The Nourish motto is Eat Well to Be Well - Good nutrition is the first and most fundamental step to good health.

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Polenta is a delicious autumn porridge drizzled with a little maple syrup. It is also very versatile as it can be poured whilst hot into a flat baking tray and chilled, then sliced and gently fried in a little olive oil to provide a tasty and colourful grain accompaniment for sweet of savoury dishes.

Ingredients:
3 cups milk of your choice
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 cup of polenta
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:
Combine milk, butter, salt in a heavy pot and heat to just a simmer. Slowly add cornmeal in a thin stream whisking constantly. Lower the heat and continue to stir until mixture has thickened and leaves the sides of the pan - approx 10 mins.
Serve as a breakfast topped with a little milk of your choice and some maple syrup or unrefined sugar, or as an accompaniment to a savoury main course such as a casserole. Or spread into a flat dish and chill until firm then cut into pieces approx 3cm square and fry in olive oil. Serve as an accompaniment to savoury or sweet dishes.

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Eating food grown in its natural growing season is the very best time to eat it. There is nothing more nutritious or delicious than the first of the season's produce - those succulent spears of asparagus or the sweetest little new potatoes, or the tart, crisp new season's apples. Seasonal eating is a fundamental principle at Nourish.

Summer is a time when so much delicious produce is available. Two wonderfully healthy things to enjoy at this time of year are Blueberries and Green Beans. Read more ...

My favourite thing about summer is Apricots another delicious and healthy fruit. For more about the health benefits, plus two great apricot recipes, click here ...

For balancing the sweet intensity of apricots, the perfect grain is Millet. Known as the Queen of Grains, millet is a nutritious and highly versatile gluten-free grain. For more info, including a millet and apricot recipe, click here ...

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Buying, growing, cooking and eating real, good, healthy and wherever possible organic food is a wonderful way to give yourself and your family a truly special treat every day; who said treats had to be unhealthy junk food?

The Slow Food Movement was started in Italy in 1989 in response to the globalisation of fast food chains and their obsession with standardisation of food and the putting of profit before everything else. Concerned with the threat such an approach to food posed to the unique regional individuality of food artisans, small scale fishing, traditional agricultural and horticultural practices the Slow Food Movement was created to celebrate the diversity of our food supply and to enure it is maintained, supported and strengthened. All who are affiliated with the Slow Food Movement are those who seek to grow, catch, create and distribute food in ways that respect the environment, defend human dignity, and protect the health of consumers. All individuals who support these ideals can join the Slow Food Movement which has chapters or Conviviums worldwide: and there is a Convivium here in Christchurch. The Slow Food website is www.slowfood.com

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My Grandmother always used to tell my sister and I that fish was brain food. As is often the case with much of the old wisdom there is more than a grain of truth to what my grandmother said. To read more about the health benefits of fish in your diet, click here ...

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Regular exercise and good nutrition go hand in hand. Exercise boosts the metabolism and helps our bodies to assimilate and make good use of all the healthy food we eat. Exercise promotes strong healthy bones. Exercise helps to release stress. It oxygenates and alkalises the blood, and boosts the circulation. Read more ...

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In a recent article in Organic New Zealand, Dr Robert Anderson reported that the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) has finally categorized the non-stick chemical used in teflon as a likely carcinogen. The article commented that despite steps being taken to regulate the use of the toxic chemical components of teflon these regulations will likely take a while to filter down to NZ. Teflon coated non-stick bakeware is still freely available in New Zealand and sales remain high. For the full article see Organic New Zealand November-December 2005.

If you haven't already done so, throw away your teflon frying pan - teflon is toxic, especially when heated. Replace it with a healthy cast iron pan; you will get better results with your cooking in a well seasoned cast iron pan as well as eliminating your exposure to harmful chemicals. Watch also for teflon linings in rice cookers, popcorn makers, oven trays and muffin pans. For muffins try using paper patty cases inserted into the teflon cups to keep the food away from the teflon. Nourish is currently investigating the merits of silicone bakeware which seems to be functionally superior to teflon lined tins. The muffins actually come out of silicone without you having to use heaps of butter or oil. Silicone is probably much safer than teflon, but the jury is still out - I will keep you posted.

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Lentils are one of the oldest cultivated crops and have been nourishing humankind for centuries. Today they are still grown and eaten all over the world. We have for you a wonderful Lentil Pate recipe that everyone will love.

The lentils we use at Nourish are Biodynamically grown in Scargill, North Canterbury at Milmore Downs. It is important from an environmental point of view and from a nutritional point of view to source as many of our foods from as close to home as possible. Gita and Ian Henderson have farmed Milmore Downs biodynamically for 25 years, growing a wide range of crops and animals as well lentils, and were recently the recipients of the Organics Aotearoa New Zealand Outstanding Service to Organics award. For more information and the yummy recipe ...

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December is a wonderful time of year for fresh produce in New Zealand. Two of the delights of spring are Strawberries and Asparagus. As well as tasting delicious they are also good for you. For more about the health benefits and a couple of great recipes, click here ...

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From Organic New Zealand: - 10 Reasons to go organic

• You protect future generations throughout the world
• You pay the real cost of food
• You have an independent guarantee with organic certification
• You protect water quality
• You enjoy great flavour and nutrition
• You keep chemicals off your plate and out of your body
• You reduce global warming and save energy
• You prevent soil erosion
• You support small farmers
• You help restore and maintain biodiversity

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