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Belinda Clark with her granddaughter Isla

My journey to healthier skin

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Diet and the skin-sugar connection

For most of her life Belinda Clark has enjoyed good health, despite a tendency to do too much, but her skin has often shown when something’s amiss. Here she shares her story.

Fortunately my mother started learning about healthy food when my sisters and I were young, and my parents eventually converted their citrus orchard to being organic and biodynamic.

Our mother’s research into wellbeing strongly influenced my own choices with holistic health later. These helped me stay generally well through student and overseas years and teaching in a New Zealand Steiner school, mostly while raising three children.

I sometimes enjoyed sweet foods, concerned only for my teeth and very occasional candida outbreaks, although I knew of naturopaths who advised clients to avoid it. Dr Rudolf Steiner had recommended it for some, I’d heard, and most people ate it, so I took little notice.

Twenty-two years ago, my daughters, our pets and I moved to a lifestyle block near Napier. It was lovely and brought many benefits but also new pressures, especially when I accepted a herd of angora goats.

  ABOVE: Belinda Clark with granddaughter Isla and Caspian the cat, by a raised vege bed.

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Belinda Clark is a Soil & Health member who lives near a daughter and granddaughter at Birdsong Nature Sanctuary.

She enjoys learning from and supporting Nature, writing poems and short stories for her ‘Unusual Encounters’ book, being part of an International Peace Group and singing in Napier Community Choir.

Dark chocolate crunch bars (aka ‘healthy’ protein bars)

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By Dr Linia Patel 

Many shop-bought protein bars hit your protein numbers, but they come with so many other sweeteners and additives that aren’t great for you to be eating habitually. With this recipe I tried to create a protein bar that was healthy.

Images and text from Food for Menopause by Dr Linia Patel, photography by Clare Winfield. Murdoch Books RRP $45.00

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Clients (especially those who are on the go a lot) are always asking me to recommend a protein bar. To be honest, there isn’t one that I would recommend for regular consumption! They’re okay as an occasional get-out-of-jail card, but not for regular consumption.

Many shop-bought protein bars hit your protein numbers, but they come with so many other sweeteners and additives that aren’t great for you to be eating habitually.

With this recipe, I tried to create a protein bar (without using protein powder) that was healthy. One that I would be happy to recommend my clients eat regularly. Each bar gives you about 5 grams of protein – perfect for a snack. They are high in healthy fats, so, as yummy as they taste, keep it to one per snack!

Makes 10-12 bars

Ready in 20 minutes, plus chilling

Vegan

Gluten free

Ingredients 

  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 4 tbsp almond or peanut butter
  • 60g (scant ½ cup) dark (70%) chocolate chips
  • 200g (7oz) cooked quinoa
  • 70g (½ cup) whole unpeeled almonds, chopped
  • 30g (1oz) whole linseeds or flaxseeds

Method

  1. Line a small loaf, baking or cake tin with parchment paper.
  2. Either in the microwave or in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, melt the tahini, nut butter and chocolate together until smooth.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
  4. Tip into the prepared tin and chill for at least 1 hour, then cut into 10–12 small bars.

Tips

These will keep in the fridge for up to 10 days. If you like, you can drizzle with extra melted chocolate before slicing (as per the photo).

Differently wired brains

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By Mary Allan

“Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one ‘right’ way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits”.  This is the introductory sentence on the Harvard Education blog “What is neurodiversity?”

However, unless we dig a little bit deeper that catch-all term doesn’t explain the glaringly obvious struggles some people live with or the subtle, hardly noticed nuances that make life very difficult for others.

While I applaud inclusive language and thinking, my experience as a specialist in the management of autism spectrum in schools tells me that despite changing the terminology every 30 years or so, we are still very short on understanding how to help neurodiverse people survive and even thrive in our society that caters to the less diverse majority.

Understanding what is going on for people – especially children – is the only way to inform strategies and systems to help them cope with life.

