A Review of Organic Boxes

A Review of Organic Boxes

Is there a mother alive who has not repeated the phrase “Eat your greens” on a semi regular basis?

There is a time of year for it, when the cold of autumn is creeping through the cracks and nobody can quite agree on whether the heating needs to be turned on.

Down here in the Southern Hemisphere, that time is now.

Last weekend, being a pottering sort of a weekend, I was determined to find a recipe that made those greens something that the children would fight over. 

I based the meal on the simple (but winning) combination of carbs and protein with a side order of buttery soft green flecks. 

Pasta with Braised Kale 

is based on this recipe but with some extra taste packed in:

Ingredients

• 2 bunches kale, large centre ribs and stems removed and sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 500g pasta of your choice
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 4 anchovy fillets
• Splash of Sherry
• 1 small chilli finely chopped
• 100g finely grated parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Rinse kale. Drain and transfer to bowl with some water still clinging.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. 
3. Add chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. 
4. Add garlic, chilli and anchovies; cook until onion is golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. 
5. Add kale and Sherry and toss until wilted, about 3 minutes. 
6. Cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking until kale is very tender, stirring occasionally and adding small amounts of water if dry, about 20 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, cook pasta in medium pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. 
8. Drain pasta, reserving a mug of cooking liquid. 
9. Add cooked pasta to kale mixture in pot. 
10. Add lemon juice, parmesan and a glug of the reserved cooking liquid and toss to combine.
11. Stand back and watch in horrified awe as your children hoover up the entire thing at indecent speed.

You may be asking why I am posting a recipe for cooking greens when we have established that this is not a cooking blog.

What can I say, I have a fridge that looks like an overgrown hedge at the moment due in a large part to the generosity of Organic Boxes who sent me one of their Standard Mixed boxes to review.

It was a moot point, because we were actually long standing customers of theirs until our veg patch took off last year so they were already preaching to the choir, but like an old friend, or pulling your favourite jumper out for winter, it was a lovely feeling to open the front door and see the insulated box waiting for us to discover.

I say "us", I mean the children. 

Alfie and Esme fell into step like well drilled crack squad and carried our delivery into the kitchen with a rare display of team work before dropping it unceremoniously to the ground and ripping it open.

If I were thinking, I would book a delivery for Christmas because I'm not even joking when I tell you that at one point Alfie clutched the bunch of bananas to his chest and said

“We got bananas! I LOVE bananas! Oh! I'm so happy!!”

He didn't get that excited over his last Lego set, and that cost me twice as much, and tastes far worse on pancakes.

It was great to see that the quality of the produce was as good as I remembered: Everything looked vibrant and crisp, and there was more than enough fruit and veg to keep an average family going for the week. If, like us, you are mostly vegetarians or have children who wake up at 1 am to raid the fruit basket (were those pears tasty Alfie? I wouldn't know) I would suggest getting a larger box. 

Watching the over enthusiastic unpacking it felt awesome to know that the children have that connection with the origin and seasonality of their food; although that isn't a good news story in our house because the children have become addicted to the mighty feijoa. 

It will take a braver person than me to tell them that feijoa season is over for another year. 

I'm sort of hoping I can distract them with pears or comfort them with good old fashioned chocolate because damn you feijoa trees and your freakishly short fruiting season! 

And damn you kale for not being more like feijoas, have you never heard of the saying “less is more”?!?

I was sent an Organic Box free to review. The opinions expressed are my own, in all their glory. I shouldn't have to tell you that, clearly nobody would actually pay me to express views like this.

Wednesday, 27 May 2015 Comments: 0

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Chase's Battle for Bodily Integrity

Chase's Battle for Bodily Integrity

I really wasn't sure what to write about this week because the thing that is occupying almost all of my mind and heart, is something happening on the other side of the world, and to which I have no direct connection.

In Florida today, there is a 4 year old boy who is the subject of a legal battle over his body. More specifically, his right to refuse circumcision.

I won’t bore you with the back story except to say that neither young Chase, nor his mother Heather wants him to undergo the process. His father does.

A court in Florida has already found in favour of Chase’s father on the basis of contract law* after which Heather took the radical step of going into hiding.

I know we all like to think we are “that parent” but really I wonder how many of us really would be brave enough to defy a court order and walk out of our lives and hide in a woman’s shelter to protect our children. 

That was two months ago, and determined to fight on, Heather had already filed a Federal suit when she was found and arrested on Friday. 

Her son, Chase, was handed over to his father.

