Dairy Free Ice Cream

• one very ripe banana, peeled
• 1 can (400mL) of coconut cream
• 1 cup of cashews
• 1 tbsp of vanilla extract
• light sprinkle of sea salt
• 1/4 cup of honey (replace with agave for a plant based recipe)

Quantities are approximate. Adjust to your preference, but do not add water.

1. Add all ingredients to a blender.
2. Blend well and then taste test to see if any quantities need to be adjusted. Blend again if needed.
3. Pour into individual serving containers. Makes about four servings.
4. Cover each container and freeze for a few hours before serving.

Basil Pesto

• juice of one lemon
• 1 to 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup of fresh basil
• 1/2 cup of cashews
• 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup of parmesan
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

All quantities are approximate and to your preference. Use quality ingredients.

Put all the ingredients in a blender and add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water depending on your consistency preference. Blend until smooth. This pesto can be used on pasta, steamed potatoes, French fries, etc.

Pictured above is the pesto mixed with homemade pasta.

Pictured above is a plate of basil from my garden.

Pictured above is the basil pesto in my nutribullet.

Growing Garlic in Southern Ontario

Here in Southern Ontario, Canada, it is sufficiently cold to grow garlic. I purchased some local garlic (all hard neck variety) and planted in nutrient rich soil on October 15. When the weather started getting cooler a few weeks later, I covered with mulch. From seeding until the snow remained on the ground, if there was little to no rain/snow, I watered to keep the soil moist. During this time, small green buds may appear poking out of the ground.

In the spring when the snow has melted and the weather starts getting hotter and dry again, I watered regularly to keep the soil moist. During this time, tall green leaves will grow. Around June, garlic scapes will appear and they need to be removed unless you want a flower to blossom for seeding purposes. By cutting the garlic scape, the plant’s energy will be diverted to growing a large healthy garlic bulb. Garlic scapes are edible and I just use them as I would a garlic clove.

At the beginning of July, I stopped watering. Around mid-July, they were ready to be harvested. At this time, the once green plant will begin to brown. Once out of the ground, give the garlic bulbs a thorough wash and leave outside in a nice dry but not too hot spot for the bulbs to completely dry out. This will take a few days. Once fully dry, trim the the roots and cut the bulb from the plant. You may store in a cool place in your home and use as needed.

This garlic clove is the seed. Plant with the tip (pointy side) facing up as shown in the picture. When planting leave one layer of the outer skin.

The above picture was taken November 9 and you can see a little green poking through where some of the cloves sprouted. Seeding occurred October 15. By December in southern Ontario, the ground is normally covered in snow until March.

Once spring arrives and the snow has melted and the ground is thawed, the garlic will begin to grow rapidly. The above picture was taken on April 8 and gives an indication of planting spacing; that is, when seeding give about 20cm to 25cm in between each seed/plant.

The picture above was taken on July 12, just a few moments before the garlic was dug up. I removed the soil until I saw part of the bulb as shown in the picture, and then used a small hand shovel to dig underneath the bulb to loosen, and then gently pulled up from the plant. I was careful not to damage the bulb during this process.

All my garlic harvested as depicted in the photo above (July 12). I gave the bulbs a thorough wash and then left out for a few days in a dry but not too sunny/hot spot to fully dry out. During this time, the green parts of the plant turned brown as the last bit of energy was transferred to the bulb.

This last picture was taken on July 16. At this point, I had trimmed the roots and cut off the plant. They were now ready to be eaten. This was my first time growing garlic and in the future, I will plant more as I was very happy with the experience.