The shape of walnuts is similar to the human brain

  

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Mary Allan is a retired special needs educator who still maintains a focus on managing ASD and severe behaviour. She is a keen gardener, spurred on by the limited range of organic and GE-free foods in the supermarkets, and the need to provide gluten-free and dairy-free food for her family.

Spring into Kōanga!

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By Tanya Batt

Tanya Batt shares the story of Spring into Kōanga, a seasonal celebration on Waiheke Island. It’s one of the Kai for Community projects run by the Once Upon an Island Charitable Trust These projects focus on reconnecting with true seasonal celebrations and the stories and traditions around growing, harvesting and sharing food in the Waiheke community.  

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Egg time! 

It’s egg time. Many people often fail to make the connection between eggs, Easter and spring – kōanga. Probably because we celebrate Easter (a northern spring festival) in Australia and New Zealand in autumn.

However if you are lucky enough to have the company of a few chickens, that connection will come as no surprise to you. At this time of year you can be sure of an egg for breakfast. But for many of us, eggs (if you eat them) come from shops and shops always have eggs regardless of the season.

When we lose the connection between our seasons and celebrations, a vacuum is created and celebrations become superficial. Instead of connecting us to our environment, they become focused on what we can buy and how things look, and reverence is often diminished or lost. Upcoming spring Halloween celebrations demonstrate this perfectly.

ABOVE: Laying the tāpapa beds, Piritahi Marae, Waiheke Island, September 2024

September: Laying the tāpapa beds 

Here on Waiheke, we’re seasonally celebrating with Spring into Kōanga – a story in two parts.

The first part took place during September with the return of the pīpīwharauroa (shining cuckoo), in the māra of the Island’s Piritahi Marae, with the laying of the tāpapa beds from which will grow the tipu of the kūmara. These tipu (shoots or slips) will then be sown later in October or early November.

The September event was led by whaea Maikara Ropata, and kaumatua Eugene Behan-Kitto, a master kūmara grower who learnt his growing skills from the late Kato Kauwhata (Ngāpuhi), kaumata and inaugural chairperson of Piritahi Marae. The hope is to grow enough tipu this kōanga, for both the marae māra and other community garden groups, and activate island wide uptake of growing kūmara.

Growing stories and kākano (seed) for the hue (gourd) were also shared in an informal kōrero about this treasured plant – another early arrival bought by the tipuna of tangata Māori. When young, the fruit of this plant can be eaten but as a dried mature fruit it was used a storage vessel, musical instrument and taonga. The day finished with a kōrero given by Mike Smith, a climate activist who has recently won the right to take several large companies in New Zealand to court for failure to curtail their carbon emissions.

Kūmara was the first cultivated crop grown in Aotearoa. Its legacy as a primary food source of the people of this country stretches back several hundred years. The māra kūmara falls under the domain of Rongo-mā-Tāne, the atua of cultivated food and of peace.

October: Pumpkins, corn, tomatoes and more 

Our second event was held on the grounds of another of our community gardens – the Surfdale food forest – on 20 October. The programme included a talk about growing tomatoes with one of our green-fingered gurus, Eddie Welsh, seasonal kai ideas from the Waiheke Home Grown Trust, a spring posy competition, egg decorating and plant giveaways for the summer garden.

The focus was on two plants in particular: pumpkins and corn. Both plants originate from the Americas, their cultivation extending back thousands of years.

There are lots of traditions and stories associated with corn. In Europe, a ‘corn mother’ or ‘the old woman’ or ‘corn dolly’ was made out of corn (though corn was a generic word used for grain). The corn dollies were kept in the barn to protect the crops during winter, and then ploughed into the ground come spring to ensure a good harvest.

This tradition resonates strongly with another story of corn, which is told by a number of North American First Nations people from the eastern and south-western areas, where from the first mother’s body grew the first maize plants.