Can you imagine being Heather over the weekend? Can you imagine the utter desperation of being ripped from the child you have literally given up everything to protect and see him handed over to the one person you fear the most?

I can’t.

And Chase, who we are told is fully aware of what is being discussed, to be handed over to the absent parent who he knows is fighting against his wishes.

I look at Alfie, who is only a squeak older than Chase and I see how strong and well formed his opinions are. I think about the years I have spent teaching him about the importance of bodily integrity and I try to imagine how I could look him in the face and betray his wishes. 

I can’t.

Heather’s suit is currently under consideration and there is no guarantee at this point that Judge Kenneth Marra will even accept that it holds merit. That’s such a glib statement isn’t it? Does this suit hold merit? Like we were talking about an argument over a fence line, or who had more right to take the TV in the divorce settlement, and for the life of me I can’t work out why we are making a distinction between this, and any other matter of bodily integrity.

Perhaps because the default victim of this unnecessary practice are a demographic who have no ability to speak out. Perhaps if we were used to the routine circumcision of adults we wouldn't be used to thinking we have dominion over the body of another person.

But I genuinely don’t see it: I don’t see how this differs from rape or assault. I don’t see how we can be living in 2015 and a country who touts itself as the leaders of the free world can be engaged in the wilful blindness of the harm that is being done in the name of profit. 

Circumcising your sons against their will does not protect them from disease, it doesn't make them cleaner, and it is not a way in which your child needs to look like their father. 

Dear America, other countries have walked your path, New Zealand included, and we have been brave enough to hold up our hands and say “we fucked up, this is not the best we can do for our sons”. 

Please have the courage to do the same.

* Heather had previously consented to the procedure

Wednesday, 20 May 2015 Comments: 0

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Learning Diaries: Colours

Learning Diaries: Colours

So after a week of being hideously sick, we are back to some level of normality, and that means Alfie's unschool is back in session.

I have to admit I was a little freaked out about the concept of unschooling. That’s not surprising when you consider I am a product of a long and very structured education system myself. 

I know from personal experience that self-led learning is effective; I use it myself on a daily basis, but as an entire education system? That’s a big leap. 

I suppose in some ways you could say that I needed to unschool myself about education as much as anything.

Which is why it has been amazing to be a part of Alfie’s journey into unschooling, and for us to be able to foster his questions and his curiosity.

The other day for instance he was sitting at the dining table and asked me what colour you would get it you mixed yellow and red.

So I mixed up some paint for him and he got to experimenting.

And because he isn't a very language hungry child, we just kept it loose and I wrote the colours down for him to copy if he wanted to.

Which it turns out was a really good way to get him to write. I'm not saying he takes after his father or anything but y'know, apples don't fall far from the tree and after ten years you start to learn what works: Imajustsayin'

What I love the most about our approach to learning is that I get to play as large a part in Alfie’s education as Keith does. When you unschool, every moment is potential teaching moment and every question can either be answered, or investigated together.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and find Heavy and light objects to throw off the balcony … we’re answering the question of what will drop faster.

Wednesday, 13 May 2015 Comments: 0

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The Inevitable Pastime

The Inevitable Pastime

Christmas 2006 was our first a very special occasion, even by the usual standards of the season; it was the first Christmas after Keith and I had moved in together.

It was the sort of Christmas you have before you grow into family sized tables, where furniture is crow-barred into a room and people are pressed elbow to elbow, perched on everything from the coffee table to a lawn chair. 

I cooked up my first Christmas dinner in our too small kitchen and it was cheerfully devoured by both of our families along with a suitable quantity of wine.

Later, while people were loosening off belts and negotiating over the last chocolate, a suggestion was made to play cards and in the tradition of the Batsford family, a game of “spoons” was decided upon. 

Perhaps it was the wine, or the near exhaustion from my morning of cooking, but I have no idea what happened next. 

Seriously, none.

I know there were cards exchanged at a furious pace but what sticks in my mind is the fact that by the end of the game my table, and several contestants, were all sporting gouge marks.

This was my introduction to a family who can turn a casual game of cards into a blood sport.

I know this is an outstanding tangent, even my usual standards, but I wanted to give a little context that will help frame my next statement:

Alfie has started playing Football.

I had absolutely no knowledge of the fact that my son wanted to take up this most hallowed of team sports, but Keith assures me that he was keen.

Suspicion aside, I’m torn between whether this is a stroke of genius, or the damnation of us all.

Monday, 11 May 2015 Comments: 0

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