickens are taking a break from laying but the Easter Bunny has taken over today!! 🥚🐰

🌼 Happy Easter everyone!! 🌼

21/03/2021

🍯 I recently came across these beautiful sauces New Zealand made with Manuka honey from Kai Ora Honey.

Oh so tasty!! The Balsamic dressing is fantastic drizzled on a salad (from Straw Hat Gardens of course 😉) 🥗.. a few drops of Manuka & Garlic infused avocado oil on a steak will blow away the tastebuds of any meat lover!.. and the Chili & lime dressing is so versatile it can be used with vegetables, salads as well as any type of grilled meat or seafood, giving it a nice tang 😋👌

So here's the deal: would anyone be interested if I got some in stock to sell along our produce?
They come in 100ml bottles of goodness. 💚

Let us know in the comments!! 😉🤗

18/03/2021

🌱🌿 Let's cross our fingers for a great cooler season! ❄💧☀️🌱

15/03/2021

Hi guys!! 🌿

Plant based living is something we are very interested in so we've decided to share tips/info and recipes with you!
You will find them as a post on the page and for future reference in the Guides tab under Plant based living! 🥑🥝🍎🍓

15/03/2021

🌻 Butternut mc & cheese! 🌻

For the busy parents out there, this dairy free mc&cheese recipe is easy and fast! All ingredients in a blender and pour on!

🔅For the sauce:
- 1/2 butternut (or any pumpkin)
- 1 onion sliced (I used onions flakes)
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tsp thyme
- 2 tbsp of vinegar
- 2 tbsp of Nutritional yeast (for the cheesy flavour)
- 2 cups of plant milk (soy for me!)
- salt & pepper to taste
➡️Boil or steam diced pumpkin
➡️sauté onion, garlic and thyme until soft
➡️add all the other ingredients in blender and blend away!

🔅 cook 3 cups of wholegrain pasta and steam 2 cups of broccoli florets

🔅assemble and Tadaa! 😀..ps: I added dairy free mozzarella to the original recipe and baked it at 180° for 15 mins, just because you know, mc&cheese without "cheese" is no mc&cheese... 😄

Enjoy!! xx

03/03/2021

🌿🌱 Introducing our Autumn/early Winter lettuce selection! 🌱🌿
Seeds are on their way, sowing as early as next week! We are hoping for a good cooler season 🤞
. featuring ... (clockwise from top left)

🌸Winter lovers: Baby Spinach ~ Rouge d 'hiver ~ corn salad (mache) ~ Vivian lettuce

🌸All year faves: Salad bowl ~ Merveille des 4 saisons ~ Royal Oak ~ Lollo Rossa

21/02/2021

🌱🌿 Morning harvest 🌿🌱

Best time of the day to be in the vege garden 💚

03/02/2021

🌿🐔🐥 New members of the Straw Hat family! 💜💜

31/01/2021

🌿☀️ Monday Shop deliveries! ☀️🌿
pantry
ComplEat Wellness

27/01/2021

If you are like us and mindful of what you put in your plate, chances are you pay attention to your overall health as well! If you need a wee push to get healthier and a good life balance, check out our friend Maja's page. She has just started as a health coach based in Invercargill and she's tops!! 😉🌻

https://www.facebook.com/MaiaHealthCoaching/

Health and Mental Fitness Coaching
Empowering you to live a life of health, energy, and abundance.

20/01/2021

💚🌿

Straw Hat Garden's Kale is now available at The Pantry
$3.50 per bunch

Straw Hat Gardens are urban, small-scale, organic farmers working towards an ecological and agricultural transition. Perfect!!

Inspired kale fans who feared they’d never be able to get it right at home now have great news! It couldn’t be easier to make awesome kale: You need just three ingredients and about five minutes. Check out this easy Skillet Kale with Lemon & Garlic recipe and ENJOY 😁

https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-kale-261979

20/01/2021

Thank you for stocking our produce! 🌱💜🌿

Who loves a Fresh Lettuce Salad on a hot day? The lovely Jen from Straw Hat Gardens in Winton has just dropped off some freshly picked lettuce leaves which she has bagged into a delicious combination mix for $6.80 a bag. Why not try one of my go-to Annabel Langbein salad recipes and make the most of the best seasonal produce https://www.annabel-langbein.com/recipes/paradise-salad/3416/ Yum!!