Attendees were given free pumpkin seedlings and corn seed, accompanied by a story and a song and were encouraged to bring their harvests to the Autumn Kai for Community Waiheke Food Festival in April 2025. The pumpkin seedlings were germinated by the students of the Waiheke Primary School’s Garden to Table programme. This programme was also the source of the pink popping corn seed that will be distributed for growing over summer, again culminating in a island-wide ‘pop-a-thon’ in autumn.

A primary focus of the Kai for Community programme is to excite and support families to grow food at home, fostering the green hearts and fingers of young children. Both Spring into Kōanga events have been generously supported by the Waiheke Local Board and are part of the Waiheke Island Climate Action plan.

The relationship we have with the land we live on, the food we grow and eat and each other are the cornerstones of wellbeing. Celebrating our seasons brings these three important things together and helps create healthy and happy hapori (communities).

Hollie Pierson with a Kai for Community tea towel
Opening ceremony, Kai for Community Harvest festival in April

Tanya Batt is a word warbler and seed sower living on Waiheke Island. Her two passions – storytelling and gardening – have found a happy union in the work she does as a storytelling gardener at a local school and through her role as creative director of the Once Upon an Island Charitable Trust’s Kai for Community (KFC) projects.

www.imagined-worlds.net

ABOVE: Tanya Batt with Chinese cabbage

Steamed eggplant with spicy sauce drizzle

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By Connie Cao 


This is an extremely simple dish that’s packed full of flavour. It’s great to cook during peak eggplant (aubergine) season in the garden.

Images and text from Your Asian Veggie Patch by Connie Cao, photography by Connie Cao. Murdoch Books RRP $45.00.

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Serves 3–4

Ingredients 

  • 400 g (14 oz) eggplant (aubergine) (a slim variety works best)
  • 1 spring onion (scallion), to garnish
FOR THE SAUCE
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons white or black vinegar
  • 1½ tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon chilli oil (see below or page 135 of the book)
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Method

  1. Cut off the ends of the eggplant, and then slice the eggplant into long halves or quarters.
  2. Finely chop the spring onion and garlic cloves.
  3. Place the eggplant into a steamer, and cook for 15 minutes or until tender.
  4. While the eggplant is steaming, mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
  5. Once the eggplant is ready, drain any excess water.
  6. Transfer the eggplant to a plate, drizzle the sauce on top and garnish with spring onion. Serve hot.

Homemade chilli oil

Makes 130 ml (4½ fl oz)

  • 200 g (7 oz) fresh chillies
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • ½ cup (125 ml) vegetable oil (or other neutral oil with a high smoke point)
  • Spices for flavouring (optional)
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Method

  1. Slice the chillies into small pieces, and dehydrate using the instructions in the Storing section [page 134 of the book].
  2. Once dried, break the chilli pieces into flakes using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, and place them into a ceramic mug or bowl.
  3. Slice the garlic cloves.
  4. Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over low heat until it slowly starts to bubble.
  5. Add the garlic and your choice of spices (if using), and allow them to infuse for 5–7 minutes while the oil continues to slowly bubble away. Remove from the heat once the garlic has started to brown.
  6. Allow the oil to cool for a few seconds, then slowly pour it through a strainer and onto the chilli flakes, removing the garlic and spices in the process. Take care, as the chilli flakes will start to sizzle and pop.
  7. Gently stir to mix everything together, and set aside to cool.
  8. Once the chilli oil is cool, pour it into the jar. Place the lid on the jar, and allow the chillies to infuse the oil in the fridge for 2–3 days. Use within 3–4 weeks.
Book cover image: Connie Cao, Melbourne permaculture gardener, homesteader, photographer and digital content creator, in her backyard harvesting long beans (also called asparagus beans, Chinese long beans, snake beans, yard beans, yard long beans)

When Micromanaging is Good 

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Microbes are a big name in organic agriculture – in fact, they are the reason for everything. I’m not exaggerating here: the first life forms thought to have existed were – you guessed it – of such tiny proportions that you and I would have thought nothing of them.  Story and photos by Paige Murray. 

Paige Murray

I’m sure you know the basics, but to be clear, ‘microbe’ is the broad term to describe organisms of microscopic size – too small for us humans to see, thus we give them far less credit than they deserve. In this case, I’m referring to the microbes colonising our soils and helping our plants to grow big, strong and healthy. Microbes are like colostrum for babies: without them, our plants would be sickly, weak and lacking a whole heap of important nutrients.

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Paige lives in a tiny house on the outskirts of Lincoln, and loves to get her hands dirty in all ways homesteading. A childhood of growing up on and around farms was the perfect way to understand that agriculture got us, as a human race, to where we are today… and it will shape who we become tomorrow. 

The past five years saw Paige working on an organic market garden. It was here that she learnt (in spite of what all her agricultural science lecturers told her) that organics can be economically viable, and is a pretty good way to grow and produce alongside nature, rather than fighting her. 

What is Syntropic Agroforestry?

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Story and photos by Andy Jeffs  

I have been exploring syntropic agroforestry over the past three years, and in this article I’ve outlined the foundational concepts.  

My practical application and experiences of syntropic agroforestry are limited but there is a lot of information available, and some great practitioners up and down the country offering workshops and courses. 

Natural succession | Illustration adapted from Syntropic Farming Guidebook by Roger Gietzen 

  

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Andy Jeffs lives with his wife Erica in Hawke’s Bay. He manages a BioGro certified organic blueberry orchard at True Earth. He enjoys growing food at home using principles that regenerate the earth. 

Asparagus & Lemon Walnut Crumble 

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Recipe by Margo Flanagan and Rosa Power
Photography by Margo Flanagan and Susannah Blatchford  

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Feeds: 6  | Time: 10 minutes 

Ingredients 

  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil  
  • 2 bunches asparagus spears, ends snapped off  
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt  
  • Lemon Walnut Crumble  
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil  
  • ¾ cup walnuts, roasted and chopped  
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped  
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt  
  • ½ lemon, zest and juice  

Method 

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).  
  1. Heat the cooking oil in a frypan. When it’s hot, add the asparagus and salt. Cook for 2 minutes, give it a toss, then cook for another 1–2 minutes. Once the asparagus is cooked but still has a bite to it, transfer it to a plate.  
  1. Using the same frypan, add the cooking oil, walnuts, garlic and salt. Cook, stirring frequently (being careful not to let them burn) until golden brown (about 3 minutes). Add the lemon zest and juice and cook for another 1–2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from the heat.  
  1. To serve, top the asparagus with a generous portion of the walnut crumble.  
  1. This is best eaten straight away.
SWAP  

Walnuts for any nut or seed you have in the pantry. We love using pumpkin seeds or almonds. The walnut crumble can be served atop any other vegetable when asparagus is not in season. Refer to Swap with the Seasons (page 12). 

TIP  

The asparagus season is short, so make use of the woody asparagus ends that otherwise would be thrown in the compost. Freeze them to use in future soups or vegetable stocks. 

DELICIOUS WITH  

Herby Quinoa + Halloumi (page 36) and prawns, white fish or chicken. 

Extracted from More Salad by the Two Raw Sisters. Photography © Food: Margo Flanagan and Lifestyle: Susannah Blatchford. RRP$49.99. Out 10 September 2024. Published by Allen & Unwin NZ.  

Fat Hen & Cashew Cheese Tart

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Recipe by Heidi Merika  

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A commonly foraged vegetable throughout the world, fat hen is a good source of protein, fibre, calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin A and trace elements, making this vegan tart — which uses both the seeds and leaves of the plant — highly nutritious. It is a lovely light lunch or dinner option, and smaller individual tarts are great in lunchboxes or to take on picnics. Add any savoury toppings you fancy. Some options are suggested below, but feel free to choose your own. 

SERVES 8  | 1 HOUR | GF 

Ingredients 

  • 1 large handful of fresh fat hen leaves 
DOUGH
  • ¼ cup (20 g) fat hen seeds  
  • 1 cup (100 g) almond meal  
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil  
  • 1 tablespoon psyllium husk  
  • 1 tablespoon water 
CASHEW CHEESE  
  • 2 cups (310 g) raw cashews, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes  
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed  
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast  
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar  
  • ½ teaspoon salt  
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper 
POSSIBLE TOPPINGS 
  • fresh fat hen leaves (blanched)  
  • roasted zucchini (courgette)  
  • roasted capsicum (pepper)  
  • sautéed mushrooms  
  • sliced tomato  
  • pitted olives  
  • capers, vegan feta, fresh herbs 

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F).
  2. Blanch the fat hen leaves by placing them in a heatproof bowl and pouring boiling water over them, then straining them immediately, pressing the water out of them. Set aside.  
  3. Place all the dough ingredients in a food processor and blend until they form a dough that pulls away from the sides. (You can also mix them together by hand if you don’t have a food processor.) The dough should stick together.  
  4. Press the dough into a loose-based flan (tart tin), or a shallow tray lined with baking paper. Blind-bake the dough for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and leave to cool.  
  5. Turn the oven up to 180°C (350°F). Using a food processor, blend all the cashew cheese ingredients to a paste, adding a tablespoon of water if the mixture is too dry.  
  6. Pour or spoon the cashew cheese over the cooled tart base. Arrange the blanched fat hen leaves over the tart, then add your choice of toppings.  
  7. Bake for a further 20 minutes, until the crust is golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes, before cutting into eight slices for serving. The tart will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–5 days. 

Images and text from p.178 of From the Wild by Heidi Merika, photography by Cath Muscat.
Murdoch Books RRP $55.00.  

Leek and Potato Stew

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with cavolo nero, beans and bacon 

A simple, flavour-packed stew utilising spring veg and pantry staples – serves four.
Recipe and photos by Tess Lenart 

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This dish is equally delicious vegetarian, so feel free to omit the bacon and go for vegetable instead of chicken stock if you prefer. I find homemade stock has the best flavour, however shop-bought will work well also. 

I like to serve this stew for lunch with freshly baked bread or toast with lots of butter, or as an easy weeknight dinner. It freezes well and makes a great gift for anyone that could do with a warm hug in a bowl.  

The extra virgin olive oil drizzle and sprinkling of parmesan takes the dish to a whole new level so try to include these steps if you can!  

Ingredients 

  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus extra to drizzle 
  • 1 leek, quartered and thinly sliced 
  • 2 large cavolo nero leaves – stalks removed and chopped 
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves chopped 
  • 2 large potatoes 
  • 3 rashers of bacon (optional) 
  • 400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 
  • 1 pinch chilli flakes (optional) 
  • 750ml chicken (or vegetable) stock 
  • Parmesan cheese for serving (optional) 
  • 1 Tbsp chopped parsley for serving (optional) 
  • Salt and pepper 

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. 
  2. Add the bacon (optional) and fry for 2 minutes. 
  3. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt and gently stir until the leeks soften and start to turn translucent.  
  4. Add the garlic, cavolo nero stalks, chilli flakes, thyme and a good grind of pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes.  
  5. Add the potatoes and gently coat them with the aromats. 
  6. Pour in the stock and simmer for 30 minutes. 
  7. Season to taste, add the cannellini beans and simmer gently for 10 minutes. 
  8. Chop and add the remaining cavolo nero leaves and cook for a couple of minutes then take the saucepan off the heat. 
  9. Ladle the stew into bowls, drizzle with olive oil and top with chopped parsley and grated parmesan. 

Tess Lenart is the founder and chief chutney-maker at Rootstock Foods and The Rootstock Larder roadside stall in Algies Bay.  

Follow @rootstockjournal on Instagram for more delicious, homestyle recipes and kitchen garden inspiration.